Disclaimer: Based on real events, but some things are made up to help the story. Slight AU. Goes in a different direction.
Chapter 10 - May 20th, 2017
"We're like fire and rain. You can drive me insane, but I can't stay mad at you for anything. We're Venus and Mars. We're like different stars. But you're the harmony to every song I sing. And I wouldn't change a thing." - Excerpt from Wouldn't Change A Thing, Demi Lovato and Joe Jonas
"I know you told me nothing bad is going on, but I can't help but think the worst."
Miley looked up, amused. "Seriously?"
They were currently lounging in Demi's room. Demi was sitting in a comfortable chair, and Miley was laying down, stomach to the bed, with her legs dangling up in the chair. There was a soft music playing in the background, creating a comfortable feel, and the curtains were drawn back to let in the sunlight. It felt warm and nice in the room. Just hanging out with Miley was awesome.
There was a certain sparkle in Miley's eyes, and Demi wondered what on earth was going on... Miley's face was so open and happy and even slightly mischievous. Begging would certainly get Demi absolutely nowhere. Demi switched tactics. Then, she noticed that Miley was staring at her necklace. Demi blushed. Sure, the necklace was very conspicuous, but Miley had seen it before.
Suddenly, Demi's phone chimed with a text. She pulled it out, and Miley glanced at her curiously. Demi felt a silly smile grace her lips as she saw it was from Joe: you + me tomorrow at 6? Demi grinned and texted her answer: wouldn't miss it for the world. She was rewarded with a winking face from Joe. Demi looked up to see Miley's amused face. "What?" Demi said defensively, shoving her phone in her pocket.
Miley laughed. "That was Joe, wasn't it?"
Demi froze. "How did you know?" she demanded. "Do you have some sort of mind-reading ability you've never told me?"
Miley laughed again. "No. But it was obvious." Miley gestured. "Your eyes lit up a little more, and judging by your knowing smile, I'm correct." Miley propped her elbows up, resting her chin the palm of her hand. Miley's blue eyes gleamed, and Demi was momentarily distracted as a patch of sunlight flitted around Miley, making the blonde strands of her hair glow in angelic brilliance and further defining the deep natural brown tresses. "So, what'd he say?" Miley prompted.
"Well, he just told me that we have a date tomorrow at six," Demi elaborated, and Demi was slightly surprised at how much Miley's eyes lit up. Literally, her blue irises seemed to glow. "I'm lucky he didn't just drop an impromptu date on me, so I have at least this one day." Judging by the gleam in Miley's eyes, Demi's best friend obviously wanted to help. "Wanna help me pick out an outfit?" Demi inquired lightly, wondering for an excruciating moment if she would be able to weasel something out of her friend.
But Demi reconsidered. After all, if Joe had something really special planned, she would just have to wait until tomorrow. And Demi loved her surprises.
"Of course!" Miley said, eyes sparkling. Her gaze landed on Demi's necklace again. "You should wear that necklace," Miley suggested, smiling. "Well, you always do, but..." Miley blushed. "Hmm, maybe something white?" Miley frowned a little. "No, also something red..." Demi wondered if she was just imagining it, but Miley's voice was slightly teasing. "Both!" Miley declared.
Demi laughed. "God, you seem more excited about my date than I do," Demi teased.
Miley grinned mischievously. "Nah. I just want you to tell me exactly how Joe looks when you enter the room looking drop-dead gorgeous."
"So red and white," Demi mused. Demi frowned, slightly worried. "Should it be fancy?"
"Maybe with a classy, casual feel?" Miley suggested.
"That would be nice," Demi admitted, trying to figure out exactly what she should be expecting. Would Joe have a whole firework display or something? Demi smiled at the thought of her boyfriend running around to get the fireworks to go off at the exact time. Demi glanced at her closet. "I don't know if I have anything that'll match, to be honest. I rarely check my closet. Like, seriously."
Miley raised a brow. "Really?"
"It's, like, a disaster in there," Demi said, pointing. "Just a mess. I only go in it for special occasions—but usually I'll just buy something. As it is, I had a really short notice, so I guess I'll just have to find something, right?" Demi sighed and stared at her closet, despaired. Miley laughed. Some friend, Demi thought darkly. "You don't believe me?" Demi said, crossing her arms.
Miley sat up on the bed. "Let's see your worst," she said, amused.
"Don't say I didn't warn you," Demi warned.
"Come on. It can't be that—"
Miley stared, eyes wide and mouth open.
Demi didn't blame her. Clothes were spilling out of the closet, and they were just a mess of colors. Demi wasn't even sure how she got all of them to fit in the closet—never mind how big the closet was—in the first place. It was like some sort of clothes volcano that just exploded. Demi scratched the back of her neck, feeling embarrassed. She tried not to show it.
"Speechless now, aren't you?" Demi said.
Miley gaped. "This—this is... What?" Miley was at an utter loss for words.
Demi was torn between feeling smug and embarrassed. Miley accessed the closet again, eyes wide. She was still shaking her head with disbelief, muttering something that sounded like impossible. Demi swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to smile. It came out more like a grimace, but Demi didn't think that Miley could pay much attention to anything except for her closet.
Miley shut her mouth and turned to Demi. "Wow. This is worst than Nick's," Miley mused.
Demi blushed. "Hey, are you going to help me or not?"
Love Will Find A Way
If you told Miley that she would help organize her best friend's closet for two hours, she wouldn't believe you.
As it was...well...sort of.
It had taken a little more than two hours for the whole process to happen. Miley wasn't a neat freak like Nick—no offense to neat freaks—but she was absolutely scandalized by the mess Demi liked to call her closet—and that was saying something. Miley had folded every single article of clothing—the ones that could be folded, that was—and she had set them in color-coded piles as Demi helped her with a sort of embarrassed expression on her face.
Now, Miley was finally pleased—sort of.
"I'm never cleaning this again, so don't mess it up," Miley warned.
Demi shot her a half-sheepish, half-grateful smile. "Thanks, Miles." It was the tone Demi used when she was trying to sound sarcastic but really wasn't. Demi strode over to the dresses that hung on the hangers. She fingered a white one. She shot Miley a rueful look. "Do you think that it'll work if I just add some random red things to my outfit if I wear this one?"
Miley ran her fingers over the smooth fabric of the dress, a slight smile growing on her face. It was a beautiful lacy sort of dress, with long white elegant sleeves and a skirt that seemed to hit the knees. Miley felt her smile growing. It was rather like the things she wore these days. "It's a beautiful dress," Miley admitted. "You could totally make it work. Try it on," Miley urged, handing it over to Demi.
"Okay," Demi said, grinning the grin that made her entire face light up. "Feel free to look through my jewelry boxes."
"Tell me it's not a mess," Miley begged.
Demi smiled wryly. "I can't tell you that." And Demi headed inside her closet.
Miley glanced at the jewelry boxes and randomly opened one. She saw clusters of jewels and rings and other nonsense things. Miley stepped back, eyes wide, from the box. She opened another box to see a lot of ribbons, each with different lengths and colors. Miley picked up a crimson-colored ribbon. It was long, sleek, and smooth. Miley hid a smile as the closet door opened.
Demi stepped out, dressed in the stunning ivory dress. It fit Demi's petite figure perfectly, and Miley shot her a thumbs up. Miley stepped forward and tied the scarlet ribbon around Demi's waist, making a neat—inasmuch as 'neat' could be—bow at the back. Miley stepped back to admire Demi. Demi's necklace matched the outfit. Miley wondered if Demi should wear some ribbons in her hair...
"How is it?" Demi asked, in a rare show of nervousness.
Miley smiled. "The outfit is pretty, Demi, but you are beautiful. Joe will be swept away." It was ironic, how Demi could find the perfect outfit in just a few minutes—sorting out the closet didn't count—yet Joe took ages on finding the perfect ring. Miley hid a smile. Demi had a knowing glint in her eyes, as if she knew what Miley was thinking about—maybe not exactly but still.
"Thank you, Miley," Demi said gratefully. Then, she added, "Shoes, too."
Miley grinned. "Of course. You probably want something comfortable."
"Not if they don't look amazing with this outfit!"
Miley raised a brow. "So you would kill your feet just for...looking good?"
"Of course! Wouldn't you?"
Miley shook her head ruefully. "I just don't get you sometimes..."
Love Will Find A Way
"WHAT?! You're thinking about BACKING OUT?!"
Joe stared at Nick, eyes wide. "What? No! Why would you think that?"
Nick crossed his arms. "Excuse me if I think 'I think this is going way too fast' is you considering about not asking for Demi's hand in marriage," Nick said. Joe almost felt like laughing, but Nick must've realized that because his deathly glare intensified by, oh, about a million times. Jeez, why did Nick keep doing that? It was like he had a specific glare just for Joe!
"I was talking about your horrible driving skills," Joe clarified.
"I knew it," Nick huffed. The rest of the sentence seemed to sink in a moment later. "Of course I—WAIT, what did you call my driving?!"
Joe cleared his throat uncomfortably as Nick nearly crashed into a few cars. "That just proves my point," Joe muttered under his breath. Nick shot him a sharp look, and Joe pretended that he didn't notice it. "So," Joe said conversationally, welcoming a change of the subject and fully aware that Nick was half-watching him distrustfully, "has Miley been taking those dream-killers you gave her?"
Nick froze. "Dream-killers? I didn't give her any dream-killers."
"The pills?" Joe clarified, shaking his head at Nick's obvious cluelessness. "The ones that supposedly kill dreams."
Nick relaxed. "God, Joe, can you please not phrase things like that? And..." Nick's gaze wen distant. "I don't think she takes them, to be honest."
Joe raised a brow. "Oh," Joe said snarkily. "But that's not like Miley at all!" Sarcasm dripped off his voice.
Nick snorted. "She doesn't take about her dreams a lot. It's sort of frustrating, but—" The car nearly rode off the lane, and Nick quickly gripped the steering wheel, twisting it sharply. He quickly stopped the car, parking it. Joe shot a confused look at his brother, who had a slight frown on his face.
"Nick? Are you okay?" Joe said quietly, concerned.
"Yeah," Nick muttered.
"Your body isn't acting up, right?" Joe inquired. Nick had Type 2 Diabetes, and that always caused everyone to worry about him. Then, Nick nodded like nothing had happened. Nick handed Joe a piece of paper, and Joe raised a brow, staring at the piece of paper. It clicked a moment later. "Oh. Directions for a store that—oh! For some camera equipment!" Joe laughed.
Nick shot him a dry look. "Yes, for some camera equipment."
They arrived at the place. Joe had no experience with cameras, and he was sure that Nick didn't have much experience either. But either Joe didn't know his brother as much as he thought, or Nick had researched the best quality cameras because Nick knew exactly what camera to get. Joe stared, scandalized, as Nick bought the camera. He smirked and said, "Think of it as a sort of gift to celebrate you proposing to Demi."
Joe rolled his eyes. "Thanks," he added with a slight rueful tone.
"No problem," Nick said.
Nick drove Joe back home before leaving with a perpetual smirk on his face. Joe entered his house—Nick had promised him that he'd wake up early to set up the camera and everything to have Joe's approval. Nick would set up the camera and see if Joe could find it—and if Joe couldn't, then Nick was successful. But with all the busy undergrowth, Joe was pretty sure it was pretty easy to hide something—even something as big as the camera.
Joe took a deep breath, heart racing. This was it then. Tomorrow, he was actually going to propose to Demi... The thought seemed so surreal to him. Then, Joe got a text. He picked up his phone and glanced at it, grinning. It was from Miley: Dude, your girlfriend looks stunning. Ugh, I can't wait to see your reaction when you see her. I stopped by your house, you weren't there.
Joe laughed and dialed Miley's number. She picked up almost immediately. Joe laughed. "Were you waiting for me?"
There was a scoff. "No. I was talking to Nick, so generally, I was still holding my phone."
"We got a camera," Joe said smugly. Some of his smugness faltered. "Well, technically, your boyfriend picked it out—I just sort of...watched him pick it out. But hey, it seemed sturdy enough! Looks like he's good for something!"
Miley laughed. "Nick's good at a lot of things, Joe." There was a lengthy pause. "And he's not my boyfriend."
Joe smiled. "Yeah, well, wouldn't it be cool if you two got together on the day I proposed to Demi?" Joe said, only half-joking. In truth, he was really amused by the tempting prospect. It would be nice to tell his children: "I proposed to your mother the day your mother's best friend got together with my brother." A campfire classic. The thought was a marvel.
Miley laughed lightly. "Ha ha, but I wouldn't want to steal Demi's spotlight."
"No," Joe said, smiling. "She would be so happy for you."
"Oh, I have no doubt about that. But the aftermath would be messy. Like, the day after that, once she's done being happy and celebrating and everything, I bet she'll be screaming in my ear... At best, she'll be okay with it." There was a shaky laugh. "But I don't know... You can probably still tell your children a different story, you know?" Miley teased, and Joe wondered for an excruciating moment if Miley had some sort of mind-reading skill he never knew about.
"Like what?" Joe joked. "Kids, May 21st was a very special day. I proposed to your mother on that day, and that led a good friend of ours Miley and my brother Nick to realize that they were meant for each other. I mean, everyone knew it—of course, the two idiots were way in over their heads but finally made things official. We celebrate that day by lighting fireworks and everything. Miley and Nick always thank us—"
"Woah now, I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself," Miley said sharply.
"Am I? Am I really, Miley?" Joe teased.
Miley groaned and complained, "Yes, of course! You're always doing things like this!" There was another pause, and Joe wondered what Miley was thinking of. "But the celebrating with fireworks thing was pretty cool," she added slyly. Joe grinned. Trust Miley to pick out his words and make a snazzy comment about them. "I bet Nick would be really cliche and propose on June 11th, though."
Joe smirked. "Aha! So you do think you'll end up with Nick!"
Joe was sure that Miley was blushing. "What? What makes you think that? No. Psh, no..." Typical Miley.
"Well, I'll catch you later, Miley," Joe told her.
"Cya."
Joe took a deep breath. Tomorrow was going to be a big day. He could hardly believe he was actually going to do it. After all those nervous nights and planning, he was really going to do it. It had taken some courage to actually voice the words—even to his close friends and family. He was sure he wanted Demi to be by his side for the rest of his hopefully long and healthy life. After all that hard work, he was really going to do it...
And he would do it all over again for Demi in a heartbeat.
QotD: Have you ever been to a wedding?
#Yes. ;)
A/N: Hey, it's Darky! Well, there you have it! The date when Joe's going to propose! That chapter's going to be uploaded on Wednesday! Lately, I've been writing this chapter on Saturday/Sunday and then writing the next chapter on Monday/Tuesday. School is almost over, so the work load is pretty light, and I have more time to write. Haha, if I spent less time wasting my life playing mindless games on the internet, maybe I could write both chapters in one day. Eh, too much work.
If I wanted to do work, I'd go to guitar class every day or something!
And did anyone see the OneLoveManchester thing? So sweet. I was actually listening to the radio when Ariana called Miley up on the stage, and they sang Don't Dream, It's Over. OMG! I was freaking out! And then, when I got on the computer, I immediately went to the live-stream to check it out! So sweet! They hugged so many times! My heart goes out to everyone affected the bombing in Manchester. If only we could avoid these atrocious things...
Review your answer to the QotD! Tell me your thoughts? I appreciate it though you don't need to. But who doesn't love reviews? ;)
- Darky