Nick shook his head. He stood therefore for a moment wondering if he should run after her. But then again, his thoughts ran towards what happen yesterday and he decided he better not.

He stepped down the steps heading away from the porch. He was midway to the end of the street when he heard the door open. He turned around only to dodge the CD heading his way.

"What happened to me, Nick?" She screamed as she threw the CD. "You, you and this fucking CD that I just happen to by every single time I see it."

Nick dodged another one as he stepped closer to her. Her tears were now stained forever along the freckles on her cheeks. He wanted to comfort her. He wanted to hold her in his arms again and tell her that everything was going to be okay. He didn't know if this was more for her sake or for his own.

Miley threw another at him. "You may not have gone big as a musician but this meant something to me." She held it up.

Of course it was the EP that he had done a few years back only to realize that music was too personal for him and had reminded him of too many memories that were just haunting. He was currently trying to take a break from it all. Yeah he had the tour and the meet and greets but his music was never so much more popular than the famous band with their faces currently plastered everywhere.

His thoughts filled up his mind making him almost forget that she was still throwing things. He dodged another one. How many EPs of his, did she have he thought.

"Every song I listen from this mess of a CD brings me back to us, to what went wrong. You said you love me. You told the whole fucking world how much you love me and how special I was. You told me every single time I play this, every single time your song is on the radio." She yelled as she threw the last CD in her hand.

Miley sobbed as she fell to her knees on the porch, wondering how in the hell did she get here, she had been in control so well. She looked up, "but you didn't love me, you never did and I wish you would have stopped lying and pretending before it had gotten to be too much."

He scoffed. He walked up to her and looked her straight in the eye. "We may not be together now or ever in the future, but I did love you." He grabbed the EP lying on the ground, "And this, this was a token of my love for you. So don't you dare say that my love for you wasn't real at all. If it wasn't, would the music speak to you? Would it speak to any one of the thousands who bought it?"

Nick shook his head staring at her. He laughed to himself, "I don't even know why I try." He turned around in frustration facing the lights that now seem to blind him. "You always seem to keep running. That was it Miley, I couldn't sit you down still enough to even tell you that I love you."

He stared at her for a moment before walking off towards his house. He didn't understand why he was here fighting with a woman who did her best to keep away when he could have been lying next to the girl that he was falling in love with.

Miley looked up at his figure walking away. She sighed as she tried wiping the tears away. She looked towards her left only to see Demi's house lights now turned on. It was close to midnight, she knew that. She sat there for some short minutes with her head down to her knees before realizing the space next to her being occupied.

Demi had gathered up the five or six CDs that Miley had thrown and sat beside her best friend. "You know, I was there when he recorded this." She spoke quietly. "He was so excited to be getting a record deal and somewhere so close to home. He wanted to prove himself to you."

She looked down almost smiling as she continued. "He had this ridiculous idea that you ran away because he didn't have a future in anything."

Miley shot her head up and turned to face Demi. Her eyes now filled with sorrow and despair at what she was about to hear next. She shook her face at Demi and returned it facing her lap.

"He broke down in the studio. He wrote songs that were even more personal that he didn't feel comfortable putting out there for the world to see." Demi spoke more intensely now. "And that's how he met Selena."

Miley had just made herself at home in LA for the past six months. The company back at Dallas that gave her the internship had recommended her to the company she currently worked at in LA. Just to make up for everything that had happened to her. She sat down at her bed sighing quietly to herself. This apartment she lived in had been awfully quiet for her taste.

She stared at the picture on the nightstand next to her. The image of his face imprinted in her memory. She took her cell phone and scrolled down to the number she had wanted. She didn't know if she had it in her to call him.

Yeah, they were trying to make their relationship work long-distance but it just eventually got harder. She shut the phone and shook her head. He hadn't called her recently in the past two days. But then again, she bit her lip and swallowed her pride and pressed called.

"Hello," his silky voice drowned her ears. It was late in LA so she knew it was late in Dallas.

"Hi," she whispered smiling shyly.

"Hi baby," he smiled big as if she could see through the phone. "How is LA?"

She sighed, "Tiring. These longs hours for this fashion company are just taking a toll on me."

He was quiet for a moment, almost hesitating as he spoke his next words. "Take vacation and come home."

Miley looked at the wall in front of her, knowing that she couldn't take a break. She didn't even know if she ever wanted to go back or return at all after what had happened. Miley wanted to tell him that the town located in the middle of Dallas was not her home anymore but she didn't want to fight about this again with him so she replied, "I'll see what I can do Nick."

He knew that she was getting frustrated, so he didn't press on. He had just missed her so much. He had been up writing songs as his method of releasing all the emotions he bottled up since she left. Nick thought about the offer that was made to him at the airport months ago when he chased after Miley. He still didn't know if he wanted to take it or not, after all Selena had found him again in Dallas this morning and offered it to him again.

"Baby, it's getting late and I know you have a busy day tomorrow so I'll let you sleep," he yawned.

"Good night," she sighed and hung up.

Nick couldn't sleep so he spent his energy writing songs. Demi had fallen asleep on his bed after having a terrible fight with Joe but it was nothing that couldn't be fixed. He strummed his guitar singing the lyrics he had written down.

Demi opened her eyes and stared at him. She smiled, "That's really beautiful Nick." She sat herself up on the bed as he stopped to smile at her and then continued playing.

She listened carefully at each word chosen and each note played. "You must really love her..."

The guitar stopped playing as Nick pondered on the statement. He looked at Demi, "You and Joe are happy right? I mean I know you guys fight, but you guys are happy being married right?"

"He's a pain in the ass, I'm not going to lie, but I love him. He makes me happy even if I have to come here for a bed to sleep for the night," she chuckled, "and being married to him might have been one of the best decisions in my life."

Nick nodded and smiled at her before continuing his song writing and letting her go back to sleep. He thought about what Demi had said and knew in his heart what he should do next.

Demi woke up only to find the house empty and a note,

Gone to LA, I'm going to see her and tell her how much I love her. See you in a week Demi.

Nick

She put down the note, shook her head but smiled as she headed to the restroom. She was going to freshen up and talk to that annoying husband of hers.

Miley woken up, she quickly turned to the clock. It was 7 in the morning she had a couple hours before she had to head to work. The smell of breakfast hit her face and she turned to find a plate of eggs and toast on a tray besides her.

She looked around wondering where in the hell did this appear from. Her eyes stopped at the doorway only to find Nick standing there.

"Hello beautiful? How's it going, I hear it's wonderful in California." He smiled.

It took her a minute to recover and she shrieked, "Nick!" she threw off the comforter and jumped into his arms.

They had spent the rest of the morning eating breakfast and catching up before she had to work. She was getting dressed as he sat there, "I made dinner reservations will you be able to come?" he asked.

Miley smiled and nodded her head as she put on the heels and kissed him before heading out of her apartment.

Nick looked at his watch as he sat there alone at the table in the restaurant. She was twenty minutes late. He sighed and took another gulp of the wine in front of him.

Miley rushed through traffic and ran towards the restaurant. She had never been this late before and she felt so bad. Her phone rang before she could enter the restaurant. It was her boss. Miley picked up the call and regretted it. She looked inside the restaurant and saw him sitting there she sighed and ran out back to the company to work longer hours. She told herself she would call him when she got there.

But she hadn't, she didn't have to time to and once she got back to her apartment, she knew she was too late.

She sunk down on the chair by the table as she gripped the note in her hands. Miley began sobbing and was unable to see through the wet tears that now drowned her blue eyes.

Miley,

I don't think I can do this anymore. I'm sorry.

Nick.

He held the box in his hands as he sat on the plane. He opened it up and stared at the diamond. He sighed and closed it again and looked out the windows. "Bye, Mi," the tears formed at the corner of his eyes.

Miley cried harder this time in Demi's arms. She had known what happened that night, she now pieced everything together. Nick had flown back to Dallas that night and found Selena to take up on the offer of being able to record a CD.

"At first, he didn't tell anyone about the offer and he wasn't all that quick to say that he accepted," Demi held onto Miley as she cried. "This..." Demi shook the CD in front of Miley's eyes, "...was his baby, the one thing he handled with more care than anything in world, well besides you."

"You don't understand, Demi." Miley pulled her head up and looked at her best friend through the tears. "You just don't understand."

Demi shook her head. "Of course Miles!" she wanted to scream but controlled her tone instead. "I would never understand if you don't let me in those damn walls of yours."

Miley wanted to speak up but couldn't find the words and Demi cut her off. "That cage you have around your heart, M. That cage is going to cost you to lose everyone who ever loved you." Demi looked at her once more, "And the first one to go was Nick."

Demi stood up, handed Miley the stack of CDs. "I'm your best friend, me Miley. What don't you get about best friends?" She shook her head and began to walk away. "Call me when the real Miley is back."

"What is the deal with everyone wanting the REAL Miley back?" Miley exploded. "Real Miley this, real Miley that!" she wanted to pull her hairs out. She wanted to scream. She wanted to strangle someone. "I'm back. I'm back in this town, the very same town that spread all those nasty rumors about me at 19 years old."

Demi winced at the thought of those rumors. It had been a while and ever since Miley left, the town simmered down on all of the lies and miscommunication. Of course, she wasn't so happy how the whole deal came about.

"Everyone here thought I was a slut!" Miley screamed. "For goodness sake Demi, I've only had one boyfriend in this whole town."

"M," Demi started. "Everyone knows the truth now."

Miley shook her head. It wasn't the same; nothing here was ever the same for her. "It doesn't make a difference. How could someone spread vicious lies about me just because I refuse to do anything sexual with him for a job? It wasn't fair."

"It still isn't fair." Miley sunk back down. "I lost myself, I know that Demi, but it's so hard to find me in this body. I'm real. Everything I've gone through makes me real. Even if it makes me bitter"

Demi sat back down next to her and wrapped her arms around the petite girl now crying her eyes out.

"And worse of all, I lost everything. I lost the one man I fell in love with. I lost the ability to look my family in the eye after all they had heard. I lost four years to spend with my mom before she lost her battle to cancer." Miley sobbed even more. "And I can't take any of it back."

Demi rubbed circles on her back trying to soothe her from crying so hard. Miley lifted her head out of the embrace and wiped away her tears. The two young ladies sat there next to each other as they stared up in the night sky.

Miley sighed and broke the silence that had engulfed them for the past ten minutes. "I pushed him away, D."

Demi nodded. That was all she knew how to respond, both Nick and Miley never told anyone about what had happened. All she knew was that four years ago, Miley left to LA. Six months later, Nick comes back five days earlier from his visit then expected to lock himself up in his house writing the pain away. Another week or so later, Nick was in the recording studio and Miley was still in LA not talking to each other.

xoxo

Nick hadn't walked inside his house yet. He couldn't find the reason to at the moment. His heart was fighting whether or not to go back and just hold Miley and make it better. He sat himself on the front steps of the porch. He was about to head in but a figure caught his eye and he had seen Demi in her pajamas and all walking over to Miley.

He wanted to know what they were talking about. He wanted to be Demi at that moment. How was it fair for her to let Demi in but not him? Especially since they've known each other since they were five and she had just met Demi about 10 years ago when Demi moved next door to her. He sighed, he just wanted to rewind the years and see what he could have done to fix everything.

He stood up now deciding that he should just head to bed when he heard Miley scream, "What's the deal with everyone wanting the real Miley back? Real Miley this, real Miley that. I'm back. I'm back in this town, the very same town that spread all those nasty rumors about me at 19."

Nick's heart slumped. His heart ached at the thought of those rumors. His mind went back to those memories both him and Miley wished to disappear. Miley had gotten the internship she wanted since high school, the very same internship that could launch her into the fashion world. It wasn't until a few weeks in when things went downhill for her. Nick thought back and rolled his hands into a fist. He wanted to punch the guy, the very one who had sexually harassed his girlfriend. Ex-girlfriend, he made a mental note.

He got so lost in his thoughts that he couldn't hear Miley anymore from down the neighborhood. He figured, Demi had gotten her to calm down and to bed. Nick walked inside the house and looked at the clock; it was close to 2 am.

Crawling into the sheets, he felt Selena turn her body and wrapped her arm around him. He had hope that he didn't wake her up, but he knew he had.

Selena muttered tiredly, "Where were you?"

Nick kissed her on the temple and replied, "I just needed some air, go back to sleep Sel."

She smiled as his touch and mumbled something before knocking out once more.

Hi, okay thank you so much for your wonderful reviews. I am really glad you guys are liking the story. I know it's kind of going slow, but I'm trying to get as much background you guys need to know as the story unfolds. The interesting and fun stuff are coming up sooon! I promise. :) If you guys happen to have any questions, please ask away. I don't mind answering anything. The next chapter will probably take a while to come out. I'm currently studying for finals and I have like a fifth of it written so far.

xoxo