Author's Note: Here is a long one. I'm really sorry if you people don't like that it's a long story. But it IS going somewhere. And I am seriously on the verge of just stopping it altogether, right where people would seriously not like it. I understand your frustration, but like I've said before, STOP READING IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT. Just pick it up where this story leaves off. You will be terribly confused, but that would not be my problem.

I would give the list of actors to you, but I need to confer with my assistant.But you already know that Joss Stone is the image of Mia I had in mine.

AHHH: I would answer you, but that would give away the ending to this story.

LivingArt: They are friends, but he feels like she's kind of betrayed him by going off with Felix.

Erasde: He may stick around for awhile. And when I say awhile, I can't possibly tell you how long ;)

Everyone else: Thanks for reading and sticking with this.


MIA:

"The big 1-8," Michael teased a week later on my birthday.

I rolled my eyes, "Time to go buy my porn," I said sarcastically.

He raised his eyebrow, "Or legally make some of it yourself. C'mon, think of the profits we could make off of Princess in Love?"

I turned red. He was seriously the only person able to make me turn red anymore.

"What are you doing for housing next year?" Michael asked, eating my birthday cake.

"My dad got me and Shameeka a place near campus. Shameeka is going around to different modeling agencies trying to get a contract. Her agent says she has a good shot with Tom Ford."

"Great," he mumbled, stabbing his cake.

I studied his expression. He was probably just sour about Sarah Jane going home. He hadn't talked about her in awhile. I guess going three months of impending celibacy (okay, they don't have sex, but at least they fool around) could do th at to a man. "Why?" I asked.

"Oh, Manny and I had an extra room. His cousin moved out. I was going to see if you wanted it."

"Aw, thanks, but you know...Grandmere would call it improper and everything..."

"Yeah, I guess you are right. It could have been fun."

Yeah. Fun. Him with Sarah Jane making out all over the place. Just what I'd like to see.

My birthday party was deemed too tame for the participants (the whole band. Shameeka, her boyfriend, Lilly, this girl Lara that Lilly brought along), so they told my mom that we were going to see a movie, but they were just bringing the party to Michael's apartment.

More people showed up. Huck had called to wish me a happy birthday, and since he was back in town for the summer I invited him over.

I opened the gifts the guys got me at Michael's apartment. Manny and Kevin got me a vibrator. "My ex-girlfriend says that every woman over eighteen needs one," Manny explained. "She uh…picked it up for me. Top of the line."

I smirked, and then glanced at Lilly. She was talking to Lara. I'm working on the assumption that things hadn't worked out. "Well, uh, thanks. I guess."

I then opened up Orlando's gift. "Uh, thanks," I said slowly, studying it. "Uh, it's fantastic."

"It's a blow up doll," he explained.

"Oh, so it is," I said, looking at the cardboard on the front of the bag. "It's…great. Really."

I looked at Michael, who was blushing a little bit. "And you, Moscovitz?"

He handed me a heavy box. I ripped open the paper. " Kama Sutra?" I said laughing. "Thanks. I'll be sure to uh…try this out sometime."

He half smiled at me, then motioned for me to follow him to his room. Maybe he wanted to test this out right now. Who knows? It IS my birthday. Anything can happen.

"Here," he said handing me a smaller box.

I looked at him questionably. "What's this?"

"Your real gift I don't think you really need a book to tell you how to uh…." he stammered. "Well, I didn't want them to feel bad about only getting you that junk."

I half smiled, "You didn't have to," I said softly.

"Mia, for Christ sake, you got me a moon rock once. I'm still paying you back."

I made a face, "You still don't have to. I mean, not everyone can steal moon rocks caliber gifts from family collections. I don't expect-"

"Just open the damn thing already," he said in a teasing tone.

So I took my time. I liked making him go nuts.

I finally opened it and found a silver frosted frame with a black and white picture of us from a few weeks ago. That Lilly had taken. We were smiling widely and had our arms around one another.

"Michael…" I said softly, looking up to him.

He startedto open his mouth to say something, but the door opened.

Michael looked away from me and rushed out of the room.

Perfect. Just Perfect. How am I to know if he was leaning in for a kiss, or to simply wipe an eyelash away?


"And now," Chaz started standing on the coffee table. "Shut up already everyone. I'm talking here." At this point all the guys were trashed, including Michael, who artfully avoided me.

The music was turned down. "What?" Ryan, Michael's friend from the car wash, asked.

"And now that our dear Michael is heavily intoxicated he has agreed to a lap dance for the princess. Now that you are eighteen you deserve the very best."

My jaw literally dropped. Lap dance? I looked over at Michael who was getting a pep talk from Kevin. He started laughing and acted like this was not a big deal. It was one thing for us to fool around on the side. Much different when he'd be thrusting his goodies at me with everyone laughing.

"Why him?" I kept asking.

"Would you rather Orlando?" Chaz teased.

I shook my head, "No…not at all. Is he going to or not?"

"When the time is right," he said with a wink. He handed me a drink.

I was wondering when he'd get around to giving me that dance. At first not looking forward to it. Then being all, "Michael, come on already!"

Most of the people had left already. But Lilly hadn't. "How do you feel about getting your first lap dance?" she asked, holding her camera.

"Well," I said giggling into the camera. I was way too drunk to form real coherent thoughts. Never mind sentences. "It's from a really cute guy and I hear he has killer pecks so I'm wicked excited. But ssssh, my dad won't like it so don't tell him, okay? C'mon, don't tell my daddddddy."

She laughed, "We'll hide this video."

I thought this was insanely hilarious. Why, I don't know.

Finally Manny pulled me to the chair and the lights dimmed a little. I burst out laughing as Sir Mix A Lot came on. Michael lacked a butt. But I didn't care. I liked it.

Then he gave me the most public erotic moments of my life. I could feel the redness in my cheeks fill my entire face. Everyone was laughing and clapping, but I ignored them. I was focusing on the nearness of Michael. We never let people see us close to one another before.

Afterwards I pulled him to his bedroom and repaid the favor.


MICHAEL:

They were joking about it before. Telling me I should just give her a lap dance at her eighteenth birthday party. "It's here though," I said, "At her mom's house. I can't really do that. Plus, I'd have to be smashed."

"Then let's go back to our place," Manny suggested.

I looked over at Mia who was talking to Lilly and her friend Lara. She looked amazing. "Fine. Let's do this."

I tried to stay away from her when we moved the party to the apartment. I men, I had almost kissed her in my room. And then we'd have to actually talk. And I don't know if I'm totally ready to talk yet. No. Not yet.

She looked absolutely amazing. And confident. Different from how she was all those years ago when I first fell for her.

She had her hair in a tangle of curls. Her eyes looked bright and wide. But she was wearing different clothes. She had a short denim skirt that was totally worn out. Her shirt was one that I'd given her—a Doors shirt that was now making the rounds on the celebrity circuit. She only wore it in private so she didn't look like she was following a stupid trend. She was wearing her red converse sneakers.

I laughed. She definitely was not what people would imagine a princess to be like. She was feminine, but not. She wasn't wearing the pretty pink short skirt or flimsy top. She was dressed kind of like a Tom Boy, but in a kind of provocative way. The skirt left very little to the imagination.

I felt like a creep watching as she smiled and laughed with the girls. Every once and a while she'd take a peek at me and wink. God. Why did I have to fall in love with her?

She's too…perfect for me. I'd never live up to the standards her father would hold for her hu- boyfriend. I mean, sure, I could date her now, but in the end we'd have to break up. She'd have to grow up, leave the band, and lead a whole country. She'd have to marry and produce an heir. And I'd be here with a completely smashed heart. Wishing I could be her secret lover again.

But I couldn't do that to myself.

Besides…. she looked…well, happy. Content. I wouldn't mess with that.

Not completely anyways. We'd just have some drunken fun. That's it. Nothing else.


They kept filling me up with drinks and Chaz made the announcement that I would be giving Mia a lapdance. Great. A little bit of expectations there. I had planned on doing this when we were alone. She looked shocked. A good shocked I think. She was joking around about it with her friends. Lara was teasing her in a fun way.

"Let's get this over with," I said after I took a final shot of whiskey.

I'd never done anything like this before. Serena wanted me to, but I was weirded out by it. She wanted something serious with it. With fancy moves. I don't do fancy.

Now it was just funny. Mia was laughing and so was everyone else. But I could tell she was enjoying herself because afterwards we slipped into my room and she sat me down.

She put some music on the stereo and turned to me and started to jokingly make a sexy pose. "It's only fair that you get something in return," she whispered, more seriously when she came closer to me.

Some people say that you can't get a hard on if you are drunk. I have to say that I beg to differ. I had had lap dances before, in strip clubs when I went with friends. But this was different. It was from the girl I've always known and always loved.

She sat on my lap, straddling me and I started kissing her. I slowly let my hands creep up her sides and had the shirt going up along with them.

"Someone is excited?" she teased in reference to the noticeable bulge that had arrived as soon as she sat on my lap.

I half smiled and then covered her mouth with my own.

"You smell so clean," she whispered as she trailed kisses along my neck.

"But I'm not," I promised.

She leaned back and looked at me. She reached over to her jacket and pulled out a condom. "Prove it," she said.

With my heart beating fast I slipped the condom on, fully aware that her eyes were watching me. What did I care if she took a good look at my wanker? We've been together enough times, I'm sure she's already taken a good gander at my naked form.

So I proved it. Several times in fact.

"Is that proof enough that I can be dirty?" I asked before we both drifted off to sleep.

She didn't answer though. She didn't have to. The smile on her face was good enough for me.

"Happy birthday," I whispered, kissing her cheek. So what if she'd never remember?


MIA:

I hadn't planned on going to my prom. Felix was abroad (and had called me several times to just talk, how cool huh?), and I'm sure Michael wouldn't want to go to some stupid dance. He didn't even want to go to his own. Serena had made him go. "Got your prom dress yet?" Michael asked a week before my prom. It had been one week since my birthday. I still blushed at the thought of my party. We had given into temptation again. Given in many times over the course of that night.

"I'm not going," I said with a laugh. "No date."

"And there's no one in this entire city you could take?" he asked with a smirk. I hated that smirk. It was the one he used when he knew I was hinting around, which I wasn't. Not intentionally at least.

"No one," I replied, tuning my guitar. "It's not like I can ask one of you guys to go."

"Why not?" he asked, taking my guitar and tuning it himself.

"What twenty one year old would want to go to a stupid prom?"

"Me. I'll go with you. Can you still buy tickets?"

"Why would you want to go?" I asked, worried. I wasn't going to get into this trap again. It was over. OVER.

"Because you are my best friend. Your little boyfriend can't go with you. It's like a given that I'm second in line."

I smiled. He was so…such a man whore. I mean, yes he had a girlfriend. But I knew for a fact that he was still sleeping around. I'd met some of the girls and thought they were bimbos.

"Think SJ will mind?"

He looked like he was about to say something, but stopped himself. Then finally,

"Nah. I'll tell her it's something for the band. She gets bored with band stuff."

"And it's not lying exactly," I said with a smirk.

"No, it's not. Come on, let me be your date."

I laughed, "Fine. Michael James Moscovitz, will you be my date?"

As I said this a knock came to the front door. He jumped up and answered it. "Oh. Hi, Dad."

"Good, you are home. Are you busy?"

"Yes."

Dr. Moscovitz peeked in and saw me sitting at the kitchen table. "Oh, hello Mia! Long time no see!"

I waved uncomfortably. It was weird. I've known him my whole life….but well…. He was sleeping with a guy now. In love with a man. More like a guy. I find it hard to refer to a person with an adoration for Fraggle Rock as a man. He's just a….a guy.

Ned was a good shopping buddy, and was really funny. And he didn't treat me like a little kid even though I was five years younger than he was. He actually asked my advice on how to treat Michael. If he should try to become friends with him or if I thought Michael would see that as sucking up. To be honest, I thought it was sucking up, but Ned actually was someone that Michael would be friends with if he hadn't been you know…fooling around with Dr. Moscovitz.

"What do you want?" Michael asked, annoyed.

"Well, I came by to see if you wanted to get some dinner with Ned and I."

"No. I'm busy."

"Oh…I see…You two dating now? She can come too. I always thought-"

"No. Bye Dad," Michael said slamming the door. "I hate him."

"No you don't," I replied slowly. What does one say to their best friend who's dad just invited him out to hang with his new lover? I know that Michael hangs out with Ned, but never with him and his dad. He thought that was still just too weird. "Just weirded out right now. Things will get normal."

"It's been over a year since he left. He's been bugging me ever since they signed the papers."

"Well…it is a big deal. It's probably a little scary to have everything finalized. To be cut off from your best friend like that."

He stared at me hard. "We won't ever be like that, right?"

"Huh?"

He smirked, "We're like rubber balls."

I sighed. He was always talking in code.

"I mean, we'll always bounce back to one another, no matter what."

I thought about this statement and smiled, "Yeah. You'll always have me."

"And you'll always have me," he said holding my hand. I could tell he wanted to say something else.

I didn't say anything. "Hey, what color dress should I get?" I asked, changing the subject.

He made fun of the girls who wore the same dresses. "How embarrassing," he teased. "Dammit, the guys wore the same thing as me. I have to leave and change."

I took his hand, "No. Pictures."

We hadn't stood so close to one another before, not in front of people. I mean, other than my birthday, but that doesn't count. The photographer put Michael's hand on my hips, and told us to keep our faces close to one another.

"You look nice," Michael said while we ate our meals. Well, while he ate our meals. I ate his salad as well as mine.

"Thanks. Grandmere helped me pick it out before she left for Genovia."

"You are leaving soon, right?"

"Yeah, I guess there's someone they want me to meet over there. Something big is going on. But no one is telling me."

"Maybe your dad is getting married?"

"I doubt it. They'd tell me that over the phone."

"I'm sure it's not a big deal. But we can cut that demo at the end of summer, before school starts."

"Oh, yeah."

We danced during the slow songs. Sat during the fast ones. Made fun of Lilly and her date, Boris. "I'm going to miss her," I said, feeling myself tearing up.

"It's her choice to go out to Notre Dame," Michael replied. "She'll be back in no time. Plus, I'll keep you busy."

I laughed, "Oh?"

"Yeah. We're going to do more gigs this year."

"Niice," I said sipping his drink. "It's too bad I couldn't move in with you and Manny. But I'll have fun with Katie and Shameeka."

"Hey, by the way, thanks for saying Katie could stay with you. Ryan's place was already too cramped and she couldn't afford anything on her own."

"I'm sure we'll become great friends," I said with a wink. Katie was Michael's friend Ryan's twin sister. She just moved here from California.

"Want a drink?" he asked. "I am of age now," he said with a wink.

"Think I deserve one?" I asked coyly.

"Looking that good in a dress calls for one."

"Think anyone would notice?"

"Teachers don't care. They're all drunk too."

I smiled. "Sure then."

He brought me a Cosmo back. "There you go Beautiful."

"Picture?" a photographer asked us.

I leaned in close to Michael while they took our picture for the year book.

We went to Shameeka's parent's house in Connecticut after the prom. I hadn't expected Michael to come with us. "Won't SJ be waiting for you?" I asked.

He looked a bit surprised by the mere mention of her name. "Nah. I always have more fun with you guys," he said squeezing my hand. I'm not going to kiss him. I won't. I can't.