Nick Jonas high-fived and fist pumped a handful of crew members as he, his two brothers and other co-stars made their way off the stage.
"Nice show, man," one of the band's publicist's said, giving him a small smile.
Nick smiled, his usual, thoughtful smile, and continued his way along the white walled corridoor to his backstage dressing room. He was tired, and his eyelids were feeling heavy. He had been awake since 6 am this morning, and was looking forward to some well-needed slumber.
"Dude, you look like death!" his older brother, Joe, commented, as he glanced over at him.
Nick sighed, unamused. He wasn't in the mood for his brother's wit tonight.
"Nick, what's up with you? You're always in such a bad mood," Joe said, shaking his head. "That's not the Nicky I know," he added with a smirk. Joe knew exactly who called Nick 'Nicky' and he knew that person happened to be exactly the person Nick was thinking about.
Nick blushed at the use of his old nickname. The nickname a certain Miley Cyrus had given him almost four years ago. He didn't want to reply to Joe. He didn't want to talk about Miley in general. It was a strict 'Don't touch' subject around Nick. He even refused to play any of his old songs about his love for her her. Well, everyone was aware that his newer songs were about her too, but he made up implausible excuses like 'I got it from a movie' or 'It just popped into my head.' Nobody believed him.
Much to Nick's appreciation, Demi walked up between the two brothers and put an arm around each of their shoulder's. Joe laughed, but Nick winced; he didn't do physical affection with friends. Well, maybe just one friend...
"so, what you dudes talking about? How I blew the crowd away tonight? I was pretty awesome wasn't I?" Demi said, using hand gestures, that assisted her words. Typical Demi.
"I was just asking Nicky what's on his mind lately," Joe said innocently, and then received an understanding glare from Demi.
"Joseph!" she said hitting him playfully. Nick's cheeks were red hot, and all he wanted to do was leave Joe and his girlfriend to talk about his ex's far, far away from him. He was glad Demi and Joe had got back together at the start of the tour. Nick always thought they were meant for each other.
"Later, guys," Nick said, grateful that they had reached his room in the arena. Of course, Joe and Demi shared the next room. Much to his parents unease.
Joe and Demi barely noticed him leaving, as the continued their journey along the tiled floor towards their dressing room, other things on their mind.
Nick sighed as he pushed open the hardwood door, his dressing room opening up in front of his eyes. Everything was exactly how he'd left it before the show; untidy. A few years ago the mess that was his dressing room would have aggrivated him, but as the years passed, so did his care for anything neat. He wanted unpredictable. He wanted excitement. He wanted her.
But he wished he didn't. He couldn't understand why he hadn't moved on. There was plenty of other girls waiting for their chance. And he had tried dating other people, he had, but he wasn't into it at all, and the unlucky girls knew it.
Deciding to take a shower, he peeled off his sweaty shirt, revealing his chiseled body, and tossing his shirt carelessly on the floor. He remembered why he'd starting going to the gym, and working out. Her.
Why did she seem to be the reason for everything in his life? Every emotion, every feeling he felt, seemed to somehow make its way back to her.
He stopped to check his Blackberry on route to the shower, and paused when he saw a new message.
From Selena: Hey, Nicky. Hope u r having an awesome time on tour. I miss you. :(
Clingy much? Nick thought to himself.
To Selena: U know I don't like it when u call me that. And tour is good, thanks.
He turned off his phone, leaving it back on the cluttered vanity, and walked into the shower, stripping off his clothes, and turning on the hot water.
Demi knocked on Nick's door for the fifth time, telling him they were leaving, again. "Nick, if you don't answer, I'm coming in," Demi warned, and paused waiting for a response that never came. She twisted the knob on the door and pushed the door open, and stepped into the dark, steamy room.
"Oh god, my eyes," Demi said, dramatically covering her eyes as she spotted Nick asleep on a comfy looking red couch, clad in only a pair of white basketball shorts.
Nick's eyes fluttered open at the sound of the familiar voice, and his tired brown eyes quickly located Demi, standing by the door, her expression half embarassed, half apologetic. "Oh shit, did I fall asleep?" he mumbled, sitting up and stretching, feeling slightly awkward.
"Yes, now put a shirt on, we're leaving," Demi said, before exiting the room to go join her boyfriend on the tour bus. This time though, she had not told the public they were dating; that was what ended their last attempt at a relationship.
Nick rubbed his eyes, sighing sleepily, then stood up, shoving his shirt over his head, knowing his bed was waiting for him on the bus. Of course, so was everyone else, including Frankie, who was with them for a week or two. He was hoping he could escape whatever madness the gang had planned for tonight.
He gathered up his belongings from around the room, like he had done so many times before, and carried them all in his hands, sleepily stumbling out to the bus. He got on the second bus which for this week, he was sharing with Frankie.
"Nick!" Frankie said, looking up from his black DS, and smiling at his older brother he admired so much.
"Hey!" Nick said, trying to sound excited. He almost laughed at his attempt, but felt he didn't have enough energy to laugh. He trudged into the bedroom on the bus, and flung everything he was carrying onto the bed.
He walked back out to the main room, where Frankie was sitting at the table, planning on saying goodnight to him.
"Nick, you're a walking zombie," he said with a childish grin, setting his DS down on the table.
"Yeah, I know. Listen-" Nick got side-tracked, reaching into his pocket for his phone, and not finding it there. "Fuck," he said, glancing back at the bed which he could see through the open door, and then at Frankie's amused face. "Oh, no, shit-" he sighed, giving up. What was the point in trying to set a good example at this stage? Joe already had the child ruined. "You didn't hear that!" Nick said, already half way out the door.
"Nick! We're leaving," Kevin yelled, as he watched Nick jogging back into the venue, ignoring him. He retreived his phone, which was in the same place he left it, turned it back on and walked back to the buses, suddenly tired again. The phone started buzzing in his hand as he reached the door of the bus and he automatically checked the caller id, and froze when he saw the name that flashed across the screen.
Miley.
Why was she calling him? Had somebody died? She never ever called him anymore. Every muscle in his body was frozen, as he deliberated whether to answer or not. He shook himself out of his trance, and reached to press the 'answer' button. But before his finger pressed it, the call ended, and his screensaver flashed across the screen.
There was no possible way the call could've gone to voicemail that quick. She had to have hung up. But wait, if she called him, why would she hang up? Too tired to think about it logically, Nick shook his head and opened the door, saying good night to a disappointed Frankie, and falling into bed, at last.
August 27th, Camden, NJ.
"Dude...? Nick!" Joe's voice was filling Nicks ears as he slowly lifted his head from the wall it was leaning against.
"What?" he mumbled as he opened his eyes and stretched, trying to sit up straight in the sofa he was sharing with Demi in Starbucks.
"Nick, what is up with you? You're never this tired," Demi said, taking a sip of her caramel Frappucino.
He shook his head. "I'm fine."
Kevin looked up from his phone for a few seconds. "Hurry up, we're gonna miss sound-check."
He almost groaned at the thought of going onstage. Again. Singing those stupid songs about her. Again.
The others eagerly finished their drinks, as he tried to waken up a bit. He should be thankful for the fans that actually bought tickets, not feeling like this is something he has no choice but to get through.
Positive thinking, he told himself.
Suddenly everybody around him had risen from their seats and he slowly followed suit. "Demi," he murmered, grabbing onto her arm as everybody walked towards the door.
"Yeah, Nick?" she replied, confused. Something about Nick's expression told her something serious was on his mind.
He blushed deeply and scratched his neck awkwardly. "Have you been talking to um...Miley recently?" he tried to hold in a smile as he was saying her name.
Demi smiled. She was a total supporter of Nick and Miley's relationship. She could see the chemistry between them, and she had tried many times to get them to talk again. "Yeah, like this morning, why?"
"Oh..I, um...did she say anything?" he was vaguely aware that their friends had left, but Demi didn't seem to mind.
"About...?" she knew what he meant, but wanted to hear him admit it.
"Me...well she called me last night. But she hung up really quickly."
"Why didn't you call her back?" Demi hissed.
Nick shrugged, nonchalantly. "So she didn't say anything unusual?" the pair started to walk towards the door, wondering if anybody had noticed their absence.
"No...you know she broke up with Liam right?" Demi whispered, afraid anybody around them would hear. Miley and Liam hadn't gone public about their break-up yet. Liam liked the publicity of dating Miley Cyrus.
"No way, you're kidding?" Nick never liked Liam since he first met him that time in Georgia. He didn't appreciate Miley's bubbly personality, unlike Nick.
Demi giggled as she watched Nick struggle to fight off a smile. She slipped her hand into her boyfriend's as she ran up to him. She quietly thanked him for waiting for her.
"What are you two whispering about?" Joe asked suspiciously. He trusted Nick and Demi, of course, but it was still kind of strange that they both waited behind to talk. And to him it only meant one thing. The one thing Nick wants to know about, the one person Demi happens to be best friends with. Miley.
"Nothing," Demi replied, smirking as she kissed Joe quickly then released his hand. She had to remember they were in public.
"Wait, are you sure, Demi?" Nick asked, walking down the street alongside the couple.
"Yes!" she said, a little over-excited. Now that "Miam" was over, Demi was anticipating 'Niley 3.0'.
"When?" Nick pushed.
"Like, yesterday?"
"Guys, what are you talking about?" Joe said, feeling left out.
"Mi-"
"Demi!" Nick exclaimed, reflexively covering her mouth quickly.
"Okay, okay, sorry," she said, removing his sweaty hand. She shook her head at him and laughed. Only Miley could do this to him.
"Dude, you're never gonna get over that girl," Joe said, sighing.
"Shut up, okay? It's my life," Nick spat, angry all of a sudden. Angry with himself for being such a stupid baby and still loving the girl he fell in love with when he was fourteen.
August 28th, Atlantic City, NJ.
After at least ten attempts, and numerous laps around the room, Nick dialed Miley's number and pressed 'call'. He could hear his heart beating in his ears, in the quiet of his bedroom on the bus. He rubbed one of his sweaty hands off his pants as he held the phone close to his ear with the other, wondering if she would even pick up. He was already dressed for the show, even though it wasn't due to start for another hour.
"Nick?" Miley questioned, puzzled, as she answered the phone. She was sitting with her back against her trailer, taking a five minute break from shooting her new movie 'LOL'. Right now, Miley wanted to do anything but laugh.
"H-hey Miles. I..um..d-did you call me last night?" he asked, cursing himself for asking such a stupid question and sounding like such and idiot.
"O-oh, uh...y-yeah. um...I was just um, upset, and I didn't know who else to call...I'm s-sorry, I know...I shouldn't have bothered you." Woah, Miley was nervous? Miley never gets nervous!
"It's fine, Miles," he smiled, satisfied his voice was sounding normal again. "You know I'm always here, right?"
"Yeah, but Nick, what happened in Georgia-"
"Hey, hey, let's not talk about that. How have you been?" Stupid question, he told himself.
"I um..I don't know. How's tour going?"
"It's...okay..." he trailed off.
Miley didn't respond. She saw her co-star Demi Moore hold up one finger to her, signaling that she needed to get back to filming. She sighed. "I think I need to go..."
"What are we doing Miles?" Nick asked, groaning a little.
"What do you mean?" her face scrunched up a little in confusion.
"Why are we talking like nothing ever happened?" he asked, getting brave.
"You're the one that said not to mention Georgia."
"I don't mean just Georgia. I mean everything...what happened, Mi?" he asked, his voice lowering towards the end.
"I um...I have to go okay Nick? I'll call you back later." and with that, she was gone.
He groaned, flinging his phone onto the bed, before collapsing on it, running his fingers through his hair in frustration. He couldn't understand what he could do to make it right. Make it Right. His mind repeated. Make it Right.
Suddenly he sat up and grabbed his guitar, writing yet another song for her.
"Can you hear that?" Joe asked Demi, pulling her to a stop outside on of the tour buses.
Demi listened carefully, hearing the sound of somebody singing. Not just somebody; Nick.
"He's writing another song," Demi stated the obvious.
"This can only mean one thing," Joe said, trying to keep a straight face.
"Girl Trouble?" Demi guessed, smirking.
"Nope."
Demi raised her eyebrows to his response.
"Miley Trouble," he said with a smile. Demi giggled as Joe took her hand again and they ran down towards Frankie, Alyson, Danielle and Kevin, who were waiting for them at the entrance to the arena they were playing in tonight.
Later, during the concert, Nick left the stage, bringing his guitar and all with him, while Demi and Joe were singing 'I gotta find you' and beckoned Kevin to come with him.
"Kev, I wrote a new song, I wanna play it," he announced, taking a sip from the bottle of water somebody handed him.
"Are you crazy? Nobody else knows it!" he cried, wondering if his younger brother was high on something. He did seem a LOT more into the concert tonight.
"I know it. Just let me play it, okay?" he pleaded.
The crowd cheered as 'I gotta find you' came to an end, and Kevin looked around helplessly, not knowing what to say.
"Thanks man," Nick said, running out onto the stage behind him. He walked over to Joe and Demi, who were beside the band and told them all to take a break. Confusion crossed their faces, but they didn't object. Nick was determined, and they wanted to hear his new song.
"Um, hey, so I wrote this new song, and I uh...wanted to sing it for you guys, it's called Make It Right," Nick said into the microphone, before strumming a few chords on his guitar and he began to sing the song. The audience were almost silent through the whole song, until he got to the chorus for the third time, and tears began to blur up his vision.
"...That I still do care about you, More than you could know..don't say it's to late to try..to make it right," he tried to finish, looking down, trying not to completely break down. This song meant a lot to him, and how true it was just made him want to cry. He turned around, knowing that wasn't actually the end of the song. He just couldn't take it anymore.
Demi smiled, although her eyes were getting a little teary, and cheered along with the rest of the people in the arena. Nick walked off the stage, with his head down, dropping his guitar and rushing past his brothers and other band members before they had time to say anything to him.
"Nick, are you okay?" Nick heard Frankie ask as he made his way onto the tour bus. He didn't even care that the concert wasn't over...he felt like his life was over.
"I'm fine," he murmered, not wanting to worry his younger brother who had obviously not been allowed to watch the concert. Or else he just didn't care.
"You're not. You're crying. What happened? Is everyone okay?" Frankie asked, his round eyes widening as he followed Nick into his bedroom, his childish imagination fabricating many emergencies that could cause his older brother to leave the stage early, upset.
"It's fine. Just go away," Nick replied, throwing himself onto the bed, pressing his face into the pillow. He needed time to think.
"You're not fine. You're crying," Frankie replied softly, sitting at the end of the bed. He didn't mean to be annoying, he was just concerned.
"I'm not crying!" Nick said, lifting his head so Frankie could hear him.
"Does something hurt?" he asked, wondering if he should get medicine or something.
"Frankie!" Nick groaned in frustration. He was taking his anger at himself out on his brother, just a little.
"Oh wait, Joe said something about this...he said you had "men problems"." Frankie recalled one day a few months ago when he asked Joe why Nick didn't want to talk to him. Joe took the opportunity to make fun of Nick, like any brother would.
"He said I have WHAT?" Nick sat up suddenly.
"He said when you're with pretty girls-"
"Joe told you that?" Nick interrupted in disbelief. Nick couldn't believe Joe would tell Frankie about that at such a young age.
Frankie nodded. Though both of them were not talking about the same thing. Not at all.
"He's stupid. Don't listen to him. Now why don't you go watch tv for a few minutes?" Nick urged, hoping he would leave.
"Okay!" he replied, jumping off the bed and racing down towards the tv, as if somebody could get there before him.
Nick sighed, and closed the door, trying to steer his mind clear of tonight's events. Of course, that didn't work.
"Do you think we should go in?" Demi asked Joe, as they walked past the tour buses over an hour later. They had somehow managed to finish the concert without Nick.
"Maybe we should give him some time..." Joe suggested. Knowing Nick, he would not have any welcome for them.
"Maybe I should mention this to Miley-"
"No! No, don't do that. Let them work it out for themselves. Trust me," he interrupted her, placing a soft kiss on her lips, earning a giggle from her.
"Okay baby," she smiled up at him and they got onto their bus, waiting to be driven to the next arena.
August 29, Virginia Beach, VA.
"Nick, we're going for breakfast, do you wanna come?" Demi asked, knocking on the door of his bus. She knew he was up, because she could hear him moving around inside.
"um, sure, yeah," he replied, opening the door for Demi to come inside.
"You okay?" she asked doubtfully.
"I'm fine...um...sorry about that last night..I just..."
"Yeah, it's okay. We get it. You're still in love with Miley."
"It's that obvious?" he asked with a smirk, trying to hide his embarrassment.
"Yup."
"I looked like a complete ass last night, right?" he said, gesturing to the door so he and Demi could join the others.
"Yeah, pretty much," she teased, walking outside to Joe.
"You okay bro?" Joe asked, feeling awkward.
"Yeah." He wished people would stop asking him that, even though he knew they had good intentions.
"Where's Frankie?" Demi asked, suddenly noticing his absence.
"Oh um, I think he's with Kevin," Joe replied.
"Right, well let's go," she replied, beginning to walk away from the buses, and out onto the street.
That night, just before they were about to go onstage, Nick's phone rang. Somebody handed him a guitar, as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. Joe shot him a 'not now' look, but he ignored it.
He froze suddenly, reading the name on the screen: Miley. He answered it almost immediately, although he probably wouldn't be able to hear her because of the noise levels backstage.
"Miles," he breathed softly.
"Nick..."she sobbed, her voice thick from crying.
"Miley? Miles are you okay?" he asked, concerned. Joe was gesturing for him to hurry up, and everyone was beginning to form a circle for their before-concert-prayer, but he stayed frozen, clutching onto the phone.
"Nick..I um..I'm sorry...I didn't know who to call..." she said, nervous about what he would say. Would he think she was annoying?
"What? I'm sorry I can't hear you. I'm about to go on stage," he said, hearing the announcer say their names.
"oh, I um..sorry I bothered you," she said, desperately wondering what to do know.
"I'll call you after, I promise," he replied. "I lo-" he stopped himself just in time and pretended to cough. "Bye," he whispered awkwardly and hung up, praying she didn't hear him. How the heck did he almost say that? He cursed himself silently before turning off his phone and returning it to its place in his pocket.
"Nick, would you like to join us?" Joe asked sarcastically, causing Demi to stand on his foot.
Nick simply nodded, wondering what was wrong with Miley. She was definitely crying. Nick had seen her cry before, and the images were currently flashing in his head. He hated to hear her cry, and his fists were clenched as he walked up to join the prayer. He wanted to punch the idiot who hurt her. He felt stupid; she wasn't his girlfriend, and they hadn't talked much in over a year. Why wouldn't these feelings go away?
"Amen," everyone said, once the prayer was finished.
"Amen," Nick muttered, half a minute after everbody else. He hadn't even heard any of the prayer.
"Head in the game, bro," Joe said, catching the distant look in Nick's eyes. He patted him on the back gently as he passed him to make his way to the stage.
Nick sighed, looking at his feet for a second as everybody moved around him. Nobody stopped to ask him if he was coming, or if he was okay. In truth, they were afraid, because they didn't know what his reaction would be.
Everybody except Danielle.
"Nick, I..um...is everything okay? Is there something I can do?" she asked softly, wondering if she should comfort him. His expression worried her.
"I'm fine, Dani..I...I have to go," he said, his voice low, and barely audible. He turned and quickly walked over to his brothers, trying to focus.
After the show, he immediately called Miley, but she didn't pick up. He tried again, and again. He sighed, giving up, and taking a shower instead. He was frustrated that she wouldn't pick up. He really wanted to know what was bothering her...he really wanted to hear her voice.
It was Frankie's last night on tour with them, so Joe, Kevin, Demi and Danielle were staying on Nick's bus for the night. They decided to watch a movie, and Frankie picked 'Up'.
Nick texted Miley the whole time saying things like 'I'm here if you need me' and 'Please, just talk to me'. He got no replies. He barely even watched the movie, not that he even cared what it was about, but he felt bad when he looked up and realized it was finished. He glanced over and seen that everbody was asleep, Demi on Joe's shoulder, and Danielle on Kevins. Frankie was laying across the couch, with his head resting on Demi's laps, and his feet resting on Nick's.
Nick sighed, glancing at the time. 01:48. He deliberated getting up. Would he wake them? Suddenly, his phone buzzed. He picked it up quickly, opening the message from Miley.
I'm sorry. I fell asleep and left my phone in the other room. Call me if you can. I need a friend.
"Fuck," he mouthed to himself. Of course, she finally replied, and he couldn't call her.
I'm really sorry but I can't. I'm sorta stuck under Frankies feet...but I can text you...or call you tomorrow? I'm always here, okay?
He watched the clock tick on the wall as he waited for her to reply. He has always said this, but he loves texting girls, rather than talking, because you can say stuff you would be too embarassed or nervous to say in person.
Thanks Nick. I'll talk to you tomorrow. It's late...goodnight.
Night miles x
August 31, Cleveland OH.
Danielle was the first to waken, when there was a knock on the door of the bus. She glanced around, realizing that everybody was asleep, and gently tapped Kevin. "Baby, wake up," she whispered.
Kevin's eyes shot open, and quickly adjusted to their surroundings. "What time is it?" he asked, sitting up straight.
"I don't know," she said softly.
There was a knock at the door again. "You guys awake?" a man's voice asked. Soon enough everybody was awake, except Nick.
"Nick...NICK!" Joe said, shaking him violently as Kevin and Danielle went to answer the door.
Nick's eyes opened and glared sleepily at Joe. "I'm awake, Jesus," he growled. He stood up, and his phone which was resting on his lap, fell to the ground. He picked it up quickly, remembering what happened with Miley.
"Guys, meet and greet starts at one pm, that's forty minutes, okay?" Kevin asked, talking to an assistant who was outside the door.
Joe and Demi decided to go get a bit to eat with Frankie, before he left for the airport, and promised to bring everyone back some coffee.
As soon as Kevin and Dani left, Nick called Miley, laying on his bed to straighten out his back. The position he slept in last night was uncomfortable.
"Nick, hey," Miley said, answering her phone almost immediately, and running a hand through her lightened locks. She was sitting under a tree in the shade on set, drinking a Frappucino fresh from Starbucks.
"hey," he greeted, not even knowing how to begin.
Miley bit her lip. She had promised herself she would be okay today. There was probably paparazzi around, and the last thing she wanted was photos of her crying all over the entertainment news.
"What's wrong, Miles...tell me everything."
"I um...nothing, Nick. I'm good." She couldn't face spilling everything here. Not now, at least.
"Nothing?" he questioned incredulously. "Mi, I heard you last night. You called me, remember? Now spill."
She sighed. "One minute." She walked over to the cameras, telling on of the producers that she needed a break, and went into her trailer, closing the door and sitting down. "Okay, I'll tell you. Only because...I have nobody else."
"Are you kidding Miley? You've got lots of best friends."
"Not really. Demi won't answer her phone, and I'm not this close to anybody else..."
"Okay, so just tell me what's bothering you."
"Well, Liam and I broke up, this movie sucks, and I don't know anybody here. Sure they're all being friendly and nice, but they're just...I don't even know. My album has done shit, and I hate my new image, and so do all my fans. So basically I'm stuck here in Detroit with nobody to talk to but my ex from four years ago." She tried to make it sound like a rant, like she was pissed off, rather than upset.
"Miles," he whispered, speechless. The word 'Detroit' stuck in his brain. He didn't know she was filming in Detroit.
"I know, I know. I'm such an idiot."
"Yeah, sorta."
"Hey!"
"You know I was kidding Mi."
"Yeah I know," she replied, smiling.
"Okay so Liam and you broke up...that's a good thing, he was a douchebag. You can always go back to your old image...and as for the friends thing...guess who's gonna be in Detroit tomorrow?" he asked, a grin spreading across his face.
"No way! Get out! You're kidding?" she said, giggling a little. She smiled at the thought of seeing Nick again. It had been a while, with Liam, and then him being in London.
"Dead serious," he said, smiling. Somebody knocked on his door, yelling something about five minutes. He glanced down, distracted, and realized he was wearing the same clothes he had on yesterday.
"Miley, I have to go. Sorry. I'm such a bad friend," he said, ashamed. He kept hanging up on her.
"No, no, it's cool. Text me, right?" she said.
"sure," he said, about to hang up. "Oh, one last thing?"
"What?" she asked, scrunching her face a little in confusion.
"Does this mean you're going back on Twitter?" he asked, with a chuckle.
"Maybe. Goodbye, Nicky," she said, giggling then hanging up.
Miley and Nick texted constantly that day, catching up on everything. Nick knew he was falling for her again. For the third time. Third time lucky, eh?
At the concert that night, Nick was all smiles, laughing and singing really well. Everybody noticed the difference, and smiled at him. He sang 'Make It Right' again, without crying, but smiling the whole way through it.
He didn't get a chance to speak with Miley again that night, but he couldn't wait to wake up in Detroit and meet her. It had been so long, and he couldn't wait to see if her beautiful oceanic blue eyes, were still the same.
September 1, Detroit, MI.
Nick awoke pretty early, and texting Miley was his initial instinct. He was becoming attatched to her again, and he didn't want to stop it happening.
She told him she would try to get down to the arena they were playing at later, without being recognized, but they both knew that would not be easy. Nick told her to be careful and that he would be waiting for her with the security to allow her to pass through the gates and into the coaches parking lot. It would be easier to spend the day on the bus than be photographed out together and ignite dating rumours.
Nick paced back and over beside the security gaurds, wondering where the hell she was.
The man was watching him, behind his dark glasses, wanting to ask him if he was still sane, but knew it was not his place to comment. He spotted somebody walking up with a ridiculously large baseball hat over her blonde hair, and oversized sunglasses. He opened the gate and watched as she ran into Nick's arms.
"Miley?" he asked, assuming it was her, and huggin back. He chuckled a little as she held onto him.
"Nick," she whispered into his chest. She missed him so much. Hugging him now, seeing him again, made her want to cry.
"Hannah wig, Mi, are you serious?" he teased, eyeing up her blonde wig as she pulled away.
"Shut up Nicky, I didn't know what to wear!" she said, giggling.
He grinned at the nickname only she was allowed to call him. "Sure, whatever. Let's go before we get caught," he suggested, wondering if he should take her hand.
"Okay," she said, grinning, following him as he begin to walk towards the black buses that were parked near the back entrance to the arena.
Miley and Nick spent the next few hours together, having fun and talking like old times. Nick gazed into her eyes a lot, stunned by their beauty, once again. Stunned by her beauty in general. No doubt she had grown up a lot since last year, but it wasn't like they made it seem on tv. She was still Miley on the inside.
"This reminds me of last year, when we sang Before the Storm in Dallas. Remember?" she said, smiling. She had removed her disguise, and her hair was falling just past her shoulders. They were sitting with their feet up on the couch, but facing each other. Her feet were on the inside, his on the outside. At first it was a little awkward, but eventually they just didn't care anymore. They were just enjoying each other's company. It was an unusually hot day, and they had all of the windows on the bus open.
"I remember," he said with a smirk. He paused for a second, then chuckled. Suddenly his smile spread out into a grin as an idea hit him. "Ohmygod, Miley, you have to stay for the show, tonight!"
She knew him so well. She could read his eyes. "What are you planning?" she asked suspiciously.
He opened his mouth, stunned. "How do you know I'm planning something?"
"Oh come on, Nick, I know you better than you know yourself." She took a sip of the iced water they were drinking, and smiled at him.
"Okay...so that's true but this time you're wrong," he said, hoping she would believe the lie.
"no way! Tell me, or I'm leaving," she threatened. There was no way she was gonna leave. This was the most fun she had in months.
"Okay, fine! I wanna sing you a song."
"What song?" she asked, smiling. He was always the type to express feeling through music.
"A new one. You probably haven't heard it. It's called 'make it right'," he admitted, not meeting her eyes.
"I know it," she said, smiling. She had been hoping it was for her, but she couldn't be sure.
"Stalker," he teased.
"No way! It was on the radio while I happened to be listening."
"Nope. You're a stalker."
She laughed. "There's just no winning with you is there?" she asked, sitting up and placing her feet on the ground.
"No. I always win, you know that," he said, smirking and sitting up beside her. She giggled and he smiled, looking into her eyes. She smiled a little, leaning a little closer. He leaned in, their lips almost touching, when the door burst open and Demi and Joe walked in.
".!" Demi screeched like a teen fan girl. Miley jumped up and hugged Demi, then Joe as Nick slumped back in the seat. He had been so close. So close.
Joe bit his lip, shooting his brother an apologetic look.
"We interrupted something, right?" Demi said, wincing a little.
"No, no! Me and Nick were just catching up, come on, sit down, I haven't seen you guys in forever!" Miley said, causing Nick to curse silently. Looks like his chance was gone.
Miley and Nick didn't have one minute alone after that. Miley wanted to meet everyone. I mean Nick loved talking to her, but he really just wanted them to be alone. He felt like he blew his chance.
Miley ended up staying for the show, and sat on the balcony, with other VIPs and agents and media etc. She didn't bother wearing a disguise, because she was gonna see she was here to see everbody. Demi was her best girl friend after all.
At the very end, Nick took the microphone and the other cleared the stage, moving to the back. "I um...I..I played this song for the first time a few nights ago, and it's called 'Make it Right' and I uh...I want to sing it again. It's...it's special, and uh..personal to me. It's dedicated to somebody special," he glanced up at where Miley was sitting and tried to meet her eyes, before singing the song. He kept his eyes away from her until the end, and then looked up as everybody cheered. She was gone. His heart sank. She left? obviously. She obviously only wanted him as a friend. Now he really fucked it all up.
"I know this isn't what I wanted," he heard his favourite voice in the world sing from behind him. He turned around instantly, and saw Miley, walking out onto the stage, holding a microphone. His jaw dropped. There was silence in the whole room for a split second, before the crowd went crazy.
"Never though it'd come this far," she continued, smiling at his expression. "Just thinking back to how we started...and how we lost all that we are," she said, reaching him and looking into his eyes.
He stumbled back to mike and grabbed it, looking back into her eyes. There was no music, but nobody cared. This moment was perfect. "We were young and times were easy. and I can see it's not the same. I'm standing here but you don't see me. I'd give it all for that to change," he sang, glad he was able to sing it automatically. He gazed into her eyes, totally lost in the moment.
They continued to sing the song, just staring into each other's eyes.
"Yeah...before the...storm," they finished together, engrossed in each other's eyes. It was like they weren't even on stage. Nick's heart was beating so fast for this girl. The girl he had loved since he was fourteen. Also the same girl he loved more than anything right now. Acting on instinct, he dropped his microphone, wrapped one of his arms around her slim waist and kissed her passionately, pressing his lips against her familiar ones, many happy memories coming back. But none of the past mattered. The storm had passed, and everything was good again. Everything was right.
She pushed him away, knowing he was gonna regret kissing her at a Disney concert, but winked at him with the eye that was not visible from anybody in the crowd.
He smiled at her. She was perfect. He knew he done it. He had made it right.