Nick's Obsession

"Can I ask you a question?"

The ride to Nick's apartment or rather our apartment since Nick would get upset if I didn't refer to it as that had been quiet. We had a nice lunch with Nick's friend Zoey. She was nice, had a history with both Evan and Nick, but not romantically. I could feel there was something going on between her and Evan, but she wasn't talking about it. Neither was Evan. When I watched Nick and Zoey interact I felt a pang of jealousy, I knew it was stupid considering I was five months pregnant with his baby and I was the one going home with him, but still, I couldn't push the feeling away.

"Sure."

Nick was engrossed in his phone, always working. He made time for me so it never bothered me. I knew what I was getting myself into when I chose him. I didn't regret my decision either. Nick understood me, made me feel like I couldn't breathe when he looked at me and when I looked into his eyes I knew it was the same for him. Yet that stupid little emotion called jealousy wasn't going away. I needed reassurance and I needed it now.

"You've known Zoey for a while right?"

My question still didn't make him look up from his phone, "Hm, we didn't speak to each other for a while, life got in the way, you know."

"But you followed her career?"

"Yes, I do keep an eye out for people I care about."

I shifted in my seat, "So you care about her?"

That caught Nick's attention, but how could it not? I wasn't being subtle about what I was asking anymore. The look in his eyes told me he didn't appreciate it either. I couldn't help how I was feeling right now though. I could blame it on the pregnancy, saying my emotions were all over the place, but I was sure that even if I wasn't pregnant I'd still ask those questions.

He narrowed his eyes on me, "What are you trying to ask me, Emily?"

He knew what I was trying to ask, he knew exactly where I was going with this, yet he still wanted to hear me talk about it. Maybe he was hoping I wasn't going there at all. Especially since I met Zoey in person and had a lovely time with her.

"Did you ever...with her?"

He was silent for a while, his eyes never leaving my face. He pocketed his phone which told me I had his full attention now. He grabbed my hand and tightly held onto it.

"No, we've only ever been just friends."

He told me it straight out, never blinking either. He wanted the thought out of my head, but I was paranoid. I was fully aware of it right now. Maybe it was the fact that Zoey looked amazing, had a mouth on her and made Nick laugh. There weren't many people out there who got that side of Nick.

"You two seem to get along really well."

"Yes, Em, we get along, but we've never gone there." His eyes sparkled amusingly, "She is like Evan to me and you know I'll never go there with Evan."

Now he was just making fun of me. I was glad he could laugh about it because I certainly couldn't. I was serious about Zoey. She was a nice girl who was so confident in herself, I could totally imagine them dancing in a club and Nick getting a bit too personal with her. I could picture them together, both ambitious and always on the move.

"Em, you're imagining things that aren't there." He pulled me back to reality, obviously seeing right through me like always, "Zoey and I never went there, I swear. She always has been just a friend."

I knew he wasn't lying to me, maybe my emotions were all over the place. I felt Nick softly tracing the back of my hand with his thumb, trying to soothe me. Just that simple touch of him calmed me down more than his words did.

"I don't know if you would never go there with Evan." I tried to lighten the mood between us and by the looks of it, it was working, "You two are really intense together. Who knows!"

"You're not funny." His dancing eyes told me a different story though.

"You never know maybe you have just one glass too many and so does Evan. You two stare at each other, your heart beating, your lips parting and before you know it-"

Nick leaned in captured my mouth with his and shut me up, his kiss harsh and wet. Instantly my fingers gripped his hair, loving every second of his dominating kiss. Before I could get really into it Nick pulled away, his eyes flickering to the front of the car. Miles was being professional, ignoring us while we had our private moment. We weren't alone though and the thought of Miles listening to us, hearing our kiss made my cheeks burn up. Thank god Nick stopped me before things would have gotten out of hand.

"Like hell, I'm ever going there with Evan."

I couldn't help but to laugh, "I know. I was just messing with you."

His eyes got serious again, "But all joking aside, we're good, right?"

I smiled at him, "Yeah, we're good, Nick."

His eyes warmed, making me take in a sharp breath when he placed his hand on my belly and focused his eyes on our baby, "You good too, little man?"

"He isn't going to respond, Nick." I laughed at him both our smiles dropping from our faces when our baby kicked, very hard, which made Nick's eyes shot up to mine.

We were quiet for a while, both keeping quiet as if we were afraid to let go of the moment. Matthew didn't stop moving though. He was active now, letting his presence known. Sometimes I felt him move and sometimes I couldn't tell if it was him or just my body. The doctor told me not to worry though, Matthew was doing fine.

"Guess he got you there, Em." Nick smiled, leaning in to kiss me.

***

Nick was ordering dinner while I changed into more comfortable clothing. He stayed home with me, working from his laptop in the living room while I caught up on my favorite series. Sometimes interrupting him to talk about it. He always listened even though he had no idea what I was talking about. Nick didn't like many series, he did like the ones with the superheroes and thankfully those were my favorite too.

Walking back to the living room I took a seat on the couch, unpausing the video so I could go back to watching my superhero series. This one was about a girl being so strong she survived nearly everything. She was awesome, looking great in her jeans and a simple tee. Nick's eyes traveled to the screen as well when I peeked a glance at him. Yeah, he definitely liked this one as well. Too bad there was only one season so we wouldn't bond over it for long.

"Okay, thanks." He ended the call and took a seat next to me, reaching for his laptop which he had abounded on the coffee table, "They're here in forty."

"Okay."

"You want a snack?"

I smiled at him, "No, I'm good."

We sat there, Nick with his laptop on his lap while he occasionally typed up an email and me with my eyes fixed on the screen. I was so into the episode that I jumped when the doorbell rang. Nick beside me couldn't hold his laughter in and burst out, laughing at my expression.

"That scared the hell out of me, " I whispered, pressing a hand to my chest as I tried to calm myself down.

Nick put his laptop aside, "I can tell."

He was still laughing, making me glare at him, "Hey! I could have gone into labor, you wouldn't think it was funny then."

"You're only five months pregnant, Em, I'm pretty sure the chances aren't that high yet." He got to his feet and kissed my head, "It's cute though. You're cute."

I let my annoyance go since he was being sweet again. Nick got our food while I tried to see what he was doing on his laptop without touching it. I was being the snoopy girlfriend and I wasn't good at it because Nick was back in the living room clearing his throat.

"What are you doing?" He asked me, a big paper bag in one hand while the other was on his hp.

I was caught in the act and there wasn't anything I could say to excuse my behavior. When I noticed how amused Nick looked I knew he wasn't angry with me. Not really. He placed the bag on the table and walked past me, reaching for his laptop to place it on the table as well.

"Were you spying on me?"

I so was! I wanted to hide in the corner, but I knew Nick wouldn't let me.

"Yes." I admitted in a small voice, "I was just curious."

He folded his arms across his chest, "Is that all?"

My eyes flickered back to his, "Of course it is. What else would it be?"

"I don't know, maybe you were checking up on me because you're still not sure about Zoey?"

I could hear by the tone he used that he was joking. Letting go of my embarrassment I leaned back against the couch and flashed him a smile.

"Okay, fine I was stupid jealous but I promise I wasn't checking up on you. I was just curious what you were doing."

He settled on the couch next to me again and reached for the paper bag, obviously done with the subject of me snooping on him. He was taking out the food, handing me my egg noodles with chicken, corn, broccoli, bean sprouts and tofu in sweet and sour sauce. I loved it. He had the same only his sauce was spicier. We also ordered soup and bubble tea.

Nick handed me my chopsticks, "I was going through the stats of the club in Tokyo. Reading through the ideas of my marketing team and Chris' report."

"Things I wouldn't be interested in?"

"I don't think you'd find it all that interesting."

We were enjoying our food while Nick put his laptop away, giving me his full attention. We were having a great time when the doorbell suddenly rang again. This time I didn't jump two feet in the air though. Smirking Nick walked past me to get the door. Hearing the rucking in the hallway I couldn't help but smile when Evan's voice traveled into the living room.

"Hey, Emily."

He took a seat next to me and reached for my bubble tea, taking a sip from it, "Hey!"

"You guys having a night in." He stated and glanced at the screen, "I love this series."

"Me too!"

Nick wasn't so lenient with Evan's presence though, he gave Evan a stern look as he folded his arms across his chest again. He always did that when he was about to scold someone. He did the same to me but I didn't get scolded though.

"What are you doing here, Evan?"

"I was bored."

My heart melted for him. Evan loved going out, he loved the scene and partying like there was no tomorrow. Since Nick and I were together he went out less and less. I think we were changing his ways too, for the better, at least I hoped. When I glanced at Nick I saw that his eyes softened as well. He dropped his arms, rounding the table to take a seat beside his friend.

"Fine, you can stay."

We finished the episode when I couldn't keep my words to myself anymore, "I met Zoey today." I felt Nick's eyes on me, but I ignored him, "She's a nice girl."

"Yeah, she totally is."

I narrowed my eyes on him, "So why would you fuck it up?"

"Emily!" Nick warned me.

He always called me 'Emily' in his stern voice when he wasn't pleased with me. Right now he was definitely not pleased with me, but I wasn't going to stop. He knew I always told people what was on my mind. Right now Evan and his threesome in a bathroom stall were on my mind.

"Excuse me?" Evan didn't seem to understand what I was asking.

"Evan, at the club. You had a bathroom stall threesome, freaking the hell out of Zoey."

His frown told me he still had no idea what I was talking about. It made me wonder if he had been so drunk he didn't even realize what he had been doing that night. I needed him to realize what he had done, maybe he could fix things between him and Zoey. I knew there was something between them and I didn't want them to ignore it. Evan did me that favor now I could return it.

"Zoey isn't over it. I don't know what you did or what you said to her but that night is still on her mind. You freaked her out."

"Evan-" Nick stopped himself when his friend suddenly got to his feet.

"I gotta go, thanks, Em." He kissed my head and was out the door as quick as he pushed through it.

Nick gave me a look, but I just brushed him off, "They needed a push in the right direction."

"I hope you're right about that."

I hoped that too because if I did push them and it wasn't going to work out Nick would be pissed. He wouldn't show it, but I knew he'd blame me for ruining their friendship. He cared about Zoey and he loved Evan, Evan was his Brandon after all. I really hoped Evan and Zoey could work things out, for everyone's sake.

Sitting at my vanity which was a present from my boyfriend, because he knew I loved doing my hair and make-up when I was in that kind of mood, I was blow-drying my hair. Evan left that morning together with Zoey, heading to Tokyo for work. We wouldn't see him in three months which made me miss him already. He was always around, always annoying Nick and entertaining me. I knew we could stay in touch via email and text, but it wasn't the same as always having him around. We always joked about Evan being our adoptive child and right now it did feel like our child left the house.

"Emily!" I think I heard Nick shout my name, but as I glanced over my shoulder I didn't see him so I continued drying my hair.

I was fluffing up my hair, actually liking the Hollywood style of it when I definitely heard Nick scream my name this time.

"What?!" I called back, confused why he was so loud this early in the morning.

"Get over here!"

It annoyed me that he called me over like I was his pet, he never did that before. I knew something was wrong, seriously wrong for Nick to raise his voice at me. Turning off the blow dryer I put it on my vanity, ran my fingers through my slightly damp hair and left the bedroom. As I walked over the living room I tightened my robe around my waist, getting ready for whatever was awaiting me.

Entering the living room I froze as my eyes landed on a man I hadn't seen or spoken to for a very long time now. When I moved to New York I called him every day, giving him updates on my life. That became less and less when I started my job at the club and met Brandon. He made me realize that sharing the same DNA doesn't necessarily make people a family. Brandon had always been there for me, he never made me feel like I was a burden to him. Max, the man who was glaring daggers at me did make me feel like that. So I stopped contacting him altogether, thinking he didn't mind that. Guess I was wrong.

"Max?"

"Emily."

"I didn't know you had a brother, Emily." Nick stated, making me shift my gaze to him, "I'm pretty sure you never mentioned him to me."

I didn't want Nick to be that angry at me, especially over Max. I hadn't seen him in months or spoken to him in months for that matter. Max didn't matter to me, I knew that was harsh, but it was reality. I didn't love him the same way I loved Brandon, I struggled with that for a while, but then I let it go. I let Max go. So him standing in our living room wasn't appreciated.

"I never mentioned him because Max and I aren't close."

"Excuse me?"

"It's the truth." I didn't want to hurt Max, but it was how I felt about our relationship, "I'm closer to Brandon than Max. We haven't seen each other or spoken to each other for months. So I more or less forgot about him."

Max snorted, "You forgot about me?"

"Emily." Nick was scolding me, he didn't do it yesterday but he was definitely doing it now.

I stared at Max not feeling anything as I looked at him. I mean if you hadn't seen your family for a long while you were supposed to be excited, affectionate, but I didn't feel any of that. Max could be any other guy in the room and glancing at Nick I could tell it pissed him off. He wasn't having it which made me wonder why. My relationship with Max had nothing to do with him, with us.

"I'm sorry, but it's not exactly like we were having tea parties every Sunday afternoon."

"Emily." Nick warned me once again, he turned to look at Max, "Listen, you're in town now and I I'll be straight with you, I don't feel comfortable with you leaving like this. So how about you go back to the hotel get settled in and we'll meet up for lunch?"

It was my turn to scold my boyfriend who thought he could make plans without my approval. I wasn't okay with that. I also didn't understand why he cared so much about Max. He never met the guy!

"Nick, I don't think-"

"We'll talk later." He told me, not even bothering to look at me. He was solemnly focusing on Max and it really pissed me off.

"Thanks." Max's look softened for my nosy boyfriend, "My number is on the card." He handed Nick his business card, "Text me the time and place. I'll be there."

Nick showed Max out, being very friendly with him. I didn't care if he was friendly with Max or not, what I did care about was the fact that he was making plans without my consent. I didn't like that, I never liked that. I'm pretty sure I made that clear to him once. This time he couldn't flash me a smile and think it was over and done with. I folded my arms across my chest and waited for Nick to return. When he walked into the living room his look told me he wasn't letting this go either. He was just as pissed.

"What the hell was that all about?" He asked me, thankfully not raising his voice at me this time.

"Excuse me? You're the one who needs to explain things. Why did you make plans without discussing it first? I really don't like that, Nick."

He looked at me like I just told him aliens were invading earth, "He is your brother. You don't just ignore your family for months and then act like they're a complete stranger when they come over to check on your wellbeing. So again, what the hell, Emily?"

"It's none of your concern how I interact with my family and for the record Max and I were never close. He was too busy setting up his company while I tried to live my life here. When I first moved here I called him a lot, informing him about things, but he never cared. Then the calls became less and less and he didn't care then either. Because we never were close enough to care about each other's lives. When I got attacked I considered calling him, but I knew he'd make a big deal out of it so I didn't. I told Brandon instead."

"Emily." Nick sighed, "You should have called him. I know you think of Brandon as your brother, but you can't change the fact that Max is your actual brother and despite what you think he actually does care about you. If he didn't he wouldn't have shown up today."

"Well, it took him long enough to actually give a crap about me again." I narrowed my eyes on Nick, "I wonder why, maybe because I'm in a relationship with you? Have you stopped to think about that? He had plenty of opportunities to show up, but he shows up now? Don't you find the timing odd?"

Turning on my heels I walked back to the bedroom to finish up getting ready for the day. I didn't feel like doing my hair and makeup anymore. I shrugged my robe off, slipped my panties and bra on and searched for something to wear. Not feeling like dressing up either I grabbed a simple long black dress, threw it on and slipped into some flats.

"He is your brother." Nick had followed me, obviously not done with the conversation, "You don't treat your family like that."

"Just because we share DNA doesn't mean he is my family."

"It actually does mean that." Nick threw back at me, "He is worried about you."

I hated that he kept saying that to me. He met Max like five seconds ago so why the hell was he on his side? He didn't know Max at all, he knew me for months. It flared my annoyance hearing him talk like that about my brother.

"I'm so glad you like Max." I told him snottily, "Then you can go meet him for lunch by yourself."

He grabbed my wrist when I tried to walk away from him, "You're going too, Em."

I tried to pull away from him but he wouldn't let me, "No I'm not."

He tightened his grip on my wrist, "Yes, you are."

He wasn't letting it go so instead of keeping the loop going I turned around and faced him, "Why do you need me to go? What does it matter? You can tell Max I'm doing fine and send him off."

He released my wrist but didn't back off, he was all up in my space, "I need you to show and have an actual conversation with your brother. I need the woman who I'm having a child with to not turn her back on her family."

"What are you trying to say?" I knew this wasn't about Max anymore, it was something different that nagged at him.

"What I'm trying to say is that if you can easily turn your back to someone who you grew up with, treating him like a complete stranger what makes me or our child any different?"

I couldn't believe he said that. I actually felt him stab me with a knife and twist it. The pain was spreading across my body, making it hard for me to breath. Whoever said words didn't hurt was a fool.

"I can't believe you're saying that." The words were barely a whisper but the pain that flashed across Nick's eyes told me he heard me, "Fuck you."

The words left my lips before I even realized what I said. I regretted it the minute I said it though. Not being able to deal with it a second longer I dashed out the room, hearing Nick's footsteps behind me but I didn't turn around, not once. I grabbed my bag from the living room and headed out the door.

"Emily!"

I didn't stop once, I kept walking ignoring the tears streaming down my face. I was about to reach the elevator when Nick grabbed me by the shoulder and spun me around to face him.

"Things were getting out of hand." He didn't comment on me being a total bitch to him, maybe he was letting it go because he knew it was only because of emotions running high, but I couldn't let it go, "Let's go back inside, calm down and talk about it. We'll tell Max-"

"I need space." I told him my eyes on his leather shoes instead, "I'm going to meet Brandon and take a minute. You do whatever you want. I just can't right now."

He placed both his hands on my shoulders, holding tightly onto me, "We had a fight, it got intense. I know it scared you, but we'll get through it. We just need to calm down and discuss it. We'll be alright."

I nodded, finally meeting his eyes. He looked worried, pain spread across his face. Seeing that look on his face gripped my heart, only making me regret my words more.

"I know, but I really need space right now."

He held my gaze for a while before he let go, "Got it. I'll give you space, but do me a favor to ease my mind, let Miles take you to Brandon's and also pick you up whenever you're ready."

I could do that. I knew Nick would always worry about me.

"Okay."

"See you later."

I closed my eyes when he leaned in kissed me. Normally his kisses made me burst with happiness, this time his kiss hurt. It was like he was trying to mend things. He didn't have to though. It was me who was the one who went out of line.

"I'm sorry." I whispered when I pulled away, "See you later."

I stepped into the elevator when it arrived and turned around to look at him, "We'll be okay, Em." He told me before the door closed.

Sighing I closed my eyes and leaned back, this was our first major fight and I hated it. I hated that I told him that, I really wished I could go back in time and take it back. The thing was you could never take back what you said. It would be between us forever. I knew Nick brushed it off as if it didn't happen, but I knew better. The mind was a tricky thing. He'd remember it.

Pushing through Brandon I kicked off my flats and got comfortable on the couch, laying down on my side while I held onto one of the gray, comfy pillows. I could hear Brandon close the door and walk into the living room, feeling his eyes take me in.

"What happened?" He took a seat beside my feet, putting my bag on the coffee table, "Did you have a fight with Nick?"

It was probably written all over my face. I never liked having a fight with Nick, we rarely had one since we got serious about each other. So this fight which got out of hand really got to me.

"Yeah."

"You want to talk about it?"

He didn't push me which I appreciated it. Right now I wasn't emotionally stable, I was fully aware of that. Nick didn't push me because he knew and Brandon didn't push me either because he was also aware of how I got whenever I was in one of those moods. Both men knew me well which brought the memory of Max back. I wasn't changing my mind about him. Just because we shared DNA didn't mean he was my brother. He didn't know me. He didn't know my likes and dislikes, he didn't know my hopes and dreams. He didn't know the Emily who thought Nick was her whole world.

"Max is back."

"Wait, isn't Max your brother? I'm pretty sure you mentioned him once to me."

"Max is my brother." I confirmed, "I mentioned him to you."

I didn't move when he placed his hand on my leg, letting me know he was there for me.

"Did you and Nick fight about Max?"

I stiffened which told Brandon enough. He gave my leg a pat before he got up and took a seat on the floor, leaning back against the couch while he turned on the TV. He stopped changing the channel when he found a sitcom. We stayed quiet for a while, watching the episode together. It put a smile upon my face which Brandon must have seen.

"Em, talk to me."

I sat up which made him narrow his eyes on me when I was slower than usual. Placing my hand on my stomach I leaned back against the couch and put my feet up on the couch as well.

"Nick and I had a fight about Max. He was pushing me to have lunch with Max and I didn't want to. Then he started to question me and I said something which I can't take back."

"Did you call him a jerk? Because I'm sure he hears that more often, he must be immune to it now."

I shook my head.

"Bastard?" He narrowed his eyes on me when I remained quiet, "I'll high five you if you called him a dick." He sounded amused which lightened my mood quite a bit.

"I didn't, " I muttered.

"Then what did you say, Em?"

"I said fuck you, " I said in a whisper, ashamed I had to repeat what I told Nick.

Brandon's stare burned on me, but I didn't dare to look at him, afraid he'd judge me.

"Emily, I'm sure Nick is over it."

I shifted my gaze to him, "I'm not."

He leaned closer to me, "Did you apologize?"

I nodded.

"Then it's all good. He was pushing you, things got out of hand. The thing is you knew you went too far and you apologized for it. You're here beating yourself up over it because you hate yourself for what you said. I think Nick knows that and if he doesn't dump him."

I smiled giving his shoulder a push, "Shut up."

The rest of the morning I watched sitcoms with Brandon, he also made me breakfast which made him my most favorite person on the entire planet. Pancakes with syrup, I loved it. He helped me feel better and when I was confident enough to face Nick again I left Brandon's and headed home.

***

Entering the apartment, my eyes followed the light peeking through from the living room. Kicking my flats out I headed to the living room, my eyes landing on Nick sitting on the couch with his laptop on his lap. His gaze shifted to me, his eyes softening while a smile spread across his face. He did forgive me just like Brandon told me.

"You okay?" He asked me, breaking the silence first.

"Yeah, I'm good."

Placing my bag on the one-seat I took a seat next to my boyfriend and leaned my head against his shoulder, "I'm sorry."

He kissed my head, "You already told me that, it's all good, Em."

I wasn't letting it go that easily though, "I know, but it really cut me deep when I said that to you. I hated myself for it."

He placed his laptop aside and cupped my face in his hands, making me look at him, "I know that. Like I said things just got out of hand. I'm not holding a grudge, Em. If I can let it go, so should you."

"I just want you to know that I didn't mean it-"

"Stop apologizing for it."

I nodded and let him pull away. Nick reached for his laptop again and went back to work, that didn't mean I lost his attention though. I think he needed to use his work as a shield because when he told me he still had lunch with Max he pissed me off again.

"Okay, I don't care if you like Max, don't force me to do what you want." I narrowed my eyes on him, "I'm not going to be the perfect sister because in your mind that's how it works."

This time he didn't push the subject which I was grateful for. He actually let the subject go, we talked about our plans for dinner. Nick was cooking tonight, making something simple. I asked for chicken soup and he actually made the best chicken noodle soup I ever had. After dinner, Nick showed me the pictures of Evan which were all over the internet. It seemed that Evan was having a good time. When my eyes landed on a picture of him together with Zoey I knew my plan had worked. They weren't all over each other, but her warm smile told me they were okay. She didn't resent him anymore which was a good thing.

"I'm going to take a shower." Nick announced putting his laptop away, "Are you good?" He asked me when I started to collect our dishes to put them away.

"Don't worry about me, I'm good, " I told him.

I knew he wasn't just referring to my pregnancy, he was asking where my head was at. Things were good though. After our quiet night in, catching up while avoiding talking about my brother and Nick's sudden obsession with our relationship everything was good again.

Nick left the room while I started cleaning up. Rinsing the dirty dishes I put them in the dishwasher and wiped down the counters. Once everything was sparkling again I retrieved my bag from the living room and headed to our bedroom. I could hear the water running so I knew Nick was already taking his shower. I dumped my stuff from my bag out on our bed to reorganize it. Putting my phone on the bedside table. I was so into my little project that Nick's phone vibrating loudly scared the crap out of me. Taking a deep breath I released it to get rid of the tension. Walking around the bed I grabbed his phone off the bedside table. My breathing caught in my throat when I realized he missed a call from Max. The phone vibrated in my hand letting me know he got a text right after. I was curious to know what Max texted him, but I wouldn't snoop, not this time. So being a good girl and respecting my boyfriend's privacy I placed the phone back and cleaned up my mess on the bed. Putting my bag away I went into our closet to slip out of my dress and wrap myself up in my silk robe.

After Nick finished his shower I took one as well and settled in bed with him, trying to get as comfortable as possible, it was hard with Matthew being a bit active but I managed to ignore it and actually fall asleep.

***

Waking up the next day I startled myself realizing I had slept till noon. I only did that when I still had my shifts at the club, but since Nick and I were blessed with Matthew I stopped working at the club. I didn't have late shifts anymore so it wasn't acceptable for me to sleep in like that. I knew I had no responsibilities so technically I could, but I didn't allow myself to do that.

Doing my morning routine I went to the kitchen to prepare brunch, putting my phone between my shoulder and ear to call Nick. I knew he was at his office, but I didn't like the fact that I hadn't seen him or even heard from him. When he worked at the office he started bright and early. Sometimes I woke up together with him, getting ready for my day even though I didn't have to and other days I stayed in bed, but awake and watch him get ready. I always knew when Nick left the apartment to start his day so it threw me off my game because I didn't today.

"Hey, Nick."

I heard the smile in his voice, "Em, you finally up?"

"Yeah, you should have woke me up." I finished making my toast with strawberry jelly and held my phone normally again.

"I couldn't wake you, you looked so peaceful." He was silent for a minute before he continued again, "You had a rough day so I wanted you to rest."

That was my Nick, always worrying about me and making sure I was okay. Smiling I took my plate with me to the living room and got comfortable on the couch, turning on the TV to watch some random show.

"I'm good today, " I told him.

"I can hear that." I heard movement in the background so I knew my boyfriend had yet another busy day at the office, "Em, I need to go. I have a meeting, but I'll be back home for dinner. Do you want to eat in?"

"Yeah. I'll cook tonight."

I finished up my toast and made myself a fruit salad while munching on fruit I cleaned up the apartment. The kitchen was good since I did that yesterday but since I had nothing planned today I figured I could do laundry and iron some things. I reorganized my movie collection and when it was nearing five I left the apartment to do some shopping. I had everything I needed for dinner and was about to meet Miles outside the store when I ran into Sacha. She decided to come home with me since she had a day off and Brandon was at the club. She called Brandon to let him know to come over at Nick's apartment for dinner. We prepared pasta with tomato sauce and a chocolate cake for dessert. Later that night Brandon and Nick joined us and we had an amazing night in together.

After dinner we played a board game together, watching Brandon and Nick try to beat each other, behaving like little kids. I loved seeing them like that, they were having a good time despite wanting to be better than the other. In the end, Nick won which was no surprise, we figured he'd win. We called it a night after that, walking Brandon and Sacha out. Brandon opened the door ready to step out when he faced Max who decided to show without letting us know first. Brandon glanced over his shoulder meeting my gaze, I shrugged a shoulder in return. I told myself to stay calm. Reading the situation Sacha dragged Brandon away with her, wishing us a good night.

"Max." Nick greeted holding the door open to his newly made friend, "Come in."

Max didn't move though, he stared at me as if he waited for me to say something first. Then I realized he was waiting for me to ask him to come in. At least he wasn't forcing the situation like last time.

"Yeah, come in, Max."

His gaze softened after I said that and stepped inside the apartment, following us into the living room.

"I think it's time we talk, Emily, " Max told me once he took a seat on the couch.

When I didn't protest he knew I wasn't against that. I felt Nick's hand on my shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze before he left the room, giving us the privacy we needed.