It's been a month since I updated, so I skipped a month... xD Dedicated to Shannon (: Read author's note below…

It had been one month since Miley and Nick had last seen each other; one month since they had decided that they would be better off as friends until Nick could figure out a way to transfer from Boston back to Los Angeles. 30 long days since the two of them had gone constantly yearning for each other's sweet, warm embrace.

Even though they had both agreed to stay just friends for the time being, they both knew that their feelings towards each other could not go unmasked. Especially not after the intimate night they shared with each other before Nick's tearful departure the next day…

Flashback…

They had given each other full permission to explore the other person's body. Each kiss that was shared, it wouldn't be enough to fulfill the desire that the two adults yearned so much for…

"Nick," Miley gasped, her hair damp from their earlier actions.

"Yes beautiful?" He questioned, his voice uneven and ragid as well; he could sense that something was wrong. Miley was just lying there, clutching tightly to his body, her eyes were closed and her breathing had slowly gone back to normal.

"What's going to happen between us after tomorrow?" She was afraid of what he would say; she always seemed to be afraid of Nick what would do—of what he would say… He always knew just when to surprise her; sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse.

"I'm not really sure," He admitted in a whisper; he kept his eyes down on her, waiting for her to yell or scream at him like she always did when she was upset. It was quite obvious that she was upset with him with the way she wasn't saying anything.

Miley attempted to swallow the hard lump that was growing in her throat, but the more she tried, the more she felt her throat close up. Her mouth was growing dry and she could taste the salty tears that left her eyes. She hadn't noticed that she closed her eyes until she automatically re-opened them; she slowly looked up, her sad blue eyes boring into his concerned brown ones.

Nick stared at her, his forehead creased in concern. He didn't mean for his response to upset her so much to the point that she'd start crying, "I'm sorry," he murmured. "I didn't mean to make you cry." He ran the pads of his thumb underneath her eyes, quickly drying the tears away.

Miley stared at him, her eyes burning with love and passion, "I don't want you to leave." She whimpered out. She hated feeling selfish, but this was just one of the times where she wished that Nick would always be with her. She wanted him to stay here with her, to hold her when she felt sad; to kiss her randomly just to make her smile; to be her knight and shining armor when she was having a bad day. She just wanted him.

"And I don't want to leave you…" he responded truthfully, "but after I finish this semester, I'm going to find my way back over here. I promise." He told her while planting another kiss on her hair.

"What if you fall for someone else?" She felt her heart grow heavy as she looked at him again, impatiently waiting for his response.

"I won't," he replied, "my heart belongs to you and only you." He told her.

A small smile appeared on Miley's lips; she could feel her heartbeat thump methodically in her chest as she stared at Nick, knowing he meant every word that he had said, "I love you." She murmured so quietly it was almost inaudible for Nick to hear, but she knew he had heard her.

"I love you too," Nick replied, kissing her again; his kisses grew more and more passionate with each one that they shared and before they knew it, they were going through the same routine that they had been doing for the past few hours…

Too bad he lied…

Nick had finished saying goodbye to his dad and Mr. Cyrus and now he and Miley were currently standing by the taxi that would be driving Nick to the airport after he was finished saying goodbye to Miley; he placed the last bag into the trunk before closing it lightly.

He slowly turned to look at Miley who had her arms wrapped lightly around herself, her hair slightly pulled up in a pony tail. Her eyes were tired, but there was still a slight smile playing on her lips. "Maybe it's better if we do stay friends, Mi… to make it easier for the two of us." Nick told her quietly, watching the smile swipe off of her face quickly.

Miley unwrapped her arms from around her body, feeling herself break a little on the inside, "but last night… you said—" the tears were beginning to build up in her eyes again as she started at him, feeling more confused than ever, "did you lie?" She asked breathlessly.

"I meant what I said last night," he reassured her, "you do own my heart and you always will… I just don't think that we should call ourselves a couple when we're living so far from each other." He explained, watching her intently.

"We can do this, Nick," she told him hesitantly.

"Long distance relationships don't last, Miles…"

"I went two years without seeing you, Nick. I think I can go a few more months," she murmured quietly.

"That was before we admitted our feelings towards each other and you went into depression after we didn't talk for a few days… You may say you're not going to this time, but I don't want to risk it," he said.

Miley pulled him to her by the base of his neck, crashing her lips into his. Trying her best to convince him to change his mind, but instead of feeling him responding to her feverent kiss, she felt him pulled away, leaving her feeling even more disappointed and heartbroken.

"Just friends, okay?" He told her once more in a whisper.

"I can't even kiss you now?" She asked, frustration building inside her, "I love you, Nick! Doesn't that change anything?!" She yelled in his face.

"Miley," he attempted to calm her down, but she pushed him farther away from herself.

"Thanks for using me for the past month as your sex toy," she said harshly as she looked him in the eyes, hoping that maybe it would just hurt him a little bit. She was wrong though because her comment had hurt him a lot; it actually killed him a little inside.

"You think I just used you?" He whispered to her, feeling heartbroken that she would ever think that.

"I don't know! You're being so confusing, Nick! You tell me that you love me and we spent the whole night together and now— now you're saying we should be just friends… Like, how are you expecting me to respond to all of this?" she wondered.

"Wemade love, Miley. There's a difference between that and having sex… we made love, okay? I would never abuse your body like that way… and I do love you; I will never lie to you when I tell you that. I- I just think it'll just be better for us if we stay friends for now, but if you don't want to, then I won't force you to." He responded, still a little hurt with what she had said about him using her.

Miley stubbornly pushed him away from her again when he tried to wrap his arms around her trembling stature, "I don't care anymore. You can do whatever you want," she muttered.

Nick grasped his hand around her arm, not letting her run away from him again as she began to walk away, "I'll see you in a few weeks." He told her softly.

Miley stood there, glaring at the concrete floor, but soon that glare softened and her eyes got sad and watery again; she swiftly turned around and ran into his arms, feeling foolish for picking a fight with Nick right before he had to leave, "I- I'm sorry." She stuttered out.

"You have nothing to apologize for," he held onto her tightly.

"Just friends or boyfriend and girlfriend… I don't care as long as we're going to be okay," she told him shakily.

Nick pulled back, gliding his thumbs underneath her eyes again to wipe away the tears that had fallen; he cup her face gently in his hands, leaning in and placing a soft kiss on top of her temple, "I love you," he whispered to her.

Miley closed her eyes, absorbing the last few seconds of having Nick hold her, "I love you too," she uttered before feeling Nick let go of her; her eyes shot open again, only this time to see Nick get into the taxi. She watched as it drove away, Nick waving slightly to her from inside. She wrapped her arms around her once again, trying to savor Nick's scent in her clothes.

--

Miley had decided that it was best for her to move back in with Demi at her dorm to save her dad some trouble with the rent; she walked back into the unfamiliar room, surprised to see that her stuff was still where she had left it a month ago. She was sure that Demi would've packed all of her belongings up and stored them away by now.

"Miley!" Demi screamed when she walked out of the bathroom, seeing the blank look on the brunette's face.

Miley was caught off guard when Demi's body had collided with her, the two of them now lying on the floor, laughing hysterically, "I missed you." She hugged Demi's body tighter.

"I missed you too," Demi giggled, "does this mean you're moving back in again?" She questioned excitedly.

"Yes, yes it does." Miley smiled.

"Yes!" Demi squealed as she pulled Miley into another death grip, "it's been so lonely here without you, but now it won't be anymore!" She smiled widely.

Miley chuckled at how happy Demi was, "we have so much to catch up on…"

End Flashback

Miley walked slowly back to her and Demi's room; she slid her key into the lock and pushed the door open, dropping her bag to the floor as a sigh left her lips, "stupid Calculus test," she muttered to herself as she walked over to their mini fridge and pulled out a small juice box. After taking long gulps to satisfy her sudden thirst, she then, threw herself onto the full size bed, letting the tension of her body relax instantly at the feel of the soft mattress.

"Miley," Demi yelled when she entered the room a minute later.

Miley groaned as she turned over to stare at the ceiling, "Yes Demetria?" She questioned tiredly.

"Ooh, someone's stressed…" Demi said after hearing Miley refer to her by her first name, "you okay?" She asked as she pulled a water bottle out of the mini fridge and looked at Miley skeptically.

"Nothing except that I realized that I made a mistake when I was picking my classes; I don't even know why I'm taking math right now when I'm planning to major in business," she mumbled frustratingly.

"Extra practice?" Demi shrugged, trying to lighten the mood.

"Ugh," Miley groaned again, "anyways, why did you call me earlier?" she propped herself on her elbow and looked at her best friend curiously.

"Well, I wanted to know if you wanted to go shopping…" Demi's sentence trailed off and she looked away from Miley.

"Why aren't you looking at me?" Miley questioned.

"Well, it wasn't going to be just the two of us…" Demi continued to trail off her sentences as she glanced around the room.

"Who else is going?" Miley wondered.

"Just these two girls from my Physics class; they're really nice, trust me," Demi reassured her when she saw the hesitant look on Miley's face, "please? We never go out as much anymore and if we do, it's always like to the movies or something..."

"Sorry, I thought you liked going to the movies," Miley laid back down on the bed again.

"I never said that I didn't… I just think we should just go shopping with Kayla and Jesse," Demi mumbled. "You know to make new friends—" she was instantly cut off.

"Those two?!" Miley sat up again, her hair instantly falling in her face, "they're so annoying!" She said as she pushed her hair out of her face to look at Demi.

"No, they aren't," Demi defended.

"Yeah, they are. I had in class the other day and they didn't know how to shut their mouths," Miley complained.

"They're just very social people…" Demi commented.

"I don't want to go," Miley said.

"Miley!" Demi rolled her eyes, "you always judge people before you get to know them," she argued.

"I do not. I know how Kayla and Jesse are," Miley shot back.

"Whatever, don't go then," Demi muttered as she set the water bottle on the table and threw her book bag onto the bed, "you've just been different ever since you moved back in," she said bitterly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Miley asked feeling offended with her comment.

"I don't know, but you seem to be even moodier than you were before; I actually prefer the depressed Miley over this always mad/annoyed Miley," Demi said.

"So, you'd want me to be depressed all the time? Wow, thanks," Miley rolled her eyes.

"There goes that stupid mood of yours again!" Demi threw her hands up in annoyance, "God Miley, one person can take so much of your moods!" She yelled.

Miley stared at her angrily; she could feel her face getting hot as she glared at Demi. Just then, she felt her stomach flip, "I think I'm going to be sick," she jolted up from her seat on the bed and made a beeline to the bathroom; she dropped to the floor in front of the toilet, letting the contents of her stomach spill into the porcelain bowl.

"Miley," Demi's voice softened as she entered the bathroom and kneeled beside her, holding her hair back and rubbing her back slightly.

Miley continued to cough violently; she pointed toward the sink, signaling for Demi to get her some water as she coughed continuously.

Demi stood up immediately, running back into the room to grab a cup and fill it with water; she walked back in a second later, kneeling next to Miley again, "here," she handed her the cup and watched as Miley slowly drained the cup.

"Thanks," Miley replied hoarsely as she brought the cup down from her dry lips.

"Are you okay? What happened?" Demi asked worriedly.

"I think it's just those waffles again," Miley said as she held her stomach a little, "nothing to worry about," she told her best friend as she looked up at her.

Demi pursed her lips in a thin line, "maybe its best you stay in bed for now," she helped Miley to her feet and back into the room, "do you need Tylenol or anything?" She wondered.

Miley shook her head, "I think I just want to sleep," she told Demi truthfully. "You go out with Kayla and Jesse," she mumbled their names as she slipped into bed and underneath her covers, feeling relaxation run throughout her body.

Demi sighed a little, "call me if you need anything, okay?" she said quietly, getting concerned with Miley's sudden sickness.

"Mhm," Miley mumbled incoherently before falling asleep.

Demi pulled the covers over her slightly, making sure she was warm enough before grabbing another cup and filling it with water again; she set it on the side table beside Miley before walking into the closet to get ready.

--

Miley woke up to the constant buzzing coming from her bedside; she opened her eyes slowly, seeing her phone light up and vibrate around the table. She reached out to the phone, her arm instantly getting hit with the sudden cold breeze; she quickly grabbed the cellular device and pulled her arm underneath the warm covers again, "hello?" she answered groggily.

"Hey," Nick answered softly, "are you okay?" he asked when he heard the tone she was responding in.

Miley turned over on the bed, trying to find another comfortable spot to sleep on before answering Nick, "yes," she mumbled.

"Demi called earlier and told me that you weren't feeling well; are you sure you're alright?" Nick asked again, not really believing the answer she was given him. She may say she was alright, but she sounded everything but.

A small smile appeared on Miley's face as she thought about how much Demi and Nick cared, "yes, Nick," she answered again, "I just ate some bad breakfast this morning and I guess it just gave me an upset stomach, don't worry." She told him.

Nick let out a breath that he didn't notice he was holding, "don't scare me like that…" he sighed as he heard Miley's tone change.

"What did I do?" Miley asked, feeling confused now; she brought her hand to her hair, running it through her locks swiftly.

"The way Demi told me everything, she made it seem like you were dying or something… I called you the second I hung up with her," Nick said sheepishly, "You scared the living daylights out of me."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Miley mumbled tiredly as she yawned; she couldn't help, but smile again at how worried Nick was. "Thanks for caring though."

"Of course I care Miles… I should probably let you go back to sleep," Nick said disappointedly. He had been waiting all day to hear her voice, but he knew he should let her rest.

"No," Miley disagreed, "I want to listen to you talk," she whispered quietly.

"But you're not feeling well," Nick tried, "you should be resting," he hated how he always contradicted with himself.

"So? Just tell me about your day…"

"It's like any other day… Boring. Because I haven't been able to see you for the past month," Nick admitted quietly, "I miss you." He said softly into the receiver.

Miley closed her eyes again, feeling sleep overpower her again. A small smile appeared on her face as she heard the words Nick said replay in her head a few times before she felt herself slip into unconsciousness.

a/n: WHOA, finally an update (: Ah, this story was so much easier to write than Rumors :p lol. It's sorta short, but I wrote it in like 4 hours… So, I couldn't upload Two Worlds Collide… yet. And I saw Shannon's epic comments and saw that she wanted me to update Twenty One, so I whipped out word document and began to write like a mad woman! xD It was much easier than I thought… since I've been confused about a lot of stuff lately. The Niley scene in the beginning made me really sad, but enough about that… ;P Thanks so much for all the NJK award winnings! I won Best New Author! :D Thanks so much! (: I less than three you guys… Reviews would be appreciated greatly. (: Winter break has started… Maybe I can update more frequently now? Yeah! :D