Sleeping alone had been rough the past few nights. After spending so much time with Noel, to have her absent from his side had Drake tossing and turning. The bed wasn't as warm without her. Hotels weren't so homey. He had missed her during the few days he had been out of town. What had started as a two night set had turned into four across a major city. Noel hadn't been able to accompany him this time, despite his attempts to persuade her.

"You'll find a new job." He had joked when she said if she took any more time off, she'd get fired.

She had sighed playfully, promising she'd be there when he got back. Phone calls between them had been scattered, making the sudden time apart harder. Drake hadn't been able to get comfortable until the early morning hours on those too-firm hotel mattresses. He'd had to sleep late into the day to compensate. His shows hadn't suffered, but his energy surely had.

His flight home got in early. He didn't call Noel, deciding instead to surprise her. Drake was itching to get home and see his girlfriend. His stomach growled, reminding him that he needed to eat. He had slept through the entirety of the short plane ride after finding the seats were that much more comfortable than the beds he had been barely sleeping in. He toyed with the idea of getting take out, but that would just take longer. He was sure something good would be waiting for him in the fridge. He just wanted to be home, on his own couch, eating his own food and then crashing for a couple of hours in his own bed.

Gripping his luggage, the exhausted man made his way to his front door. He huffed as he realized he didn't leave a hand free to grab his keys. His suitcase clattered to the ground as he fumbled through his pocket. "Next time, I'm getting one with wheels." He muttered loudly, sticking the key into the lock.

The door opened before he could turn the handle. A crooked smile split his face at the sight of Noel's surprised expression. Her hair hung wet across her shoulders, soaking the white dress shirt draped over her body. Her surprise turned to joy as she reached out to hug him.

"You're early!" she exclaimed, pulling his suitcase through the door. "Hi!"

"I wanted to surprise you." Drake leaned down to her, catching her in a long kiss. It was like drinking cold water on a hot day. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too! So much!" She danced around him, making sure his eyes stayed on her. Her smile stayed bright. "You should have called! I would have gotten ready to see you." She gestured to her lack of real clothing, slightly embarrassed.

"You look great, babe." Drake assured her, opening the fridge. "I'm starving. What do we have to eat?"

"Uhh. I don't know, leftover pasta?" Noel suggested. She stayed close to Drake as he rifled through the contents of the refrigerator. He caught the intoxicating scent of her perfume on her skin. "You know what, let's go out to eat."

"Later." Drake couldn't stand the thought of leaving, not when he had just come home. It had only been four days, but it had been a long four days, and his weary body was begging him to take a decent rest. "Can I eat that? Or were you saving it?" He pointed at a slice of cold pepperoni pizza, wrapped in a Ziploc bag so it would stay fresh.

"Go for it."

"Where's the dog?"

"Shark's with Jade. He's fine."

Drake wolfed the still tasty pizza down in two enormous bites. At Noel's shocked and slightly disturbed stare, he shrugged. "What?"

"Nothing." Noel pulled him to her by the sides of his open jacket, looking up for a kiss. "I missed you so much, Drake. The house just wasn't right without you. It was so hard."

"Yeah, it wasn't easy on me either… where did you get that shirt?" His brow arched as he glanced at the dress shirt that was more of a dress than a shirt on Noel. He couldn't remember wearing it before.

"I got it from the back of your closet."

"You decided to shower and then just grab something fancy from my closet?"

"It looked really comfortable."

On her, that couldn't be doubted. "Okay." Drake grinned, buying it. He granted her request, taking his time as he moved them to the couch. Noel practically threw herself into the piece of furniture, giggling loudly at the thump that announced her landing. Drake wasted no time in making sure she was safe in his arms. She climbed over him, her little whispers very nearly muffling the click of the doorknob.

Drake turned around, expecting to see Jade making herself scarce, but his fiery roommate wasn't the one to greet him. Heat flashed through Drake as it burned into fury. He couldn't quite believe his eyes, and yet the evidence was screaming a deafening roar.

Still dripping wet, clad only in jeans, a very guilty Blake Carter couldn't quite meet his friend's eyes. His hand rested on the doorknob, the front door ajar. He swallowed hard, pushing the door shut. "Look, I was just helping her fix the shower." A bit too shaky, a bit too quickly spoken, and a bit too loud, Blake's excuse sounded lame even to himself.

Fire filled Drake, turning his expression deadly. He looked at Noel. The distance between them had grown considerably. She opened her mouth to speak, but words failed her.

Thoughts rushed through Drake's mind like water down a cliff. How long? When? How? Was what he was seeing even real, or was he still dreaming on the plain? He curled his fingers into fists as he rose from the couch, his jaw locked, his chocolate colored eyes hard. Resisting the urge to beat Blake to a bloody pulp, he fought to get himself under control.

Almost inaudibly, Noel piped up. "I wanted- I was going to tell you."

"When?" Drake asked, his own voice graveled. "After you'd finished making me play the fool?"

"It's not like that!" her voice cracked as her eyes searched his face for any sign of mercy. "I loved you."

Loved. There it was. Sharp as a knife slicing into him. What made her stop loving him? Drake wasn't sure he wanted to know.

"Blake- he just happened, you know? One day, it was innocent and the next-"

"You were doing him in my shower?"

"Drake!"

He chided himself for not figuring it out sooner. Blake had always been borderline flirtatious with Noel. He had noticed, even that night in Seattle, but Blake was like that with all the girls he met. It was just his thing. Noel had been comfortable with Blake, but she was naturally confident and the two had gotten close as friends… Drake just hadn't realized exactly how close. He had trusted Blake. He had trusted Noel. But it seemed trust only paved the way for brutal betrayal.

"How long has this been going on?"

A long, awkward silence followed Drake's demand to know. He stood his ground, refusing to give them an inch. Across the room, Blake finally cleared his throat. "Noel, she's just amazing, you know? She really gets me. And when I got that record deal, she was so excited. Really happy for me. You were busy, so we celebrated together. That night, I got her to sing with me. I kinda fell in love with the way she opened herself up to me in song. It was just beautiful. Like her."

Blake's words left Drake with more questions than answers. He made himself listen, for no reason other than a sick desire to know exactly how and when his relationship with Noel had gone wrong. His gut twisted when Blake mentioned getting Noel to sing. His pulse raced. He couldn't remember a time when he wasn't stuck in this nightmare.

"And then, you know, when we were hanging out, I told myself it was wrong. You guys were in love! I wasn't going to mess with that! But we had too many drinks…"

"I swore it would never happen again, but …"

Noel's interjection finished breaking what was left of Drake's heart. Unbelievable. He was finished. If he had to sit through another excuse, he was pretty sure he would explode. "Just get out of here."

"Drake, please-"

"What, Noel?" Drake turned on the woman he could barely recognize. Her pleading did nothing to move him. A lifetime had passed since they were on the couch together minutes ago. She may have looked the same, but inside, she was someone he didn't know at all. "Are you going to beg for my forgiveness? Beg me to take you back right in front of your lover? Go ahead. Get it out. What are you going to say? What could you say?"

Pain stilled her words as she hesitated, searching for something she could say that wouldn't make the situation worse. Her mouth hovered open, the brokenness in her eyes echoing her heart's regrets. "I'm so sorry."

"Save it. Live your lives together. Don't let me stop you."

He didn't bother to stay until they left. Drake vanished into the room that now belonged to him alone. After he heard the door shut behind Blake and Noel, he re-emerged, opening the fridge. He searched for a can of cold beer, and found three. He grabbed them all.