"COME ON, WORK FASTER!"
Miley was getting frustrated. The painters were working far slower than anticipated. The electricians had rescheduled about three times on her. The plumbers hadn't showed up at all yet. Half of the furniture hadn't arrived and it had been due to be delivered three days previously. She had a pile of paperwork to go through. There was so much to do before the opening of her new hotel in a few weeks.
One of the painters looked up at her from his work. He was painting the storage space for the room keys behind the counter white for her. "Ma'am, do you mind if I just run out to the van to get something?" He was clearly scared that she'd blow up at him for even daring to ask.
"Be quick," she snapped as she flicked through some paperwork that her lawyer had dropped off earlier in the afternoon.
She heard someone knock on the French doors that led into the building. She looked up and saw her best friend, Nick, standing there, looking at her with a smirk playing on his lips. She walked over and smiled.
"What are you doing here?"
"What, a guy can't visit his best friend now?" he joked.
She glared over at the two other painters. Their radio was blaring and they were talking loudly to each other.
"Come into the office," she said. She led him behind the counter, through the back room and into her office. She closed the door and turned to Nick.
"Anyway, what's up?" she asked.
"I just came to talk to you. We haven't properly talked in a while, Mi. I miss you," he said, sticking his hands in the pockets of his dress pants.
She smiled softly. "You never come to see me during work hours. Something's clearly wrong. What's up?" She hesitated. "Did something happen with you and Selena?" she asked.
He remained silent. He looked out the bay window behind her desk and sighed. He then turned to look at her with a look of despair on his face. He bit his lip and looked up at the ceiling before finally looking back at Miley.
"Sel wants a baby."
Miley raised her eyebrows slightly. "Oh."
Nick chuckled. "I know what you're thinking. She isn't really the ... maternal type," he said.
"I was thinking more along the lines of, I don't know, her being a bit of a dragon when it comes to kids. Don't get me wrong, Nick, I love the girl. But she's a bit angry with kids. You know her. She hates mess and noise and basically all the things that come with a child," Miley said.
Nick nodded. "I know, that's what I thought too." He paused. "I don't know if we're ready for a kid. We got married pretty young. I'm only twenty-five. I have plenty of time for kids. Like, we don't know where we're heading in the future. For all we know, one of us could get transferred. I don't want to have to up and move when we've got a baby. It isn't fair on the kid. I never wanted kids until I was sure that I was where I was supposed to be."
"Mm ... I guess I can see where she's coming from, though. You've been married, what, three years? I guess a baby is the next step for her. You know, start a family with her husband. It's natural, Nick," Miley said, sitting on the edge of her desk.
"She wants to start a family? I'll buy her a puppy."
"Now now, no need to be insensitive."
"I'm not ready for a freaking baby, Mi. I can barely take care of myself, let alone a child. I'm just ... I'm not emotionally ready either. I never saw myself with kids until I was at least thirty. Now Selena's got this idea in her head."
Miley smiled softly. "You can't expect her to wait that long for a baby, Nick. She's found the man that she wants to spend the rest of her life with. She clearly wants to start a family with you. I don't know ... Maybe she just wants someone to care for. Someone to love her unconditionally."
"Like I said, I'll buy her a freaking puppy."
"Nick."
"That's my name."
"Don't be ridiculous. A dog isn't the same as a child," she said.
Nick ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. "She just kept on insisting that it's what we need to like mature our marriage or something. She thinks we should move out of the apartment and into a house. She wants kids in one of those neighbourhoods with the perfect lawn and the perfect everything. I'm not ready for any of that yet. I'm happy in my apartment with my wife. We don't need kids yet," he said.
Miley put a hand on Nick's arm. "Shouldn't you be telling your wife all this?"
Nick snorted. "Selena's hardly going to listen. She didn't before. She made it all into this big fight last night when I said I wasn't ready for a kid. Then she just stormed out of the apartment like the whole thing was my fault. She's the one that wouldn't accept that I'm not ready for a baby."
Miley sighed. Nick had always had a temper. He could never handle an argument quietly. He always had to either hit someone or rant about it to someone. The someone that he ranted to was usually Miley. She'd heard it all over the years since he had started dating – cheating, dissolving feelings, clingy girlfriends, pregnancy scares. He had pretty much experienced every problem in a relationship imaginable (he had been in his fair share of relationships over high school and college). Luckily she knew just how to handle Nick when he was upset or worried about something.
"Okay, here's what you're going to do. You're going to go down the street and get a drink to calm yourself down. You're going to think this all through and decide what you want. Forget what Selena or me or anybody else thinks. Make sure you're completely calm. Go back to work. Go home and talk to Selena calmly and reasonably. Hear what she has to say and explain how you feel about the situation. Handle things without a fight. Come to some sort of understanding. You and Selena will be just fine," she said.
Nick opened his mouth to speak, but Miley pointed to the door.
"Do as I say, Nicholas, or else I will hurt you so badly that you and Selena won't even have the chance to have a freaking child," she growled.
Nick nodded, slightly scared of his friend, and walked out the door quickly.
That night, Miley walked into Joe and Demi's apartment for their housewarming party. She saw Demi and walked over to hug her. She had not seen her in ages, since before Demi and Joe had gone away to Paris for a week.
"Miley! I'm so glad you made it. Joe was convinced that you wouldn't come with all the work you have to do at the hotel," Demi said with a smile on her face.
Miley smiled back. "I nearly didn't! But I made a decision to come here and so I took the night off. I thought that Mandy could handle the painters for one night until they leave. What harm will it do?" she said with a small laugh. She looked around and smiled again. "This is a really nice place, Dem."
Demi looked around, the smile never leaving her face. "We signed the lease before we left for Paris."
Miley smiled once again, but this time she was grinning. "Joe told me that he proposed. I'm so happy for you, Dem!" she exclaimed. She hugged Demi again. She truly was happy that two of her best friends were getting married.
"Thanks, Miley. I know a lot of people say this, but I was totally shocked. Like, you know Joe. He's not really big on commitment. I was happy he even agreed for us to find a place together. Then he proposed on vacation. Oh God, Miles, it was amazing," Demi said, over the moon.
"Like I said, I'm really happy for you two. You have to tell me about the proposal some time. Listen, I'll talk to you later, okay? There's somebody I want to talk to," Miley said. She gave Demi a final quick hug and made her way directly to Nick. She poked him playfully in the back.
He turned around and smiled. "Hey, Mi." He hugged her and looked at her. "What's up?"
"Not much. Just wondering how things went with Selena," she said casually.
Nick sighed and glanced over at his wife, who was in the kitchen, chatting away to Joe. "She's beyond pissed that I don't want a kid just yet. She said something about never knowing what will happen in the future and when she won't be able to have kids or something so we should get started while we're young. It got pretty emotional on her end," he said.
"Aw, I'm sorry, Nick," Miley said. She smiled sympathetically and patted his shoulder. "Look on the bright side."
"What bright side?" Nick asked, eyebrows raised.
"I don't know, I was hoping you'd tell me," Miley replied, a smile playing on her lips. She knew that one would cheer him up.
Nick chuckled. "Nice one." He glanced at Selena again. "Could you do me a favour?"
Miley looked at him and immediately knew what he wanted. "No no no. Selena is your wife. I refuse to get caught up in your baby drama with her. If you want to sort this out then sort it out yourself, but I am not getting caught in the middle," she said.
"Please, Mi. Just tell her that having a baby is a terrible idea and that you don't think either of us is ready for that kind of commitment," he pleaded.
Miley snorted. "Nicholas, you're married. I think you went past commitment when you stood at that altar with her," she teased.
Nick rolled his eyes. "This isn't the time for your jokes. Please, Miley. She isn't listening to me. She thinks so much of your opinion. You're like one of her best friends. If you just say that I mentioned what happened and that you agree with me, she'll think of dropping the topic, at least for a couple more years," he said.
"No. I am not getting involved. I'm not going to stick my opinion in – an opinion which you, may I add, have decided for me – when nobody even asked for it," she said.
Nick smiled cheekily. "I asked for it," he said.
Miley shoved him. "Shut up. Anyway, I'm not getting involved or taking sides. You both are good friends to me. I'm not taking either your side or hers. I'm neutral." She thought for a moment and smirked. "I'm like Switzerland."
"Mi, no matter how many times you say the Switzerland thing, it will never be your own original line," Nick said with a slight smile. "Anyway, I wouldn't ask if I wasn't desperate. I just need her to understand that I'm not ready yet," he continued.
Miley hesitated, then sighed. "I'll talk to her, but I'm not taking sides. I'll explain your situation, but that's it. No false opinions, no sticking my nose in. I'll tell her how you feel about it and that's that," she said. "Oh, and you owe me for this."
Nick grinned and hugged her. "This is why you're my best friend."
Miley smiled and pushed him away. "Yeah yeah, sure it is." She grinned at him and then walked towards Selena. "Sel? Can I talk to you in private for a minute?"
Selena said something to Joe, who walked away, then turned to Miley. "Hey, Miles. What's up?"
"Nick told me about the whole baby thing," Miley said softly.
"Did he now," Selena said. She pursed her lips and folded her arms across her chest. "I take it he sent you over here to talk me round then? I wouldn't surprised. Anything so that the man won't have to suck it up and talk to me himself."
"Hey hey. He's just as annoyed as you are right now. Look, Sel, he isn't ready for a kid yet. You know Nick. He's a decent guy. He wouldn't say any of this if he didn't mean it. He can barely look after himself, never mind a kid."
Selena rolled her eyes. "And what about me? What about what I want? You can tell Nicholas over there that we'll talk about this when he gets home." Selena then turned around and walked away, blatantly annoyed.
Miley raised her eyebrows. She turned and walked back to Nick. "She said she'll talk about it when you get home. I have a feeling she's kind of pissed off with you, so be gentle."
"She's the one who started this whole thing."
"Hey, don't put the blame on her. Nobody's in the wrong here. You just have different opinions on the situation at hand." Miley sighed. "I think I need a drink after that. She's a feisty one."
"She's that alright."
Nick and Miley walked into the kitchen. Joe came over, smiling.
"Hey, guys. You two having fun?"
"Yeah. Nice place, Joe." Nick picked up a beer and hesitated. "Joe, have you seen Selena? Her and I need to talk about something."
"She's down the hall, checking out the spare room, I think," Joe said.
"Thanks."
Miley caught Nick's arm. "No. She won't want to talk about this at a party. Wait until you get home tonight. Don't get in a fight here. Relax, okay? Just enjoy yourself tonight and fix this with Sel when you get home."
"Mi, I need to -"
"You don't need to do anything. Bringing it up now will just upset her and annoy her even more. Trust me, I know Selena. She won't want to talk about this at a party filled with her friends. She won't want to cause a scene. Just leave it until you get home."
Nick took a sip of his beer. "You better be right," he muttered.
Miley smirked. "I always am."
Nick chuckled and led Miley into the living room. He sat down on the couch and pulled Miley down to sit beside him.
"I have a date tomorrow night," she said. She smiled to herself and started playing with the hem of her dress.
Nick grinned and nudged his best friend. "What's his name?"
"Uh, Jake."
Nick's face fell. "As in high school Jake? Cheating Jake? Lying asshole Jake?"
"Yeah, him."
"You're seriously going back there? Miley, he broke your heart back in high school. How can you be willing to go on a date with him?"
"He's back in town and asked if I wanted to go out on a date. What was I supposed to say?"
"Maybe try the word 'no'?"
"Nick, he isn't such a bad guy anymore. He's changed."
Nick snorted. "Yeah, I'm sure. Guys like him never change."
"You did," she retorted.
"That isn't fair. I never cheated on any of my girlfriends. I never left any of them alone at some party to go and get drunk with the football team. I never got another girl pregnant when I was telling my girlfriend I loved her."
"If you can change, so can Jake. Anyway, this isn't high school anymore. He's mature now," she defended.
"Miley, you know that this isn't a good idea," Nick said softly.
"I'll be the judge of that, thank you." Her voice was sharp and cold. "If you're allowed to settle down with Selena then I should be allowed to find someone who I want to settle down with too."
"Yes, you should. Just anybody but Jake."
Miley turned to look at him. "What's your problem with him?"
He ignored her question. "Miley, you've been my best friend for years, okay? I'm going to look out for you. I had to pick up the pieces when he cheated on you over and over again. I was there. I saw what it did to you. I don't want him to put you back in that position."
"I'm a big girl now," Miley said, smiling softly.
"Maybe so, but you can't control what a man does. Guys like him don't think with their brains," he replied.
Miley finished her drink and looked at Nick with raised eyebrows. "Did you when you were a teenager? He was a kid, Nick. He wasn't ready for commitment."
"He should have thought of that before he committed himself to a relationship at fourteen," he grumbled back in response.
Miley smiled. "Nick, drop it. He was a kid and he made mistakes. I'm going out to dinner with Jake tomorrow night and that's final. I don't want to hear another bad word about it, okay? You're my best friend. I'd appreciate your support."
"Fine. Doesn't mean I approve, though," he warned.
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, whatever."
Demi came over and flopped down between the two of them.
"Hey, Miles, you up for lunch some time next week? You, me, Sel and Tay."
"Yeah, sure. Just text me when and where and I'll be there," Miley said.
Demi grinned. "Good." She turned to Nick and ruffled his curls. "Hey, mister. Sel told me about your little dilemma. Why don't you just agree with her to shut her up? You know how she gets when she's pissed off."
"I'm not going to have a baby with her just to avoid pissing her off. I'm not ready for a child."
"Nicholas, you married when you were twenty-two. I get the vibe that you two are a mature couple. You can adapt."
"I don't want a freaking baby."
Demi ignored his statement. "You've been married three years and she still hasn't got a bun in the oven."
"So?"
"Get to work, Nicholas."
"Shut up, Demetria. Stop worrying about my wife and her baby issues and go sort your own out with Joe."
Miley smiled at her friends. They were always bickering about pointless things. She supposed that it was one of the reasons she loved them.
A few hours later, Miley walked into her small house. She put her keys down on the table to the left of the door and hung her coat up on the hook. She then walked further into the house and into the kitchen. She made herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the kitchen table to think.
There was so much work to do before the grand opening of her new hotel. She had decided on a name the previous week – The Rosewood Inn. She just didn't know if she had enough time to finish everything.
Suddenly, the doorbell went. Miley stood up and walked out to the front door. She opened it and saw Nick standing there. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up and his tie was loose. His hair was a mess. His shirt was untucked. He looked stressed and tired.
"Can I stay here?" he asked quietly.
Miley didn't need to hear anything else. She opened the door and let him in. She didn't need to know what happened or why he was so stressed. All she knew was that he was her best friend and she was going to help him when he needed her.
just something i started writing. leave a review if you want :) kind of crappy, i know, but it will get better. it was just like introducing the characters and their issues and stuff.