****This story is completely fictional. It is not meant to imply anything about the sexuality of the real Ryan Phillippe or about any of the other people mentioned. Nor is it meant to be representative of the relationship of the real Ryan and Reese.
"I am going to miss you so much, Seth," AJ sniffed, the tears that she'd been holding back for most of the day finally welling up in her eyes.
"Don't cry, please! If you do, then I'll start in. Believe me, I'm not a pretty sight when I cry," I laughed, even though I didn't feel the slightest bit of amusement. The only feeling I had, in fact, was intense sadness.
AJ shook her head and met my lukewarm laugh with her own half hearted chuckle. "Okay, I know. I promised not to get overly emotional," she sighed.
"It's not like we'll never see each other again. We just won't be working together, that's all," I reminded her. Despite my attempt at calmness, though, I could feel my own eyes begin to sting with unshed tears and a sudden tightness gripping my throat.
It was over. I'd had plenty of time to get used to the idea, but somehow all those weeks of thinking it through before I made the decision and all the weeks since I'd let the producers know that I was leaving 'Felicity' hadn't prepared me for this final departure.
"It's just going to be so different around here! Who am I going to talk to all day? It's going to be so strange without you," AJ said.
"It's going to be really weird for me, too. I loved working here. I loved working with you, and the Scotts, and Tangi. Even with Kerri!" I smiled.
AJ laughed a little at my attempt at humor and then wrapped her arms around me tightly. I hugged her back and smiled at the thought of what the two of us must look like, standing there in the middle of the soundstage gripping each other like we never wanted to let go.
"Good luck, Seth. Call me tomorrow, okay?" AJ whispered in my ear. I had no doubt, though I couldn't see her face, that her tears had finally managed to escape.
"I will. Just remember, AJ, you're not just someone I worked with. You're my best friend." I felt AJ nod her head against my shoulder. Giving her one last tight squeeze, I let go and pulled back.
"I'll talk to you soon," I said, tears rolling down my own cheeks to match AJ's. She nodded again and turned away slowly. I made my way off the soundstage and back to the writers office, where I took one last final look at what had been my desk.
It was over. Somehow, it still seemed like yesterday that the phone call had come. The phone call that had brought the news that I was now employed as a writer on a television series, the phone call that had changed my life.
Now I was leaving that television show behind. I was moving on to other things, bigger and better things. That was the Hollywood way, after all. But no matter what I did, no matter where I worked, nothing would ever be as wonderful as my time on 'Felicity' had been.
A pang of doubt hit me full force in the face. Was I doing the right thing? Or was I acting like a total idiot to leave such a secure job on a hit series?
The doubt slowly subsided. I'd been over this in my head so many times, and I knew that I was doing the right thing. Not that it made it any easier, of course.
"Good bye." The word escaped my mouth as I switched off the light in the office and closed the door behind me.
"Seth? I'm glad I caught you!" Scott Speedman's voice rang out behind me as I made my way towards the exit.
"Me, too. I was hoping we'd get to say good bye. It's been really wonderful working with you Scott," I smiled, sticking out my hand for him to shake it.
"You're the best writer this show had, man. And the nicest person, too. Good luck with the movie," Scott ignored my extended hand and pulled me into a quick hug.
"Thank you, Scott. I'm really going to miss all of you."
"We'll miss you, too, man. Hey, I've actually got something for you in my dressing room. A sort of going away gift. Do you have time?"
"Sure. But you really didn't have to get me anything," I protested as we walked the short distance to his dressing room.
"Yes I did. You've been a great friend, Seth. I know things didn't work out with AJ and me, but I never would have asked her out at all if it wasn't for you, remember?" Scott smiled at me.
"How could I forget? I thought you were hitting on me! Some ego, huh?" I laughed, remembering that night.
Scott laughed too and punched me lightly on the arm. "You know if I was gay, I'd be all over you."
"You'd be hard to resist," I smiled. Scott blushed a little, but before anything else could be said we reached our destination.
"Surprise!" A chorus of voices sounded instantaneously with the opening of the door. I stared in shock at the mass of people crammed into Scott's dressing room- the entire cast, most of the crew, the other writers, the Executive Producers, and several others.
"Oh, my God," I gasped, shaking my head.
"Well, there's no doubt that he was really surprised!" Tangi laughed. Several others joined in as I shook my head in amazement.
"Seth, we couldn't let you go without a little send off. You've worked damn hard for this show and we're all going to miss you," Matt Reeves, one of the Producers said.
"I'm speechless," I replied honestly.
"That's a first!" one of my fellow writers called out, causing general laughter.
"We've got a cake and some refreshments waiting on the soundstage, so let's move this little soiree out there, shall we?" one of the women from make up announced.
"You knew about this?" I asked AJ as we all moved en mass back to the soundstage.
"Hey, get that accusatory tone out of your voice! It's not like I was in on planning your assassination! It's a party," AJ grinned.
"So we went through that whole Good bye scene and all the time you knew!" I laughed, shaking my head.
"You should be thanking me. Now I'm going to have to go through all of that a second time! The sacrifices I make for my friends," AJ sighed, her eyes twinkling.
"Seth, I'm really going to miss you. I hope everything goes well for you, of course. Let's be sure and keep in touch," Kerri said warmly, taking my arm between hers.
"Yes, of course. It's been a privilege writing for you, Kerri," I smiled. Somehow, the air of formality around Kerri had never allowed any of us on the show to form a real friendship with her. She had always been pleasant and friendly, but in a very aloof way.
"Ryan is very lucky to have someone like you writing movies for him," Kerri smiled. I felt a little unnerved at her mention of Ryan, since only our closest friends were supposed to know about us, but I returned the smile and thanked her.
"Okay, Seth, let's get some pictures with you and your cake before we cut it," someone called out. I made my way to the cake, which was in the shape of a giant script with the words 'Best of Luck and Success from the cast & crew of Felicity', printed as the title.
After the pictures had been taken and the cake had been cut and passed around, Scott Foley got the room's attention by tapping lightly on his champagne glass.
"Seth, we all put our heads together and came up with a little something for you. A farewell gift from the whole lot of us," he said.
"This is too much, everyone. Really!" I shook my head.
"Now, don't worry. We're a WB show, so we don't have the budget to get you anything really expensive," Scott laughed. "But this is just a little something to remember us by."
I moved forward and accepted the small gift wrapped package from Scott. I looked around at all the faces surrounding me and felt my throat begin to tighten once again. I was going to miss them all so much!
I tore the paper off and found myself looking down at a photograph in an expensive silver frame. My breath caught as I realized it was the group photo that we'd taken on the night of the Golden Globe awards when Kerri had won for the show. Almost everyone involved with the show had been present at the after party where the photo had been taken.
"Thank you so much. I couldn't have asked for a better gift," I said, my voice catching in my throat.
I moved about the room for the next hour, personally saying good byes to each and every person once again. It still didn't seem real, somehow, but I figured reality would set in once it was time to go to work again and I wasn't at the studio.
"Listen, if your movie is successful, you'll have to write me a part for your next one. Even if it's like, a hot dog vender with one line, okay?" Greg Grunberg, who played Sean on the show, joked.
"You've got it," I smiled.
"Hey, what about me? If you ever need anyone really freaky, think of me, okay?" Amanda Foreman laughed. Her character, Meghan, had certainly been the craziest on the show and therefor the most fun to write for.
"Sure thing," I promised, meaning every word of it. I'd gladly work with any one the people from the show again.
Finally, though, the party began to die down and I was faced once again with making my final departure from a place where I'd be so happy.
Clutching my gift under one arm, I walked out into the parking lot with Scott Foley and AJ. We were all moving very slowly, drawing the final moments out as long as we possibly could.
"Well, this is it, huh?" Scott sighed.
"Yeah. I guess it is," I replied.
"Will you still remember us when you're accepting the Oscar?" AJ grinned and I could have kissed her for creating a much needed moment of levity.
"Of course! When I say 'And I'd like to thank all the little people', that will be you guys," I laughed.
"You Hollywood big shots are all the same. Too good for us lowly Television people," Scott grinned.
"We should have seen it coming when he got involved with a movie star," AJ sighed dramatically.
"Okay, okay. I'll mention you by name," I said. There was a sudden silence between the three of us and the levity evaporated.
"I'm really going to miss seeing you both every day. But we're still going to see each other all the time, right? That's not going to change," I said.
"No, it won't," AJ agreed softly.
"Okay, then. So this isn't a good bye in any sense. It's a see you later," I pointed out.
"See you later," Scott's voice was a little strained.
"Okay, give me a see you later hug, then," I tried to smile, tears in my eyes. The three of us came together in a final hug in the warm air of a November evening in California.
I sat in the semi-darkness of our bedroom, the only light coming from the small bedside lamp. I stared down at the silver framed photograph on my lap, my eyes focused on my own face in the photo.
It seemed like years had passed since that day. At the time, I'd thought it the happiest day of my life. There I was, a college drop out, sitting in the audience at the Golden Globe awards, watching an actress from the series I wrote for win. I'd made it, as far as I was concerned.
The guy in the photo now seemed so young and naive. He also seemed so lonely. At the time, Ryan had just been another actor, someone I'd never met. So much had changed since then. I truly was a different person.
"Seth? Are you here?" Reese's voice startled me out of my reverie. I hadn't even heard the front door open.
"Yeah, I'm in the bedroom," I called out as I put the photograph down on the bed next to me and got up.
"Could you give me a quick hand?"
"Sure thing," I said, going down the hallway and across the living room to where Reese was standing just inside the front door, holding the car seat in her arms. I took it from her gently, smiling down at Ava's sleeping face.
Ryan and Reese's daughter had been born at the beginning of September and was now nearly two and a half months old. The experience had been a life altering thing for all three of us. Ryan had been present in the delivery room when his daughter was born and as I'd expected had loved her with all his heart from that very first instant.
The change in our day to day lives had of course been extreme. A little baby needs a lot of attention, even one as well mannered as little Ava seemed to be. But we'd managed quite well so far.
"How did it go today?" Reese asked as I took the baby and she turned around to get the shopping bags she'd dropped just inside the door, filled no doubt with things for her daughter.
"It was hard," I sighed. "They had a party for me and I thought I was really going to lose it there for awhile."
"I can imagine. Don't worry, though. Once things get under way on the movie, it won't be as bad. The end of one project always leaves you feeling kind of empty. It's just a part of this business, though, never staying in one place long," Reese said as we went into the living room.
"Yeah, I know. Still, you never forget your first, right?" I smiled.
"No, you don't. But at least you'll be working with Ryan for the next few months. You two will have so much more time together now," Reese pointed out.
Which, of course, was why I'd made the decision I had. After a few months in total limbo, we'd finally got the financing put together to go ahead with the script I'd written for Ryan. It hadn't been easy working out the deal, either. The production company that Ryan co-owned with Breckin Meyer and Seth Green was going in on half of the picture and they'd manage to negotiate a deal with Universal for the rest that included distribution of the picture once it was finished.
Against all odds, they'd even managed to secure the agreement that I be hired as the only writer to make any and all changes needed on the script throughout shooting and I was even getting a Producer credit out of the deal. The financial success of Cruel Intentions, the last picture of Ryan's to have been released, had played a large part in the studio's decision to agree to most of our conditions, though the budget we'd been given was painfully small.
The problem, of course, had been that the movie was set to start shooting right in the midst of Felicity's second season and I'd be needed on the movie full time.
"That will be nice. It seems like I haven't seen him since he stated this picture," I sighed. The movie Ryan had been working on for months was still under way, logged down in post production reshoots that were taking forever. Ryan had planned on a month long break between the end of that movie and the beginning of ours, but now our start date was only two weeks away and he still hadn't finished.
"Trust me, Ryan will never work with that director again. I've never seen him so upset over a movie," Reese shook her head. It was a totally new experience for me, of course. This was only the second movie Ryan had made since we'd been together, and he'd been in New York for the filming of the first one.
"He's been so tense lately. He could really have used that month off," I sighed.
"Hopefully he'll at least get the next two weeks," Reese said as little Ava suddenly began to cry. Reese smiled and gently picked the baby up. "I think it's time to change her diaper."
"Do you want anything special for dinner?" I called after her as she went down the hall with Ava.
"Uh, no. I'll just throw something together," Reese called back.
"Are you sure? I was just about to order some takeout."
"Are you kidding me? I'm trying to get back in shape, remember?" Reese laughed.
"Okay, okay. If you change your mind you can have some of mine," I said, knowing she would. I went across to the phone and dialed the number. Before I could finish my order, though, I felt a strong pair of arms wrap around me and the phone was taken from my hand and replaced on the receiver.
"It seems like I'm just in time," Ryan whispered in my ear. His warm breath on the side of my neck sent a shiver of delight down my spine and I leaned back against him and sighed.
"This is a nice surprise," I smiled. Ryan rested his head on my shoulder and pulled me against him more tightly.
"I aim to please. What are you doing?"
"I'm having impure thoughts about this incredibly sexy movie star who also happens to be the man I love. What about you?" I asked.
"You're so cute," Ryan laughed. "I meant, what were you doing on the phone?"
"Ordering some dinner. I didn't expect you to be home for a few more hours," I said.
Ryan stepped back and turned me around to face him before pulling me close again.
"Well, forget it. I'm taking you out to eat. We're going to celebrate."
"Oh, really? And what exactly are we celebrating?" I smiled. Ryan's eyes began to sparkle with that mischievous look that always made me go weak in the back of the knees no matter how many times I saw it.
"Is this worth celebrating?" Ryan asked softly, bringing his lips to mine. I felt a sudden rush of desire, coupled with a feeling of warmth and security. It was the feeling that I always had in Ryan's arms.
"That's worthy of a celebration in Times Square!" I moaned softly when we'd pulled apart for air.
"Come on. It's all arranged. We're going out," Ryan smiled.
"Where are we going?"
"I'd tell you-"
"But you'd have to kill me," I finished Ryan's sentence for him with a laugh. "All right. At least tell me how I should dress. Casual? Formal? What?"
"Just wear whatever you want. But hurry up. I turn into a pumpkin at midnight," Ryan grinned.
"You'd be the sexiest pumpkin known to man," I smiled. "But what about Reese?"
"Reese? I don't know. I see her as more of a squash than a pumpkin," Ryan said with a straight face.
"There's that future stand up comedian I love so much!" I said. "You know what I mean. She's had Ava all day, shouldn't we give her a break tonight?"
"Reese knows all about this. Besides, I'm going to be spending plenty of time with my daughter for the next few weeks. Reese will be lucky if she gets anywhere near her with all the attention I'll be lavishing on her!" Ryan declared.
"The next few weeks? Did you finish the movie? Is that why we're celebrating??" I asked, excited at the prospect of having Ryan home for two weeks with no commitments.
"No questions! Just get ready!" Ryan smiled, refusing to say another word.
"What are we doing here?" I asked in surprise. I'd expected to be taken to a restaurant or a club, but instead Ryan had driven to an impressive looking house not far from our own.
"This, Seth, is where our celebration begins," Ryan smiled as he turned off the ignition and gave my knee a quick squeeze. "Come on!"
I followed him up the front steps and watched in surprise as he opened the door without bothering to ring the bell. "Ryan, who's house is this?"
"For tonight, it's ours," Ryan smiled.
"Ours?" I asked, surprised. Ryan's response was to take my hand and lead me inside.
"I don't know about you, but I'm starving," Ryan smiled as he led the way into a formal dining room that was glowing with candle light. The table was set for two and we both sat down.
"So, are you going to tell me what we're celebrating?" I asked after we'd begun to eat.
"Do you want some wine?" Ryan responded, raising his eyebrows inquiringly as he held up the bottle.
"Sure. But don't try and change the subject," I smiled as Ryan filled both our glasses.
"Was that what I was doing? Oh, all right. We're celebrating our freedom and our future," Ryan raised his glass for a toast.
"That sounds good to me," I said, gently clinking my glass against his. "So I was right? You finished the reshoots?"
"Yes. I'm done. It's over. It couldn't have come on a better day, either, because you're done with the show and we've got two weeks to just be together. I don't plan on letting you out of my sight," Ryan smiled.
"You're amazing. I love you so much," I smiled. "I'd kiss you, but this table is too big to lean across. Who's house is this, anyway?"
"One of the producers, actually. He knew I was not happy with all the extra work we had to put in on a movie that was essentially finished a month ago anyway. He only uses this place when his wife's in town and they've got entertaining to do, so he lent it to me for the night," Ryan explained.
"I didn't bring my pajamas," I said.
"Don't worry. You can sleep naked. I won't take advantage of you," Ryan grinned.
"Where's the fun in sleeping naked if you're not going to have your way with me?" I smiled.
"Well, if you insist, I guess a little nookie might be fun," Ryan sighed.
"Ah! So you did it all for the nookie, huh?" I laughed. Ryan groaned and shook his head at my lame joke and then stopped to stare at me thoughtfully.
"What?"
"I was just thinking. Look at the two of us, sitting here so politely eating a meal when we're all alone in this place. No Reese, no baby. We really must be losing our touch. If this was six months ago I'd have been all over you the minute we walked through the door!" Ryan said.
"Becoming a father has matured you," I smiled.
"Oh no! Does that mean I can't be a teen idol any more?" Ryan winced and looked playfully horrified before he broke out laughing.
"Do you think your producer friend would mind if a former teen idol made love with an up and coming writer in his dining room?" I asked.
"In the dining room? When did you become so kinky?" Ryan laughed.
"I want to make love to you in every single room in this house," I said, meaning it.
"Seth, this house has about thirty rooms! I'm not super man!" Ryan laughed.
"Okay, okay. Let's start in the bedroom and work our way around, see how many we can get," I said.
"I like this side of you," Ryan said softly, standing up and taking my hand. We jogged quickly up the staircase, stopping at the top to kiss and press ourselves together before Ryan opened a door and led me inside.
"Oh, Ryan!" I froze in genuine amazement at the scene awaiting me. The room was very large, but everything was in deep shadow except for the large bed in the center with a canopy over the top. The bed was backlit by two candelabras, one on each nightstand, and almost seemed to have an inner glow.
Ryan's mouth met mine and his hands slowly made their way down to the bottom of my shirt. We pulled apart only long enough for him to pull it over my head and toss it aside before resuming our kiss.
Slowly, I began to sink to my knees, not breaking away from Ryan's mouth until the last possible second. Smiling up at him, I ran my hand along the inside of his thigh and then leaned slowly forward, wrapping my lips around the bulge that was standing out in the front of his khaki pants.
Ryan moaned softly and moved his hand to the back of my head, where his fingers began to gently run through my hair. I continued to suck and kiss him through his pants for a short time, and then reached up to unbutton them. They dropped swiftly to the ground, exposing Ryan's incredible legs and leaving an even more impressive bulge tenting the front of his silk boxers.
"Oh, Seth," Ryan groaned, throwing his head back and bringing his other hand to the back of my head as my mouth once again found him, this time through the silk.
I inhaled deeply, revelling in the clean, warm smell of Ryan's body. I slowly stroked his bare legs with one hand and slipped the other up inside of his shirt to play with his nipples.
Finally, when neither of us could stand it any longer, I pulled down his boxers in one swift movement and hungrily began to suck and lick his balls while gently stroking his cock.
"Be careful....i'm getting too close....slow down," Ryan moaned.
"Ryan, I just want to taste you everywhere," I whispered. I slowly reached up to his waist and turned him around. He gasped in surprise as I brought my mouth to his ass and began to gently lick his hole.
I began to move my tongue more quickly, enjoying the sensation and the moans of complete ecstasy that Ryan was releasing.
"Oh my God! I can't stand it! It feels so good," Ryan yelped after a few minutes. "I'm going to die from pleasure!"
Stopping abruptly, I sat back and smiled. "What a way to go, huh?"
"Oh, you tease!" Ryan laughed. He quickly removed his shirt and kicked off the pants and boxers that were still bunched around his ankles, followed by his shoes.
"Leave your socks on! You look cute wearing nothing but socks," I smiled up at him.
"You do get more and more kinky every time we do this!" Ryan laughed.
"Shut up and kiss me," I grinned. Ryan sank to his knees and our mouths met again. This kiss was hungry, full of passion. Ryan's chest felt like fire against my own and I could feel his cock pressing against my knee.
"Make love to me, Ryan. I need you so much," I moaned. The need to feel him inside me was so intense that it was almost painful.
"I love you Seth," Ryan whispered as we slowly stood up. He made short work of removing my pants and shoes, smiling playfully at me as he left my socks on, too.
We fell backwards together onto the bed, Ryan's warm body pressed down against my own. I looked up into his eyes and felt my heart skip a beat. Each time that I saw the love in them and realized it was meant only for me, it was like falling in love with him all over again.
"Make love to me," I said again, a shade of desperation creeping into my voice. I needed Ryan so much at that moment, needed to feel him, needed him to be a part of me in every conceivable way.
Ryan kissed my lips softly and then moved quickly to the side of the bed, returning in a heart beat with the lubrication.
"Ohh, Ryan!" I gasped, an explosion of pleasure overwhelming me as he slowly eased himself inside of me. He silenced me with another kiss as he began to build a nice, steady rhythm that lasted for several minutes.
Finally, though, neither of us could stand it any more and Ryan began to move faster, sliding in and out of me with passion. As his climax built he pulled his mouth from mine and looked down into my eyes. The love I'd seen earlier was now joined by intense passion. Just looking into those blue eyes as Ryan reached his climax and began to cum was too much for me and I felt my cock exploding.
"Ryan.." I was breathing far too hard to say anything else, but one word seemed to be enough to sum up everything we were both feeling because Ryan smiled down at me and returned his lips to mine again.
After a few minutes he rolled slowly over on his side and I moved into the cradle of his arm, resting my head on his chest. We remained like that for several minutes, breathing softly in unison.
"Well, that's one room. Should we try for another?" Ryan asked softly, kissing the top of my head.
"Bite your tongue," I groaned. "You've just depleted my energy reserves for the next month!"
"The next month?? I don't think so! We're going to be setting some new world records now that we're both free," Ryan laughed.
"Ambitious, aren't you? Remember, we've only got two weeks off," I smiled.
"Yeah, but even when we go back to work, we go back together! It's going to be great. I can see it now, we'll meet in my trailer between scenes for quickies," Ryan said.
"That's so romantic!" I laughed.
"Okay, if you want romance, I'll make sure to bring strawberries and whipped cream," Ryan laughed.
"Funny," I smiled in the darkness. The candles had burned their way down and the only thing filling the room now was our quiet breathing.
"This is so nice. Just being with you, no distractions," Ryan said, pulling me a little closer to him.
"Yeah. I love Reese and Ava is the most wonderful child ever born, but it's nice just to have some time alone together," I smiled.
"We'll have plenty from now on," Ryan sighed sleepily. I felt a soft cloud of sleep descending on me too and was soon lulled into it by the soft rise and fall of Ryan's chest against my cheek.
"How's everything going? Are you going to begin shooting on schedule?" Scott Foley asked. We'd just been seated at a moderately well placed table in one of L.A.'s trendier restaurants, thanks entirely to Scott's television stardom.
"So far so good. We start next week. Everything's seemed like a picnic since the nightmare of casting. We were very lucky to get Tobey and Sara. Tobey's hot right now and Sara's career has really been picking up lately in indies," I explained.
"It's nice to know that there is hope after TV," Scott smiled.
"After tv? Right now there's hope during TV. Especially if your show's on the WB," I smiled. "But Sara's a great actress. I think she's had a frustrating time with being typecast as her character from 'Roseanne', but she's amazing. Like I said, we were really lucky."
"Sounds like it. How did you manage to land Tobey?"
"Pure luck. We'd sent him and just about every other actor in town of the same age the script, and he liked it and happened to be between pictures. I think he'll contrast nicely with Ryan," I said.
"Wow. It really is all coming together for you," Scott smiled.
"Well, it has very little to do with me now, really. I'm just on hand for rewrites and stuff like that. It's the director's show from now on. Hopefully she and I won't clash too much. We've had one meeting and she seems to agree with my vision pretty closely," I said.
"That's great. I'm so happy for you!" Scott said.
"Thanks. So, how are things with you? Are you seeing anyone yet?"
"It's only been a week since I saw you," Scott pointed out.
"So? How long does it take to meet someone?" I asked, smiling.
"I don't know. No one has really caught my attention since Simon. I'll just have to wait until someone comes along who does," Scott said.
"Okay, I won't push. I just want you to be happy," I said.
"I know you do," Scott smiled. We both watched as Gwyneth Paltrow strolled into the room like she owned the place, which she may as well have. She was seated at the best table and had the Maitre'd and several waiters hovering around her, ready to satisfy her every whim.
"How's the baby?" Scott asked after we'd finally turned our attention back to each other.
"Adorable as ever. Ryan was putting her to sleep when I left," I smiled.
"And Reese?"
"She's fine. Getting back into things slowly. I think she'll probably be back at work before too long," I said.
"Excuse me. Mr. Barnes?" The Maitre'd was standing at my elbow. He said my name with an uncertainty that made it obvious that I was not known to him and therefore, not worth knowing.
"Yes?" I asked, surprised.
"You have an urgent message. Would you follow me?" I felt a ring of ice form around my heart as all sorts of horrible possibilities entered my head. Something had happened to Ryan. To Ava. To Reese. Something awful. I followed him quickly, completely forgetting Scott in my haste to find out what was wrong.
Coughing gently to get my attention, the Maitre'd indicated a door just off the lobby. I quickly went through it, expecting to find a phone with someone - Ryan? Reese?- waiting on the other end of the line.
Instead, I discovered only a dark haired man standing across from the door in the small room, staring intently at a painting on the wall.
"Hello?" I called out, mystified as to what was going on. My mystification was soon turned into utter astonishment, though, when the man turned around.
"Jordan?" I gasped after several stunned seconds of silence.
"You're a hard man to track down, Seth," Jordan smiled. I felt the same flutter of my heart that I always had whenever Jordan had smiled at me. "Don't I even get a hello kiss? I haven't seen you since you left school."
"Jordan, what are you doing here?" I asked, still in a state of shock at seeing the man I'd once considered my soulmate standing before me after so long a time.
"I came to be with you, Seth. I miss you," Jordan smiled.
*******Well, I've decided to cease the apologies for the long delays between each chapter. It's just the way it works out. But, I will make this solemn vow- part 18 will be out before the Millennium! I hope you all enjoyed this. I hope I got the right name for Baby Phillippe! The press didn't ever really release it, but I heard from a semi-reliable source that it's Ava. Let me know what you think at justins_boy@hotmail.com or justinsboy@yahoo.com.