Nick went downstairs to Brian and Leighanne's and knocked on the door. Leighanne opened the door, but just as she was about to slam the door in Nick's face, Stacey stopped her. She said,
"No. I want to talk to him." Leighanne stepped out to go find Brian while Nick and Stacey talked. As soon as Leighanne made it out into the hall way, Stacey slammed the door and said to Nick,
"Okay, tell me the truth. What's going on?"
"The truth is that I love you."
"Oh, cut the horse shit!"
"Okay, okay. Yes, I was seeing her. But, but she meant nothing. I was, she thought.... I broke up with her before the letter came."
Stacey stood there with an angered face and heart. Nick reached out and held her hand but she pulled away. A tear was streaming down Stacey's cheek. She didn't know what to do. She still loved Nick but was so hurt and mad that she never wanted to see him again. Stacey finally looked up at Nick and asked,
"How long were you seeing her?"
"I.... look..."
"How long were you seeing her!?!" Stacey yelled.
"A couple months." Stacey just shook her head and walked away. Nick followed her and pulled her around and said,
"Look, she didn't mean anything to me. I swear."
"I don't care now Nick. We're over. You can see her as much as you want and I won't care. Ya' know why? 'Cause I don't love you anymore."
"You don't mean that. You do not mean that! We have always belonged together. I've loved you since I was thirteen! This cannot be the end!"
"It is Nick. You promised me that you would never, ever, hurt me again. Then you go and break that promise with an old skanky girlfriend. What is it with you? Why can't you keep it in your pants?"
"What, do you think I'm some player?"
"Nick, you can have any girl you want. But, this is one girl you won't get back." Stacey stormed off from Nick, and left the apartment building. She knew exactly where she was going, straight to A.J. She knocked on the door to his place and A.J. answered.
"What's wrong?" he asked, "You look like you've be crying."
"No." She answered walking in with her hands in her pockets, trying not to burst into tears.
"So, Nick and I broke up." she said quickly so she wouldn't have to explain.
"What?" A.J. said surprised.
"Can, I just crash here tonight and I'll explain later. I just need you right now." A.J. walked over to her and rapped his arms around her so Stacey could cry. Kristen helped comfort her for the night. Later, A.J. went over to Nick's and got his side of the story. A few weeks passed, Stacey stayed with A.J. for awhile, thinking whether or not to move from Ruskin, back to Orlando and be a doctor, since she has had her medical degree. All Nick did was lay on his couch and watch old videos of Stacey on the run-way. Brian came over one day, while Nick did his daily routine. Brian said,
"Nick, man, you gotta turn these videos off and maybe watch something current. Like news? Not something from a year ago." Brian flicked the video off and put the news on.
"New news on the Backstreet Boys. Youngest member Nick Carter has reportedly ended things with long-time girlfriend, model, Stacey McLean. Sources say, McLean ended things when she found out Carter had been seeing an ex-girlfriend," a reporter said on the news. Nick rolled over and buried his head in a pillow not wanting to let Brian see him cry.
"Come on," Brian said, "I've seen you cry before. You cry when you lose real bad in a video game, ya cry when you run out of chocolate milk, you even cry when you have a remainder in long division. Don't worry, you're not the only one who's depressed. Stacey is too. Everytime I see her, she's been cryin'." Nick rolled over looking more assured.
"But, the bad news is, she's gonna move back to Orlando, brace yourself, with Justin."
"No, she can't. We're suppose to be getting married." said Nick
"Nick, man, you broke up. I'm sorry to say this, but, it's over between you two."
"No! We're suppose to be together. Ugh! I can't take this! I miss her so much." Brian moved over next to Nick and gave him a big hug.
"Why aren't you trying to get her back?" Brian asked
"I have, she won't talk to me or see me. I've sent her flowers and they come back shredded. Oh, but don't worry, Leighanne wants to make 'potpourri'!" Nick said annoyed at Leighanne. Brian laughed.
"What am I gonna do?" Nick asked, "I mean, I've tried everything. I just, I can't live without her. I miss her smell, when she'd come and give me little pecks on the cheek for no reason, her voice, her touch, like when we'd cuddle or hug. I'd take such a deep breath in and she'd smell sooo good." Nick sat there and remembered stuff about Stacey.
~*~*~*~Nick's Memory~*~*~*~
"I just love scary movies." said Stacey sitting down next to Nick on the couch.
"Oh, I hope I don't get to scared." Nick said
"Oh, I'll protect you." Stacey gave him a little kiss, then a scene where the killer jumps out came on and Stacey jumped into Nick's lap. They both laughed and decided to turn the movie off and go to bed, since it was pretty late. Nick and Stacey stood in the bathroom both brushing their teeth. Stacey was about to turn the light off in the bathroom when Nick came up behind her and put his hands around her waist while whispering sweet nothings in her ear. Then out of the blue he asked,
"On a scale of 1 to 10, how good at kissing am I?"
"Seriously? Probably a............ 6.5"
"6.5?!? Well, what can I do to make it a ten or higher?"
"I dunno, try somethin'" Nick placed his lips on hers gently at first then more passionately letting his tongue venture in her mouth. He slowly kissed down her cheek then down to her neck gently, but playfully nibbling at her soft skin.
"Whew! That was, um, some kiss." Stacey said waving her hand pretending to cool herself down.
"In four years, you've never gave me anything like that. Definitely a 10." Nick chuckled to himself. He was very pleased with his kissing now.
"Now I have to repay you." Stacey said. She pulled his faced into hers and gave him a full on kiss on the lips. Their tongues explored eachother's mouths when Stacey moved down to his neck. By the time she was done, Nick had a big hicky on his neck. The next day, all the guys were hanging out at Brian's. Leighanne was there to, only because Stacey was at a fashion show.
"What's that?" Leighanne said poking Nick's hicky.
"Um, I fell."
"On someone's lips?"
"No!"
"Hey, Nicky, don't let Stace' suck yer neck." said Brian. A.J. just gave him a dirty look. Nick was about to say something to Brian when Stacey came in with three shopping bags in each hand.
"Hey people."
"I thought you just went to a fashion show," asked Leighanne.
"Yeah, well I'm girl you can't wear the same thing everyday." Stacey walked over to Nick and gave him a kiss. She looked down at his neck and said,
"Hey, I do good work." Nick looked embarrassed.
"I want a hicky." said Howie looking down,
"No!" yelled Stacey laughing at the same time. Howie looked up at Leighanne but, she shook her head no too. Howie stormed off into the hallway. Minutes later he came in and held his arm out for everyone to see.
"See fellas, I've got a hicky now."
"You just did that yourself." said A.J.
"Yeah man, you still got spit on your arm." Nick said
"No! A girl just did it to me now. I must go finish what I started." Howie stormed off again. Everyone knew he gave himself that hicky on his arm.
"Hey, you gave me a big hicky on my neck. Now I look like an idiot, so, that means I'm gonna have to seek revenge on you!" Nick said to Stacey. She just giggled. Later on, everyone ordered pizza. Stacey pulled Nick aside and said,
"Nick, um, look at this." she slid the side of her pants down a little bit to reveal a chinese writing symbol on her hip.
"You got a tattoo?" he whispered
"Yeah. It means eternity. Do ya like it?"
"It's um, sexy. Does it hurt? Like, I mean, can you um, do stuff?"
"I guess...." she said giggling a little. Nick yelled,
"Hey guys, save us some pizza." He grabbed her hand and they ran up stairs to their apartment.
~*~*~*~Nick flashes back to reality~*~*~*~
"I can't let her go." said Nick as he ran and got his car keys. He drove over to see Stacey at A.J.'s. He knocked on the door and A.J. answered.
"Hey man," A.J. said quietly, "what are ya doin' here?"
"I came to see Stace'. Look, I know you're both pissed off at me, but please, just let me in to talk to her." A.J. opened the door wide enough for Nick to walk in.
"She's in the entertainment room, but I...." A.J. couldn't finish because Nick had already walked away. He opened the door quietly and peered in. What he saw broke his heart. There Stacey was, sitting on the couch with Justin Timberlake, an ex, kissing. Tongue and everything. Justin kissed down her cheek and neck and collar bone. Nick watched her nibble on his ear. His heart sank down to his knees. Justin stopped and looked up at Nick. Stacey looked up to. She patted Justin's chest and said,
"I'll just be a minute." Stacey got up and walked toward Nick. She exited the room and lead Nick to a different room.
"What do you want?" she asked as if she didn't really care he was alive.
"Are you trying to hurt me? Are you physically trying to hurt me?" Nick said looking down at her since he was over six-feet tall but she was considerably tall for a woman.
"What do ya mean? We're over, alright? Just face it. Justin and I patched things up."
"C'mon Stace', we've worked through things before, why can't we work on this? You always said you would never stop loving me."
"Argh! Nick, I can't keep having this same argument with you, I can't. Look, I'm sorry you had to see that. You will find someone else. You're a guy great guy when you're not sleeping around."
"Hey! I'm sorry for that, alright? Please just take me back. I don't want you to move back to Orlando because of me. Just, stay, and we can work on things."
"I'll stay, but I don't want to be with you."
"Fine, I just want you to at least be with A.J. Um, can we at least be friends?"
"I would like that." Nick and Stacey hugged for the first time in weeks. Stacey looked up and asked Nick,
"Are you wearing my perfume?"
"No, I just spent alot of time smelling it." Stacey laughed at him and thought how comfortable she felt in Nick's arms. It was familiar. 'No!' she thought, 'You can't take him back.'
