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Chapter 29

Chapter 29

 

            “What am I doing?  I can’t do this!” screeched Caryss as she fastened the seat belt across her lap. 

 

            “Yes you can honey, you’ll be fine,” reassured Liz as she held Caryss’s hand.  Caryss laid her head back against the cushy seat in first class and closed her eyes.  She started to feel nauseated as the plane sped up and as the wheels lifted off the ground, she grabbed the paper bag in front of her just in time. 

 

            “Oh my God sweetie, are you okay?” Liz asked immediately as Caryss retched into the bag.  It was obvious she was not okay, but Liz didn’t know what else to say.  She rubbed Caryss’s back and exchanged a worried glance with AJ who was sitting on the other side of her. 

 

            Caryss leaned back in her seat, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself down.  Liz grabbed the paper bag and handed it over to AJ.  He reeled back, tucking his hands under his legs so he wouldn’t have to touch it.  Liz slanted her eyes at him and pursed her lips together, a sign he knew very well.  He gingerly pinched the top of the bag with his thumb and index finger and carried it that way to the bathroom. 

 

            “So gross,” he muttered as he tossed it in the garbage can and washed his hands frantically with soap and water.  When he got back to his seat, Liz was reading a book and Caryss appeared to be sleeping. 

 

            “Are you sure this was a good idea?” Liz asked as AJ sat down next to her and pulled his mp3 player out of his pocket. 

 

            “I am sure that she needs to tell Nick, and not over the phone, but I am worried about her flying and dealing with all of this while she’s pregnant.”

 

            “I’m worried too.  I mean, what if something happens?  This is just such a bad situation.”  Liz glanced over at Caryss and then back at AJ. 

 

            “We both talked to her doctor, we know what we are dealing with and we have the instructions on what to do if something does happen, and that’s all we can do baby,” he said softly as he placed his hand over Liz’s.  She just nodded her head and went back to reading her book.  AJ slipped the buds into his ears and turned his mp3 player on.  He wasn’t a big fan of flying and listening to music while he tried to sleep usually seemed to be enough of a distraction. 

 

            Liz jostled him what seemed like minutes but was actually hours later.  “We’re landing babe,” she said as he pulled the buds out of his ears and turned his music off.  He looked over at Caryss and found her awake, tensely holding another airline issued paper bag in her hand.  Luckily, this time, she did not make any use of it. 

 

            When the wheels hit the runway Caryss let out the breath she had been holding and slowly the color started to flood back into her face. 

 

            “I’m taking the bus back to Chicago,” she muttered under breath as she stood up from her seat and collected her things.  The threesome trekked out of the plane and into the airport, AJ undetected the whole way.  Apparently, traveling with two women, one of whom being pregnant, is a pretty good disguise for a Backstreet Boy. 

 

            None of them had luggage to claim, seeing as how AJ and Liz both came with just the clothes on their backs and Caryss only packed a carry-on.  They quickly exited the airport and took the tram to the short-term parking garage where AJ had left his car.  Ten minutes later, they were on their way to AJ’s pad.

 

            “Where are we going?” asked Caryss, very confused by the path AJ was taking to Nick’s house.  “We passed the exit for Nick’s house.”

 

            “Nick doesn’t have a house right now,” said AJ tentatively.  He wasn’t about to offer up anymore information than was asked for. 

 

            “What do you mean he doesn’t have a house right now?” Caryss questioned, feeling a little irritated by AJ’s vagueness.

 

            “He sold it and he’s been staying with me until he finds a new place.”  Liz shot AJ an annoyed look and turned around in the front seat so she could see Caryss. 

 

            “What Mr. Ambiguous is trying not to tell you is that Nick sold the house after you left, not wanting to live on the property where he had betrayed you.”  Caryss scoffed and looked out the window. 

 

            “How romantic,” she responded sarcastically. 

 

            “Caryss, don’t.  He loves you so much and he sold his dream house to try and escape the pain he caused you.  Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”  Liz knew she was treading in dangerous water but she could not stand Nick and Caryss being apart any longer.  They were each other’s match, and the sooner Caryss realized it the better. 

 

            “Him not cheating on me in the first place would mean a whole lot more,” she offered up, the sarcasm fading from her voice and sincerity replacing it. 

 

            I can’t believe he sold his house because he hurt me.  He loved that house, hell, I loved that house and I was only there once!  I guess it was right though, because I could have never stepped foot on that beach again knowing what he did on it with another woman while we were seeing each other.  Lord knows how many chicks he’s banged in that house, but none of them were while we were together so it didn’t bother me as much. 

 

            Her internal monologue was cut short as AJ steered his car into his driveway. 

 

            “Maybe this time you’ll actually stay put and not run off my property like an escaping convict, huh?” AJ joked as he turned off his car and opened the door. 

 

            “Mr. Funny Pants has jokes, ha-ha,” replied Caryss, trying to hide her smirk and keep her tone sounding annoyed instead of amused by his comment.  Caryss and Liz emerged from the car and as the threesome walked up to AJ’s door, Caryss’s stomach started flipping and turning.  She was so nervous to see Nick again, not to mention that she was nineteen weeks pregnant with his baby and she was not going to be able to keep it from him any longer. 

 

            Liz sensed her hesitation and gently placed her hand on Caryss’s back.  “Come on sweetie-pie, just get it over with.”  Caryss turned her head and looked into Liz’s eyes.  Liz could see the doubt and fear plastered in them, empathy for her friend overtaking the practicality and rationalization that she was previously trying to adorn.  

 

            “Lizzie, I’m scared,” Caryss whispered as tears fell freely from her eyes.  “What if he doesn’t want to be with me?  What if he doesn’t think the baby is his?  What if--”

 

            Liz put her finger over Caryss’s lips, causing her to stop talking.  “You are my best friend and I love you.  I have not let you down yet, and I’m not going to start now.  You need to trust me when I tell you that everything will be okay.”  She wrapped Caryss into a hug as AJ stood behind them watching.  He loved the relationship Caryss and Liz had and this was just another fabulous illustration of their friendship at its best. 

 

            Caryss backed out of the hug and wiped the tears off her cheeks.  She took a deep breath as AJ opened the door to his house and they all walked slowly inside. 

 

            “Yo Nicky, I’m home,” AJ called out as he closed the door behind the two ladies.  Liz stood next to AJ and Caryss stood behind them.  Due to her short stature, she was hidden fairly well behind them, but it felt safe to her and she did not mind it.  She heard footsteps approaching and gulped hard. 

 

            “Hey Liz, nice to see you,” said Nick as he walked into the foyer.  “What do you guys want to do for dinner?  We could order…”  His words trailed off as Liz and AJ parted and Caryss came into full view. 

 

            Emotions flooded her body as she saw him standing there in long, khaki colored shorts, a sky blue colored polo shirt and flip flops.  His hair was messed and a little shorter than she remembered it.  His sapphire eyes were illuminated and as she stared at his full, pink lips, memories of kissing them inundated her mind. 

 

            “Caryss,” he breathed, in shock that she was standing right in front of him.  God she looks beautiful he thought to himself as he stared at her.  Surprisingly, Caryss made the first move and pressed herself against his body, wrapping her arms around his waist and laying her head gently against his chest. 

 

            He ran his hands down her hair and onto her back, pulling her into him tighter as he bent his head down and breathed her in.  She could have stayed in his arms like that for eternity if she had the chance, but that was not going to happen.

 

            “Nick, where do you keep the--” a female voice called out but stopped as they entered the foyer.  Caryss jerked away from Nick when she heard this and almost fell over when she saw who the voice belonged to. 

 

            “Stacie?  What are you doing here?” Caryss asked as she backed away from Nick slowly.  She looked at Stacie, clad in only a towel, her hair dripping wet like she had just come out of the shower.  She could feel the tears burning and threatening in her eyes as she tried to make sense of the situation.  She looked back and forth between Stacie and Nick, as did Liz and AJ. 

 

            “Caryss, this isn’t what it looks like,” stammered Nick, knowing that if he didn’t explain this situation right now his chances of ever being with her again would be lost forever. 

 

            “Oh is that right?  Cause what it looks like to me is that you and my friend have something going on that I wasn’t supposed to know about,” Caryss yelled as she continued walking backwards. 

 

            “Stacie, I found them…” a male voice said as he walked into the foyer.  He saw the looks on everyone’s faces and wondered what he had just walked into to. 

 

            “Jim?” Caryss asked, seriously confused at this point.  He too was wet and was wearing only a towel, but Caryss didn’t know what was going on.  “Somebody tell me what is going on!”

 

            “Jim and I came over to go swimming and hang out,” said Stacie quietly.  “We just got out of the pool and we were about to rinse off in the pool house, but we couldn’t find extra towels.”  Stacie looked down at her feet, hurt that her best friend would think that she would actually have sex with Nick. 

 

            Liz and AJ let out the breaths they had been holding, both of them worried that Nick had messed up again, and with Caryss’s friend of all people.  Everyone looked at Caryss, waiting for a response and wondering if she was okay.  Up until this point, Nick had been focused on her face, but as his eyes fell down her body, he noticed for the first time that her stomach seemed a little bigger than he remembered. 

 

            “Stacie, I’m so sorry.  I really didn’t think that you would do that to me, but when you came in wearing a towel and…” Caryss’s words trailed off as she shook her head in embarrassment.  Stacie walked over to Caryss and hugged her, being extra careful to make sure her towel didn’t fall down. 

 

            “It’s okay Care-bear; I know what it must have looked like.”  She turned around to make a joke to Nick about it, but saw the way he was looking at Caryss’s stomach and knew the secret was about to come out.  “I think I’m going to go get dressed and then we can catch up.”  Stacie turned to leave, grabbing Jim by the arm and pulling him with. 

 

            Nick could not take his eyes off her mid-section, trying to figure out if his eyes were playing tricks on him, if he should ask her if she’s put on a little weight since he saw her last, or what was going on.  Caryss finally noticed him staring at her belly, and the realization of what she had to tell him hit her like a ton of bricks. 

 

            “Why don’t we all go into the living room and sit down,” suggested AJ as he started to walk out of the foyer. 

 

            “Are you pregnant?” Nick asked suddenly, unable to peel his eyes away from Caryss’s stomach.  “Is that why you called me and asked me about Down syndrome?  Did I get you pregnant?”