A/N: Hey everyone! I know I've been out of it lately, but writer's block has taken over me. And that's it, really. I know I make a lot of excuses, but I have plenty of time. This time, though, I'm just trying to fight off writer's block. But thanks to everyone's fantastic reviews, I'm writing this chapter. So, this is for all of you. In a way, you make me run when I don't even want to get up and walk. That's the best way I can put it, besides repeatedly telling you all how great you are like a broken record. So, I'll shut up with my ranting and let you read the story and enjoy!

Thanks to .Life, bdwy411, LINAxx, morgiecorgie, bbymojo, peaceloveejonas, bebe098, Italiagirl, Gilmorecrazed2010, and oddball15 for reviewing!

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

That could quite possibly the best sleep I've gotten in, well, a year.

We weren't back together or anything. It's not like I was going to wake up, run down the hall, burst through his door and start making out. Actually, I'm not sure I'd do that to anyone. Ever.

Anyways, last night lifted such a great weight off my shoulders, I felt lighter physically and mentally. I had held this grudge for so long, and I honestly thought I had more will-power than I apparently do. Caving that quickly wasn't like me and I even surprised myself when I was suddenly nudging Nick in the shin to wake up. It was so uncharacteristic of me that I wasn't quite sure what to think.

But if I know one thing, it's that I'm pretty happy we're on friendly terms. It will take a while before I'm ready to go out with him again, if that point ever even comes. My heart had been broken and I'd slowly but surely pieced back together again, one shattered piece at a time. I'd cleared the fog and it felt like some dreaded thunderstorm had finally passed and the rainbow peeked out, a sure sign that good things were coming. The hard times were over, for now. Things were changing for the better.

Just like a few days earlier, I woke up with the sun shining brightly through the window, the light breeze ruffling my curtains every now and then. The blue walls reflected a calming light, calming me. The peach laundry detergent smelled even better than a few days ago and I heard birds chirping outside. It was really like the skies had cleared and it was truly a brand new day.

I slid out of bed, turning my iPod player off before skipping towards the door, the extra spring in my step clearly evident. This time, I knew what was waiting for me down stairs and I was oddly at peace with it. I heard the multiple voices and the sweet smell of Grandpa's world-famous banana pancakes. Yum.

At the last few steps of the stairs, I hopped down and striked a pose for the fun of it. "Good morning!" I greeted everyone, kissing my grandfather on the cheek and ruffling Miley's hair, much to her displeasure. Grandpa, Joe, and Miley all stared at me oddly as I scooped up some fruit and a few pancakes, confusion etched in their features. I pulled up a stool at the counter right in the middle of the two teen heartthrobs and Joe cocked an eyebrow.

"Isn't somebody in a rather pleasant mood this morning," Miley said, cramming a forkful of pancakes in her mouth.

I grinned ear to ear. I was on cloud nine this morning. I guess the truth really can set you free. I stole a glance at Nick and we shared a secret smile, both cheerful at the new truce. Even when I had first came down the stairs, I caught Nate with a satisfied smile painted on his lips before he even saw me.

Joe saw the secret exchange. "What happened last night? You two seem to be on pretty good terms for being at each other's throats lass than twelve hours ago. Now you're all happy go lucky," Joe poured some more maple syrup on his pancakes. "What gives?"

"Nothing, really, Nick replied, taking a sip from his glass of orange juice, "we just had a change of heart. That's all."

I smiled. If he had said that I'd sneaked in to his room at two in the morning, Miley would have pounced on me with question after question not even bothering to pull me aside. Well, she's probably gonna pull me aside anyways to get the full story, but still.

I grabbed the syrup from Joe, drenching my pancakes in the sticky stuff. Mmm . . . can you imagine how amazing these would taste with some whipped cream on top? Oh, and chocolate syrup . . .

"Lilly!" All three of my friends shouted I shot my head up.

"Yeah? What?" I looked down to see what they were all staring at. Oops. The plate was overflowing with syrup and Miley, Joe, and Nick were all staring at me like I'd lost my mind. And maybe I had. After all, I didn't get that much sleep last night. "My bad," I said, smiling apologetically at Grandpa, who just laughed and shook his head before turning back to the newspaper. "I'll get the sponge."

After that was all cleaned up, we just sat there and ate our breakfasts peacefully for the first time in days. Joe and Miley continued to eye Nick and me skeptically, but we shrugged it off each time. I knew they would hound us for the true story eventually, but I'm keeping my lips zipped until then.

And as if that wasn't a big enough clue that something was going on, Nick wouldn't stop smiling. Like, ever. No matter what we said, a grin was on his face, and apparently it intended to stay there for the rest of the day. Fine by me. As long as we don't go back to being at each other's throats, I'm good.

I rinsed off my plate and placed it in the dishwasher before going upstairs to get ready and changed for the day. And, just as I had suspected, Miley cornered me in the hall before I even had a chance to make it to my room. I tried to walk around her and I was surprised when she let me go, but rolled my eyes when she walked close behind me.

I rolled my eyes, "Miley, what do you want?"

"The truth," she said, a small smile painted on her lips. "I know more happened than you and Nick are saying. I just want to know what," she stated, plopping herself down on my bed, staring up at me expectantly. I just looked at her, hoping she'd be the first to turn away. She wasn't.

"Fine, I'll tell you," I surrendered, sitting beside her on my bed. "Well, I felt really, really bad about what I'd said to him and the guilt was eating me alive. And if you're really my best friend, you'll know that I don't deal with guilt well. At all. So there I was, lying in my bed late at night. I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep at all, so I creeped in to Nick's room and apologies. We both said we were wrong and we said we'd try to be friends again. I told him anything more would take some time for me, but he said it was fine. Then we declared truce, shared a hug, he complimented my dorky glasses, and I left. Then I went back to my room and fell asleep."

"That's all?" Miley asked, making sure I wasn't sparing any major details. When I nodded my head, she thought about everything I said, before a grin erupted on her face. "Aww, you two really hugged?"

I smiled. "Yeah, I tried to give him a hand shake, but it was a bit awkward and he said that real friends hugged each other. So, we did." I stood up and walked over to my closet, picking out some clothes for the day. I felt like wearing purple. So, a purple tank top and white board shorts is what I chose. Just as Miley was leaving my room so I could change, Joe walked through.

"Sorry, I know you were probably going to get dressed, but Nick wanted me to tell you that he wants to talk to you." He looked at me with a grin on his face. Apparently smiles really are contagious, because lately everyone's got one. "He told me what happened last night. That's . . . fantastic."

"Why are you so happy? I mean, it must be good that your good friend and your brother aren't at each other's throats anymore, but that grin is just too wide. What gives?"

"Listen," he said, sitting on the floor in the middle of my room. If I hadn't seen him do it, I probably would have tripped on him when I went to set my clothes on my bed. "This is going to sound so incredibly corny and lame, but you should know what I think. I haven't told anyone, but I'm sure we're all thinking it."

I sat down next to him, considering he sounded serious, though the smile was still planted on his face. "Okay, spill," I ordered, leaning in to hear him.

"Honestly, after you and Nick broke up, he hasn't been the same. That smile on his face this morning at breakfast? That was the biggest I've seen it in a long time. And even though he dated other people while you two were apart, he knew no one could measure up to you. We hated the girls, my whole family did, and the only reason we didn't say anything was because he still wasn't over you. I've seen a lot of girls come and go throughout his life, but you're the only one that left a mark. And, quite frankly, I think . . . I think you're the one. I don't really believe in soul mates, but you two are meant to be together. And just like you see in all those romantic comedies, I'll be the best friend literally pulling the rug out from under you, trying to get you to fall in his arms. I know you two are perfect together. And so does everyone else."

I sat there, open mouthed, at a loss for words. Did he really feel that way? No, it can't be. "Wait, does everyone feel this way?" I stuttered, still trying to fully grasp what he had said.

"Like I said, I haven't told anyone, but I've heard them talking about it. Everyone agrees with me. I think even your grandfather can see the sparks." Joe stood up, satisfied with his confession. Dusting off his pants, he pointed to my clothes. "So, yeah, I just thought you should know. I'll let you finish getting ready, and Nick is still looking for you," he said, drumming his fingers on the doorframe for a few seconds before leaving, closing the door behind him.

I dressed myself in silence. No music playing, no weird conversations with myself, no wondering what's for lunch. I just replayed Joe's speech in my head over and over again. It was eternally stuck on repeat in my mind, and I knew it would never go away. When I was done, I walked out of my room and in to Nick's, where he was sitting on the bed, staring at something in his hands.

I rapped my knuckles on the door lightly, and he jerked his head to see who it was, smiling when his eyes landed on me. He sat the thing aside and silently motioned for me to join him on the bed. I sat down on the bed, one leg hanging over. It was a growing habit of mine. I looked at him with furrowed brows.

"So, Joe said you wanted to see me?" I fiddled my necklace around anxiously.

"Yeah, I do." Nick took a deep breath and locked his eyes with mine. His hands found their way to whatever it was he was looking at before, and he held it out in front of him. It was a black and white picture of the day we spent at the theme park. He arm was wrapped tightly around my waist and my arm was coiled around his back until our hands were intertwined. I was wearing the bracelet he'd made for me and he was wearing a homemade diabetes dog tag. I was laughing, smiling straight at the camera, and he was staring at me, his killer smile boring in to my skin.

I smiled for the hundredth time that day, running my fingers over the glass, the memory playing like I movie in my mind. "Remember that day?" he asked, still looking at me.

"Yeah, I do," I said. My eyes were starting to water and I hoped he wasn't going to throw all of our happy memories at me. If he did, he had better be prepared for the waterworks that would follow.

"That's my favorite picture of us, and one of my favorite memories. I remember we went on that one water ride and were drenched by the time the ride was over. My hair looked like a wet poodle," he laughed. I handed the picture to him and he set it on the bedside table delicately.

"So what did you want talk to me for? I have the same picture stored in my digital camera, so that can't be why you called me in here," I stopped toying around t=with the necklace and tapped my hand nervously.

"I love you," he said, not even taking the signature deep breath before you say something big like that. My breath caught in my throat. What was going on today? Something must have been in the air, because everyone was saying that Nick and I were meant to be.

I must have looked like a deer caught in the headlights, because he quickly regained his composure and started talking again. "I honestly don't think I ever stopped. And, I know we said we were just going to stay friends, but I want to be so much more than that, Lilly. I know you might not feel the same way now, but you will. I won't stop trying to make you mine again, I can promise you that. I'll give anything but up. We'll be together again by the end of this summer, I can feel it."

For the second time in an hour, I was speechless. First Miley was ogling over the take I had with Nick, then Joe said Nick and I were a perfect match, and now even Nick was trying to win me back? Seriously, is there something in the water that's making everyone act this way?

"You too? Oh, wow, today is just not my day," I breathed, standing up and heading towards the door, where I'm sure Joe and Miley had their ears pressed to the up against it.

"Stop!" he said, and I jumped. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you, I just have to ask you something." I crossed my arms and tapped my foot, waiting for him to continue. "If you're really over me," he looked at my chest, "then why are you wearing the necklace I gave you on our one year anniversary?"

I looked down and saw the heart shaped necklace I'd stumbled upon in my room just before we'd left for this place. The little red gem was still propped up in the corner, and realization dawned on me. The little necklace collecting dust in some random box was actually a box of things Nick had given me. And, it turns out, this was another thing I hadn't returned. And as much as it pained me that this was yet another reminder of what could have been, I couldn't part from it. I had a connection to it, and I didn't want to lose that.

"Wait, you gave this to me?" I held it in my hand, my fingers tracing the small silver heart. "I just found it in my closet the day we drove up here and liked it, so I put it on," I told him, not mentioning that I hadn't taken it off since. "It's really nice and, now that I think about it, I remember the day you gave it to me." I looked at him, and I saw some sadness in his eyes. He was probably hoping for a different answer. "But thanks again, it's beautiful. I love it," I said, before turning to the door again, reaching for the handle.

"Lilly," he said, his voice much quieter. He grabbed my hand, and I could feel his calloused fingertips on my skin, rough from years of playing the guitar. "I meant what I said. I really do love you, and I'll do anything it takes to win you over."

Then he let go of my hand, opened the door for me, and laid back on his bed, facing the ceiling. And after what had just happened, I wanted to think, too. I wanted to sort my thoughts and feelings, and figure out if Joe and Nick really meant what they told me. I turned the corner, not surprised to find that Joe and Miley had fled the scene, making it seem as if they hadn't listened to every word of the conversation I'd just had.

But most of all, out of everything I wanted to do, there was one thing in particular. I wanted to shake this feeling. It was small, but the idea of it scared me. It was the worst thing that could have happened to me right now. My stomach was in knots, and I walked in my room and sat against the wall. I hated to admit it, but it was that truth.

When Nick touched me, butterflies erupted in my stomach and I felt sparks the moment his hand touched mine.

Oh, crap. I was falling for him again.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Sorry for the insanely long wait! No, really, I am. I tried to make this chapter extra fluffy just for you guys. It's also longer than most chapters, so I hope that makes up for everything, though I know it doesn't even come close. Writer's block has taken over, but I want to continue the story, I really do. Don't forget to virtually slap me upside the head next time I take this long to update! Seriously, do it! Also, I'm open for ideas, if any of you have them. This chapter's probably loaded with grammar errors, considering I only skimmed through it in an attempt to get this out quicker. And I'm sorry if it seemed like Lily forgave Nick too quickly, and I'm sorry if the story seems to be moving too slowly or quickly, but writer's block sucks, so I try to get things done well, the way I want them to. So I'll stop my rambling here and let you guys lash out on me for taking so long. Have fun!

Parakeet17

PS: Don't forget to leave a review! You're all incredibly amazing!