He took my hand and led me up the stairs to his room. I waited as he opened the door, leading me inside and showing me to his bed without a word. He walked over to his desk, his eyes finally meeting mine.

"You have to promise me you'll listen with an open mind, and that I warned you," he said.

"Warned me? I don't believe you did. And since when did yours and Brooke's relationship take dominance over our own? Why would you hold this back for so long?" I waited for him to answer my millions of questions, but I knew that honestly – I didn't want to hear what he would say. That Brooke's always going to come first in his life, and that's why he wouldn't allow himself to be close to me. I shook my head, suddenly not wanting to be there anymore. I started to get up off his bed, only to be met immediately by his toned usher cologne smelling body.

"Please Miley, I care about you," he whispered.

"If you cared about me, why would you wait so long to tell me something that is just so important in your life?" I blinked back my tears away, my face going expressionless.

"You have to understand, I didn't even know you when I first went out with this girl. Honestly," he sighed, his muscles tenses up against his will. "I didn't really know her either."

"Why are you telling me this Nick," I groaned, trying to maneuver around him to the door.

"God, Miley why are you so damn annoying?"

"Thanks Nick, that just makes me want to stay longer," sarcasm just dripping from my voice, my hands on my hips. "Now if you would please excuse me."

"STOP!" he yelled. I was too taken aback to even move an inch.

"Fine, go ahead," I whispered, taking a seat on his bed.

"Thank you," he mumbled, sitting beside me and laying back.

"Well, I might as well start from where it all went wrong," he said, his voice now sounding miles and miles away.

I laid back beside him, trying to get comfortable. I knew this would be a long story, full of things that I didn't really want to hear – full of things I knew he regretted so much he waited until now to tell me.

"Brooke and I had only been together for a few months, but we were having serious problems. She was just really pushy and so bipolar, I never knew to do.

"I would wait for her every day after her classes, but sometimes she would walk right past me. Eventually I asked her what her deal was, and she said that she knew I was cheating on her with her best friend, Katherine." He took a long tired sigh, rolling his eyes and scratching his head.

"This was not true at all. For one, I'm not attracted to blondes. And two, I'm not an asshole, I would never hook up with a girls best friend.

"She couldn't believe me after that, but nonetheless we stayed together.

"About a month before we broke up, she was taking me to this party with her brothers friends from college, which meant lots of beer and shit going down. Of course, Brooke being unhappy with herself and our relationship got drunk the moment we walked in. I tried taking her home, but all she wanted to do was stay. This was probably where I went wrong.

"I should have taken her home, but I didn't. We went into the hot tub, and just made out. It wasn't long, but she passed out after that. I took her home, and for the next three days I didn't hear from her at all.

"I called some of her friends and even stopped by her house, but they all said she was really sick.

"When I got to school on Monday, she pulled me aside during my lunch period and then proceeded to yell at me. As I recall, she told me that I was the worst boyfriend in the world because I didn't stay the night with her after we were together at that party, and that I did something so wrong to her that I could never be forgiven.

"Of course, I assumed it was her thinking I hooked up with Katherine. Boy, was I wrong."

I had a feeling where this was going, and sadly, I didn't really want to know what happened next. I sat up slowly, feeling him tense up as he did the same.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his hands grazing my cheek softly.

"I don't want to cause problems for you and Brooke," I groaned.

"You're not causing problems. The only problem is her Miles, I just wanted to tell you why everyone acts the way they do when they see us together."

"Alright," I nodded slowly. "Go on."

"So for a week, she would complain to me every day about how I did her wrong. I was getting sick and tired of it, so I finally broke up with her on that Friday. She was livid!

"It only took her a few hours before she was standing at my front door, in tears and baggy clothes telling me that I got her pregnant."

My breath caught in my throat, suddenly my body going numb. I wasn't expecting Nick to be a man whore…. Just a guy with a really bad girl selection in the past. But this…

"No! Miley, you don't understand. I'm a virgin! I have a purity ring, my whole family does!" he said, taking my hand and pulling it to his warm chest.

"That doesn't change anything, you broke a promise to god!"

"No, please! I didn't do anything with her. She said we did more at that party, and then she told me she got an abortion! That I made her do it! I didn't!" his words sounded slurred together, as if he wasn't speaking at all. It was just a blur to me.

"You have to believe me," he finally said clearly.

"I don't know who to believe."

"Me, believe me!" it felt like I was being sucked into a black hole of nothing. I couldn't move, I couldn't speak, and I just couldn't look at him.

"Please look at me Miley," he said. "I need you to forgive me for not telling you sooner, but I didn't do anything wrong. Everyone at school believed and still takes to heart what Brooke said; that I was just the guy who hit her, and dumped her. They all thought it was because she was younger, and didn't fit my 'needs'."

Your needs? Yeah, because you don't have those right. Nothing wrong? "You didn't do anything wrong? Really Nicholas!" I shouted, my veins exploding out of my temples. I couldn't help but be frustrated that he somehow found a way to partially pin this on me. I don't know how, but he did.

He reached for my arm but I jerked it away quickly.

"Let me talk," I said.

He nodded, his arms falling to his sides lifeless.

"You have to know where I'm coming from here Nick," I started. "You throw all this onto me just as we're getting to know each other. I'm surprised we even got this far in the process because you hardly ever open up, and people are always telling me how bad of a guy you are."

"That's it! People talk shit in high school Miley, but we both know the truth! They don't matter, only we do." His voice changed, no longer frustrated, but now tired and truly upset.

"I care about you, but I just don't know if I can do this. Both of us just got so caught in the moment yesterday, maybe it was good you left me," I whispered.

"Maybe?" he breathed out, his hands finding their way to my cheeks. "Miley, I don't know what's going on with me, but when you look into my eyes something just goes off. There's something special about you, and I feel like I lose it just trying to think of something that's not stupid to say.

"You make me speechless, and there's nothing that I can do about the past but I do know that I want you to be in my future. Let me try."

I contemplated his argument, looking for the slightest of flaws yet not finding one. I needed to have someone constant in my life. The only thing that has been there is soccer, and soon that's going to be over too. Then there's Dylan – a.k.a. the guy I haven't spoken to for a week or so until a day ago. Losing the rock in your life makes you realize what else you need as well as what you must do.

"Okay, let's try this."

"Try this?" he said, clueless for a moment. I giggled, his face softening at the sudden mood change.

"Us," I said, my arms finding their way around his neck.

"You don't wanna know how long I've been waiting for you to say that," he grinned, his lips capturing mine once more.

…

"Yeah okay, I'll call you right before I leave," I said into the phone pressed against my ear. "Yup, see ya D." I hung up on my best friend, gliding my blackberry into my jean pocket.

"So can you stay for dinner?" Nick asked, his arm snaking around my waist.

"Yeah, just for a while. I got soccer in the morning, you know." He nodded understandingly.

"My little superstar," he brought his hand up to his chest mockingly.

I hit him as I played along with his teasing for a while longer.

"Miley! Nick!" Mrs. Jonas called out from the kitchen. It seems like she has been in there all day. Denise and Kevin left earlier in the afternoon, but luckily I got to thank Danielle before they left. She opened my eyes to what could happen in my life – something that didn't involve soccer or myself.

Nick and I both walked into the dining room, Frankie hurdling down the stairs with a companion by his side too.

"Miley," Frankie winked at me. "This is my friend Tobey."

I got down on my knees to be at his level. Tobey had slick black hair and beautiful blue eyes. He would be one fine looking man when he grew up. "Hey there Tobey."

He smiled shyly at me, which only made me love him more. It was something... something my brother would do.

I took a seat next to Tobey with Nick sitting across from me, watching as the dinner unfolded quickly in front of my eyes. I wondered how Denise could live like this, being the only girl in the house. My mother was hardly around for work, but she at least had me when she was home. And I only have one brother, not four. I kept thinking that maybe she wanted a girl, and that's exactly what she got when Kevin married Danielle. A well-rounded, highly intelligent woman who knows how to be sophisticated as well as bright.

"Come with me," Nick whispered into my ear, his hand clasping mine as he led me to his back yard. There was a blanket on that ground that he neatly unfolded and spread out for us to lay on. He took a squishy pillow from one of the pool chairs and placed it on the blanket for me. I climbed down as he sat next to me. He offered me the pillow, but I declined, placing my head onto his cologne-scented chest instead.

"You know, I used to come out here every night over the summer, wishing that there was something else out there watching the same star, and being the girl of my dreams."

I briefly looked at him, sensing the story getting more personal.

"My dad would come out with a telescope every full moon and show my brothers and I the moon, and all of the constellations. It became a ritual in our family. And, it was always very important to our mom. That's how my parents met, they bumped into each other on the beach on a dark summer night. The only light that guided them home was each other, and the moon."

"So what happened with your father? Why isn't he here? I haven't met him yet." I asked, my head snuggling closer up on the crook of his neck. Curiosity getting the best of me.

"Oh," he stiffened under me. "My dad is in the marines."

"Oh Nick I'm so sorry, I didn't know!" I quickly shot up, my hands stroking his arm comfortingly.

"Sorry?" he chuckled softly. "There's nothing to be sorry about. He just loves his country, and he feels its his duty to protect it."

"He sounds like a strong man," I said, my eyes getting moist.

"He is, I hope you can meet him some day. He'd love you," Nick took my hand and stroked it against his cheek. It was warm and a nice feeling on my cold skin.

"You know, I never would have thought you would give me the time of day. You just seemed so different, such a higher class than any girl I've met before. Everyone at that school can tell that there's just something about you."

I blushed, his words striking me hard. Not because of the things he said, but how he honestly said it as if it were true.

"Thank you," I pecked his lips softly, my head resting on top of his chest once more. I could lay there listening to his heart beat all night, the way it was so calming and exciting at the same time.

"Thank you Miley."

Finally, he gave me a chance. And I accepted.

I told you. Right from where it left off. I updated as soon as I could. Midterms are killing me. I think I need a little break. And i'm getting surgery on friday so I won't be able to write much this week. Hopefully I'll have some time on sunday and I will write for you then :) Thanks guys for being patient, it means a whole lot to me!

Don't be silent readers, it would make my day if you reviewed. Just leave a little something!

Em. Whisper hello, i miss you quite terribly.