Things Are Different Now
By Michelle

Things are different now, their life together is falling apart. He was on his European tour, she was at home in the states. The calls she used to get every night became fewer. The emails he used to get that said "I love you," were gone. They rarely spoke and when they did it was just to argue.

They could argue about anything. The most recent fight had been over where he had put his shoes when he came home. The subjects of these fights were nonsense but the words they used weren't. They would scream strong, hateful words at each other without thinking. These words stung more than a physical slap could have. These words they threw at each other in the heat of the argument burned and seared their love. It was these words that were tearing their love apart.

For the longest time it had been Cammy and Nick, Nick and Cammy. Rarely were they seen without each other. When one couldn't attend something, that person would be on the other's mind until they were together again. For the first year it was like this and then they moved in together. The relationship got stronger and their bond grew. All their friends talked about how perfect they were for each other and deep down inside they envied what Nick and Cammy had found in each other. Together they shared their dreams, their reality, their passion, and their love. Together they weathered through tough times and good times, but always together.

Nick would always have a tour or something that took him away from Cammy. He would always call when he got a chance, though. She had gotten used to the early morning phone calls over the lines from far off cities. She welcomed the sound of his voice and the excited nature of it when he spoke of the show that night. She lived for the time when he would whisper his vows of love into the phone for her ears only. And Nick, he would wake up each morning thinking about that call and the things they said and he would make it through the day because of it. While he was talking to her, his mind would picture her talking to him. He could imagine her smiling face when he told her the pranks he pulled that day. He could see her light colored hair pulled back in a ponytail, her delicate hands twirling it between her fingers. He could just imagine her smell as she sat in her cloud pjs leaning against the headboard of their bed. The bed that they stayed up late in, watched movies in, and just sat in talking about each other's day. In that bed they became one person on the night of their one-year anniversary.

And it was in that bed that she told him her mother had died, she had cried in that bed till there were no more tears left and then he had just held onto her. But things are different now, their life together is falling apart.

Instead of sleeping in each other's arms, they sleep on opposite ends of the bed, not wanting to touch. The house that was once filled with their love, now cries silent tears for them. Their friends no longer envy them, now it's pity they toss upon them. The love, that at one time everyone thought was unbreakable, is crumbling before their eyes. No one knows what to do to make things change. Everyone does know that only Nick and Cammy can change things, but they have to want it, which doesn't seem possible right now. Now they attend things separately, no longer talk, and don't dare look at each other. No one knows what they're afraid of, everyone offers ideas, but no one knows for sure.

Brian thinks it's because they just don't want it to end officially yet. Howie thinks it's because they are just afraid to. AJ thinks it's because they just don't want to. Kevin thinks it's because they'll see the pain that they cause each other there. The guys will talk about this until they're blue in the face, not because they have nothing better to do, but because they’re concerned. They all knew that eventually one of them would take the plunge and confront the problem, and one of them did.

She was sitting at the kitchen table, 2 suitcase at her feet. She was waiting for him to come home from his European tour. She heard his key turn in the door and his footsteps as they echoed down the hall. She sighed to herself, there was no "Honey, I'm home," anymore; there hadn't been in awhile. She looked up as he stood in the doorway, her eyes finally meeting his. He wasn't the same Nick she fell in love with. But things are different now, their life together is falling apart.

As he walked into the house he could feel that something was wrong. Feeling defeated, he walked into the kitchen to find her sitting at the table. He stopped when she looked at him. Her eyes that had once been big, blue, and full of love for him, were now gray and lifeless. But things are different now, their life is falling apart.

She motioned for him to sit down and it was then he noticed the suitcases at her feet. "It's over, isn't it?" he questioned. He looked at her, longing to find the woman he still loved in there.

She erupted into tears, the first she had shed over their relationship. She couldn't bring herself to answer his question. She thought they could go on, living together like they had been, but it was too hard. "I don't want it to be, but it's too hard to stay together, Nick," she told him. He didn't want it to be over either, he wanted it to be the way it was. But things are different now, their life together is falling apart.

Silence filled the spacious kitchen as the couple stared at one another. Cammy didn't want to leave and Nick didn't want to see her go. Finally, he stood up, "Come with me," he ordered her.

She followed him obediently to the backyard, next to the tree they planted together. "We planted this tree and promised each other that as long as it stands, our love does," he told her, she only nodded in response. "I'm not ready to tear up our roots, I want to keep them planted. I want to keep our love strong, do you?" he hopefully asked her.

"I do," she said as she flung her arms around his neck. Things are different now, their life together is slowly rebuilding.