Chapter Twenty-Seven: All Good Things Must Come To An End

Alyssa paced back and forth in the house she didn’t want to break it to him this way. But she’d put it off long enough, she needed to tell him and she would when he came home from yet another meeting. She jumped hearing him walk in the door she walked down the stairs seeing him look miserable. “Baby what’s wrong?” She asked worried about him.

“Got horrible news today… Ok not horrible but still it shocked me.” He stated sitting on the couch.

Alyssa got a concerned look on her face, “What happened?” She asked timidly knowing that this news couldn’t have come at a worse time with what she had to tell him.

Nick sighed, “Kevin told us that after the tour is over that he’s not going into the studio with us this summer.”

Alyssa’s jaw dropped, “WHAT?” She squeaked.

Nick took a deep breath, “Kevin’s leaving the group, to start a family with Kristin and go back to Broadway or whatever. I know I should be happy for him and support him. And I do…just I feel so lost.”

Alyssa pulled him into a hug, she figured she better tell him the rest of the bad news now, just to get it out of the way. “Umm Nick, we… uhh…we need to talk…” She began stammering a little.

He pulled away from her and gave her a look, not knowing what to expect, “This can’t be good.” He stated staring her straight in the eye.

Alyssa sighed, “I know you’re going to overreact but please hear me out ok?”

“Ok…” He said tentatively.

Alyssa sat a moment gathering her thoughts while he stared her down wondering what the hell she was going to tell him. “I can’t go on tour with you.”

He stood up immediately, “WHAT?!!?” He shouted not even intentionally. He breathed a moment clenching his fists, “Why?” He asked trying to calm down, certainly she wasn’t going to abandon him now was she?

“The department is having me teach a lecture course along with the online course this coming semester and I can’t get out of it. There’s no way around it. They told me that since you’ll only be on tour for two months or so that they didn’t think it would be prudent or whatever to just have me teach an online class. If I want to keep my job and get promoted then I have to do this.” She reasoned.

Nick’s anger flared, first he feels like Kevin’s abandoning him and the group, now Alyssa is abandoning him. “I need you with me Ali, don’t do this, don’t you leave me too!” He exclaimed.

That’s when Alyssa got defensive, “I’m not leaving you! I’m just doing my job. Why is it that you need me with you huh? So you don’t feel tempted to cheat on me?” She yelled back.

His eyes grew wide at her accusation, “How can you say that!? I love you I just want you with me, I can’t be without you. Can’t you just quit?”

Alyssa’s eyes narrowed, “Oh I see how it is.” She paused looking him up and down. “You don’t want me to have a life outside of our relationship do you? You just want me to be your little beck and call girl that will play the pretty little girlfriend so you don’t have to sleep around is that it?!” She screamed.

“No Ali, it’s not like that I just want to take care of you so that you can be with me that’s all!”

Alyssa inched closer to him, “I will NOT let you turn me into one of those damn girls that all she does is go around and spend her boyfriend’s money. I WANT TO HAVE MY OWN MONEY THAT I EARNED ON MY OWN!” She screamed again, she couldn’t believe that they were back to that, after all this time she thought he’d understood that she needed some independence from him so that they could work.

“I understand that Ali, but did you HAVE to drop this on me today, one day before we go back on tour? How long have you known about this? What did you expect me to do or say? That I’d be ok living without you for months at a time when we’ve been together nearly everyday?”

“I’ve known about this since we came back from the tour, I couldn’t tell you, I didn’t know how. You'll only be gone for a month! I’m sorry about the timing but I have NO choice!”

“Yes you do!”

“What do you mean?” She asked forking an eyebrow at him.

Nick sighed, “You could quit, you could go with me…be with me!!” He shot back.

“Are you trying to make me choose between you and my career?” She asked a shocked expression on her face. He went to speak but she interrupted him, “I’m not going to choose, you’re going on tour and I’m staying here and we’ll see about things when you get back.”

“See about what?” He asked gruffly.

Alyssa took a breath, “About us. We’ll see how it goes when you get back.”

Nick thought a moment a flicker of worry crossed his face, “Are you breaking up with me?”

Alyssa averted her eyes, “I’m just saying we’ll see what happens when you get back.”

His anger flared again without thinking he replied, “Why wait until then to end it why not do it right now?”

Alyssa’s eyes widened at him, “If you can’t handle my need for independence and a life outside of this relationship then fine, it’s over….we’re over…” She stated flatly grabbing her purse and keys walking out the door getting into her car and peeling out of the driveway.

The next day…

The guys walked through the house seeing many empty bottles of alcohol strewn throughout the living room and up to the bedroom. They’d gotten worried when Nick hadn’t shown up to the meeting that morning and got even more worried when he didn’t show up at the airport either.

“This place looks like a frat house after freshmen rush.” AJ remarked as they walked into the bedroom seeing Nick lying there, with Alyssa no where to be found.

“Nick wake up.” Brian stated nudging Nick on the shoulder who only groaned in response. “Get some aspirin and some water.” He remarked looking over his shoulder as Howie left the room to go down stairs to the kitchen grabbing what Brian had asked for.

Nick rolled over opening his eyes slowly only to shut them and pulled a pillow over his head.

“Nick man what the fuck happened to you last night and where’s Ali?”

At the mention of Alyssa’s name Nick threw the pillow right at AJ beaning him in the face and gave him a glare.

“Did you two have a fight?” AJ asked.

Another glare.

Kevin thought a moment, “Let him get his bearings back and then he’ll explain.”

Howie walked back in handing Nick the aspirin and the water. He took them nodding graciously as he down the pills and the water. After about 20 minutes of silence Nick finally decided to speak, “She broke up with me.”

There was a collective gasp that resonated throughout the room. “WHAT?!” Kevin nearly shouted making Nick cringe.

Nick thought a moment to the day before the words he said, he regretted every single one of them. “I came home yesterday and told her about you Kev and she had news for me too…” He paused a moment as he wiped at his eyes trying his best not to break down. “She said that the department at the university wanted her to teach a lecture class this semester and that she couldn’t go on tour with us and I flipped out. I was just reeling from your announcement Kevin and then she goes and tells me that she won’t be with me on the last leg of the last tour that all five of us are going to be on.”

“So how did she break up with you?” Howie asked.

“I told her that she should quit her job and she lost it, that if I couldn’t handle her need for a life outside of our relationship then it’s over. And she walked out.” He stated putting his head in his hands.

Kevin stood up, “Well I realize that you feel miserable right now but you have a flight to catch, your bags are packed right?”

“Yeah Alyssa packed 'em a couple of days ago. God… how… am I…”

“Don’t finish that sentence.” AJ interrupted knowing exactly what he was going to say. “She loves you and she’s just hurt and angry right now, give it time and she’ll be ok.”

Nick looked up at AJ, “I don’t want to give it time, I want to tell her I’m sorry for being so stupid, for not being more understanding…”

Meanwhile…

Alyssa knocked on the door her eyes puffy and bloodshot from crying and driving all night. Angela opened the door seeing her immediately becoming concerned. “Al what’s wrong?” She asked as she held the door open for her to walk in.

Alyssa walked in not saying a word seeing Olivia standing near the hallway. She went over and flopped down on the couch. Very worried both women went over to Alyssa sitting on either side each putting an arm around her as she sobbed.