alright here is part 3 of 4......hope you like it! (this is the longest of the 4 chapters)
if anyone is confused, just PM me and ill explain.
Disclaimer: Nope. Still don't own anything.
For the past 3 hours, they have been reconnecting. Yet, its seems like the two were never apart. It was as if she still lived in his house. It was as if they were still a couple.
They had spent the afternoon watching favorite movies and reminiscing about years past. Currently, they were curled up on his couch with various types of sugar free junk food on the table before them.
"Do you remember the night you met my dad? I think we were 15. You were so scared," she said, trying to keep a straight face.
"I was not! I was just pretending to be nervous. "I'm an actor, that's what I do"," he retaliated, quoting one of her lines from her old TV show.
He laughed as she rolled her eyes at him and he looked at the clock. 3:30. They had a half an hour until they had to leave.
"I'm going to go change, and then we'll leave, yeah?" he said, and she nodded.
They both made their way upstairs into his bedroom. He disappeared into the bathroom, leaving her to get changed in peace. She didn't have any other clothes besides the ones she wore last night, so she decided to make do with what she could. She stole one of his white button down shirts from his closet and threw her black belt over that, cinching it at her waist. She put the same jeans on that she wore last night and her black Uggs. Just as she was finishing getting dressed, he emerged from the bathroom, wearing a grey button down and tight black jeans. His hair was slightly tousled, and she could just smell a hint of aftershave mixed with his cologne.
She breezed past him and into the bathroom where she found her toothbrush from forever ago and his gel that she knew he kept hidden. Squirting a palmful into her hand, she ran the gel through her hair, scrunching every so often. Soon enough, her hair was curly and thick. She brushed her teeth, then looked at the woman in the mirror staring back at her.
The woman in the mirror was not who she was. This woman was pale and thin. There was no glow to her almost white skin. She lost all her muscle. You could see her ribs underneath her shirt. Her eyes no longer held that sparkle. She looked unhealthy. And truthfully? The woman in the mirror scared the hell out of the woman standing in the bathroom. She did not want him to see her like this anymore. She vowed to get her life back on track, and get the other one out of her life. As her eyes traced over her body in the mirror, she noticed shadows of bruises and faint imprints of hands from him hitting her. Her hand came up and touched the thick Band-Aid that was on her neck. The skin felt tender to the touch. As she stood in front of the vanity, she didn't notice him come in asking, "Are you ready--?" He stopped short as she stood there motionless. She was mesmerized with what the other one had done to her and her life. She was amazed that she had put up with everything the way she did. He made to stand behind her and placed his hand over top hers that was on her neck.
"There was a pretty bad cut there, but don't worry. I cleaned it up."
She turned around so that she was facing him, her arms going around his neck, his arms dropping to her waist.
"I know I shouldn't be doing this," he said, "but at the same time, it feels so right." she finished.
They both leaned in and their lips met in the middle in a sweet, sinful kiss. A kiss neither of them had experienced since being with each other. A kiss filled with love, sadness, guilt, and passion.
They pulled away when the need for air became necessary, smiling. "Can I ask you something?" she said.
"Anything."
"Will you help me get my life back together? I don't want you to see me like this anymore."
He pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek. "I'll do anything for you. I told you that more than 5 years ago and I still mean it today."
He smiled and took her hand. "Come on. We're gong to be late."
She smiled. "Let's not keep Mama G. waiting." He smiled at the nickname she had given his mother.
As they walked down the stairs, he realized that he wanted to grab something to bring to his mothers.
"Wait here, I'll be right back. I forgot to get something."
She looked at him in bewilderment, but he bolted up the stairs two at a time. He went to his nightstand drawer, and found what he was looking for. Tucking it into his pocket, he went back downstairs and found her exactly where she was before.
As they walked out to his car, he realized that she had one of his button down shirts on.
"Nice shirt, by the way," he said, smirking.
"Well, would you rather me go naked? And besides, my shirt smelled like hard liquor. It made me sick."
They drove to his parents house in a comfortable silence; there was really no need for talking.
When they got to his parents house, she took a minute to remember all the good times she had here. She was pulled out of her mind when he rang the doorbell.
His mother pulled open the door. "Miley! How nice to see you, honey. It has been way too long." she engulfed her a much needed hug.
He just stood there, watching her and his mother interact. "Gee, thanks Mom, glad to know I'm welcome here as well," he said teasingly, and his mother let go of her and embraced him.
"Oh, don't be silly, Nicholas, you know I love you just as much."
As they walked through the house, she caught glimpses of pictures from years past.
"Now, Miley, what happened to you, darling? Nicholas said that something had come up, and that you needed his help," his mother said, as they settled themselves in the family room.
"Denise, if you don't mind, I would like to tell everyone at the same time. I think it would be better for me and for everyone to hear it from me. I'll just tell you that I'm going to need your help filing divorce papers." (Denise is a lawyer in this fic)
"Of course sweetie, I think you are quite right. The others should be here in a few minutes."
They both followed his mother into the kitchen where they helped her with whatever else needed to be done for dinner. He tossed together a Caesar salad while she helped set the table. The door opened and in walked his eldest brother with his wife and son. Paul Kevin Grey II was very polished, quiet and reserved. His wife, Danielle, was just the opposite. The two had been childhood neighbors and friends and started dating about 8 years ago. Their son, David, was 3 years old.
"Miley! What a pleasant surprise. I wasn't expecting you here," the eldest said, as he gave her a hug that she missed receiving.
"Hey, Kev, I missed you too."
"Miley, it's been a while, how are you?" Danielle said, giving the girl a hug as well. The two had become close while each was dating their respective brother.
"Um, at the moment, not alright, but I'll be better. I'll explain before dinner." Danielle gave her a puzzled look, but at a glance from her brother-in-law she dropped the subject.
The front door opened again and in walked the middle brother with his wife, Lilly. Joseph Adam Grey was known as "Danger" in his teen years, but since then has grown up and become quite a gentleman. His wife, Lilly, was his best friend for 13 years before they started dating. Lilly, coincidently, was very good friends with her when they stared together in her TV show. The two lost touch after she married him.
"Miley! I've missed you!" the middle brother exclaimed, as he engulfed her in one of his classic bear hugs.
"Joe, I love you to death, but kinda can't breathe." she said, and he instantly let go.
"Miley, you look terrible, what happened to you?" Lilly pressed as the two girls exchanged hugs, and she said, "let's go into the family room. I have something to tell you all."
As everyone else exchanged greetings, she sat down on the couch next to the youngest brother, and immediately the other two sat down on either side of her, the middle one on her right side.
"Miley, honey, you don't have to tell us everything that happened. It's alright if there is something you don't want to say."
"No it's okay. I need to tell you everything so you can understand everything."
She took a deep breath, and the youngest reached for her hand. The middle brother did the same thing, and the eldest rested a hand on her thigh.
"I got married to Jake Ryan about a year ago. We dated for six months before he asked me to marry him. I was hoping against hope that he would heal my broken heart, but I figured out not too long after my marriage that my heart would never be fixed by him. Things were alright with us. He went away often to film movies, and I was left to clean his house and be his little trophy wife." Her tone was laced with bitterness. "But I cried myself to sleep every night. I was not happy at all. Once, he accused me of cheating on him because he had seen a picture of me standing next to someone in a store. The person had bumped into me and dropped his purchase. I helped him gather his things and the paparazzi snapped a picture just as our hands touched. I retaliated against him by bringing up the various women he had been having affairs with during filming. That was when he started hitting me. He abused me verbally and physically. He told me he wanted me thinner, so I started skipping meals. Anything I did was not enough." She looked over to Lilly and Danielle; their eyes were glassy with tears.
"Last night, he came home drunk and started kissing me roughly. Then he proceeded to throw a vase at me, which I avoided, and then he started hitting me again. I away ran from him to our bathroom and locked the door. My wedding ring fell off as I opened the window. I escaped out the window and ran to Nick's house. I woke him up by knocking on his balcony door before collapsing in his arms, sobbing." Her eyes had filled with tears; it was hard recollecting the memory when it was so raw and fresh in her mind. She had been concentrating on trying to forget what happened, but doing that, she knew, would be a temporary Band-Aid on something that would leave an everlasting imprint.
He and his brothers had placed their arms around the broken woman sitting with them.
He picked up the story from here.
"I took her into my room and just held her while she cried. It was around 1 a.m. when she stopped crying. I convinced her to stay at my house and sleep there. There was no way in hell, excuse my French, Mom, that I was letting her go back to where he was. I want to keep her away from him as long as possible. I finally fell asleep around 2:30 in the morning and woke up around 9:30. She asked me how she got to be at my house, and I told her everything. Then she told me what had caused her to run away from her husband. We were looking through old photo albums and just remembering the good times. She showered, and then she made breakfast while I showered. I cancelled lunch today," he looked at his brothers, "because I wanted to know what had happened to her and why. I hope you can forgive me."
"Don't worry about it. This was more important than lunch with us. We understand, right Joe?"
"Absolutely, little bro. We'll just reschedule."
Lilly chimed in. "Miley, if your wedding ring fell off, then what ring is that on your hand?"
She looked down at her left hand, then looked up at him. He nodded, his eyes telling her it was okay to tell the truth.
"This ring actually belongs to Nick. He gave it to me earlier today. We didn't tell you this because we thought that everyone, including Mama G., would be disappointed in us. 4 years after we started dating, I decided that I was ready to give him my virginity. He was more understanding than anyone I knew, maybe because he kept the same vow, I don't know. But one thing I did know was that I wanted to give myself to him. I remember him repeatedly asking me if I was 100% sure about doing it. And afterwards, I had no regrets. We made it as special as it could possibly be. He even said the same thing. It brought us to another emotional level that we had yet to experience."
She looked around to him, and saw that he, along with everyone else, was looking at her in awe and amazement.
"He had wanted to give me his ring that night, but we both fell asleep and I left early that morning to go record some songs. He said that the ring was 'rightfully mine, and that it did no good for him to live behind a lie.' Which reminds me,"she trailed off, and her hands went to the silver chain around her neck, "this is rightfully yours as well, since it doesn't do any good for me to live behind a lie." She took a ring off the necklace, took his hand and placed it in his palm. Then she closed his fingers around it.
He opened his hand and studied the ring in his palm. True Love Waits was inscribed on the ring, and he realized that this was her own purity ring. Undoing the clasp to his dog tag, he slipped the ring onto the chain and re-clasped the chain. Tucking it under his shirt, he pressed a kiss to her temple, murmuring, "thank you."
His mother stood up. "Well everyone, let's go eat dinner. I don't want everything getting cold." Everyone followed Denise into the dining room and sat at their respective places. He sat next to her, and noticed she was trembling. He didn't bother asking her what was wrong, because he already knew. He could sense that somehow, she thought that he would find her and hurt her because she voiced what had caused her to leave him.
He placed a reassuring hand on her thigh and she instantly calmed down. He leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Come find me after you talk to my mom." Her face brightened up with curiosity, and she gave him a puzzled look. He only smiled and winked.
After dinner was finished, everyone except his mother and her ventured into the living room. Danielle and Lilly offered to do the dishes while their husbands entertained David.
He, other the other hand, went up to his old room where he kept his old guitars, and took one of his acoustic guitars off the stand. He made his way outside to his backyard where he sat on the hammock strung between two honeysuckle trees. He was certain she would find him here, as this spot held tender moments of their previous relationship.
Pulling a pick from his pocket, he started messing around with some chords.
Slowly and silently, she made her way throughout the house, stopping in every place she thought that he would be. No luck. She racked her brain trying to remember the days of her relationship. A sudden thought came to her. She went outside to the backyard, recollecting that the hammock was the first place they had kissed. It was also where he asked her to be his girlfriend, and it was where he told her he loved her.
She silently made her way to the hammock, where she could see the faint silhouette of her only lover. He was lying on the hammock longways, strumming his guitar softly. She sat down on the edge of the hammock, but he did not falter in his playing.
The music changed, and he started playing the first song he ever recorded with his brothers. She recognized the song instantly, and began to hum along. She joined in on the last chorus, and her voice intermingled with his. She knew that this song described exactly what she wanted in life, and he was that person to give it to her.
But I'll be there forever
You will see that it's better
All our hopes and our dreams, they will come true
I will not disappoint you,
I will be right there for you
Till the end, the end of time
Please be mine.
Once he was finished, she held her hand out for the guitar and he silently handed it to her, along with the pick. She strummed a few chords, trying to get the feel of her music back into her body. She didn't play the entire song, just the parts she wanted him to hear.
I remember when we kissed
I still feel it on my lips
The time that you danced with me, with no music playing.
I remember those simple things,
I remember till I cry.
But the one thing I wish I'd forget
The memory I wanna forget
Is Goodbye.
Suddenly, my cell phone's blowing up with your ringtone.
I hesitate but answer it anyway,
You sound so alone.
And I'm surprised to hear you say-ay...
He remembered hearing this song on her CD that was released a month after their breakup. He joined in with her on the last chorus.
You remembered when we kissed
You still feel it on your lips
The time that you danced with me, with no music playing.
You remember the simple things,
We talk till we cry.
You said that your biggest regret
The one thing you wish I'd forget I
s saying Goodbye.
Saying Goodbye, ooh
Goodbye....
As they both hit the last note, they looked straight into each other's eyes. She slowly placed the pick in the top of the strings and laid the guitar on the soft earth beneath them.
"The memory I'd like to forget," she said, "is saying goodbye to you."
"The memory I'd like to cherish forever," he countered, "is last night, when you showed up at my balcony."
"And why that memory?"
"Why? Because God brought you back into my life when I needed it the most. I wasn't planning on telling anyone this, not even my brothers, but I was thinking about ending my life within the next few days. I couldn't handle seeing you with someone else after you were my everything for 5 years. Regardless of whether I was the one who broke your heart, I had broken my own heart a thousand times worse when I let you go. As I watched you walk away from me and out of my life, I had a small glimmer of hope that I would wake up and this would be all a dream. But when I woke up last night and saw you standing there on my balcony, everything that I had been planning was pushed out of my mind. I saw how broken you were, and I knew it was partly because of me. I vowed that night, as I watched you sleep, to never think those thoughts again." His eyes had begun to gloss over with tears.
Her eyes were filled with tears, and she placed her hands on either side of his face.. "If news got out that you had ended your life, I would ended my life as well. You are a part of me, no matter who I dated or who I married. You are my other half, and I wouldn't have it any other way." She pulled him into a slow, meaningful kiss, pouring every emotion she felt towards him into it. She could feel and taste the salty tears that were pouring down his face as well as her own. She pulled away, her hands not leaving his face.
"It probably isn't right for me to be saying this, after deciding that I'm getting a divorce, but I don't think I could keep this in much longer. I'd like to try our relationship again. I don't think I could live without you by my side."
He surprised her by giving her a quick kiss on the lips then getting off the hammock. "What are you doing?" she inquired. He did not say anything, but instead dug around in his pocket for something.
"Something I should have done a long time ago."
10 reviews for epilogue!
xo
