Chapter 10
The months passed as the bond between Jen and Drew grew stronger. The feeling they had about each other was becoming a reality. The love between them was strong and well maintained. Drew was back on tour with 98 Degrees, and Jen started her sophomore year of high school. They weren't able to see each for another year but called each other every day. The miles apart they shared together, making their love withstand the pressures of being apart.
It was a rainy March Tuesday afternoon that Jen was sitting in her room with Lisa. The picture of 98 Degrees was still on her wall, but it now hung closer to the bed. Lisa stared at it and said, "When's he coming back?"
"Soon, I hope. I haven't talked to him in days. I wonder why he hasn't called?" Jen questioned.
"Maybe he's doing something important and hasn't been able to get to a phone," Lisa answered.
"Drew's always made time for me. What if he's found someone else? What if he doesn't love me anymore?" Jen began. She stood up and paced.
"Get a hold of yourself, J. He would never do anything like that. You even told me Jeff would kill him if he did," Lisa comforted.
"But he's never taken this long to call." Suddenly the phone began to ring.
"It's probably him," said Lisa.
Jen ran downstairs to grab the cordless. "Hello?" she asked.
"Guess who?" came the voice on the other end.
"Drew! Why the hell haven't you called me in the last three days?" Jen scolded. "I've been so worried."
"I'm sorry, baby, but I've been busy recording. I have to talk to you about something, though," Drew answered.
The doorbell rang and Jen walked over to get it. "Drew, give me a sec. I need to get the door."
"Before you get it, I'd like to say it's probably the surprise I sent you," he said. Jen opened the door and dropped the phone. Standing outside in front of her was Drew. He wore a pair of black pants, a white shirt with a raincoat to cover it, and his regular black hat. "Surprise," he added, pulling a bouquet of white roses out from behind him.
"Oh, my God!" she shrieked. Jen wrapped her arms around him and gave him a deep kiss. "I've missed you so much."
"I missed you more, and I have another surprise for you," Drew replied. He pulled an envelope out of his raincoat pocket and gave it to Jen. "It's two tickets to a ski lodge in Colorado for next week and I wanted you to come with me."
"Oh, Drew. I just want to hold you and kiss you," Jen answered. "I'd love to come with you. Let me call and ask my parents."
"Hey, J, you forgot about your friend upstairs," Lisa called. She looked at him and said, "Hi, Drew."
"Hi, Lisa," he responded.
Finally realizing who she was talking to, Lisa exclaimed, "Drew! Oh, Lord! You're back!"
"Yeah, and hopefully me and Jen could go to Colorado next week," he said.
"Jen and I," she corrected. "Perfect timing. Next week's spring break. Colorado sounds like a cool place to spend it."
"My cousin let us have the room because she can't use it. Something happened so she had to cancel her trip."
"Hey, baby, guess what?" Jen asked as she put the phone down. "I can go. My parents trust you. They even said you could stay here until we leave."
"You told them about what happened last time, didn't you?" Drew questioned as he looked into her deep blue eyes.
"It's out little secret," Jen whispered, giving him another longer kiss.
"Jen, what secret?" Lisa asked. "Please don't tell me you slept with him."
"I didn't. We were here because Drew had a sprained ankle and I wanted to take care of him. He then got sick, so it's not like we were able to do anything," Jen lied. She left out everything about kissing while Dan was on the phone.
"I hope you're telling me the truth," Lisa said. "Look, I gotta go. I'll see you in school tomorrow. Bye, Drew. Behave."
"See ya, Lisa," he hollered as she ran out of the house and into the rain. Lisa got into her car and drove off.
"Come on, baby. I'll show you to your room," Jen offered. She took Drew's arm and led him upstairs to Rick's old room. It was plain with a bed, desk, and dresser. Drew kissed Jen's cheek as she slipped her hands under his raincoat.
"You've got no idea how much I've misses you," he whispered while kissing her ear.
"Yes, I do. It was so hard for me to think straight during my classes. Even when I was trying out for the track team, my mind just couldn't keep off of you," Jen answered. "But I did make the team. Isn't that great?"
"You made it? That's wonderful, Jen. I'm so happy for you." Drew kissed her again then let go of his grasp. "I'm tired. I think I'm gonna go to sleep right now," he said.
"But don't you want to stay up and talk to me? It's only 5:30. I'd like to hear about everything that's happened in the last few months," Jen replied.
"It was a 16 hour flight from Sweden to here. I can't possibly stay up any longer. I'm sorry, honey. I wanted to tell you everything, but it's gonna have to wait until tomorrow," Drew answered. He took off his wet raincoat and set it on the chair. He flopped down on the bed and instantly fell asleep.
Jen kneeled down beside him and slipped off his hat. "Good night, sweetie," she said, lightly kissing his cheek.
13 Hours Later
"Mom! Dad! I'm otta here. Tell Drew I went to school when he wakes up," Jen yelled as she rushed out the door. She climbed into her shiny new red Dodge Durango and drove off to breakfast. At McDonalds she'd be meeting Lisa and one of their other friends. As she reached the parking lot, Jen could see Lisa's black convertible with it's top down. It was the perfect kind of day for that kind of car, warm and sunny. She parked and went inside.
"Hey, J. I was just about to order. What do you want?" Jessie Parker, Jen's other friend, asked as she walked in.
"Large coffee, black, along with a hash brown," Jen answered.
"Hey, girl. Whatcha been up to?" Lisa asked from their usual table. "Hey, where's lover boy?"
"Still sleeping. He's been knocked out ever since you left yesterday," Jen announced. "Can't even wake him up with a rock. That boy's gone."
"If Drew's out like you say he is, then why do I see his car pulling into the parking lot?" Lisa asked. Jen looked out the window. Sure enough, Drew was getting out of his blue Jeep. She waited for him to walk in and notice her before she said anything.
Drew walked in and scanned the place for Jen's tall and slender figure. He found her in a corner talking to Lisa. He walked up to her causally and said, "Hey, girls. Mind if I sit down?"
"Come over here and give me a kiss first," Jen ordered. He bent down and gave her a short yet sweet kiss on the lips. She pulled Drew back for a longer one.
"That's what I like about you," he began. "You know what you want."
Jen laughed as he sat down beside her. Jessie came back with the food and almost dropped the tray when she saw Drew. "Oh, my God. Jen, is this your new boyfriend?" she almost yelled.
"Yeah, but we've been together for 9 months, so technically, he's not my new boyfriend," Jen corrected as she wrapped her arms around Drew's neck.
"You never told me he was so cute," Jessie replied. "I've seen you before. I know I have."
"You've seen the video for 'Because of You,' right?" Drew asked. Jessie nodded and he said, "I'm the one you barely see."
Jessie covered her mouth with her hands. "You're . . . You're . . . Drew . . . of . . . of . . . 98 Degrees?"
"Yes, I am," he said.
"I thought you were supposed to be in Sweden for another month," she began again.
"Yeah, but I finished recording early so I could come home to my girl." He gave Jen a subtle kiss on the lips and turned back to Jessie.
"I think I'd better sit down before I pass out," Jessie said. She sat down next to Lisa and just stared at Jen and Drew with her big green eyes. 'This is unbelievable. My friend's going out with one of the guys from 98 Degrees,' she thought.