A/N: I tried uploading this right away, so I hope you guys like it. It's more of a chapter focusing on the 'relationships' instead of the reality of the murder and stuff like that. Sorry, if not much Niley has happened recently, but I feel like this story is so much more than just another love story. But don't worry. Their time will come. The rise of their relationship is starting in this chapter.

I also just wanted to thank a few people who really helped with this chapter. One was my reviewers. I love reading what you think, and it really pushed me to write this next chapter faster. Second, I wanted to thank two people who I have never met but one day want to.

While writing this chapter, the song Stay by Nick Jonas inspired me so so much. I must have listened to it 6 times in just writing this one chapter. It's such a beautiful song. Another song I was listening to while writing this is Fell In Love Without You (Acoustic Version) by Motion City Soundtrack. This band, which I had just recently discovered, is amazing. This song is amazing. It really had a major impact on this chapter. So while reading this chapter or after or before, I really suggest you check out those two songs.

Thanks for reading, I love you guys. 3

May 16th, 2009 (11: 48 A.M.)

"Hey," a deep voice interrupted me as I was about to walk out of Cinematography class. I turned around and smiled as I saw the familiar face.

"Hey… Snort?" I raised an eyebrow teasing him. He raised his hand as if wanting to say something, but he lost the courage just a few moments after. I eyed him curiously and grinned. "Sorry about the guys that other day. They can be…"

"Rude?"

"Nah," I shook my head. "More like assholes." That seemed to strike a chord in him as his face brightened up actually amused. When he smiled, he actually wasn't that bad. He might have desperately needed a haircut, and a wardrobe change from his oversized shirts, but I didn't really carry about any of that anyway. As far as I know, he was nice and I felt comfortable. I couldn't just ignore him, because of the way he looked.

Or the fact that Liam told me to stay away from him…

"It's fine though," he interrupted my thoughts. "I've kinda got used to the nickname Snort. It's not too bad. Kinda even has a slight ring to it," he grinned sarcastically. It almost looked confident for a second, before his gaze dropped back to his overused sneakers. Well, at least I knew what to work on with this kid.

"I guess you can say that, but you really shouldn't let those guys treat you that way."

"There's really not much that I can do," he explained sheepishly as if he had said this to himself thousands and thousands of times again. I walked closer, ignoring the fact that Liam was probably waiting outside class for me.

"Those guys aren't as tough as you think. Trust me. I've had to spent a lot of time with them."

"Well, thank god you're not like them."

I raised an eyebrow. "I'm taking that as a compliment."

Snort blushed. I could easily tell he wasn't used to talking to girls, let alone complimenting one. Since he didn't seem like he had anything to say, I turned back around to go to lunch, but something else stopped me. "Wait. Did you want something? When you called me over?" I suddenly remembered as I turned around again.

He shuffled his feet a little unsure. "Oh yeah, um.. .well.. um… you see, I know that you're kinda um… struggling with this class and all, so I wanted to um.. help. You know.. um.. "

"Yes. I'd love for you to help me with all this reel stuff," I finally finished for him. I hated seeing him so insecure and nervous, but I had to admit, it was pretty funny.

"Seriously?" he asked, his eyes wide with a mix of anticipation and bewilderment. He looked like I just asked him to have my babies. I let out a small smile knowing that I had made him happy.

"Yup." As I walked back outside, I turned around one more time. "And maybe while we're at it, I'll teach you some socializing skills?" I asked teasing him. He blushed, and I sighed seeing that he wasn't offended, but rather intrigued by the idea. After giving a final wave, I exited the room and found myself back into Liam's safe and familiar arms.

"Hey," I mumbled as I tip toed to kiss him. He still reeked from sweat from football practice this morning, but I didn't really mind. "What? No shower?" I nudged him. He smirked and wrapped me in a huge hug as he pushed his sweat covered body all over me.

"So mature, Liam," I laughed as I snaked out of his arms.

"You know you love me," he grinned as he finally just wrapped an arm around my shoulder. I leaned my head onto his chest and intertwined my fingers through his.

"I know," I whispered wondering if I should tell him about the plans I had made with Snort. It wasn't that big a deal. I definitely wasn't into the kid that way, but I knew how Liam would react. He already warned me twice to stay away from him. Hearing that we were spending more time with each other would only worsen his temper. Not that it was easily flared, but sometimes there were just those rare moments where he could get dangerous.

Plus, cheating on Liam was probably the last thing I would ever do. EVER. He was perfect, absolutely perfect. I didn't need anything else or anyone else. He was all I needed.

"You're so cute when you're thinking," Liam whispered as he kissed my hair, sending shivers down my back. Even after a year of dating, every small touch still affected me in huge ways.

"You're so cute in general," I joked nudging him with my hip. He laughed before morphing his face to look mock offended.

"God, Miles. I think some of my masculinity points just went down."

"Masculinity points?" I laughed as we approached the cafeteria. Liam kissed my hair chuckling as we walked into the cafeteria, hand in hand, just the way it was supposed to be.

April 20th, 2010 3: 24 P.M. {Present- Day}

I fixed my gaze on my blank ceiling as I counted the small chips here and there. I was lying on my back with my blankets and pillows tangled around me in a heap, just like the way they had been the last few days. Mom had called me in sick for the next few days, even though the only proof I had to give her was a slight head- ache which she couldn't really test for. But she took the excuse anyway, knowing that what I was hiding was my own secret to keep.

Despite the fact that I didn't have to see Selena or Patrick or Demi or Joe or Nick or anyone, I couldn't help but feel even worse. I felt broken. Like I didn't know what to do anymore. Like I was stuck not knowing which way to go, not forward, not even back.

My 'sickness' also luckily kept Detective Wilden away. He had come back last night, but my mom sent him away saying I wasn't sick enough. I could hear him mumble a few words here and there before finally leaving again, leaving the door slamming behind him.

My phone vibrated on the side table next to my bed once again. Silently, I picked it up, not even bothering to look at the caller. I didn't want to talk to anyone right now, except one person. But that person was gone. I could never talk to him again, and it was all my fault. I prepared myself to push back tears, but nothing came. Like I had run out…

Like I was too numb.

I threw my cellphone across the room and I watched as it slammed into the walls and shattered into pieces. Still, I felt nothing. The slightest feeling that erupted was frustration. I was frustrated that I was hurting people, frustrated that I was so caught up in this mess, frustrated that I couldn't tell the truth, frustrated that Liam wasn't here, frustrated that I couldn't feel anything for any of this.

Breaking my thoughts, the doorbell rang from downstairs. I buried myself deeper into my thick canopy of blankets, trying to get as far away from reality as possible. I wasn't ready to face anyone.

But even after minutes of silence and no response, the stranger in front of the door was determined to keep on ringing. Groaning, I pulled myself out of bed, wanting to stop the head- ache which was once building in my head once again. I had to bite my lip from screaming out at whoever was at the front door, but a crash stopped me.

Someone had broken through the window.

I stood at the foot of the stairs frozen. I felt my chest tighten as a face popped into my mind.

Patrick.

I looked around for a weapon, but I couldn't get hold of anything. I wanted to scream, but I knew no one would hear me. I wanted to run back upstairs and back into the safety of my covers, but my fear froze my feet to the ground. The footsteps suddenly grew closer and closer as they echoed through the living room hallway. I felt my heart beating in my chest in a pace that was faster than normal, and my ears were pulsing with fear. I thought about closing my eyes, but by the time the stranger showed their face, I was already in their arms.

"Nick?" I asked confused as he swooped me in for an embrace. His eyes were filled with worry, and I could feel his chest heave in a deep exhale as if he had been holding his breath for a long long time. "What… what are you doing here?" I asked completely dazed.

"Are you okay?" he asked finally letting me go to get a closer examination. Confused, I pushed him away.

"Answer my question. And… did… did you just break into my house?" I asked baffled as I ran into the living room to see one of the windows completely shattered. I turned back towards him, but that seemed to be the least of his concern.

"Did Patrick hurt you?" he asked putting my face in between his strong hands. A tingle ran through my spine from the sensation of his touch, but my confusion passed through it.

"Patrick?"

Nick's eyes seemed to snap with more rationality. "I.. I just assumed from the mall and you running out and not coming to school the last few days."

"I'm sick," I explained even though it was a complete lie. Nick seemed to notice also as he stood there unmoving, not accepting my answer.

"What's going on? Why won't you come to school? Or work?"

I shook my head, and looked down. "It's too complicated."

He stood even closer, close enough for me to smell the light scent of cologne and sun. "Then let's take it step by step again. Just like before."

I stayed silent so he decided to start off. "It has something to do with Patrick doesn't it?"

"Partly," I answered in almost a whisper.

"What else then?"

"I'm being questioned," I finally sighed, trying to calm my breathing. It wasn't only from the fact that it made me nervous to remember that I was being watched, but also that Nick had stepped even closer. My fingers brushed his for just a second. "They think I killed Liam."

Nick didn't say anything, but I could see something flash in his eyes. Shock. Maybe even fear.

"I didn't kill him," I finally whispered as I blinked back the still non- existent tears. I felt a slight tugging in my chest, but the numbness was still there. It was like a brick wall blocking my heart from my mind. It was destroying me.

Nick leaned forward to lean his forehead on mine, so close that our lips were almost touching. "I believe you. I always believed you."

"But—"

Nick cut me off. "Liam was my best friend. I knew him more than anyone else. He loved you. He trusted you. He isn't the kind of person who would just give that away to someone who he knew wouldn't keep it."

He looked back at me through those beautiful chocolate brown eyes, and I was so tempted to lean forward and kiss him again, but doubt stopped me.

"Why were you ignoring me the last few days?" I asked nervously. I had always wondered, but I was always just too scared to ask. Or my pride was pushing the idea away.

"Because," he sighed as if wanting to forget it had ever happened. "I was stressed out from everything that was going on. Patrick, and you, and me, and that night… And I kinda figured out that I kinda liked you." His voice had been brought down to a whisper as he said the last part. I stood there frozen trying to take in his words.

"Wait. You were mad at me because you LIKED me?"

"Miley—"

"So this whole time, you had feelings for me, but you made me feel like I was a complete jerk to your or something? Like I had hurt you in some way?"

"Miley—"

"I cannot believe you can be that selfish! You were ignoring me and leaving me alone because you had feelings for me because I somehow attracted you? Well, what if I liked you too? Did you ever think of-"

"Miley!" Nick finally screamed exasperated. I brought my gaze to level out with his. For a second, I thought he really looked angry. He was close enough to hurt me, and I couldn't help but shake as he opened his mouth to say something else.

"Just stop talking," he whispered tenderly as he brought his lips towards mine. It was a soft and gentle kiss that was building and building over time. His hands wove through my hair, and I moved even closer deepening the kiss. I couldn't help but fall into his arms as he wrapped them around me tighter, not breaking the kiss for a single moment.

I pulled away suddenly, trying to calm my breath. I took a step back, and I could see the transformation of confusion pass through Nick's face as I lengthened the distance between us.

"I'm sorry," I whispered not being able to meet his eyes. "I can't do this." I was still panting from the kiss that was fresh on my lips.

"Do what?" Nick asked thoroughly confused. He looked so innocent with his curls falling on his forehead and his wide chocolate brown eyes just staring at me.

"I can't be with you, Nick," I explained slowly, trying to figure out my words, as if I had no idea what I was about to say either. Nick opened his mouth as if to say something back, but he seemed to have run out of words. Finally, he came out with one.

"Why?"

I crossed my arms over my chest as if not trusting myself, and held my breath. "Because this is wrong. You're Liam's best friend. He wouldn't want this."

"He would have wanted you happy. He would have wanted you to move on."

" No," I shook my head. "He wouldn't want me to let go. He loved me."

"That's exactly why."

"Nick," I said softly. "We just can't do this. It… Liam wouldn't—"

"Liam is gone, Miley," Nick raised his voice frustrated. "Liam is gone, and it's about time you accepted it and moved on. I know you still love him. Trust me, I know it way too well, but it doesn't mean that you can't be happy. It…. It doesn't mean that you can't fall in love with someone else."

Liam is gone… Liam is gone….

His words echoed in my head for a few moments as I looked back at him. Suddenly, something inside of me snapped. "Get out."

"Miley," he walked forward apologetically. His eyes softened, looking truly hurt, causing me to almost bite back my words and tell him that I loved him, because I honestly think I did… But by then it was too late.

"Mi," Nick finally said again causing me to flinch. He had used Liam's old nickname. My mind traced back to all the times he had called me that. When he tried to make me laugh, when he tried to tease me, when he tried to tell me to drop the gun…

"LEAVE." My voice had gotten cold and hard, and I could see Nick stiffen as he heard the words come out of my mouth. As if understanding that I actually meant it, he turned around to go, looking back once as if wondering if there was any way to make this all better. I wish there was a way too, but there were just too much tangled in one place to find one. I had turned around by the time he had closed the door letting the slight click of the lock echo in my chest.

I looked to the right and saw the shattered window that Nick had broken. I couldn't help but collapse next to the heap of shattered glass, and feel something in my chest tighten. Memories of sitting here with Liam on a rainy day, writing messages to each other on the encrypted fog, and sitting under layers and layers of blankets together filled my mind.

I missed him. I missed him so so much that it almost pained me not to cry. I was tired of being angry. I was tired of being sad. But I couldn't help it. I loved him. I loved him with everything in me, and he wasn't here anymore. There were so much left unsaid, so much left undone. He was supposed to grow up and become someone great, and I was supposed to be there standing next to him through everything.

He wasn't supposed to die. It wasn't his time. Not yet.

Finally, I found the courage in me to pick up the shattered pieces of glass in my hand, one by one, ignoring the cuts and small drops of blood forming from picking them up by my bare hands. The jagged pieces resting in my cupped hands, I walked over to the trash can in the kitchen and dropped the shattered pieces in, watching them tumble down one by one.

I looked at the cuts the glass had made on my hand, but I didn't wipe the blood off. Instead, I just went back to the spot I had once been sitting before, right next to where the glass had once been. Now, they were just pieces of something that had once been whole. Something that once had a purpose. Eventually, they would be transported somewhere else, get dumped in some isolated area with other pieces of what used to be something, wait and wait and wait, and after what felt like forever, they would be recycled and used again; a new beginning.

And finally, after sitting there staring at the empty spot on the floor where the glass had once been, the numbness faded, and I began to cry.

February 6th, 2009 (8:24 P.M.)

Nothing had ever felt to right. I wrapped my arms around Liam even tighter, and sighed as I felt the heat radiating from his body push on mine. I knew I didn't need the blankets on top of me, but he suggested it anyway. It was a rainy Saturday and Liam and I decided to stay in instead of going out like we usually did. We were sitting on my living room cuddled together next to a huge glass window where we watched the rain fall. I reached over a few inches from me and grabbed for my mug of hot chocolate that Liam had brought over earlier. I burned my tongue a little after the first few sips, but the pain subsided and I snuggled myself over to Liam once again.

"So, what do you think of my cooking skills?" he teased referring to the hot chocolate.

"Needs some work, but you've got some potential," I teased back. He chuckled softly and kissed the top of my head.

"Do you ever wonder about growing old with each other?" Liam asked slowly. I felt his fingers intertwine with mine underneath the blankets.

"Yeah, do you?"

"Definitely," he smiled as if he had been thinking about it for awhile now. "I picture you all gray and hunched over in your cane, and me still being good- looking and—"

"Liam," I punched his shoulder laughing. He continued anyway with a small smile on his face.

"And we're going to be sitting somewhere on the porch of our two story house drinking tea or whatever old people drink…"

"Hot chocolate," I interrupted taking another sip from mine, and Liam grinned.

"Yeah. Hot chocolate, and our grandkids would visit us every weekend, and I'd teach them how to play football, and you can teach them how to paint," he kissed my forehead as he saw the growing smile on my face. I loved imagining myself with Liam in 50 years. That he would always be there next to me as we grew up.

"I always wanted to be one of those couples who sat at the dinner table and asked each other how their days were," I grinned, leaning my head on his chest. His arms tightened around me instantly.

"Yeah. And then you would complain about how much of an asshole your boss is, and I would nod and make- fun of him until I got you to laugh."

"Exactly," I smiled, closing my eyes, letting the picture settle in my head. "And we would bicker about who would take out the trash and who would wash the dishes."

"And then make- up…" Liam smirked as he kissed my hair

"And then make- up," I grinned .as I looked up to kiss him. Finally, after pulling away he took a moment to look at me.

"If I ever asked you to marry me, would you say yes?" he asked, squeezing my hand, and I couldn't help but feel warmth radiate through my body.

"Liam… I'm only 16—"

"I know," he kissed my fingers, and I couldn't help but shiver. It wasn't from the cold either. "But if I did ask you, would you do it?"

I sighed resting my forehead on his. "Of course. You already know that." A small smile crept on his lips, and I felt something rise in my chest. "Just not right now."

"I know," he said, his smile fading for just a second. "I just… I just love you so much."

"I love you too," I smiled as I pressed my lips softly on his. Finally, I pushed myself away and bit my lip. "After graduation."

"What?"

"After graduation," I repeated slowly. "I'll say yes then." I watched as Liam took in my words. His face transformed from confusion then to realization then to happiness then to so much more. He didn't do anything, but wrap his arms around me and stroke my hair.

For the rest of the night, we outlined the words on the mist- covered window over and over again until we ran out of room, and had to wait until a new layer of mist covered our past words. I smiled seeing the pattern of words written in every space and corner of the glass window; some in my smooth cursive handwriting, and some in Liam's bold thick letters. We looked over our work smiling as we read the three words over and over again.

"I love you," Liam finally read aloud.

"I love you," I repeated not looking at the window at all, but watching him the entire time.