A/N: Oh my god. I can't believe I haven't written anything for this story in three years. I guess I lost some inspiration. But no worries! I will finish it!
Sorry..
Everyone was hanging around when Anna and Carlos decided to return. With their hands clasped tightly together, mostly to keep Carlos from bouncing off the walls, Anna cleared her throat to the attention of the five other teens. "Guys, we have an announcement to make."
"She kissed me!" Carlos shouted in excitement. He could hardly contain himself, resulting in fidgety movements in his hands and legs.
Kendall smiled a bit smugly in the new couple's direction. "Well, finally."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Anna inquired of the blond with a raised eyebrow. A look of confusion completed the face.
Katie hopped down from her seat at the counter, closing her laptop and tucking it under her arm. "We were taking bets on when the two of you would get together."
"And I just won the pool!" James said victoriously, pumping his fist in the air with a huge grin on his face. "So, I have you guys to thank for that."
Naomi groaned while she stood by the sink rinsing off some dishes. "Yeah, thanks a lot, Anna. Now, I just lost 50 bucks to James. You couldn't have waited one more week?"
"Serves you right." She stuck her tongue out at her younger sister; Naomi just rolled her eyes and continued on with what she was doing.
Anna laughed and pulled Carlos over to the couch, dropping down onto the cushions to watch the hockey game that was playing on the TV. Kendall looked over to the couple seated beside him with a sad expression. He sighed and stood to his feet, muttering a quiet, "I'll be in my room," before he walked down the hall, closing the door to his room behind him.
Naomi watched him leave with the same facial expression Kendall wore himself. Without saying a word to anyone, she slipped on her sandals and disappeared out of the apartment. She couldn't handle being the reason the love of her life wouldn't smile. It was killing her. Eating her from the inside. And she already knows what James would say to her.
"You're the one stopping anything from happening between you and Kendall. And you have the power to fix that. Just be with him. I know you want too."
She sighed, leaning her back against the wall. "It's not that simple, Jamie."
"Babygirl, you're the one making this complicated. Nobody else has any control over you and what you do with your life."
Back in the apartment, James glanced to the front door that Naomi had left out of, then back down the hall where Kendall had disappeared. He struggled for a few moments on who to chase after before deciding to just go talk to the blond.
James made his way down the hall and knocked lightly on the bedroom door before opening it and closing it behind him. "You wanna talk, buddy?"
Kendall looked up from his desk to look over at the brunet. "No." Plain and simple, but it spoke volumes.
He immediately went back to whatever he was working on, James couldn't tell over his shoulder. "Please, don't shut me out?" He was pleading with his friend, but he would do whatever it took. Desperate times called for desperate measures. The brunet moved to sit on the edge of the other boy's bed, watching him intently.
"What exactly do you want me to say?" James' eyes widened slightly at the snap, but he kept his mouth shut hoping the blond would continue. "That I'm jealous of Carlos because he gets the girl he loves? Well, I am. Do you want me to say this sucks? It does." Kendall shook his head a little, his blond hair moving in front of his eyes. "It's not fair. I'm trying so hard to win Naomi back, and it's all for nothing."
Now, it was James' turn to shake his head. "That's not true. Naomi loves you."
Kendall laughed a little bitterly at that. "Right. She sure has a way of showing it. Like I told you last night, I'm done. I can't take this pain anymore."
James dropped his head, and sighed softly. "I just don't think you should give up yet."
"And why is that?"
Looking back up into the blond's green eyes, James did his best to sound convincing. "Because I just know you shouldn't. Trust me on this. I wouldn't lie to you."
Kendall dropped his gaze. "I don't know, Jamie. I just don't think I can do this anymore. You don't know how much this hurts. It's the worst damn feeling in the world. I wanna punch the guy who said, 'It's better to have loved then lost, than to have never loved at all,' because it's the biggest lie in the history of forever."
James could do nothing but nod his head in sympathy.
"Just.. let it go." Kendall turned back to his desk, letting the brunet know the conversation was over, and there would be no more discussion.
He sighed and stood to make his way out of the room. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, turning back to face Kendall a moment before leaving the blond behind to wallow in his misery.
~BTR~BTR~BTR~BTR~ BTR~BTR~
"And this is the studio where the guys record their music." Kelly lead the way into the room while the teens followed behind her, Naomi and Anna making up the front seeing as the tour was for their benefit.
Naomi looked around the room and walked over to the grand piano in the corner of the room, running her hand over the glossy black top. She lost focus on what Kelly was telling her about what the guys had done in there as the need to sit and play the piano overtook her. She noticed the rest of the group leave the room, Kelly happily chatting about the guy's accomplishments. With a smile, she took a seat on the bench in front of the keys, and lightly played a few notes. Situating herself properly, the way she was taught, she placed her hands back on the keys and began playing a soft melody.
What she didn't know was Kendall had walked back into the room to find where she had gotten off to, and stopped when he heard the music drifting from the room. He smiled, when he heard her start to sing.
"Something always brings me back to you. It never takes too long. No matter what I say or do, I'll still feel you here 'til the moment I'm gone. You hold me without touch. You keep me without chains. I never wanted anything so much. Than to drown in your love and not feel your rain." The look he saw on Naomi's face might have literally broken his heart. She looked so torn. Like the words she sang held so much meaning.
"Set me free, leave me be. I don't wanna fall another moment into your gravity. Here I am, and I stand so tall, just the way I'm supposed to be. But you're onto me and all over me."
That's when it really hit him. The way she sang with passion. There could only be one thing she was singing about.
"You loved me cause I'm fragile, when I thought that I was strong. But you touch me for a little while, and all my fragile strength is gone. Set me free, leave me be. I don't wanna fall another moment into your gravity. Here I am, and I stand so tall, just the way I'm supposed to be. But you're onto me and all over me."
She had to be singing about her feelings towards him. It explained so much. Why she fought it, and pushed him away. He now understood.
"I live here on my knees as I try to make you see that you're everything I need here on the ground. But you're neither friend nor foe, though I can't seem to let you go. The one thing that I still know is that you're keeping me down... You're keeping me down."
He knew what he had to do. He wouldn't give up. Not now. He had too much on the line to stop now. He was getting Naomi back if it was the last thing he would ever do.
"You're on to me, on to me and all over. Something always brings me back to you; it never takes too long..."
As the final words came out of her mouth, Kendall slipped out of the room; a plan was already running through his mind.
~BTR~BTR~BTR~BTR~ BTR~BTR~
"You don't think this is too over the top?" Kendall asked James as he straightened the bow tie around his neck then fastened the button of his suit jacket.
James was grinning from ear to ear. "Dude, this plan is perfect. She won't be able to resist you in this suit. Trust me."
Kendall let out a small sigh, and silently nodded his head.
"Now, just be at the ice rink at 5, and we'll handle getting her there. Got it?" James stared him in the eyes, resting his hands on his shoulders.
"Got it. 5 o'clock." Kendall nodded in answer.
James grinned even wider, and clapped him on the shoulder before moving around him, heading for the doorway. "And don't worry. You look perfect." Then he was out the door.
Kendall looked in the mirror, giving himself a silent pep talk. You got this, Knight. He took a deep breath before he turned on his heel to head to the downtown ice rink, and get everything ready.
~BTR~BTR~BTR~BTR~ BTR~BTR~
Naomi huffed in irritation as she sat in the front of the car with James. "Why are you being so pushy to play hockey? I just wanted to hang out by the pool today. Be lazy."
"We haven't played in a while. It'll be fun, I texted the others to meet us there. We're going to get the old rivalry back up and running." James couldn't keep the grin off his face. He just knew Kendall's plan would surely work this time.
"Fine," she sighs out in response. "But you owe me a pool day."
James just laughed a little. "Deal, Baby Girl."
A few minutes before five, he pulled into the parking lot and cut the engine. He pulled out his cell phone when he felt it vibrate against his thigh.
Everything is in place. Thanks for all your help. ~K
He grins at the message and puts the phone down. "Alright, let's head inside." He gets out of the car at the same time as Naomi, before faking being upset. "Oh, damnit. I forgot my hockey gear at the hotel. I'll just run and get it. The others should be here already. Just tell them what happened."
She rolls her eyes at his words. "I swear you'd leave your head at home if it wasn't attached." With a sigh, she heads inside the indoor ice rink, looking around for the others.
As she walks further inside, she can hear music coming from one of the rinks. She recognizes it as the song she was singing just this morning at the studio tour. Her eyes widen in realization when she concludes that someone had been listening to her. And she could just bet who it was…
She follows the music to the empty rink. Empty, except for… "Hello, Naomi." Kendall.
She sucks in a breath as she takes in the sight of him. He looks absolutely breathtaking. "Kendall... what's going on?"
As she walks closer, to where he stands, he holds out a hand for her, which she hesitantly takes. "We're going to skate." He pulls her over to a bench, where he already has two sets of skates waiting for them.
When they have them on, he takes her hand again and leads her onto the ice. They skate a few moments before he stops them in the center of the ice. He stands directly in front of her, looking down into her beautiful hazel eyes.
"Why are you doing this?" She asks softly, breaking their moment of silence. "What are you trying to prove? That I still have feelings for you?"
"I know you have feelings for me. And don't try to say otherwise." He says to stop her almost immediate response. She closes her mouth as he continues. "Naomi, you and me are perfect together. I know you see that. It's time to stop fighting this. What we have is special."
She shakes her head lightly. "Kendall, I can't do this."
He puts his finger against her lips to silence her. "You can do this. You're the only girl I want. And you want me too." She just lets out a small sigh at his words. "You know, I promised you something once. On an ice rink just like this. You remember?" When she nods, he smiles. "I said I would never let you go. And I plan on keeping that promise. Because I love you."
A small gasp leaves Naomi's lips the instant he utters those words. "You love me?"
"I do. More than anything in this world."
Before anymore words are able to be spoken, Naomi throws her arms around Kendall's neck, and kisses him deeply, the end of the song playing out over the speakers. "Something always brings me back to you. It never takes too long."
"I love you too," she says when she breaks the kiss for air, a smile pulling at the corners of her lips.