Figured You Out

Chapter Thirteen

"L-Lauren?" Nick stammered as he looked into a pair of blue eyes staring back at him. His body was shaking...she pulled him close and held him.

"Nicky...come inside.." she said softly, and she locked the door behind them.

"What are you doing here?" he asked in disbelief. She led him to the couch and they sat down. Nick thought she looked just as beautiful as she was the last time he had seen her nearly a week ago.

"Nick..." she began. Nick grinned, there was always something about the way she said his name that he liked, now that she was back...he realized everything he missed about her had been on his mind. Lucy didn't even exist, he was thinking about Lauren.

"I am so sorry for leaving in the way I did that night. I was frustrated and I should be supporting you like I have been for the past two years." Lauren said, holding his hand in hers and stroking it with her thumb gently. Nick felt a sense of calm wash over him.

"I was really hurt when I came back and saw your stuff was gone...but I understand why you did it. You deserve a commitment." Nick replied. He had been doing some thinking about his life lately...and wanted to make a change.

"Baby, I shouldn't have given you an ultimatum. It was wrong of me to even think you would change your views just for the sake of our relationship. I know you are thinking about what happened with your family...I promise you I am not like your mother." Lauren explained, her black hair falling in front of her face.

"It feels so good to see you again...I missed you so much." Nick said, and he embraced her. It really did feel good to hold her once more and feel her touch against his body. Nick's attraction to Lucy was purely sexual. He had no romantic chemistry with her like he did with Lauren, he couldn't see himself holding a long term relationship. Lucy was simply too aggressive for his tastes.

"I want to pick up where we left off...." Nick whispered into her ear, kissing her neck gently.

"So do I...would you like to grab a coffee with me?" Lauren asked. The two of them went to a Dunkin Donuts nearby and talked for a long time. Nick showed her the notes he had found and Lauren seemed worried.

"Nick, this sounds dangerous. Have you called the police?" she asked, handing him the envelopes back across the table. Nick kept eyeing the window, as if he were looking for something.

"No, I haven't. Brian said I shouldn't take anything seriously, its probably a fan screwing with my head."

"I would take this very serious! Someone is obviously out to get you. When I showed up tonight, you were screaming. Obviously something has you freaked out and I think if you're that scared you should not be staying in that house alone." Lauren scolded him.

"Heh. You sound just like Brian sometimes, you know that?"

"Well why don't you listen to him for once? I don't want you to end up dead in the gutter somewhere." Lauren said, her eyes watering at the thought.

"Baby, I'm not going anywhere. Just take me home, I will be okay tonight." Nick replied. He missed having that moral support she always gave him when the guys weren't around. Nick could always count on Lauren to be his rock when times were rough. She never seemed to get annoyed with him no matter what he did, and Nick loved her for this. She seemed to understand him better than he knew himself.

"You gonna be okay tonight by yourself?" Lauren asked as they kissed on his porch step. Nick seemed a bit scared but he told her again he would be fine and sent her on her way.

"I'm glad we're back together. Call me when you get home, maybe we can do lunch tomorrow or something?" Nick suggested happily as he kissed her back. He missed those soft lips against his own.

"Of course. Its a date." she giggled before heading to her car. Nick went back into the house, smiling as he went. He had Lauren back....everything was going perfectly, but a feeling in the pit of his stomach told him he was not out of the woods yet. Lauren drove back to her apartment about a half hour away from Nick's house, smiling. She had missed Nick about as much as he missed her, if not more. He was showing her maturity by agreeing to give it another try, and she was impressed. Turning the ignition off, she locked the car and went into the house. Everything was dark, and it was very quiet. She turned on the light in her kitchen and saw a bright pink envelope on the counter with gold glitter on the front.

"I'm here." Lauren read aloud, and that's when she heard footsteps in the kitchen behind her.