Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot!
The wheels of the Denali rolled to a slow stop outside of the bright lights of the fancy hotel and Catherine turned to Greg with a soft smile on her face.
"Thanks again for the ride, Greg, I know this is kind of hard on you," she told him. He just smiled back and nodded a little.
"I'll walk you in, if you like," he offered, startling her a bit. She raised her eyebrows in surprise and eyed him a little.
"Are you sure?" she asked. "You might run in to him…are you sure you could handle that?" It was common knowledge to his closer friends that Greg had not been well since he and Nick had broken up. The Texan had moved back to his hometown and returned to his previous job as a cop out there. But he was here to visit with some of his old friends, and Catherine was meeting him by the hotel's front desk. Greg's gentle smile turned a little sheepish.
"That's why I drove you here ten minutes early," he admitted. Catherine nodded in understanding, half amused and half sad. She opened the door and swung her feet out, hopping down gracefully and smoothing down the front of her floral skirt. Greg came around and offered her his arm and she laughed a little at the gesture, but took it anyway. She wound her arm through the proffered one and they headed out together towards the large black awning that covered the front doors.
The inside was bright with lights, as was customary day and night in Vegas, and not for the first time Catherine wondered how Nick had been able to leave this fast paced life behind. She talked about leaving all the time and loudly wished for a vacation often, but she would admit if asked that she wouldn't leave here for all the money in the world. This was where she belonged and she thought that Nick had found where he belonged here as well. Certainly Greg had; he thrived on the thrill of Las Vegas.
A bellboy who was obviously a little green offered to take them up to their rooms, but Catherine told him as gently as possible that they were simply meeting someone. The young boy flushed lightly and nodded, backing off with a polite smile. She looked around, making sure she couldn't see the Texan she was coming to meet with, then unhooked her arm from Greg's and faced him, looking him in the eye.
"Are you going to be ok?" she asked him directly. He paused and thought, and then he let out a slow sigh, making a wry face.
"No," he admitted, "but I'll survive. Just like I've survived the last two years without him." He shrugged his shoulders in the self-effacing way that he had and Catherine shook her head. How Nick had left this man she would never know. She gave a little sigh of her own and swiped her hair away from her face.
"If he asks how you've been, what should I tell him?" she asked. Greg took a deep breath and looked away, obviously not seeing whatever he was looking at. His eyes were distant for a few moments before he looked back at her, and then they were sad.
"Tell him I'm married or something. I don't care. Anything but the truth," he said quietly. Catherine was about to make some comforting comment when something over Greg's shoulder caught her attention and she glanced past him. Then her eyes widened and she brought one of her hands up to her mouth. Greg frowned at her, then turned to see what she was reacting to. He spotted the reason immediately, for there was Nick standing right behind him with an apprehensive expression on his face.
The two of them stared at each other for what seemed like forever. It was the first time they had met since they had broken up two years ago and Nick had left the home they shared. Catherine looked back and forth between them anxiously.
"Hello Greg," Nick broke the silence at last. Greg flinched to hear his voice again, but hoped that the older man didn't notice.
"Hello," he returned, not quite able to bring himself to say the name. He held the gaze for only a few more seconds before looking down at his feet, feeling like a true coward. "I have to go," he almost whispered, then turned and made to step away. He would have made it safely away if not for Nick, who reached out and laid a hand on his arm, stopping him in his tracks. He looked up a little cautiously.
"What's the truth?" Nick asked softly. Greg's eyes widened and Catherine, whom both men had forgotten all about, felt her heart stop in its rhythm. She held her breath waiting for Greg to answer. The blonde stared at his ex lover for a long time as he contemplated what to say.
"The truth?" he said, and Nick nodded. His eyes narrowed and before anyone could even realize what he was doing he leaned over and crashed his mouth in to Nick's. Nick's eyes closed instinctively, and his lips responded from memory to the familiar feeling of bliss. There was more fire and passion in that one kiss than had existed in their entire previous relationship, and Greg demanded more, more, more. He took what he could and gave as good as he got.
When finally he pulled away they were both panting and Nick absently noted that his hand was now clenching tightly around Greg's arm, though he wasn't inclined to let go just yet.
"The truth is that I'm still so in love with you and it's fucking hell just watching the sun rise every day and wondering if you even miss me," Greg said in a surprisingly strong voice. He looked as if he were going to say more, but seemed to think better of it because he just lowered his eyes to the floor and whispered, "goodbye" before gently prying Nick's hand from his arm and striding away as fast as he could without breaking in to a run.
Nick stared after him with wide eyes, his heart beating so hard in his chest he was sure it would burst from his chest. He brought his now free hand up to touch them lightly to his lips, wondering if what had just happened was real. He looked over and met Catherine's eyes, staring at her now, unable to speak. She stared back at him, waiting, until she finally burst out.
"Well go!" she exclaimed. It jolted him in to life and he suddenly took off running, weaving through the crowds and bolting out the doors. He looked around briefly when he reached the parking lot, praying he'd be able to catch Greg before he left, and almost crying out in relief when he spotted a head of blonde hair. He was sitting on the curb next to his parked Denali, his face in his hands.
Nick scrambled in to a run again and stuttered to a shaky halt in front of the younger man, who lifted his face incuriously. His eyes widened when he saw that Nick had chased after him and he didn't seem able to find anything to say. Which was fine, because Nick felt that he had just the perfect thing to say. He reached down and grabbed the front of the younger man's shirt, hauling him to his feet, ignoring the squeak of surprise, then used the fistfuls of shirt to pull them together for a second mind-numbing kiss. Greg froze for about a half a second before his arms wound around Nick's neck, one of his hands entwining in the brown hair he loved. Nick wound his arms around the other man's waist, holding them as close together as physically possible and then tighter still.
As much as Greg had demanded, Nick demanded more. His lips were insistent and his tongue begged for entrance. When it was granted he explored every inch of Greg's mouth as if it were the first time, relearning all the spots he loved. He shivered when he heard Greg moan, a million images assaulting his brain suddenly of all the times they had made love and how wonderful it had been, how much he had loved to watch Greg in his highs of passions. And then suddenly he was remembering barefooted mornings and cozy nights by the fireside, stolen kisses at work and showers taken together.
He pulled away from the kiss and Greg took a few moments to open his eyes, not wanting the moment to end and not wanting to come back to reality. Nick waited patiently, smiling when their eyes finally met, and he refused to let go. Greg gave him a guarded, questioning look.
"I've regretted leaving you every day of the last two years," the older man admitted, "but I thought you had moved on. I thought I'd screwed up any chance I might have had of getting back together." He hoped he looked sorry, but wasn't sure because his heart was singing to have Greg back in his arms again, and his brain was still a little loopy from the kiss. Greg looked down, then back up through his lashes.
"You would have, if I didn't love you so much," he said. Nick smiled again.
"I still love you too, you know. If you'll have me, I want to try and make this work again. We belong together Greg, and I should have seen that before. I ain't leaving this time, I promise. If I do you can sick Catherine on me." He grinned, and then both men jumped when suddenly a voice startled them from behind.
"Don't think he won't!" Catherine declared, hands on her hips and her tear filled eyes sharp. She glared intently for a moment at the two of them before throwing her hands up in to the air. "Oh for god's sakes Greg just say yes already, you're killing me!" She then promptly burst in to tears and both the men smiled indulgently at her.
They turned back to each other and Greg leaned forward to rest his forehead against the other man's. He played with the little hairs at the nape of Nick's neck just like he used to and grinned.
"Yes," he said simply. Nick blinked, almost not believing it for a few seconds, before he broke in to a bigger smile than he'd worn in the 764 days they had been apart – not that he'd been counting.
"Thank god," he whispered. "I want to come home." Greg closed his eyes, his face content.
"Then come home," he whispered back.