I don't own the song or the characters.
I laughed at myself as I looked in the mirror. Clad in a light blue strapless silk dress and black heels with a little black cardigan, I had to admit, I looked good. That wasn't why I was laughing. I was laughing because I wasn't the kind of girl who rudely barged in and crashed other people's white veil occasions. Than again, I'd never figured him for the kind of boy who'd end up marrying the wrong girl.
I took a deep breathe before running outside to hail a cab. I stepped onto the dirty streets, ignoring the catcall and whistles I received from other men.
I thrust my hand out quickly and a passing cab stopped.
"Where to?" the cabbie asked, once I was inside.
"The church on sixth street," I said. "Quickly, please."
"How late are you?" the cabbie asked, taking a sharp left turn.
"Years," I answered, holding onto the handgrip to keep from falling over.
We reached the church in less than ten minutes.
"Ten-fifty," the driver said.
I threw a twenty at him. "Keep the twenty."
I raced up the steps and snuck in through the door. I stepped behind the first door I saw, trying not to get noticed.
I smiled as I saw Joe whispering something in Demi's ear. Selena stood next to them, her arms linked with Mya's. Kevin and Danielle stood close by. A bunch of your college friends stood joking with each other. My heart lurched, but I knew better than to leave my hiding spot.
I scanned the room and stopped when I spotted her family. They were all clustered together, dressed in different shades of pastel. My mother would die before wearing pastel.
"Dana, I told you to bring me a bouquet of freaking flowers and you bring me this! What the hell is this?"
I turned around at the sound of her voice. She was standing in a room near the one I was in, and I saw a sliver of her reflected through the mirror, wearing a ridiculous, puffy gown that reminded me of a pastry.
Feeling comforted by the petty thought, I stepped out of her line of site.
I leaned back against a wall. This surely wasn't how either of us had imagined our lives a few years again.
I closed my eyes and lost myself in a daydream. Although I was to chicken to do it, I had a fantasy of standing up and telling him not to marry her. Telling him that I still loved him. That we should run away. That he should hear me out before he continued to hate me. That he shouldn't marry her for the wrong reasons.
"Everyone is invited to take there seats inside the chapel," someone yelled, pulling me out of my daydream.
I waited until everyone was seated before quickly slipping in the back. I slid down in a seat in the last row, by a set of heavy velvet curtains.
The chapel was filled with mindless chit-chat. People congratulating one another.
The organ stared to play a song that sounded like a death march as I scooted closer to the curtains, knowing that if she saw me at her wedding, she'd have a fit.
The bridesmaid's walk down the aisle and the music slowed down.
She stepped out and proceeded to float down the aisle like a pageant queen who'd just found out she'd won.
I knew that there was a time when he wished that that would be me.
I closed my eyes and thought back to when I was almost certain that this day would belong to me.
"I'm going to marry you one day, Miss Stewart."
I smiled. "You'd better. I'm counting on it."
Until I'd ruined everything.
"Nick, are you okay?" I asked. He had just gotten to my apartment, and he couldn't stop pacing or making meaningless chit-chat. "What's going on?"
He stopped pacing and looked at me. "You should sit."
"Okay," I said nervously, and sat on the edge of the bed.
He got down in front of me on one knee and pulled out a small black box.
"Oh god," I murmured.
"I was doing some thinking these past few days, and I realized that none of the great days in my life have been important without you," Nick said, taking my hands in his. "You're the one I want next to me when my dreams come true, and you're the one I want next to me if they don't. As long as I have you, nothing else matters."
I sighed and pulled my hands away. "It's just not as simple as all that."
"I know," he said, smiling. "But we can figure out all that later."
"What do you mean later?" I said. "There is no later! I have no time to plan a wedding, or to be married. I'm a law student for gods sake! We're only twenty."
"And your parents were even younger than that!" Nick protested.
"And we see how easy that's been," I said, standing up. "They're marriage ended in divorce!"
He looked at me, the uncertainty clear in his eyes.
"Come on," I said more softly, taking his hands. "In another year or two."
He pulled away from me. "Miley, we barely see each other anymore. Who knows where we'll even be in year or two."
"Nick, if you can't trust that out love will last even a year, how can we be taking about forever?" I exclaimed. "Why can't you ever believe in us?"
He sank down on the bed. "You're saying no," he said quietly.
"No!" I protested. "I'm not saying no, I'm saying not now. I want to marry you someday." I reached for his hand and he pulled away.
"Hey, don't do that," I pleaded. "Don't pull away. I want us to be together. You're my everything! I love you so much."
"Just not enough."
He turned to look at me and I choked back a sob.
"Okay, just stop," I said. "Can we take this back to before? Let's just pretend this never happened."
He shook his head. "I don't think we can."
My voice trembled as I spoke. "I'm afraid this conversation is going to end with—"
"Goodbye," he said softly, cutting me off.
"Please don't." I pleaded, as the first tear fell. I curled up into his arms and pulled him with me down on the bed.
"I love you," I whispered.
He stroked my hair and I thought that everything was going to be okay. Until I woke up. Alone.
I was jarred back into reality as the organ music stopped.
The ceremony proceeded and I as the preacher proceeded to explain what would be expected of them as husband and wife.
The preacher looked at everyone asking them to speak now or forever hold there peace.
I knew this was my chance. But I sat there, unable to move.
The preacher opened his mouth to say something else.
"Wait," I shouted. I stood up, trying to control my shaking hands. All eyes were on me.
I looked around at everyone's horrified looks, until I got to Demi's, my old best friend. She smiled triumphantly, as if she'd known I'd had this in me all along.
"Ma'am?" the preacher said hesitantly, "What are you doing?"
I took I deep breath and looked at him. Anger was in his eyes.
"Please, Nick," I pleaded, "Don't do this. Don't say yes, run away now. I'll meet you when you're out of the church at the backdoor. Don't wait or say a single vow. You need to hear me out." I looked around at everyone and than back at Nick.
He stared at me, a confused expression on his face. Everyone looked at him. He said nothing, just shook his head.
I let out a sob and fled from the room. I ran out the door and hailed a cab back home.
"You okay?" the cabbie asked me.
I shook my head. "No."
He drove the rest of the way in silence, only talking to tell me I owed him thirteen dollars.
I threw him a twenty and hopped out of the cab. I ran up the stairs to my apartment.
I grabbed a bunch of Nick's old clothes and a scissor, before violently cutting all of them up.
Next, I moved onto the picture frames I had with pictured of us together.
I threw them all on the floor, sobbing.
"What are you doing?"
I whirled around and came face to face with Nick.
I shrugged.
His face hardened. "What the hell, Miley? You ruined my wedding!"
"I'm sorry," I whispered.
"No you aren't," he said, each word hitting me like a slap. "You only ever think of yourself."
"That isn't true," I whispered. "I just wanted us to be happy."
"Let me tell you how you get happy," he said harshly. "When a man asks you to marry him, you don't say no and than try to ruin his wedding!"
"I never said no!" I protested. "But you gave up on us!"
"I gave up on us?" he yelled angrily. "By proposing, I gave up on us?"
"No, by not waiting you gave up on us!" I spat back. "And you know that's the truth!"
"You gave up on me!" he shouted.
I took a deep breath as tears escaped. "I realized today, Nick, that I want you to be happy. And if that means marrying Chloe, than it's going to suck, but I'm going to let you go. Today was a mistake. And I see that now. I'm sorry. Be happy, Nick." I turned away from him, feeling my shoulders shake as I cried.
He reached out and spun me around.
"I left my own wedding," he said quietly, "for you. And I don't understand how after all these years, I still love you, but I do. So please, Miley, don't push me away again. Okay?"
I nodded, as happy tears fell.
"I don't know what's in our future, but we'll figure it out," he promised.
He leaned down and placed his lips on mine.
He pulled away after a moment.
"I love you," I whispered.
"I love you too," he said. "I'm so glad you were around when they said speak now."
I am in love with Taylor's new album! Such good songs! Anyway, this was written quickly, so sorry if it's crappy. Review, please. :)
