Nick closed his eyes as he lay in his bunk. Adele's album 21 played softly in the background, her voice filling the bus and creating a calm atmosphere.
The door of the bus slammed shut. Nick opened his eyes and looked over to see Demi standing beside his bunk, her hands on her hips and her eyes raging like a fire.
"Can I help you?" he asked tiredly.
"I want a word with you."
"I guessed that, seeing as you're on my tour bus," Nick replied.
Demi rolled her eyes and leaned against the bunks. "Now you tell me exactly want to know and I'll try and make this as painless as possible."
"What do you want, Demi?" he sighed.
"I want to know what's going on between you and Miley, and I want to know it all. We all know that she tends to leave out important details sometimes, so I want to hear it all from you," she demanded.
Nick sat up in his bunk and stared up at her. "I said all that I have to say in my interview. She's my girlfriend and we make each other happy. What else is there to say about it?"
"Where do you two disappear to every night?" she asked.
"We either go out to dinner or something or we chill out on the bus," Nick replied, relaxed.
"How serious is this thing?" Demi continued.
Nick shrugged. "Pretty serious, I guess. Like I said in my interview, it's early days." He sighed and shook his head. "Shouldn't you be asking Miley these questions, Demi? She's your friend. She'll tell you exactly what you want to know."
Demi stared at Nick quietly for a moment. "When you first came to rehearsals, I was so excited, do you know that?"
He looked up with raised eyebrows. "I find that hard to believe."
"I thought that you would be as sweet as you sound in all those songs that you write."
Nick smirked. "You had a crush on me?"
Demi scoffed. "Don't get ahead of yourself, Nicholas. I had a crush on the sensitive guy that wrote all these sincere songs for girls. Miley, of course, told me that I was overreacting. She was certain that you were a bad guy and you couldn't be trusted." She laughed quietly to herself. "Little did I know that everything would work out in reverse and she'd be the one dating you and I'd be the one that doesn't trust you."
"What have you got against me? I make Miley happy."
"And I've read the articles in every single magazine about how you treat women like Miley."
"If you know me so well then tell me. How do I treat girls?"
"We all know that you're only using Miley to get her in to bed. Everybody knows that once you get what you want, you'll dump her like yesterday's Chinese food."
Nick stood up from his bunk and stepped closer to Miley. "You know what, Demi? You don't even know me. What the hell gives you the right to make judgments about me and how I will treat Miley?" he snapped.
Demi stood tall and narrowed her eyes. "I've come across dozens of guys like you."
"The more all of you say 'guys like me', the less I believe that you have a clue what you're talking about," Nick hissed.
"You don't really feel the way that you do about her. Liam told me that he had a conversation with Miley about your relationship, and he seems to think that this thing is getting way too serious," Demi snarled.
Nick threw his arms above his head and groaned. "What the hell does Liam know? He lied to Miley about being married!" he yelled.
"And you kept it from her!" Demi shouted back.
They both stood in silence for a moment, staring at one another. Nick stepped back and looked at the ground. Demi remained where she was, staring him down, waiting for a reaction from him.
"You hurt her once, Nick. How do we know that you won't do it again?"
"I care too much to hurt her," whispered Nick. "Hurting her would hurt me twice as much."
Demi held her head high and walked towards the door of the bus. "Miley deserves a lot better than a guy who spends half the year on the road."
"She's on the road with me, Demi."
"And what about your next tour?" she asked. "Not all tours need dancers, Nick. Who's to say that you won't need her next time around? Then what will she do? She'll be left sitting around in L.A., waiting for you to come back, and when you do, you'll have found some French girl to satisfy your needs."
Nick stepped towards Demi once more. "I would never cheat on Miley. I'm not that kind of guy, no matter how sure you are that I am."
Demi smiled and shook her head without another word. She then walked off the bus, slamming the door shut behind her.
Nick turned around and kicked the couch angrily. He stormed back to his bunk and threw himself down.
Adele's voice once more filled the bus as it had before Demi had come in. Nick listened as Set Fire to the Rain came on and closed his eyes.
No matter how much his dancers believed it, he would never become the man that the tabloids thought he was. All he had to do was prove it to Miley's friends.
Miley sat back on the couch on Nick's bus and smiled up at him. "This tour has been amazing so far. I can't believe that this leg is almost finished, can you?"
Nick shook his head and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "It's been a pretty special tour for me, do you know that?"
"It's been pretty special for me too," she smiled.
He closed his eyes and rested his head on the back of the couch. He sighed contentedly. "That interview lifted a weight off my shoulders, Mi. There are no more lies in the papers, no more speculation. Everything that I have to say has been said. Everyone knows the truth about how I feel about you."
"That interview made me feel so proud of you," Miley admitted. "You opened up to a stranger about something that was personal to you, and for that, I admire you."
"It's part of the job, I guess."
"No, it isn't. It isn't a part of the job. You shouldn't have to explain your private life to millions of strangers, just because they want to know what you do all day, every day," she said quietly.
"My fans are the reason that I'm in the position I'm in. The least I can do is be honest," he confessed.
"And your honesty is a quality that I truly love about you."
Nick smiled and pulled her close to him. "Say that again," he said softly.
"It isn't part of the job."
He laughed and shook his head. "No, the bit that came after that," he chuckled.
Miley smiled and bit her lip slightly. She leaned in close and whispered, "I love your honesty, Nick." She kissed his cheek and rose to her feet.
"What are you standing up for?"
"I say that we complete this romantic moment with a dance, don't you?"
Nick smirked and stood up beside her. He took her hand in his and led her in to a more open space. He pulled her closer and switched on some music.
"I wanted to talk to you about us, actually," he admitted.
She looked up at him inquiringly and smiled. "Go ahead," she whispered. "I'm all ears."
Nick slowly began to sway with her, humming in to her ear along with the music. "These past few weeks, you've made me happier than I've been in a long, long time," he revealed.
"You make me happy too, Nick," she replied. "I can honestly say that I haven't felt this way about anybody in years." She giggled as he dipped her back. "You make me feel like I'm sixteen all over again."
"Every time I see you smile, Miley, it makes me want to smile, because it shows me just how lucky I am to have a girl like you." He rested his chin lightly on her head and smiled to himself. "Your smile could light up that arena. Did I ever tell you that?"
She giggled once more and shook her head. "The others think that we're getting too serious too fast."
Nick stayed silent. He hadn't told Miley about his visit from Demi, and he didn't plan to. He knew that she didn't need the stress. He knew that she was already worried by what his fans had said about her, and he understood that she didn't need to know that her best friend didn't seem to approve of their relationship.
Miley looked up at him and smiled. "When I was a little girl, I never thought that I'd really feel this way about a guy. I thought it was just one of those feelings that they talk about in fairytales, you know?" She sighed and rested her head on his chest. "I don't give a damn what Liam thinks about is, okay? I care about you and you care about me, and that's all that matters."
Nick smiled down at her and kissed her forehead. "I'll take care of you," he whispered. He stopped the music and headed towards the door of the bus. "Wait here for a few minutes. I just need to talk to the tour manager."
She smiled and nodded. "Take as long as you need," she said.
He grinned and jumped off the bus. The door slammed behind him. She listened to his footsteps as he crossed the bus bay, a smile on her face. She was on tour with one of the most famous singers in the world, and he was all hers.
Within moments, the door of the bus opened. Nick's publicist, Karen, walked on. She looked around and faked a smile when she saw Miley.
"Miley!" she exclaimed. "I was just looking for Nick."
Miley smiled slightly. "You just missed him. He had to go and talk to the tour manager," she explained. "I didn't know you were on the tour."
Karen shook her head. "Oh, I'm not. I just have some things to discuss with Joe and Nick before I head back to L.A." Karen sat down across from Miley on the counter and stared at her. "I've been meaning to have a word with you before I left, actually."
"I'm listening."
"The press have said a lot of negative things about Nick since he started this … relationship with you," Karen said quietly. "I wanted to discuss that with you."
"Nick has said everything there is to say about what's going on between us," Miley said.
Karen watched Miley. "Oh darling, we all know that Nick has said everything that he wants to say. You on the other hand …" She trailed off and looked away. "All of this negative press isn't good for the tour. It isn't good for Nick's career. Maybe you should think about that."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"All I'm saying is that maybe you should consider the long-term effects on Nick's career before you two go and play happy families, okay?" Karen hopped off the counter and smiled falsely at Miley. "Have a good time on the rest of the tour, Millie."
"It's Miley," Miley said weakly.
Karen held her head high and smiled. "Of course it is. Anyway, I'll see you soon." She walked off the bus, allowing the door to slam as it had when Nick left.
Miley stared at the spot where Karen had once been standing, her body frozen and rigid. She thought carefully about Karen's words. She hadn't realized that their relationship had been having a negative impact on Nick's career. It made sense, obviously. She was dating someone who had, before the tour, been the most eligible bachelor in Hollywood. Nick Gray dating his dancer was bound to break the hearts of millions of teenagers across the world.
Miley stood up and walked towards the door. She couldn't face Nick when he got back, not after Karen's visit.
She jumped off the bus and looked around. She heard Nick's voice getting closer as he talked to Joe in the corridor leading to the bus bay. She darted towards the dancers' bus and got on quickly, just as Nick and Joe entered the bus bay.
She leaned against the door and closed her eyes. She couldn't stay with Nick, not if it was putting his career in danger.
She opened her eyes and looked up. Demi and Selena were staring down at her, confused.
"I thought you were spending the night on Nick's bus?" Selena asked.
Miley walked further on to the bus and sighed. "Not anymore." She walked to her bunk and pulled her suitcase out from under it. "I'm leaving."
Demi and Selena exchanged a look. Demi stepped closer and put her hand on Miley's shoulder.
"Sweetie, have you really thought about this? You and Nick were so happy less than an hour ago, and now you've come on to the bus and you're saying that you're leaving," Demi said.
Miley closed her eyes and shook her head. "I'm putting his career on the line. His publicist said it herself. He's had a lot of negative press since he started dating me. It's best if I just pack my bags and leave."
Selena sat down on Miley's bunk and smiled sympathetically up at her. "Have you spoken to Nick?"
"I know what he'll say. He'll just tell me that I don't have to leave, that our entire relationship isn't putting his career on the line, but it is!" Miley shoved a pile of her clothes in to the suitcase and wiped away a tear. "This is for the best. This way, nobody gets hurt."
"You do," replied Demi. "Nick does. He cares about you."
Miley scoffed. "Oh please, Demi. I know that you don't approve of my relationship with Nick. You never have and the chances are that you never will."
"I may not approve of his intentions, but I care about you as much as he does, and I know that, if you leave, it will crush you both, and I don't think that either of you could handle it."
Miley zipped up her suitcase and pulled it off the bunk. In silence, she left it at the door of the bus and went to get off.
"I'm going to tell the tour manager that I'm leaving tonight. When I get back, I'll see my goodbyes, and then I'm heading to the airport." Miley then turned her back on Demi and Selena and walked quickly off the bus.
Selena stared at Demi and bit her lip. "What the hell are we going to do now?"
Hello, everyone! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas with your family and friends. Mine was great. I'll admit that I was a bit disappointed that Chapter 13 got so few reviews, but what can I do? HAPPY NEW YEAR! :D I hope 2012 is brilliant for all of you. I guess that's pretty much it. I go back to school on Monday, so wish me luck with my exam results!