THE ONLY EXCEPTION

OK guys I know you've waited a long time for this chapter. Forgive me as my updates will be a tad bit slower with the holiday season approaching. In any event here's chapter 20! Hope you like it! Enjoy!



chapter 20


Nicki was enjoying her time in New York with her family & Dricki. SB was with his family in Jamaica for the holiday. It felt rally good to see her old friends but it got tiring. All they wanted to do was bombard her with questions about her life. She looked forward to the night time when it was quiet & she & her mother could talk about normal things like how her brother was doing in school, or church. She also talked about things that made her cringe like Drake & how he sent roses to her & her mother everyday while she was there & how she smiled til her cheeks hurt whenever she thought about him. it was a quiet night. She & Drake were talking via Skype. It was the first time they talked since they left LA.
 "You have no idea how much I miss you." he told her.
 "Awww, I miss you too!" she swooned.
 "I think I wanna come down there."
 "No! Spend time with your family."
 "Uggghhhh, the drive me crazy! You know how many times a get asked about you? If my mother asks me again if were being 'safe' I'm gonna throw up." They both laughed.
 "She did not ask you that?!!"
 "She did. It was disgusting." Just then Nicki's mother walked in the room.
 "Hi, mommy!" Said Nicki.
 "What are you doing?" she asked.
 "Talking to Drake."
 "On the computer?" she said confused.
 "Yeah! Say hi Drake!"
 "How you doin'?" he said politely as he waved.
 "Hi darling." she said smiling as she sat next to Nicki on the sofa.
 "Alright, well I'm gonna let you go. Tell your mother I said hello." Nicki said with a sigh.
 "I will do that. Call me later. I love you." said Drake. Nicki's eyes got wide. She looked back at her mother who was channel surfing, then back to Drake. She couldn't believe he had just said that with her mother sitting there.
 "I love you, too." she said shyly before closing her Macbook. She didn't dare turn around. She knew her mother was burning holes in her back with her eyes. She slowly turned to face the t.v., setting her Mac on the coffee table. She hugged her knees to her chest as she stared blankly at the screen.
 "You love him, too?" her mother said. Nicki buried her face in her knees.
 "Yeah." she mumbled. She peeked over her knees at her mother.
 "Why are you hiding? Love is nothing to be ashamed of. Come here." Nicki laid her head in her mother's lap. Just then, Drick hopped up & laid next to her. She felt like a child again as her mother ran her fingers through Nicki's hair softly.
 "He's so good to me, ma." Nicki sighed.
 "All things that are good to you ain't always good for you Nicki." he mother told her.
 "I know but he's so caring & sweet. I can call him whenever i need him. He's like my best friend in the world. He's the only person I miss, except you guys, whenever I'm away from him. I really do love him. I just wish there was some way for me to show him how much. Especially since he shows me he loves me all the time." Nicki sighed. Nicki's mother was contemplative before she spoke again.
 "Do you think you would marry him." Nicki didn't have to give it a second thought.
 "Yes." she said smiling.
 "Then go to him."
 "what? NO! Leave you guys? No." Nicki said sternly.
 "We're always gonna be here. I don't think a day or 2 is gonna kill us. I'm gonna be your momma, forever, you know that. Love is different. Love you gotta work at. What better way to show your love for him than to go see him?" Nicki's mother was right. He was always going out of his way for her. She knew it would touch his heart if she went to go see him. "Just make sure you leave the dog with me."
 "Why you tryin' to kidnap my dog, ma?"
 "He likes me better." her mother said pulling Dricki onto her lap. He lifted his head slightly before snuggling to her. "Just make sure he's worth it Onika. I don't wanna see you hurt." There wasn't a doubt in her mind that Drake was worth it. She was glad that her mother was concerned but she knew she had nothing to worry about. Drake loved her & she knew he would never hurt her.
 "He is." she told her mother. " I love you mommy." she sighed. It was getting later as she & her mom sat on the couch talking & watching t.v. She started to get sleepy. She tried to stay up for as long as she could but she knew when it came to the battle of her & sleep, sleep always won. Before long she was asleep.
 The next morning Nicki got up early the next day catch a flight to Toronto. She then rented a car to drive to the Forest Hill Neighbourhood where Drake's mother lived. She parked on the street & trudged up the snowy driveway to the house. She knocked 3 times before his mother answered.
 "Nicki hello! What a surprise!!!" she said merrily.
 "Hello! I've missed you! It feels like it's been so long." Nicki said embracing her.
 " It truly has. Did Aubrey know you were coming?" His mother asked.
 "I kinda wanted to surprise him. I hope that's not a problem. Is he here?"
 "Oh, it's no problem honey! He's just gonna be so surprised. He's really missed you. C'mon, he's in his room. I'll take you to him!" She led Nicki through the kitchen to the basement. " Aubrey, are you awake?" she asked walking down the stairs.
 "Ma,  why are you being so loud?" Drake said groggily. He was laying on his bed on his way to sleep.
 "Such an attitude." she tisked. "I guess I'll just take our guest back upstairs. C'mon Nicki." Drake jumped up at the sound of her name. He sat up & rubbed his eyes. He couldn't believe she was there. He raced to her & picker up, hugging her.
 "What are you doing here?!?" he said excited.
 "I came to see you guys!" said Nicki.
 "By yourself? Where's Sb? Where's Dricki?"
 "Wow, no 'I missed you' no 'I'm glad you're here" she said sarcastically.
 'You know I missed you." he said kissing her."
 "I'm going to start dinner. I'll call you when I'm done." his mother said sneaking back up the stairs. Drake & Nicki sat on the edge of his bed. As soon as he heard the door click closed, he attacked Nicki's mouth. He couldn't unzip her her North Face fast enough.
 "Are you serious right now?" Nicki said laughing.

 "What?" he said kissing her neck.
 "Your mother is right upstairs!"
 "So what?!?! I'll keep you quiet." he said kissing her mouth as he unbuttoned her dark blue skinny jeans. He kissed her stomach as he tried to get her pants over her full hips. She pulled his hands away.
 "Can we at least try to be respectful?" Drake sighed, backing away.
 "You're right. I'm so happy to see you though." Drake said. They spent the next hour talking about the time they spent with their families. Drake's mother was having his family & a few friends over for dinner that night. It would be his last day in Toronto & he knew everyone would miss him. Before the meal, they joined his mother in the kitchen as she prepared dinner & shared embarrassing stories about his childhood.
 "Aubrey was always such a sweet boy." his mother gushed. "I just wish he was sweet enough to shovel the driveway for his mother."
 "Ma, it's so cold outside." he said sucking his teeth.
 "Boy, you better shovel that driveway for your mother! C'mon, I'll go with you." Nicki said excited.
 " No, you stay here. I don't want you to freeze out there." he said, putting on his all black Canada Goose jacket. Nicki got up & put on her wheat colored field Timberland's.
 "Shut up! You act like I never seen snow before or somethin'."
 "Alright." he shrugged, stuffing his feet into his wheat colored construction Timberland's. They went out through the garage, grabbed a shovel & headed to the driveway. Drake pushed the snow toward the street while Nicki stood aside, watching him.
 "You missed a spot." she said kicking snow in his path.
 "Oh, you think that's funny?" he said tossing a shovel full of snow at her.
 "Don't throw snow at me!" she giggled. She grabbed a handful of snow & threw it at her, hitting him on the cheek. He looked up giving her a serious glance. She took a step back. He dropped the shovel & went after her. She only made it half way across the yard before he tackled her. She laughed as he packed snow on top of her. "Stop!" she squealed. "You're gonna get me all wet!"
 "I'll got you wet, alright." Drake said.
 "Ewww, you know what I mean." she laughed. She managed to wiggle from underneath him. She shook the snow off & lobbed another handful at him. He shot a handful back & missed, almost hitting the person walking down the sidewalk.
 "Hey, watch where you shoot those things man!" the guy exclaimed.

 "I'm really sorry about that." Drake apologized.
 "You really gotta work on that aim. You fell off, Jimmy." Drake furrowed his brow. Only people he knew called him that. Drake as the man pulled down his hood.
 "What's up Shane!" Drake exclaimed. He ran over & slapped him up. They shared a quick hug.
 "Good to see you man. How long has it been?" Shane asked.
 "Too long man. What are you doin' here?" said Drake.
 "Your mom called me. Asked me if I wanted to come to dinner. How could I turn down Sandi Graham's lasagna?" said Shayne.
 "Right, right." Drake laughed. "Hey come here I want you to meet someone." They walked over to where Nicki was standing. "Nicki this my good friend Shane. Shane this is the love of my life, Nicki."
 "Good to meet you." Shane said shaking her hand.
 "You too." said Nicki.
 "Don't mean to interrupt your snowball fight but I'm going inside. It's freezing out here." Shane said as he headed to the house.
 "I'll be in in a minuet, man." said Drake before turning back to Nicki. " You ready to go inside now?"
 "Yeah, it's getting really cold now." Nicki said. The sun was staring to go down. " Especially since you got snow all over me!"
 "I'm not done either." he said before scooping her up in his arms. She screamed as he carried her to the end of the driveway to a large pile of snow. She kicked wildly. "You thought it was funny to throw snow at me, huh?"
 "No!!!!! Baaaaaaaaabe!!!! I'm sorry!!! Please put me down!!!!!" she laughed.
 "Put you down, eh?" he said. "Alright!"
 "Aubrey!!!! Not in th-" was all she got out before he plopped her in the pile of snow. She grabbed his jacket, making him fall on top of her. They both laughed hysterically. She wanted to be mad but she couldn't. Even though she hated being cold, this was actually fun. She kissed his now red nose.
 "C'mon, let's go inside." he said helping her up. They went inside laughing. Drake's mother took 1 look at them covered in snow & laughed. She grabbed her Kodak easyshare camera & snapped a picture.
 "I thought you were supposed to be shoveling!!!" She laughed.
 "I did shovel!" Drake laughed as he stomped the snow off of himself.
 "I see! You brought all the snow in with you." his mother laughed. Nicki tried to get all the snow off of her as best she could, but the snow had already started to melt & her clothes were wet.
 "I told you my clothes were gonna be wet! Now what do I do?" Nicki pouted as she kicked off her shoes.
 "C'mon, I'll get you some dry clothes." Drake said grabbing her hand & leading her to his room. He went into his dresser & fished around for a while before he found what he was looking for. "Put these on & gimmie those. I'll put them in the dryer for you." Nicki unzipped her jacket & stared at him.
 "Aren't you gonna go?" she asked him.
 "I've seen you naked before Nicki." he laughed.
 "I know but we both know what this could lead to."
 "Look, if you want me to go I will go but it's torture enough you're here & I can't touch you. I think I deserve a peep show." said Drake.
 "Ok, as long as you keep your hands to yourself." Nicki said. Drake licked his lips as she undressed. She laughed, throwing her wet clothes at him. " Why you lickin' ya lips like I'm a steak, like you bout to eat me,pauz?" she said putting on his too big sweat pants & old high school gym shirt. This was the most beautiful he'd ever seen her. Something about her in his clothes really turned him on. He always loved the way she looked, natural. He walked over to her & kissed her.
 "Let's hurry up & go upstairs before I really do eat you." he said in a tone that made Nicki's knees weak. He put her clothes in the dryer & they went upstairs where his mother had hot cocoa waiting.
 "I hope you like extra marshmallows Nicki!" his she said handing her a mug.
 "Oh yes! Thank you momma Graham!" Nicki said happily as she sat at the dining room table with Drake & Shane.
 "Dude, I'm glad I got to see you!" said Shane. "You came a long way since Dagrassi my man!"
 "Yeah I did man. I can't believe it myself sometimes."
 "I'm proud of you man. I remember you used to try & rap & sing on set! It was hilarious!" Shane laughed. "Now you're selling a million records. Got a major hottie on your arm! You really did it man. Out of all of us crazy kids, you made it. That's really something!"
 "Yeah, this guy is pretty amazing." Nicki said. "Most of the time." They all laughed. The 4 of them talked some more before Nicki put her own clothes back on, after much protest from Drake. the settled the dispute by letting him snap a picture of her before she too it off. Before long, the house was full of chatter. Drake's family had arrived. He introduced them all to her before they sat down to have dinner. They bombarded her with questions about him. By the lime they left, her cheeks hurt from blushing so much. It was nearly 7. Nicki only had an hour before she had to leave to catch her flight. Shane & Sandi were giving them time to say their good-bye's privately before she left. All he wanted to do was hold & kiss her. It was always hard seeing her go.
 "Don't leave me. Please?" he said kissing her.
 "I have to go. I'm sorry. Please don't make this harder for me." She said softly. She walked into the kitchen to say goodbye to his mother.
 "I'm gonna miss you sweetie. You drive safe to the airport ok?"
 "I will. I'm gonna miss you too."
 "It was nice meeting you Nicki." Shane said as he hugged her. "This guy is like my brother. I'm glad you make him happy." he said in her ear.
 "I'm glad he makes me happy." She said back. Drake walked her to her car. He kissed her 1 more time before she got in & drove off. He came back inside sad. Shane knew this. He wanted to cheer his friend up. He suggested that they play "Gears Of War" on his XBOX 360. They engaged in small talk as they played.
 "Dude, she's really nice man." Shane said to Drake.
 "Yeah, she's like everything to me." Drake said back.
 "I'm glad you found somebody that likes you back, you know? Like, really likes you."
 "Me, too." drake said.
 "You think she'll be the 1?" Shane asked. Drake looked at him.
 "She is the 1." he said simply.
 "I'm glad." Shane said. Drake was glad Shane liked Nicki. Aside from his mother, Shane's opinion was really important to him. After Shane left a little while later, he called Nicki. He knew she wasn't home yet so she didn't answer. He settled for leaving her a message.
 "Hey baby, I know you're not home yet & by the time you get there I'll be asleep. I just wanted to tell you I love you, with all my heart. Never forget that. Ever."  


first, forgive me for the semi generic convo between Nicki & her mother. That part was really hard for me to write. Second, if you're not familiar with the show that Drake used to be on, Dagrassi, the Shane on this chapter is Shane Kipple. He played Drake's character, Jimmy's best friend Gavin "Spinner" Mason in Dagrassi. Drake & Shane are still really good friends. Next chapter is coming soon!