Chapter 24: Words I couldn't say
Nick's pov
Despite my hazy state I was well aware of someone's movements beside me and I opened a tired eye to comprehend what was happening. It was quite awkward to think we had slept in the same bed, let alone my undersized childhood bed.
The beautiful woman that had captured my heart – I wouldn't know just how many times she had done that over the years – sat up, making sure not to wake me in the process. What she didn't know was that I was awake and I didn't plan on letting her escape that easily... My arms wrapped around her petite waist and she let out a surprised yelp as I brought her to me, gently settling her on top of me.
"Hey." She giggled, burying her head into my chest. "This happens too often!" She groaned.
"What?" I smiled and brushed a stray hair out of her sleepy face. "Me seeing you half asleep?" I smirked.
"Yeah, that." She laughed against my chest and I marvelled at the adorableness of her sleepy laughter.
"Slept well?" I questioned moments later, lazily twirling her long brunette locks around my fingers.
"Hmmm." She sighed in content. "You?" She finally lifted her face, setting her chin on my chest so I could see her eyes and my smile grew.
"Amazing." I whispered, trailing my thumb onto her cheeks and rubbing her swollen eyes – which I assumed was the result of the crying she had done the night before. "How are you feeling?" My forehead creased with worry and I was instantly rewarded with a breath taking smile.
"I'm really good." She smirked. "The years have turned you into softie." She giggled.
"What can I say, girls love it." I grinned at the sight of her playful glare. "As long as you like it, I'm good."
"Nice save." She chuckled. "You know... You're amazing just the way you are." She reassured and I grinned cockily in return.
"I knew you were bound to like it." I chuckled at her exaggerate eye roll. "What do you say we get some breakfast, my girl?" I whispered into her ear, nuzzling my nose against her vanilla scented hair.
"I'm your girl now, huh?" She grinned. "I thought we were taking things 'slow'?!" She teased.
"Just be grateful I didn't call you wife." I replied with a smirk, chuckling at her gaping mouth. "So... what do you say?"
"I'll meet you downstairs in a few." She leant up and placed a lingering kiss on my cheek.
"Kay." I resigned myself, pouting like an unhappy child.
"I'll take the quickest shower, ever." She promised with an amused smile. I smirked.
"You know... you could take as long as you wanted as long as I am allowed to join..."
"With your parents downstairs? I don't think so." She smirked and I scowled in response. She just had to remind me we were in parents' house and that we couldn't- what happened to taking things slow, Nick? I shook my head and prayed that I could hold in my raging hormones. I felt like the 17 year old teenager I had once been, having 'unusual' urges...
"Don't take too long!" I called out as she exited the room, turning around at the door to give me one of those, genuine, affectionate Miley smiles. My smiley Miley was back...!
Exactly twenty minutes later, I entered the heavenly smelling kitchen, humming happily.
"Well, well, well... look who woke up on the right side of the bed?!" My mother teased.
"Good morning, mother!" I grinned as I dropped a kiss on her cheek
"Nicholas." She nodded curtly. "Care to tell me why you're in such a good mood?" Her eyebrows shot into the hair and I smiled cheekily.
"Must there be a reason behind my good mood?" I raised my eyebrows challengingly.
"Didn't you know, Denise?" Miley's voice spoke up from behind me and I just knew this was bad news for me... "Nick was asked to play the role of a workaholic billionaire in the next Doug Leeman movie. Fits him pretty well, don't you think?" She smirked as she reached to ruffle my curls.
"I can take a hint, you know!" I scowled at the sight of my two favourite women laughing at me. They were ganging up on me! "You, Miley Ray, are going to be the end of me!"
"Did I mention that he eventually turns gay?" She grinned, amused.
"Oh she will be the end of you, alright." My mom laughed, shaking her head in amusement.
"Really, mom? You're turning your back on your own son?!" I covered my heart with my hand to illustrate my pain. "You!" I turned to the giggling Miley. "How dare you turn my own mother against me?!" I took a step forward so I was towering her and she took a step back. The process repeated itself until I had her cornered, pressed up against the kitchen counter.
"Apologise." I commanded. I fought the smile that was begging to erupt on my face at the sight of her uncontrollable giggles.
"Apologise or..." My voice trailed off and as I expected, her eyes went wide and she dashed out of the kitchen. "You can't hide all day long!" I called out after her, shaking my head at our childish ways.
"Well... that explains a lot." My mother smirked. "I take it you talked?"
"Hmmm... maybe?" I smirked as she sighed in exasperation.
"You leave me no choice but to ask Miley about-"
"Leave my girlfriend out of this!" I replied quickly.
"Ha!" She grinned triumphantly. "That's all I wanted to know."
"I said that out loud, didn't I?"
"Hmmm." She chuckled. "So why don't you go get this girlfriend of yours so we can eat breakfast?"
"Did someone say breakfast?" My father greeted us with a smile. "Miley's setting the table."
"Ah, so that's where she went." I exited the kitchen and found her trying to reach for the plates that were stored in the top cupboard. I loved the fact that she knew her way around the house and felt at ease with my family.
"Someone's a little short without their heels." I smirked.
"You can talk." My little brother scoffed as he helped Miley. Did I ever mention that he had gotten extra genes? The lucky bastard was taller than all of us.
"Good one there, Frankster!" Miley high fived my 17 year old brother who laughed.
"So, Nick, you gonna take that role?" Frankie's eyes shone with curiosity and amusement.
"Of course he is." Miley giggled. "He just can't wait to make out with Shia Lebeof." They both erupted in giggles and I was left, shaking my head in sheer disgust.
"I have a better idea." I smirked. "You can just dress up as a man. I mean, you pulled that off pretty well in Hannah Montana!" I smirked at the sight of her wide eyes. "Milo, was it? Or Otis?"
"Nick!" She screeched.
"That would be awesome, Miles!" Frankie went along, laughing at the way she dismissed the idea with a shake of her head.
"Don't even think about it!"
"You do make a pretty hot guy." I whispered in her ear as I pulled out a chair for her.
"Shut up." She hid behind her hands, finally letting a giggle escape.
"So, what do you say?" I asked her more seriously. "I might have to make out with Chloe." I grinned.
"It's nothing you haven't done." She muttered under her breath, reminding me of the Camp Rock days.
"Jealousy doesn't suit you, Stewart."
"I'm not jealous!"
"Are too." I grinned childishly.
"Nick." She warned.
"You could always audition." I told her with triumphant smile. "It's either that, or I make out with Chloe." She shook her head at me but at the way she remained silent, I knew, I just knew I had planted the grain that would make the wheels turn inside that head. Now let us wait for the 'sprouting season'! I smirked at the thought.
..................
"That's perfect, Miley!" I heard my mother exclaim as she watched Miley mix just the right amount of each ingredient in a large cooking pan. After a lazy morning spent with my family, Miley had finally gathered the courage to get a few cooking lessons from my mother while I 'checked' on her. No, no, I wasn't spying! Well... not exactly...
"I trust you with the Gray family secrets!" My mother winked as she listed her 'secret' ingredients for her infamous lasagna dish. I couldn't shake the smile that came to my lips at the sight of Miley's smile and giggle as my mother teased her. It was no secret that Miley wasn't a whizz in the kitchen and I was actually surprised by the wonderful smells coming floating out of the room.
"Thank you, Denise. For everything." Miley turned to my mother as soon as she had placed the dish in the oven for cooking.
"It was great to have you here, Miley." The two women hugged and I rolled my eyes at their corniness.
"I also meant to apologise..." Her next sentence stunned me and I stopped dead in my tracks, by the doorway.
"Apologise?" I could hear the question in my mother's voice.
"I know I have been a mess since my father passed away." I closed my eyes, controlling my urges to enter the kitchen and embrace the woman who had been through more than anybody should be subject to at such a young age. I was vaguely surprised by the strength in her voice, so unlike the broken tone she had used the night she had confessed what she had buried deep down: the pain that came along with anything that reminded her that her father was gone.
"I just want to tell you that I'm so grateful for everything you've done for me. I know it must have been difficult to put your feelings aside to help me considering I had hurt Nick-"
"You cannot entirely blame yourself for what happened between the two of you." My mother soothed and I was thankful for her wise words. "It takes two to make a relationship fall apart and the two of you had so much pressure on your shoulders... you were young, Miley."
"That doesn't change the fact that I hurt him, despite how much I loved, I mean, love him." I relished at the sound of the words... the acknowledgment of her love for me had my heart swelling with pride and happiness. She loved me, I grinned.
"Focus on the present, sweetie. Fight the odds." I heard my mother advise kindly. And then I heard footsteps... growing closer... I was left with no other choice but to enter the kitchen, seeming ignorant of the exchange I had witnessed.
"It smells good!" I commented and my mother simply shook her head at me as she exited the room, leaving me alone with the casually dressed brunette leaning against the kitchen counter. "You cooked?" My eyes widened exaggeratedly. She reached out to hit my arm and I dodged her fist with a triumphant smirk.
"You did good." I commented, staring at the delicious looking lasagna cooking in the oven.
"Let's hope it's as good as it smells." She smiled.
"I'm sure it does." I wrapped my arms around her waist and brought her against me in a one armed hug.
"GUYS!" We heard Frankie shouting from the living room and we looked at each other, wearily similar confused expressions at the teenager's outburst. Miley shrugged her shoulders and jogged out of the kitchen, with me following.
"You're on E! News!" He informed us excitedly and I couldn't help but roll my eyes at his enthusiasm. Nothing and I repeat, nothing good could come out of us being the centre attention of gossip channels.
"The last time I was on here was when some rumour about Charlie being my 'beau' had hit the media." Miley giggled from beside me.
"Well, this is an upgrade." I smirked as we watched a few pictures appear on the screen. There was one of us at the Grammys, one of Demi and Miley walking to the SUV with their sunglasses covering their eyes, one of Miley in the LAX airport, one of me leaving LAX airport days later...
"Definitely an upgrade." She grinned flirtatiously. I shook my head and pulled her down next to me, receiving a stern look from her as she lost her balance.
"So according to them you're 're-connecting'!" Frankie laughed. "Understatement of the year!" He added while eyeing us with a mischievous glint. I slipped my arm away from Miley's waist, acting as though I had no idea what my brother was talking about...
I tried to get up but Miley held me back by the arm and instructed Frankie to increase the volume.
I watched with a mix of horror and surprise as the reporter started speculating that Miley's appearance at the Grammys' had been a way to 're-introduce' her name in the music world for a possible 'musical comeback'.
"Oh my gosh, Mi, I'm so sorry." I whispered against her hair as I protectively brought her to my chest.
"Why are you sorry?" She lifted her gaze to meet mine and I was surprised by the smile that swept across her features.
"The rumours- I mean- I-"
"Since when do you pay attention to what gossip channels have to say?" She questioned, eyebrows raised.
"I-"
"So what do you say..." She cut me off, wearing a mischievous expression. "Are we 're-connecting'?" I grinned as I brought my lips close to hers, mere millimetres away from her luscious lips.
"I have to agree with Frankie on this one... It's one big understatement." I laughed at the way she strained to keep her gaze fixated on my eyes, forbidding herself from looking at my lips.
"Is it?" She questioned. "I mean we-" She lost all train of thoughts when I leaned in closer, sending my hot breath tickling her plump lips. I lifted her legs and placed them over mine so she was partly sitting on my lips.
"Hmmm." She finally leaned over and brushed her lips against mine. I heard a crash and assumed she had dropped the remote – which Frankie had given her moments earlier - onto the floor. Come to think of it, I had missed the part where my brother had left the room. Not that it mattered. Her lips smashed closer against mine and I knew we were on the same page. Kissing was part of taking things slow, I decided. And she seemed okay with it.
"Nick." She whispered, struggling to push me away from her.
"Hmmm..." I groaned against her lips as she shifted on my lap, brushing harshly against my arousal.
"Nick." This time, she was successful in pushing me away, both palms pushing against my chest. "Your parents." She whispered, her cheeks flushing a light shade of pink at the thought of my parents walking in on us.
"They've seen us make out more times than we'd like to believe." I replied with a smirk and as expected, her cheeks flushed another, deeper shade of pink.
"You're impossible." She shook her head, giggling silently.
"You love it." I tapped her nose teasingly. "Come on." I held out a hand and helped her off the couch. I clasped her hand tightly into mine as I guided the way up the stairs.
"We're still in your parents' house, you know." She reminded me with a slight smirk. I rolled my eyes and tugged on her hand as I took off in a jog, eager to reach my bedroom. Once we were 'safe' behind doors I motioned for the lock door:
"You can't complain about them walking in now, can you?!"
"Just come here." She instructed and I complied. I gently pushed her back on the bed, until she fell backwards, landing right in the middle. Her hands latched onto my shirt and she tugged me down so I was at her level, at a 'kissable distance'.
"So..." I grinned childishly. "Can I kiss you now?"
"You better." She threatened with a matching grin, her tongue darting out to lick her lips in anticipation. I dipped my head till our nose were touching, and just like I wanted, she lifted her head up to press her lips against mine.
My tongue swept across her bottom lip and pried her mouth open where I finally met her tongue. I straddled her hips to keep her from moving and I smiled against her lips as she brought me closer to her body. I distinctly felt her full breasts pressing up against my chest and I groaned in frustration.
"Please tell me we're done here." I begged.
"We go back to NY tomorrow." She laughed at my urgency.
"Hey, you had your chance." She smirked and I groaned loudly at the thought.
"You know, we could always be... 'quiet'..." I smirked at the sight of her horror stricken expression.
"No way!" She shook her head. "No way am I doing this in your parents' house!"
"But Mi!" I huffed dramatically, earning a small laugh on her part.
"Soon." She soothed, rubbing a hand up and down my tense back.
"Good answer." I grinned. "I feel like a hormonal teenager." I whined childishly, dropping kisses on her neck and collarbone.
"The feeling is mutual." She whispered and my ears perked up.
"You just had to say that, didn't you?" I scowled. "Now I'm just-" I groaned.
"You do have another alternative." She grinned deviously.
"What's that?" My eyes danced with anticipation until...
"A cold shower."
"Mi." I growled as I nipped at her collarbone, making sure to leave a visible mark.
"Nick!" She hissed. "I'm going to kill you!" She screeched, as she fingered the love bite with graceful fingers.
"Is that supposed to scare me?" My cocky expression earned a glare.
"It should!" She scolded.
"Have fun covering that up." I feared my devilish self had been let loose...
"Just wait, Nicholas... just you wait." She threatened and I gulped. There was one thing that had slipped my mind... Miley Stewart always and I meant always won.
"I'll make it up to you, baby." I smiled innocently and buried my face in her neck, letting my hot breath hit her skin teasingly.
"Nick."
"Hmmmm..." My lips vibrated against her skin as I dropped kisses behind her ear and I cursed myself for being so aroused by the simple sight of her. She just had a way...
"The lasagna!" She suddenly gasped, remembering that it was still cooking in the oven and was likely to burn if she didn't check on it.
"Way to ruin a moment, Mi!" I groaned as she pecked my lips and dashed out of the room, leaving behind a very aroused me...
I spent so much time of this chapter, changed my mind as to how things should happen about 50 times :S and even then, I'm not happy with it... So... I know I confused a lot of you guys with the 'taking slow' thing... just be patient, you'll soon figure out that it had its purpose in this story!
I wanna thank those who responded to my previous author's note when I complained about the way this story was turning out... thank you for supporting me and reassuring me.
However, I've been getting a lot less reviews and I'm pretty disappointed in that... I know I shouldn't base my work on reviews but when I spend hours writing this and as much as I love to do it, it's nice to know that people read it and have something to say about it! it doesn't have to be long, just two words make me smile :) I still find it hard to believe that people like what I write so it's nice to be reminded every now and then! I dunno if you have noticed but it's also affected the rate at which I update... so it's all on you, guys ;) kidding. I hope you understand where I'm coming from ;)
Long rant, sorry!
Xoxo