A/N: Bahaha. Cliffhangers these days. This is all Miley's POV. Review!

"You Said You Loved Me"
- A Niley fic, chapter ten, "Actions Speak Louder Than Words"

It only took my brain about half a second to process what was going on. All I remembered was opening the door, anticipating that there'd be pizza waiting for me, and the next thing I knew, I was pressed against my kitchen wall, and lips were clashed against mine. On instinct, I freed my hands from Nick's grasp and pushed him off, hard enough for his back to hit my kitchen counter top. His face was flushed, as well as mine. We didn't speak for a moment. He cleared his throat, and looked down.

"What the hell?" I said, letting my hands hit my thighs.

"I did it," he whispered, his eyes stuck on the floor. His face expression looked shocked, happy, and worried at the same time. My eyebrows furrowed and I kept the confused look on my face. "I did it," he repeated, looking up at me.

"You did what?"

"Ended it. I ended my relationship with Julianna. I did it," his eyes went back to the floor. He looked overwhelmed. Like he just accomplished his life long goal. My heart was rattling, shaking, jumping. Wait, what did he just say? Did he say he actually dumped his girlfriend? I didn't know whether I wanted to jump up and down from relief, or scream. Here came the toying with the emotions. Again.

Before I fall,
Too fast,
Kiss me quick,
But make it last.
So I can see how badly this will hurt me when you say goodbye.

"Why... why?" I asked, my eyes scanning everything. I didn't know what to say. He had broken up with his girlfriend. But why? He suddenly looked at me with such a intense, understanding care, and I felt my heart slam into my chest. He didn't. Did he? By the look on his face, I knew why he had did it. Rather who he'd done it for. Me. Nick dumped his girlfriend for me? I couldn't speak.

"Miley," he breathed, inching closer and closer to me. I wanted to move. I wanted to push him away. I wanted to yell at him. But I couldn't. I stood there. Mouth agape, eyes slightly widened. I found myself blinking repeatedly. "Say something," he pleaded. His eyes never leaving mine. I suddenly looked up at him, and of all things, I slapped him. Right across the mouth. Hard enough for him to wince in pain, and hold the corner of his mouth with his hand.

Keep it sweet,
Keep it slow,
Let the future pass, and don't let go.
But tonight I could fall too soon into this beautiful, moonlight.

"I can't believe you!" I yelled, placing my hand across my forehead, pacing up and down. "You left your girlfriend... for me? I'm sorry to hear that, Nick. But guess what? We are done. We were over the day you left me for another girl. A girl who you claimed to be in..." I got choked up. I could feel the tears welling in the back of my eyes. No. He wasn't going to break me again. Not again. Not ever. No one hurts Miley Stewart more than once. No one.

"Miley, you don't understand," he said, putting up his hands in defense. "I never loved her."

I scoffed, and looked at him like he had five heads. "Liar."

"I'm serious!" His voice echoed through my house. I could hear the disturbed barking of my Yorkies. But that didn't matter. What mattered was that Nick just told me he'd left me for a girl... who he actually didn't love. Smooth.

"Well I guess you never loved me, either," I heard myself say. His face twisted into something weird. Something non sweet. Something that totally wasn't Nick. Who was this person? Did he hate me? Did he dislike me that much that he had to come in my house and tell me how much he didn't love me or his ex? This wasn't the Nick I knew.

"That is not true," he said through his teeth. "I do love you, Miley. You need to listen to me."

"Why should I? So I can take you back and let you win? I don't think so. I'm not your plaything anymore, Nicholas." He seemed just as surprised as me. I never said his full first name. Ever. But I had to get my point across.

"The only reason I ever left you was because I was afraid of falling for you. But it was too late, anyways. I'd already broken the promise I had made to myself... I didn't want to, but I had to let you go Miley, please understand it," he said, his eyes pleading. I held back my tears. Not breaking. Not breaking!

But you're so hypnotizing,
You've got me laughing while I sing,
You've got me smiling in my sleep.
And I can see this unraveling, your love is where I'm falling,
But please don't catch me.

"If you were so afraid of falling in love with me, then why did you even lead me on?" I said, tears staining my face. My voice broke. Cracked. Shattered. I was broken, cracked, and shattered. He'd done it once again. He broke me. And my heart was already on overdrive. Tears were flowing freely, and I could tell by the hurt in his eyes that he wanted to slowly brush them away. But I knew he wouldn't. He wouldn't want to see me break down in his arms.

"Because," he started, "I couldn't help it. You're beautiful, and funny, and sweet, and amazing to be around. I couldn't help but fall in love with you. And I still am. Can't you see that? I've never ever poured my heart out to any other girl, Miley. I've never told any other girl I loved her with true meaning like I did with you, Miley. I swear."

I didn't know what to say. And the fact that I was choked up didn't help.

"You... you confuse me," was all I could muster. "Do you know how much pain you've caused me? How much stress?"

Silence.

"Do you?!" I repeated, my eyes flooding.

"Yes," he said. When he looked up, his eyes were red. His cheeks were flushed and tear stained. Suddenly, I felt the urge to wrap my arms around him, and just tell him, "I forgive you." But... it wasn't so easy. I had to be mad. I had to make him suffer. Just like I had.

See this heart won't settle down.
Like a child running, scared from a clown.
I'm terrified of what you do.
My stomach screams just when I look at you.

He needed to scream, shout, cry, break down, blurt, cuss, scratch, claw, and bite. He needed to hurt everyone in his family, he needed to become a completely different Nick. A more depressed, sad Nick. He couldn't be happy because I never was. He needed to switch emotions with me. He needed to feel how badly he broke my heart, and how badly he broke his own. I couldn't, no matter how much I didn't want to, let him get away with the pain he caused me.

But then I remembered. His words: "I love you." They kept replaying, rewinding, and replaying again.

Oh, gosh, Nick. Why do you do this to me?

Run far away so I can breathe.
Even though you're far from suffocating me.
I can't set my hopes too high 'cause every hello ends with a goodbye.

But here he was, in front of me, his eyes drowning in tears. Was he already feeling hurt?

"Nick... why did you really come here?"

He looked up. "To obviously make a fool of myself. I wasn't expecting you to take me back, I was just hoping that you would listen to what I had to say, is all. I needed you to know that I care for you. And I'm madly in love with you. I made the biggest and most awful mistake leaving you." He sniffed. "I wish I could take it back, I really do. But I know that's impossible. And it's not like I can just erase the pain I've caused you."

I looked down. "Right..."

"But I haven't been happy lately. The night I left you I stayed up all night, thinking about what I did. I wanted to take it back, but... I was afraid of calling you. Afraid that I'd say something incredibly stupid. And plus, you hated me," he clarified, sighing.

"I never hated you. If I hated you, did you think you'd still be here, talking to me? The whole reason I'm so choked up about this is because I still love you, Nick... but maybe..."

"No," he said.

"What?"

"Don't say we're not going to work. Just don't say anything."

But you're so hypnotizing,
You've got me laughing while I sing,
You've got me smiling in my sleep.
And I can see this unraveling,
Your love is where I'm falling.
But please don't catch me.

So now you see why I'm scared.
I can't open up my heart without a care.
But here I go.
It's what I feel.

And for the first time in my life I know it's real...

Emotions rattled. Again. "Leave," I said. "Leave me alone, Nick. Please."

He sniffed and wiped his nose, blinking, letting the last of his tears fall. My heart ached. This wasn't supposed to be happening. This was not how I planned my life. I was supposed to fall in love with a Prince, and live happily ever after. Nick was my Prince Charming. He was supposed to sweep me off my feet, and love me forever. But due to the current scene in my kitchen, I didn't know what he was. Or what I was.

Suddenly, I didn't feel like Miley Stewart anymore. I felt like my mom. Overworked, depressed, and vulnerable. I wanted all the pain to go away. I needed it to. It was like a never ending stomach ache. That just wouldn't go away, until it was cured.

And he was my medicine.

But you're so hypnotizing,
You've got me laughing while I sing,

You've got me smiling in my sleep.
And I can see this unraveling,
Your love is where I'm falling.

So please don't catch me.

If this is love, please don't break me.

"Fine," came his reply. "If you don't ever want to see me again... I understand."

And as quick as he came, he was gone.

I felt my knees give up on me, forcing me to sink down to my cold, hard kicthen floor. I let my back hit the fridge and I held my breath.

What just happened?

I'm giving up, so just... catch me.

A/N: AHH! I think this was the best chapter yet. PLEASE review. :)