Disclaimer: This story is pure fiction and is based off the lives of the four men of 98 Degrees and the people in their lives. I in no way intend to say that they live their lives like this, for this story is purely for entertainment only. Also, the idea for this story came from an author who I do not know, but have read the story once before and since I couldn't find it again, I have re-written it to the best of my ability, so some credit is due to this artist.
Dedication: This story is dedicated to all the men out there who, like me, wish upon a shooting star every night for their true love, their `one and only.' Don't give up faith; for we will find our true loves, though it may be a while before we do, the wait is well worth while for the One.
Contact Info: For more information on stories to come, or to give a shout out, feel free to contact me (C.J.) at all-star07@hotmail.com
And without further delay, read on and enjoy!
My One and Only
It was cloudy and cold; rain came down from the sky in sheets and pounded against the window as if in fury. The light was leaving the sky and out side, it grew darker by the minute. The attic was a little chilly since heat rarely radiated to it form the house, but Drew didn't mind, instead he just pulled his legs closer to him and continued to stare out the window at the puddles forming in the backyard. Things were different now, at least that's how it felt. Nothing just seemed right anymore, not the singing, not the fans, not the touring. It just seemed to him that things had lost its meaning, and he felt somewhat... alone. He didn't feel happy anymore.
Chastising himself for feeling as he did. He knew he had nothing to be upset about. Anyone looking at his life would agree that he had it made: Fame, fortune, thousands of people screaming his name when he went on stage. The best of all, he had a husband who truly loved him, not like the cheesy celebrity couples you see on the cover of People every week, but something true and pure, that most people spend their lives trying to find. So what was his problem? He only wished he knew the answer himself. Across the room, he had a single suitcase packed, he was ready to go, but try as he might, he couldn't get himself to walk out that front door. Looking down, he stared at the wallet size picture he was holding ever since he first set eyes on him, and a single tear ran down his cheek. The sound of the front door unlocking and opening barely caught his attention.
"Drew?" Jeff's voice sounded through the house, the sound startled him enough that without thinking, he replied "Up here!"
As soon as he said it, he wished he hadn't. He didn't want Jeff near him, not right now. The sound of his footsteps drew ever closer as Drew waited for him to appear in the door way.
"What are you doing up here?" he asked, his voice quiet with concern.
"Just thinking."
"About?"
"Just some things, nothing important."
Jeff crossed the room to join him at the window. "Kinda seems important, you never sit alone up here unless something is bothering you."
Drew smiled, he liked the way Jeff knew him. "Please, tell me what's wrong."
He gave a small sigh, but gave no sign that he was about to talk. Instead he just sat there, twisting his wedding band around his finger, the picture sitting by his side. Jeff looked down and noticed the photo.
"Ah man," he gave a small weak laugh. "I can't believe you still have this photo."
"It's important to me."
"Why?"
Drew got up and stood in front of him, he took a breath before meeting his eyes. "Because, when that was taken, that's when I realized... I loved you."
Jeff looked dumfounded for a moment before glancing back down at the photograph. It was just a picture of him, smiling, back when the group was still new. That day, Jeff had just got a hair cut, and Drew being the flirt he was, made Jeff pose while he took the shot. He never parted with the picture since.
"What's going on? Are you alright?"
Drew took a moment before answering. "I don't know."
Jeff was still, waiting for him to continue. Drew was silent, unable to think of a way to elaborate on the statement he just made.
Jeff rose to join him, taking a step towards him. "Talk to me."
"I can't," Drew's voice was shaken. "I can't do this anymore."
"What do you mean?"
"Us, this, you. I just can't do it anymore."
The look on Jeff's face registered confusion. "What are you talking about?"
He glanced over Drew's shoulder and noticed the suitcase by the door. Drew watched as recognition settled over Jeff's face. His heart began to race, and a pang of guilt swept through him at what he was about to do.
"I'm so sorry."
He stepped away from Jeff, and started walking to the door, grabbing his bag on the way. Jeff stood there for a moment, unable to believe what was happening. He soon followed Drew out the door and paused at the top of the stairs.
Drew had the door part way open and was about to walk out. "Drew..."
He paused, and looked up at Jeff, feeling his heart beginning to break. Realizing he was close to crying, he turned and walked out the door. Only when he was behind the wheel of his car, did he break down crying before driving off.
"What did I just do?" he thought as he drove, knowing the one person he could turn to for anything, and he knew that's where he had to go.
......
Jeff was sitting on the couch, trying to contemplate what he did wrong, what he should have done. He jumped at the pair of headlights shinning through the window and raced to the window, hopeful. He was only disappointed to see Nick and Vanessa approaching the front door. He went to open it as they reached the front step, opening the door to allow them to come in, while he went back to the couch.
"Hey Jeff!" Nick said, smiling, happy. Jeff hated him right at that moment.
"Hey!" Vanessa replied, looking around the living room. "Where's Drew?"
Her and Drew had become quit close since Nick started dating her, it was obvious that Drew liked her better than Jessica.
Jeff looked down, trying to say the words aloud. "He left."
"Oh okay, no big, where did he go? When's he coming back?"
"I don't know."
Vanessa looked at him puzzled. "What do you mean?"
Jeff sighed. "He's not coming back."
The instant he said those words aloud, he cringed, wishing he hadn't. Until then everything felt like a bad dream, some nightmare he would soon wake up from. But saying those words some how made it real, and for the first time, Jeff began to cry.
Nick was completely taken aback. Not only could he even imagine his little brother doing something like that, but to see Jeff like this was beyond him. As long as Nick had known him, he never saw Jeff cry.
Vanessa went right to his side and wrapped an arm around him, trying as best she could to comfort him. Jeff's sobbing only continued, the sound muffled as Jeff held his head in his hands.
Nick wanted to comfort his best friend, but more than anything, he wanted to find his brother and smack some sense into him or something. Vanessa glanced up at Nick, clearly unsure about how to handle the situation.
"Stay here." He said, before turning to leave. He was going to find his brother and he was going to get to the bottom of this.
...
Drew parked along the curb and glanced towards the house. Only one light was on in the living room and he got out and began walking towards the door. He paused briefly before knocking. He heard movement inside and soon, the door swung open.
"Drew?"
"I left him." Drew said, looking into Lea's eyes. Again, he began to cry, trying desperately to stop.
"C'mon," she said as she motioned for Drew to come in. He did and she closed the door behind him.
"Alright, now why don't you sit down and explain to me what this is all about."
She sat across from him in the living room, leaning forward, elbows on knees, expectant. Drew sighed, and then began.
...
Nick drove, with nothing but his thoughts to keep him company. He still couldn't believe it. "What was he thinking?" He thought.
Gripping the wheel hard, he drove to all the places he expected to find his brother, but so far, no progress. He was about to give up when he realized there was one place he hadn't searched. He turned the car around and began to race across town, hoping that he would find him.
...
"You know, he was the first guy I ever dated?"
Jeff had stopped crying, and instead was flipping through a photo album Drew had put together. Catching up with Vanessa and filling her in on the "glory days" as he put it.
"Really? Now that I did not know."
"It's true, I mean I dated a few girls here and there, and never suspected I would be attracted to men."
"And then Drew came along?" It was more of a statement then a question.
"Yeah," Jeff said. "Then Drew came along."
Jeff turned another page in the photo album and paused. There was the photo of all four of them at Disney Land. Nick on the left, Justin on the right, and him and Drew in the middle. Jeff remembered that day as if it just happened yesterday.
They were all walking around the park, laughing, and just hanging out pretending they were normal guys for a change. They came across a gift store and decided to buy a souvenir. Jeff found some Mickey Mouse ears and couldn't resist. After purchasing them, he immediately placed them on Drew's head, a huge grin on his face.
Drew looked up cross eyed. "Thanks." He said, before joining Nick outside, Jeff looked to Justin confused. Justin just shrugged and walked towards the door, Jeff soon followed.
As soon as Jeff took two steps out the door, he felt ice cold water pour on to his head. Stunned, he whipped around and saw Drew, Nick and Justin all laughing, Drew and Nick holding paper cups.
"Drew! Nick! What the fuck?!"
Drew managed to contain his laughter for a moment before saying: "I just thought that if I had to walk around with these dorky ears on my head all day, then you could walk with me looking a little...damp."
Him and Nick burst out with laughter again as Jeff just stared at Drew, looking as if he were about to tackle someone. Nick then whispered into Drew's ear: "I think you better run."
As if on cue, Jeff launched him self at Drew, who took off in a run, desperate to put more distance between him and Jeff. He chased him all around the park, Drew barely escaping Jeff's grasp again and again as Jeff gained ground. Being taller, Jeff was at an advantage in speed, but Drew had the advantage of slipping between the mobs of people who only slowed Jeff down.
They ran all the way to the hotel, Drew blew through the lobby to catch the elevator just as the doors closed. Jeff stopped short just in front of them, breathing hard and trying to control his frustration.
Drew reached his floor, and after making sure the coast was clear, he made a bee line dash towards his door. Once inside, he locked the door and took a seat on the edge of the bed, trying to catch his breath and stifle the urge to laugh. Within a few moments, Drew jumped as Jeff banged on his door.
"Drew!" Jeff shouted, "open up, I know you're in there!"
Drew hesitated, then got up and slowly unlocked and opened his door. Jeff pushed the door open and leaped at Drew who tried and failed to get out of the way. Jeff pushed him onto the bed, trying to pin him to it, Drew resisted, trying to throw him off.
"Jeff!" Drew exclaimed, "Calm down, it was just a joke!"
Drew tried again to throw Jeff off him, but his last attempt failed and they both fell to the floor. Jeff rolled on top of Drew and within seconds, had him pinned to the floor. Drew tried and tried to push Jeff off, but in a contest of strength, Jeff had him beat. He looked up at Jeff and saw the anger in his eyes, it was clear that Jeff was really pissed. Drew watched as a drop of water fell down Jeff's cheek and collected at a pool on his chin. Then, Drew saw Jeff's anger turn into something he didn't recognize. Before he could say anything, Jeff leaned in and kissed him.
It was quick, and lasted only a few seconds. Drew looked up at Jeff, who instead of being shocked or angry, had a smile on his face. Drew then looked Jeff in the eye, thinking of how beautiful Jeff's blue eyes were. Jeff then leaned in and kissed him again. It was long and passionate, but Drew wasn't kissing him back.
"Jeff," Drew said, breaking the kiss. "I don't think..."
"Shh," Jeff said, cutting him off. "Just go with it."
And then he leaned in and kissed Drew again, this time, Drew was kissing him back. Both of them didn't even notice Nick closing the door.
"Bout time they did that." Nick said to Justin.
"I know," Justin agreed. "I was getting tired of them flirting like school girls, neither one of them not wanting to make a move."
"Tell me about it." Nick and Justin then walked back to their rooms, deciding against going back out to the park and just watch some TV.
"That was the first time we kissed, the first time we did anything really." Jeff set the photo album aside and looked at Vanessa, who was hanging on his every word.
"I guess that was the time I realized I wanted him, that I loved him. After that, things just escalated."
"That is so sweet!" Vanessa exclaimed.
Jeff smiled and walked over to the mantle, looking at the photo in the center of it. He stared, remembering his wedding day. In the picture, both he and Drew were holding each other, beaming at the camera with big grins on their faces. Then, in a rush of anger, he through the picture across the room, where it hit the wall and shattered into pieces. Jeff, slumped down on to the couch next to Vanessa who was staring at the spot on the wall where the picture hit.
"I miss him so much!" It was clear that Jeff was heartbroken, and she knew that no matter what she said, she couldn't ease his pain. He made no move to talk to her, so she got up and began picking up the pieces of glass from the picture frame.
...
"So tell me something."
"What?"
"Tell me something about Jeff."
"What? You know almost everything there is to know about him, you've met him."
"I know that, I mean tell me about how you two first met, romantically anyways."
"I'm not following."
"Oh my god!" she exclaimed as she hit his arm. "Don't be so thick, Drew, you know what I mean."
He giggled a bit. "Alright, I'll tell you something."
Drew paused, searching his memory for a good story to tell. He smiled as he found one he hadn't told anyone before.
They were on the tour bus, spending days on the road to head to their next big show that of course had to be on the other side of the country. Jeff and Justin were at the front of the bus messing around, telling jokes, doing some good male bonding time. Nick was in the back talking to Jessica on the phone while Drew just stared out the window, laughing occasionally at what Jeff and Justin were talking about.
The group had just gotten started then, they were on their first tour promoting their first album, and Drew was still getting used to life on the road. He watched as the lines on the road flew past him, thinking about his previous life in New York, and how things used to be normal before he joined the group.
With out warning, Nick hopped over the back of the seat and dropped right be side him, setting his cell phone on the table. Drew jumped at the unexpected arrival of his brother.
"Jesus!" Drew was clutching his heart with his hand. "Damn Nick, you gave me a heart attack!"
Nick laughed. "Sorry, so how're you doin? You look bored."
"A little."
"So why aren't you listening to your music? You're practically inseparable with it?"
"Eh, I dunno, I'm kinda tired of it."
"Right." Nick was staring at him.
"What?"
"So I got a question for you."
"What's up?"
"Do you like Jeff?"
Drew looked a little shocked by the question. "Of course, me and him are good friends..."
"No," Nick interrupted. "I mean, do you Like Jeff?"
"Excuse me?"
Nick just stared at him, waiting patiently for a response. "I...I don't know what you're..."
"Oh stop it Drew, I've seen the way you act around him."
"How do I act?"
"Like some love sick school girl talking to her crush, just waiting for him to notice her."
Drew began to panic, he knew he'd been caught, and by his own brother too! How was he going to talk his way out of this one?
Nick laughed at Drew's hesitation and stuttering as he tried to defend himself. "Drew, calm down," Nick's voice was calm and quiet, making sure Jeff and Justin didn't over hear.
"Look, it's totally cool with me, I really don't care, I'm just curious really."
Drew sighed before admitting it. "Am I that obvious?"
"Yeah, you are!" Nick laughed again.
"How did you find out?"
"Well it was kinda obvious the first time I introduced you two, you just stared at him, barely blinking. I had to nudge you in the back to get you to speak."
"Whatever Nick," Drew said, relaxing a bit before realizing. "Wait, does he know!?"
"Nah, he's clueless."
"Thank god." He couldn't have been more relieved.
"Look Drew," Nick was getting serious. "You're my brother and I love you. I don't want to see you get hurt."
Drew was staring at him. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, I don't know how Jeff feels about, you know, so I don't want to see you set your hopes up so high and then get crushed if nothing happens. But, between you and me, I think he might just be batting for your team." Nick gave a wink.
"Oh shut up."
Nick teased him by grabbing his baseball cap and yelling, "Jeff, heads up!" before tossing it to Jeff. Drew rolled his eyes, realizing this was about to be a game of `keep away from Drew.'
"Give me my hat back."
"Come and get it." Jeff said with a teasing smile. Drew loved that smile.
...
"Wow, is that when you thought he was the One?"
Drew laughed, "No, he was just a crush then. For the longest time we used to dance around the truth. Playful flirting and such, I was terrified to make a move."
"But you did, right?"
"No, that was Jeff."
"Uh huh."
"I know I was a wimp back then."
"Back then? Hun, you're a bit of a wimp now."
"Lea!"
"What? I'm just stating the obvious, no need to take offense."
Drew just rolled his eyes as Lea surprised a giggle.
"Seriously though," she said, regaining her composure. "Why did you walk out on him?"
"Because..."
"You want to continue that sentence?"
He let out a sigh. "Things just aren't the same anymore."
...
Nick drove slowly down her street and spotted Drew's car parked along the curb up ahead. He swooped in right behind his car and threw it in park, before getting out to knock at the door.
"Finally." Nick thought, walking at a fast past to get to the door.
When he knocked, there were signs of movement inside and then a long pause as the door opened a crack.
"Nick," Lea said, trying to keep the door closed as much as she could. "What are you..."
"You know why I'm here, Lea, where is he?"
"Nick, now's not really a good time."
"The hell it isn't, Drew just walked out on his husband without so much as an explanation," Oh yeah, Nick looked pissed.
"I demand to see him Lea."
"It's fine," Drew's voice sounded before Lea could utter a response. "Let him in."
She parted, opening the door wider, allowing Nick to storm into the living room to confront his brother. There was a bit of a pause before Nick spoke.
"Well?"
"What?"
"Cut the crap, Drew, what is your problem?"
Drew remained silent, so Nick went on. "Are you stupid? Do you have a brain to use in that thick head of yours? What could you have possibly been thinking? How could you leave Jeff like that?"
"Nick..."
"No! He is my best friend Drew, how could you do this!? What did he ever do to you?"
"You wouldn't understand."
"Try me; you'd be surprised at how understanding I can be."
"It's complicated."
"Well then explain it to me Drew, cause I'm not that stupid."
"Will you shut up and let me talk!"
Nick fell silent at Drew's sudden outburst. He crossed his arms and glared at him, ready for him to explain. Then Drew told Nick everything, as best as he could. Lea was listening intently, eager to hear Drew's explanation as well.
When he finished, Nick's expression softened only a bit. "You really need to talk to him."
"I will."
"Tonight."
"What? No, not tonight, I can't..."
"You can, and you will."
Nick was serious and forceful. He grabbed his brother by the arm and dragged him out the door to Nick's car. Drew resisted, but Nick of course was stronger than him. They were both silent on the way home.
"How can I possibly fix this?" Drew thought, as his home drew ever nearer, and there, Jeff waited.
...
Jeff and Vanessa were still sitting on the couch; not saying much, for words seemed to be pointless right now as they did little to comfort him. Vanessa glanced out the window and noticed a pair of headlights flash through the living room as Nick's car came to a stop.
Jeff hadn't moved; he didn't seem to notice or even care that Nick had come back. It wasn't until he heard his voice that he finally looked up.
His eyes were puffy and red, Drew noticed. His hair was all messed up and his cheeks were wet. Immediately, Drew felt an instant pang of guilt and sorrow. Nick stood between Drew and the open door way, and gave a soft yet firm nudge to Drew's back, urging him to talk.
"We'll be outside, give you two some time together."
Drew looked behind him at his brother, who gave a small nod and stepped outside, Vanessa close by his side. When the door closed, Drew turned to face Jeff, unsure of what to say to him.
"Drew..."
"Jeff, I...I don't know what to say."
Drew had never seen Jeff like this. He always knew his husband to be someone strong and in control, able to take on anything. But the man standing before him was different. Jeff was weak and crying, his eyes almost pleading with Drew for an explanation.
"Why?"
"Things have changed, Jeff."
Jeff's sorrow quickly turned to anger. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Drew was unsure about how to continue. "What did I do?"
"Huh?"
"To you, what did I ever do to deserve this?"
Drew felt numb, but Jeff continued. "I have done nothing but be there for you every minute of every day! I have always been true to you, Drew, always!"
"Been there for me? Been true to me? You're the one I am talking about Jeff; you're the one who's changed!"
"What are you talking about?"
"You're never there for me, ever! I never see you anymore. It's always work with you, and if it's not work, then friends, or parties, or what ever!"
"That is not true."
"It is true! Why do you think I left? Huh? It's because you're not faithful to me."
"That is bull shit!" Jeff was pissed and Drew could tell. If there was one thing Jeff couldn't stand was to be told he wasn't faithful. Jeff hated cheaters, never once had he cheated, and he knew the pain that came from being cheated on.
"I have never cheated on you Drew, and you know that!"
"I'm not talking about cheating! I'm saying that you're unfaithful to me that you can't ever include me in your plans!"
Unsure of what to say, Jeff remained silent and Drew took full advantage of it. "Ever since the group split, you've been different. You're never home, you're always working, you had to go and launch a solo career, which you know I fully support. But when did that career become your life!?"
"It isn't."
"It is, and you know it! You're always working on it, never taking a break. We never do anything together any more. We used to do everything together in the group and that was when we were happy, that's the Jeff I fell in love with, not the one standing in front of me. You don't care about me anymore; all you care about is getting yourself famous again!"
"Will you try to be fair here?"
"Why should I!?"
"BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT THE ONLY ONE SUFFERING HERE, DREW!"
Drew fell silent as Jeff paced in front of the coffee table. "Look, I know how much it hurts not to be a group anymore. I miss it every single day, I miss the way thing's used to be, I miss being on stage with my friends, dancing and singing in front of thousands of our fans."
Jeff took a step towards him. "Most importantly, I miss glancing off to the side and seeing you there, next to me, singing and dancing with me. That gleam you got in your eye every time we were about to go on stage, and at the end of the show, when we were all tired, you still had the energy, always wanting to do another performance in the next five minutes."
Jeff took another step towards him, reaching for his hand and placing a hand on the side of his face, rubbing his thumb over his cheek.
"I miss touring all across the country with you, relaxing with you on the bus, watching you practice the music over and over again, and doing your best to be perfect and ready, even though you didn't need the practice."
Jeff leaned in to him, placing his forehead to Drew's and closing his eyes for a moment as Drew did the same. Jeff then looked Drew back in the eye.
"I miss it all, you have no idea how much I want it all back. But most importantly," he held Drew's gaze.
"I would give it all up and never return to that life, if it meant that I wasn't with you. I love you Drew, I always have and I have never stopped. I thank god every night for those days and am so thankful they happened. I wouldn't have met you if it wasn't for 98 Degrees, and I can't imagine living a life not being married to you." Jeff wiped a stray tear from Drew's cheek.
"You are My Everything."
Drew laughed at Jeff's corny pun on their song, and leaned in to kiss and hug him. Jeff wrapped his arms tight around Drew, not wanting to let go for fear that he would lose him again. In that moment, being wrapped up in Jeff's tight embrace, Drew knew that was where he belonged.
It was that moment that Drew fell back in love with him. All the reasons he married and loved Jeff for came flooding back to him in an instant, and he knew that what he did to Jeff was wrong. He never knew why he even considered for an instant living life without Jeff in it.
"Jeff," Drew broke the embrace to look at him. "I am so sorry, I don't know how I can even fix this, what I just did to you...I can't imagine the pain you went through." Drew was rambling on, letting a few tears fall here and there. Jeff just laughed and stopped him.
"Drew, stop it. You're here now, with me. That's all I want, that's the only thing I'll ever want, is you next to me in bed, here in our home, safe and sound. And as for fixing this, you could start with a kiss." Jeff grinned.
Drew smiled and leaned in to kiss him. It was long and passionate, seductive and romantic. Then, they pulled apart only to embrace each other again, finding comfort that only they could bring to each other.
...
The rest of the night was somewhat of a blur. After Drew had returned home, and the drama had settled, they all went ahead with the plans they had made that night. Nick and Vanessa stayed for a while, and instead of watching a movie or playing some sort of card game, they all relaxed and started talking about old times, filling Vanessa in with information she had yet to learn.
The tension from the previous hours seemed to completely dissolve as they all laughed and joked. Drew glanced at his watch, announcing how late it was and how tired he'd become. He excused himself to go to bed, saying goodbye to Nick and Vanessa, thanking both of them for being there that night, Jeff stayed in the living room and continued to talk to Nick for a while longer. Drew heard them continue to talk as he climbed the stairs.
Standing in the door way of his room, he looked around, as if inspecting the room before walking into it; everything was where it should be. After turning down the bed and stripping to nothing but his boxers, he climbed in bed and picked up the phone on the bedside table.
"Hello?"
"Hey, hope I didn't wake you?"
"Drew, hi, are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm good; things are good now, well kind of..."
"Well you can't expect it to all be good in just a few hours. You and Jeff still have a lot to talk about and work through."
"I know, but I don't want to get into it anymore tonight. I'm completely drained."
"Just don't put it off anymore than you have to, else it will escalate into something that I doubt can be fixed."
"Right, I know. Anyways, I figure I'll be by tomorrow to get my car."
"Alright."
"Well, I guess I should be off to bed."
"Yeah, me too, and Drew?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm glade thing's are working out, you two deserve each other."
Drew smiled before hanging up; he knew he could always count on her. Other than Jeff, she was the one person to know him best, and he liked that feeling. Turning around in the bed to lay down, he paused as he saw Jeff standing in the door way.
"How long have you been standing there?"
"Not too long, I didn't want to interrupt."
"Oh." Drew shifted a bit and began playing with the bed sheet in his lap. He was a bit uncomfortable being alone with Jeff, feeling both ashamed and embarrassed at what happened that night.
"Drew," Jeff left the door way and made his way over to sit next to Drew on the bed. "I think we still have to talk."
"Ah man, I was hoping we'd said it all."
Jeff laughed. "Not quite." He took a long pause before continuing. "Drew...I know we worked through why you left, and I can't stress enough how glad I am that you're still here in my life. But believe it or not, things are different now."
Drew was still beside him, wishing that they weren't talking, and not liking how this conversation started out or where it might go.
"When you walked out that door, it really hurt. You broke my heart Drew and I know that the reasons you had were partly my fault, so I know that most of this I brought upon myself. But still, we are married to each other, and the decision making can't be made by just one person. We have to be able to talk to each other.
"Which is why I came up with this solution: Granted you might not like it, but I can't think of any other way for us to pull through this and be the strong couple we once were, so please just listen and be open to the idea, even if you don't believe it's the right decision, I really think we should do this."
Drew was still, and his heart raced a mile a minute. Scared of what Jeff was going to propose, he managed to give a faint "Alright."
He drew a long breath. "I think that we should renew our vows, sooner rather than later actually. Maybe that will remind us both of how much we love each other and prevent anything like this from happening in the future."
Drew released his breath and quickly strived for another, unaware that he had been holding it this whole time. A wave of relief swept through him as he leaned in to kiss Jeff. "I think its great idea."
"Really?"
"Absolutely."
...
After alerting Nick, Vanessa, Lea, and Justin to their plans, they all went down to the pastor who married the two of them the following afternoon. Even though he'd been married to Jeff for eight years, Drew found that he was strangely nervous, the same way he'd felt on the day of their wedding. When they all made their way into the church hall, Drew had to stop and catch his breath, for what he saw took his breath away.
The entire church hall was redecorated as it was on their wedding day and at the end of the isle stood the pastor, and an enlarged picture on a tripod stand. Walking closer, Nick, Vanessa, Lea, and Justin went to take their seats; Drew noticed that the picture was the same picture they had on their mantle: it was Drew and Jeff on their wedding day, looking sharp with beaming smiles on their faces.
Drew felt as if he was in a dream, everything was perfect and as exactly as he remembered it to be, Drew paused just before the pastor, looking at the picture and taking it all in. Jeff then moved to grab his hand.
"You ready?"
"I've been ready since the day I met you."
Drew had to give a little giggle at their exchange, for it was the same thing Jeff whispered to him while they were standing up there eight years ago. Jeff kissed him and together they made their way up to the pastor.
Standing before his friends and family, reciting the vows he had spoken on his wedding day, Drew couldn't remember a time where he had been happier. He knew as he spoke his last words, their wedding rings re-applied to their fingers, that nothing would ever go wrong between the two of them. They would be with each other till death do they part.
And for the rest of their lives, that's exactly what happened.
...