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When he woke up, Greg reached over with the intention to hug a warm body, but he found the other side of the bed to be empty, instead. He sat up and looked at the clock on the bedside table. It was 10 am and Nick had not arrived yet. Where could he be?, he thought. He picked up his mobile phone and there was a message from him
“Hey G, the case got complicated . I'll arrive l8 love u <3 6:03 am ”
Greg yawned and stretched his arms as he got up. It was his first day off from work in a month, so he was going to enjoy his best by doing nothing. He was extremely exhausted, not only physically but also mentally since the last cases, which he had been working on, were really traumatising.
With a mug of his favourite coffee- the Blue Hawaiian coffee- in his right hand, he sat down on the big armchair in the living room and prepared himself to read the newspaper. After that, he went to her bedroom to pick up the dirty clothes and do the laundry because, after all, he still had to do the house chores. The mountain of dirty clothes had grown since the last time he had been at home, but lately he had been working a lot and had not spent enough time at home, he would just come back to sleep four or maybe five hours a day, and then return to work.
“Nick thanks for the help” he said as she was putting his t-shirts into the washing machine. Before putting his trousers, he decided to go through the pockets because the last time he had washed clothes, everything was full of fluff. That was the moment when he found a piece of paper with a phone number which said “06234055 Kailani”
He picked it and put it on the fridge door thinking that it had to be related to one of the cases that Nick was investigating.
While he waited for the washing machine to stop, Greg turned on the TV and started to change the channels until he found a documentary about sparrows which made her remember her first date with Nick.
He had invited him to a bird watching tour around the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve. It was funny because he would have never guessed that Nick was the kind of guy that would enjoy a walk on the mountains observing birds.
In fact that was what he loved about him. From the outside he looked like this typical tough guy from Texas who liked to spend Sunday afternoons watching football and having a barbecue. Although he liked watching football and having a barbecue, he was more than that. He was a really sensitive and peaceful man who was always caring about others and always looking to find the bright side of life.
All these memories made him want to surprise Nick like the old times. He looked at the clock and noticed it was almost 2.30 pm and he had not returned yet, so Greg decided to buy some food from the Taiwanese restaurant that they used to go to. So he sent him a message
"are you coming home?"
"not yet sorry"
After having lunch. Greg decided to rent a movie - maybe he could have a special date with Nick at night. He was at Blockbuster deciding what movie to choose. He wanted to watch Basic Instinct to light the flame of the passion between him and Nick. He was yearning to have a hot night with him. During the past weeks, they had been flirting through calls and they had been sneaking in the lab but that was all. However, he knew Nick and he knew that he would like to watch another thing , something more cheerful, something like Hello Dolly.
“Oh the things I do for love ” Greg said picking the vhs.
When Greg left the parking lot, he saw Nick’s car, which was turning right at the traffic lights in the direction to the northwest. What is he doing here? He thought , he was supposed to be working with Warrick instead he was driving around the shopping. He decided to call him.
“ Hi babe”
“Hi”
“Are you done? I miss you”
“ uh babe i can’t talk right now I am waiting for some results i haven’t finished yet”
“ oh ok see you tonight. I love you”
“ Bye” Nick replied before hanging up.
He had lied to him.
While driving, Greg let a sigh escape from him as the tears began to fall down his cheeks. It could not be true. He did not want to believe that Nick was cheating on him. When they started dating, he knew it was not going to be easy. They both were csi . They both worked long hours and carried traumas from the past, but when they were together all those dark shadows and ghosts disappeared. Moreover, he always had the fear that at one moment Nick would notice all his flaws. At the lab ,everybody saw him like the quirky- nerdy - scrawny lab rat so he was astonished when - beside all that- the marvellous Nick put his on him. He was scared that the fairytale would come to an end, and that day had finally come.
As she started connecting the dots, she realised it was true. Nick had been working a lot and when he arrived home he would just collapse in bed. He had thought that the distance between them was because of the routine. But now he realised what the real problem was. There was another woman.
Greg had driven for about 20 minutes when Nick parked his car outside a restaurant called Makai Pacific Island Grill. There he met a voluptuous brunette who greeted him enthusiastically.
How could I be so blind? he thought when he remembered the card that she had found earlier. Who is Kailani? Greg asked herself. He was so furious and disappointed that he hit the wheel and accidentally he pressed the horn.
Nick turned back and immediately recognised Greg’s car.As He walked towards him , Greg tried to hide but it was in vain.
“Greg, what are you doing here?”, he asked
“ Nothing”
“How did you get here?” He asked nervously turning round to look at the woman
“That's Khalani, isn’t it?” Greg asked
“ How… ? Nick nodded confused
“ I know about her Nick … how could you?” He began to raise hsi voice “You have been lying to me for weeks, you weren't at work today"
“ Wait.. what do you know?
“ I’d rather prefer that you would have tell me … that you don’t love me anymore”
“ G it’s not what you think”
“ that you aren’t cheating on me… that you haven’t lied to me. WHAT?” He tried to close the window
“Babe, I lied to you but because I am organising your surprise birthday party” he said as he tried to calm him down.
“ What does that have to do with what we're talking about? ”
“ That woman is the restaurant manager who is helping me,” he answered calmly.
“And how do you explain how distant you were with me these past couple of days?” he asked
“I’ve been working a lot so I could rent this hawaiian restaurant just for you. I know how much you want to travel to Hawaii and I didn’t want to spoil the surprise” he explained.
“Oh" Greg whispered. He was feeling ashamed of herself.
“ Now park your car and come inside with me … I have a lot of ideas for your party… I ‘ve been searching”
As they were walking, Nick wrapped one of his arms around him and pulled him closer. “I can't believe you thought that I could be with someone other than you” he said as he kissed his forehead.
“I feel so dumb” Greg hid his face his chest
“Now let’s plan your surprise party together,” he said, taking his hand.