Hey guys! I know it's been...forever and half since I've posted, but here's this. :) Enjoy!

"I'm waiting on a promise. But I'm in good company."


Macy tapped the keys on her keyboard impatiently. The words for her final English paper weren't making their way onto the paper. She sighed and checked her phone. 5 new text messages. Surprised, she checked them. Seeing only one name, she smiled. Nick. All of the messages said one thing-five different ways.

"Call me? I need you to call me? Macy, call me as soon as you get this? Are you okay? Call me, please?" Macy muttered the messages along to herself as she read them. She frowned. Nick was usually patient, understanding that practicing for sports and studying for classes took significant amounts of time. She dialed his number and frowned slightly.

"Hey." Nick answered the phone simply, clearly having checked the caller id. Macy's frown depened. He didn't sound upset or even frustrated.

"Hey, is everything okay? You sounded pretty desperate in your texts." Macy leaned back in her desk chair, playing with a pencil.

"Um, yeah. Are you busy like right now?" Nick's voice was hesitant. "I know you're probably studying and all but could we go to the park for a little while?" Macy's confusion grew. Whatever was wrong, Nick wasn't going to talk about it on the phone.

"Just give me a few minutes and I'll meet you there." Macy tried to sound upbeat but her heart sank. At the beginning of their relationship, she and Nick had decided to talk about everything and make all of their decisions together. Good communication, they had decided, could save a relationship before it even really started.

"I'll pick you up in ten minutes." Nick's voice was strained. Macy faltered.

"Yeah, okay. Bye." Skipping the normal I-love-you ending, she hung up. Quickly, she brushed her hair and slipped on a jacket. New Jersey evenings could be quite cool even in mid-April. She slid her phone into her pocket and marked her place in her English notebook with a purple Sharpie. Stepping into the hallway, she paused. "Hey Mom? Nick and I are going to the park for a bit! We'll be back soon."

"Mhm." Her mother hummed distractedly from her office. Macy shrugged and opened the door to sit on the front steps and wait for Nick. Minutes later, he pulled into the driveway.

"Hey. Sorry to keep you waiting." Nick smiled at Macy from the driver's seat but she could see the lines around his eyes tensing.

"It didn't take long to get ready." Macy tried to smile back at Nick as he kissed her cheek and pulled out of the driveway.

Macy played with her fingers, interlocking and unlocking them repeatedly. Nick glanced at her but remained silent. Finally, they reached the park. Nick opened the door for Macy and took her hand. "Can you tell me about it now?" Macy's voice was quiet and Nick's grip on her hand tightened slightly.

"Let's find a bench." Nick spotted a bench under a grove of trees nearby. He and Macy sat down in the gathering dusk. Pulling her close, he suddenly blurted it out. "They wanna go on tour."

Macy stiffened. Nick held her tighter. They let out a collective sigh. Thinking back, Macy froze.


"I'll be home for Christmas, you can count on me." Christmas carols played quietly in the background. Macy was sobbing on the couch. Alone. The cellphone on the couch beside her showed that she had 7 new voicemails. The laptop on the coffee table showed the E! website and a picture of Nick and a recognizable blonde. Kissing.

The cellphone rang and Macy finally picked it up, choking back her tears. "Yes?" "Mace, you gotta believe me, okay? She didkiss me first and I pushed her off. I swear you can ask Kevin or Joe or my dad or anybody. Stella or Frankie even. They just got the picture at exactly the right moment. I swear. Babe, I would never ever do that to you. You gotta believe me...Macy?" Sincerity rang through Nick's voice.

"I believe you." Macy's voice was thick with tears and she paused. "But you know what I can't believe? You know what actually hurts the worst, Nick? She kissed you. I...I get that. But you didn't even tell me she was there! You didn't even tell me she was opening for you. You had to know that part and you didn't tell me. You promised. I shouldn't be surprised. I'm so used to..." Macy paused and wiped her eyes. "I thought we could- you would- it would- just...you know what? I'll talk to you when you get home, okay?" Macy had been pacing as she poured out the words to a drop-jawed Nick, but finally she threw herself onto the couch and hung up the phone.

Nick stared at his phone three states away. Snow was falling gently outside and Christmas lights twinkled brightly. The two-week tour hadn't been as hard for he and Macy as they had originally thought it would be. Until this. Until now. It was his fault and he'd fix it.


"No roses this time, Macy. I promise." Nick turned his head to face her and caught her face with one hand. Meeting his eyes, Macy smiled slightly.

"You said 'they'." Her voice wasn't an accusing, only perplexed. Nick sighed.

"Mostly Kevin and Dad but Joe wants to go too." Macy sat up straight at this and turned completely to face him. "Do you not want to go?" Her voice was soft in disbelief.

"After what happened last time, I'm not entirely sure I want to tour ever again." Nick gave a wry smirk and interlaced their fingers.

"Well...I know that you know how to apologize on a grand scale now." Macy grinned at him unexpectedly and he chuckled.


It had been two hours since Macy had abruptly hung up on Nick. The doorbell rang and Macy glanced at it in surprise. Opening it, she saw a delivery man standing there with a polite smile and a silver envelope. "Where would you like me to put everything, ma'am?"

"Everything? Oh, um..." Macy replied absentmindedly, opening the silver envelope. A silver cd and a card slid into her hand. She opened the card slowly. "I'm sorry and I love you more than words could say. - Nick." Macy read the card aloud quietly. She looked up to see the delivery man making trips, leaving the door open. Cold air hit her arms and raised chillbumps. Red roses were everywhere. Vases and pots and bundles in decorative jars. A few vases of white roses were scattered among them. The delivery man returned and Macy realized that there were three of them making trips, now bringing white orchids and red tulips.

After the door closed behind them, Macy stood in awe at the full living room. She glanced at the silver envelope, noticing the writing on the back for the first time. Stay. She looked intently at the flowers, noticing for the first time that they were arranged to spell the four letters. She put the silver cd into the laptop and a video came onto the screen. Nick's face appeared and Macy gasped. He looked terrible. His hair was sticking almost straight up and his face was blotched red and white.

"So, um, you just hung up on me. It's like 7:55 on Thursday night, December 16th. I know that I hurt you and I am sorry and I will fix this because I cannot lose you. I think...no, I know that I'm in love with you. And I know this is terrible timing to say that and you think I'm just saying it to get you to forgive me, but it's true." Nick hesitated and ran his hand through his hair. "You know, I'm just gonna quit talking. I'm probably making everything worse. Anyway, so um, earlier when you wouldn't answer your phone, I wrote you a song. And, um, yeah. This is it. I love you, Macy Elise Misa." Macy smiled through the tears running down her face.

"I love you too." Macy sobbed softly as Nick sang the song and played the guitar, choking once on his tears.

"Stay." Nick's falsetto rang through the room. Macy wiped silent tears from her eyes as the video ended and the screen turned black. Curling on the couch, her tears soon put her to sleep.

"But, seriously, Mace. I haven't agreed to go yet." Nick took a deep breath. "Because it'll be for almost four months." Macy's eyes widened but she tried to smile.


"Well, some of your tours have been significantly longer." Nick stared at her in shock. "Aren't you supposed to cry about now?" Macy giggled slightly and Nick squeezed her hand. "There's another reason. I want you to go with me." Macy opened her mouth and then closed it silently. "Nick, I trust you to go on tour by yourself." She wrung a smile out. "I forgave you four months ago and even if Penny was opening for you again, it would be completely fine. We talked it out and forgave each other and now we're a better couple." She shrugged, finally finding a wide, genuine smile.

"Penny is not going. Dad didn't even suggest it. And I know all of that. But since we got together last summer the longest I've ever been away from you was those two weeks." "That shall not be mentioned anymore?" Macy piped up, reminding Nick of the agreement they'd made when he'd come home two days after 'The Incident.'


The doorbell rang and Macy ran to answer it. There was a slight chance it could be Nick. She opened it to see a tired Nick. His hair was mussed and snowy, his hands shoved into his pockets, and his eyes meeting her uncertainly. "Hey."

"Hey." They stood their uncertainly for a moment. "You look terrible."

"Thanks." Nick smiled at her weakly. "Look Macy, I'm so sorry I didn't tell you everything and I'm sorry about the kiss and everything else. I'm so so sorry. I'm just..." Nick wrung his hands awkwardly. "Sorry." Macy's head dropped and her eyes filled with tears.

"Nick." Macy lifted her head then and looked him straight in the eyes. Her eyes were glossed over with tears. "I know I didn't call...but, I do...well, I did...I mean, well...I lo-...I stayed." Nick gaped at her momentarily before he swept her into his arms, burying his head in her hair. "I love you." He mumbled the words into her hair and kissed her suddenly. Macy broke the kiss and ran a hand through his hair.

"I love you too." Her eyes sparkled in the Christmas lights hanging from the roof and Nick framed her face in his hands. "I promise to never leave anything out ever again. Ever. We're forever and eternity." Nick's eyes filled with tears and Macy kissed him in response. When she pulled away she made only one response.

"Ditto." Nick laughed quietly. "But can we forget that these past three days ever happened?" Nick kissed her again.


The stars began to shine brightly in the night sky. Macy shivered on the park bench. Nick stood, reaching for her hand. Macy laced their cold fingers together and they made their way back to Nick's car. He shut her door for her and went to start the heater. "I would miss you way too much if you didn't go." Nick turned to face Macy in his seat. He grabbed her hand, needing the physical contact.

"Can I think about it?" Macy glanced at him hesitantly.

"I need to know pretty soon, so I can tell them whether or not to start planning on me going." Nick's voice was pleasant, but the strain around his eyes started to show.

"I need you to do something for me, Nick." Macy's voice quavered slightly, but she smiled. "I need you to go on tour, whether I do or not."

"Why?" Nick asked her, confused. "I mean, I don't want to be conceited but why wouldn't you want to spend four months with me?" Macy sighed.

"You have to know something. I. Love. You. I love you more than anyone else in the world and I can't imagine a world without you in it. I'm your Macy and I always will be. None of this can or will change that for me." Macy smiled at him and he held her wordlessly for a moment.

"It won't change for me either." The words were quiet, but Macy smiled through the tears clouding her eyes.


At school the next day, Macy and Nick walked through the halls hand in hand silently. After the last bell rang, Nick waited for Macy outside the locker room. "Hey." He greeted her with a quick kiss on the forehead. "Your house or mine?"

"Mine." Macy smiled up at him and swung their hands between them. "How was music class?"

The car ride to Macy's house was silent and a bit awkward. Nick and Macy stole glances at each other and held hands but neither one would approach the dreaded subject. Finally, they dropped their backpacks inside Macy's front door and went to the kitchen to find a snack. "Do you still have those cookies I can have?" Nick snaked his arms around Macy's waist from behind and swayed gently.

"Mhm, somewhere. How is your-" Macy searched the cabinet in front of her.

"Let's not talk about it." Nick's voice was unintentionally sharp. "Sorry, baby. I didn't mean to snap at you." Macy winced.

"Here's the cookies. And I'm sorry it isn't good." She pecked his lips quickly and grabbed a Diet Coke from the fridge. "Am I the only one who feels super awkward about this?"

"Heck no." Nick took his plate of cookies to the couch and motioned for Macy to join him. She sat beside him indian style, sipping her soda. "So tour." Macy adjusted her soda and turned to face him. "To tour or not to tour, that is the question!" Nick suddenly burst into grandiose Shakespeare with a hand in the air. Macy just looked at him. "Yeah, tour. What are you thinking?"

"I just don't know. I mean it's a really long time to be gone and I do have several commitments here that I'm not sure I can leave. But then, you're going and it's the last summer before college and I would miss you and-" Macy rambled off her list of pros and cons.

"Whoa! Slow down there, Mace." Nick held up his hands. "So, what commitments?"

"Well, I have that job down at the gym that I'm supposed to start after graduation and I'll still be working at the thrift store some for sure and I think Coach volunteered me to coach a little league softball team." Macy listed her reasons off on her fingers, looking puzzled over the last one. "That or he wanted me to come and give his granddaughter some tips. He was a little fuzzy on the details."

"Okay." Nick sighed. He knew it was a long shot to ask her to go. "So jobs and sports. What else?"

"I don't know if I can go that long without you." Macy's voice was soft and tears welled up in her eyes. She leaned into Nick's shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her.

"I don't have to go, Macy. If you tell me to stay, I will." Nick's voice was serious and low. He put the plate of cookies on the ground and put Macy's soda next to it. He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly.

"Nick? Do you remember the show you performed in LA last summer? The secret gig we planned for the fans?" Macy's voice was quiet and full of tears. She picked at a button on Nick's shirt gently.

"Yes." Nick's voice was quiet. He ran his fingers through her hair gently.

"When I saw you up there that night, performing not just as Nick of JONAS or even Nick Lucas, my friend but Nick Lucas, my boyfriend...I fell in love with you. That's who you're meant to be, that's where you're meant to be. There are fans all over the world who would camp out for days to see you light up on that stage." Macy fell silent for a moment. "You need that just as much as they do. It's part of who you are and I won't take that away from you. Not now and not ever." Nick lifted her face to his gently and kissed her.

"I love you." His voice was rough and he cleared his throat. "And you're not going?" Macy knew just as well as he did that it was a statement.

"As much as I would love to, no. I'm not going this time." Macy withdrew herself from him partially and gave him her best smile. "But I will blog about you every day."

"You wouldn't be my Macy Misa if you didn't. And you'll come to visit me? As much as you can?" Nick's voice was hesitant.

"Every chance I get." Macy promised as she pulled her backpack toward her. "But right now this English paper is calling my name."

Nick laughed. He leaned over and kissed her gently. "Me too. There won't even be a tour if I can't finish in time."


Well, that is what it is. :) I don't like this chapter near as much as the second (which I actually wrote first). The quote will come into play much more there! Thanks for reading!