"I hate you, but I love you. I can't stop thinking about you."
Stuck by Stacie Orrico
"I really don't want to hurt Miley." Nate said, finally pulling away from his spark filled kiss with Alex. They stared at each other, knowing that hurting Miley was the last thing that either of them wanted to do. "She's still my girlfriend…your best friend. I don't think I should break up with her…just like that." he said, trying to say his words right without hurting Alex's feelings. Alex nodded and looked down.
"I-I can't believe myself. I mean, I'm Miley's best friend for God's sake!" she said, sounding like she was on the verge of tears. Nate sighed and pulled her into a heart filled hug. "But I still really like you. I still want to date you. I still…want to be Miley's best friend."
"I wan to date you too, but I still want to be Miley's girlfriend." Nate whispered into her ear. Alex pulled away from him to look him straight into his eyes.
"Then why can't you?" she asked, her eyes getting glossy. Nate looked at Alex, shocked once again.
"What? Are you telling me to cheat?" he asked.
"Miley won't ever know." Alex squeaked, looking down as guilt traveled quickly around her body. "No one will." Nate tilted Alex's chin up so that they were looking into each other's eyes again. He leaned down and kissed her lips softly.
"No one will no. Promise?" he whispered against her lips. Alex nodded slowly before Nate kissed her again.
OMJ
"Ha, and I win!" Miley said to Nate after she beat him at chess again. "And I think that I deserve a prize." she said, smirking seductively. Nate grinned handsomely and kissed her lips gently. Miley giggled as he slowly pulled away. "What about another one, Nate?" she asked, blushing. Nate smirked at her and kissed her lips one more time, this time, it seemed to last longer.
Alex walked into Miley's house and frowned to what she saw. A wave of wrath hit her, but she shrugged it off, telling herself not to make a scene. "Hello, peoples of the Stewart's home!" Alex practically screamed into the couple's ears as she walked inside of the living room. Apparently, Alex didn't listen to herself either. Nate instantly pulled away once he heard Alex's voice; his cheeks flushed. She stared at Nate angrily before looking back at Miley obnoxiously. "Hey, Miles. Who invited the donkey?" Alex asked, sounding annoyed as she pointed at Nate.
"Hey!" Nate yelled, obviously offended, and chucked a pillow in her direction. Alex quickly dodged it and stuck her tongue out at him. Nate rolled his eyes and sunk back down into the sofa. "God, why did you have to invite the killjoy?" he asked Miley, giving her a fake disappointed look. Alex scoffed.
"Coming from the loser who's actually making his girlfriend play chess with him? What are you, a loser and a nerd?" Alex retorted. Nate couldn't help but smile. The way Alex looked like when she was steaming was just so cute to his eyes. Once Alex saw Nate smiling at her, she looked down shyly and blushed. Miley looked at the two, confused to why they stopped arguing. She gave them puzzled looks.
"Um, anyways, I just wanted to hang out with the two of you today! What's better than spending time with my adorable boyfriend and my awesome best friend?" Miley said, brightening up the awkward situation. Nate and Alex snapped out of their trance and glared at Miley.
"You did what?!" the yelled in unison.
"Miles, you know that we can't stand each other. What's were you thinking? Did you seriously want us to start a World War III?!" Alex yelled as she made her way onto the couch and sat next to Miley, folding her arms in a frustrated manor. Nate tried his best not to smile at her again.
"People will probably cause a riot at your house if they found out that you're the reason for the next global war, Miles." Nate said in a bored voice. Alex glared at him, but Nate sent her a stealthy wink. Alex blushed and looked down again.
"Just deal with it today, guys. Now, I'll be right back." Miley said, not noticing at all. She got up and walked all the way to her room. When the Miley closed her door shut, Nate and Alex turned back to each other.
"You think she bought that?" Nate asked, worried. Alex smiled at him and placed her hands on his shoulders.
"Duh, but you really need to work on controlling yourself. Act like that Nate Gray that I've always hated when you're around Miley." Alex joked, winking at him. Nate smirked at her, edging closer towards her so that their chests were touching. Alex felt incapable of breathing as Nate was just so freaking close to her. He held onto her hands softly as he pinned her against the couch.
"And how should I act when I'm not around Miley?" he asked, almost seductively. Alex giggled, pushing him away slightly so that she could breathe again.
"However you want to, Nate. How ever you want." Alex answered back. Nate's smirk grew even bigger as his hands moved onto Alex's thighs. He leaned near her ear, and Alex could feel his warm breath tickle her skin. She tried not to squeal as she kept on smiling at him, her face turning redder and redder by the second.
"So since Miley is away, could I do this?" he asked innocently, kissing her neck. "And this?" he repeated, placing a chaste kiss even lower. Alex laughed, feeling giddy and ticklish. She pushed Nate away again, still laughing. Nate smiled brightly at her, sighing in content. No, he was feeling better than content. He was happy…just the way he is when he was with Miley. Nate shook Miley away from his head and focused back on Alex.
"I rather have you do this." she said, pulling him until their lips met. It was another simple kiss, but even if it was so simple, they enjoyed it completely. Alex surprised herself by having the urge to wanting more to this small kiss. She never really made out with any boy (something else Miley was number one at instead of her), and she really didn't want anyone to know that. She would always stop the boy, tell him no. Alex couldn't understand her feelings with Nate though. She wanted more.
The two heard Miley open her door again and they immediately pulled away. They fixed their appearance and scooted away from each other, putting back their intense hatred looks they faked around with each other. Alex tried not to groan as she thought how Miley had the worst timing. She looked back at Nate, her blush never leaving her cheeks. Nate smirked at her again, blowing a small air kiss at her. Alex giggled and blew one back at him.
"So did you guys behave while I was gone?" Miley asked as she walked into the living room, sounding like a strict mother. Nate and Alex tried not to laugh (or groan) at the irony.
"Depends on what you think behaving is." Alex replied. Nate snickered then received an inconspicuous smack from Alex. Miley laughed and sat in between the two again. "So tell me why you invited both of us over so I could make up a lie to leave?" Alex said while she checked her fingernails. Miley sighed.
"Well, I'm just sick and tired of you guys arguing all the time." Miley said, emphasizing the last three words. Nate and Alex looked at her as if they didn't care at all. Miley groaned. "And I kind of want you to stop. You know, be friends?" she added, getting annoyed. Nate and Alex gave Miley a look. They stared at each other then burst into laughter.
"Oh, my god! Me and him - friends? Ha!" Alex laughed. She was close to tearing up. Nate laughed along with her, clutching his stomach and his face turning red.
"For once I agree with her! We could never be friends!" he said. Miley frowned and sighed.
"Yeah, I knew it was too good to be true. I tried to do this on Friday night, but I ended up cancelling on you guys. I was hoping that you two didn't kill each other at the park." Miley said, shaking her head. "I guess you two just can't be friends. Even for me." she said, trying to make the two feel guilty. Nate gave Miley a look.
"Oh, come on, Miley. It's not that much of a big deal. Alex and I have been hating each other since we were five. After years, you should be used to this by now. It's like you're attempting to change the course of history or something." he said.
"Yeah, attempting." Alex scoffed. "Look, as much as I love you, Miles, I just hate your boyfriend. It's that simple, and you could never change that fact. Just the way you can't change one plus one." Alex said, patting Miley's arm. "Now, I gotta go. I don't feel like lying about not wanting to spend time with Nate since it's pretty obvious." she said, standing up. She gave Miley a hug and messed Nate's hair up as she left the house.
"Ugh, she touched my hair!" Nate complained, ruffling all signs of Alex away from it. Miley laughed weakly and hugged Nate's stomach, resting her head on his chest. Nate sighed and held onto her shoulders. "I know that you really want me and Alex to be friends, but we just can't. We can't just be friends." he said, kissing her forehead. Miley sighed again and nodded her head.
And Nate wasn't lying there.
OMJ
"What took you so long?" Alex whispered as she stepped out of her house quietly. She closed the door behind her silently, making sure that there were no signs of her sneaking out of her home. Nate greeted her with a peck on the cheek before taking her hand.
"Sorry, it just took a while for my parents to let me out of the house since it's almost dinner time for us." Nate said with an eye roll. Alex giggled and they walked along the sidewalk. "Do you think we should be doing this though? I mean, someone is bound to catch us and tell Miley. It's not even dark outside." Nate said, anxiety overcoming his brain again. Alex sighed and stepped in front of Nate, holding onto his hands.
"We're going to have fun. Just you and me together, having mindless fun today. No one will catch us together and Miley won't find out, alright?" she said sweetly, trying to ease his worry. Nate sighed and nodded his head. Alex pecked his lips, smiling at him. Nate gave her a small grin and poked her side. "Plus, you're not the only one who's guilty here. Miley is my best friend if you've forgotten. This isn't easy for me either."
"Then why did you beg to date?" Nate asked. Alex sighed, feeling hypocritical. She looked down, experiencing the dreadful emotion of guilt stir up inside her again.
"There's just something about you…something inevitable. I want to ignore you, I want to hate you, I want to kick you, but I want to lo-" Alex cleared her throat, stopping herself, "-like you. And I do, I really, really do." she said, looking sadly into Nate's eyes. Nate caressed her face, smiling weakly at her.
"And I really like you too." he whispered before placing a sweet kiss on her lips. Yeah, like…what about love? Alex thought as Nate kissed her. She soon forgot about her though as sparks pervade throughout her body. Alex smiled into their chaste kiss as she wrapped her arms around Nate's neck; she felt a burst of tingles shivering across her back. She's never felt so good in her life, never so free.
"I think we should start walking." Nate laughed, pulling away. Alex blushed and took his hand; the two began to walked on the sidewalk, stepping on the sunlight that outlined the cracks on the asphalt. They felt different as their hands intertwined. It was like the wind change its direction, or the earth began to revolve the other way around. Maybe it was because they were so used to hating each other, liking each other was just so weird. As weird as it is though, it's hardly difficult. Yes, they felt like they were in topsy-turvy town, but they felt right at the same time.
"I don't think we got to finish our game." Alex said, nudging his side as they headed towards downtown. They could smell the aroma coming from the restaurants and feel the rush of the cold wind, caused by the fast cars near them. They dodged other bystanders as they walked along, not knowing where their destination is.
"I guess you're right. Which reminds me - I still want to see your art." Nate said, smiling down at her. Alex scoffed.
"Yeah, not gonna happen unless I get to see your music. If that even is music." she said slyly, smirking at him.
"Oh, harsh." Nate joked. Alex laughed and leaned on his arm. "So, if I show you my music then will you show me your art?" Nate asked, giving her a twinkling smile that Alex just couldn't resist. She was ready to even show Nate her diary if he kept on smiling like that.
"Yes." Alex said, defeated.
"Great! Come on, let's go over to my house." Nate said, turning the other direction and dragging Alex towards his house. Alex mentally groaned, not wanting to show Nate her work. Like Nate and his music, she's never showed anyone her artwork, and she doesn't intend to either. "My parents won't really bother us, but my brothers are pains." Nate explained to her as they neared his house. Alex gulped heavily. Parents? She's not the girlfriend of the situation, she's the other woman. She didn't want to meet Nate's parents and give them that impression!
"Umm, meeting your parents?" Alex squeaked. Nate flashed her an assuring smile.
"Yeah, why not? They love meeting all my new 'friends' anyways." Nate winked at her as they walked closer and closer towards his house. Alex blushed, feeling like putty in his hands. Nate was just so irresistible to her eyes. "They probably won't notice us either. They're always doing their work."
Alex and Nate stepped into the Gray house. Alex looked around, feeling the instant heat hover over her skin. She took off her jacket and held it in between her arms as she awkwardly followed Nate upstairs to his room. She looked left and right to see the whole entire house filled with hospitable furniture with warm colors sparkling in every corner. She smiled, feeling welcomed. Her smile instantly vanished once she came in contact with the rest of the Gray family.
Jason Gray had Shane Gray in a headlock while Shane was trying to push Jason away. Nate rolled his eyes and sighed of embarrassment. Alex on the other hand just stared, not knowing whether to laugh or call the police station. "Oh, god, guys." Nate whined, running a hand through his curly hair with frustration and obvious annoyance.
"If you're going to blame someone, blame him! The idiot took my guitar and almost pushed it off the roof! Thank God I was there to grab it before he actually did it!" Jason said, defending himself. "Could you believe this kid? He's a freaking maniac!" he yelled. Shane rammed Jason into the nearest object, shutting him up.
"I told you, it was an experiment!" Shane snapped back, attempting to make himself not sound stupid as Jason put.
"For what? If my guitar would smash into pieces once you push it off a story down?! If you really wanted to know the answer, use something called common sense!"
"Guys," Nate yelled, "we have a guest!" he said, trying to be as calm as possible. Shane and Jason immediately stopped moving and looked at Alex. They smiled at her and waved, still staying in their position.
"Hey, um, Nate's friend." Shane said. "I'm sorry, what was your name?"
"Alex…Russo." Alex said nervously.
"Oh…" the two older brothers said in unison. Suddenly, their eyes lit up and they begin to smirk as wide as ever. "Oh! You're the Alex Russo?!" they yelled simultaneously, excitement in their faces. Alex giggled a little and nodded her head, somewhat flattered. Jason released Shane from the headlock, and Shane moved away from Jason so that they were feet apart.
"So you're the infamous Alex Russo Nate constantly won't stop complaining about." Jason said. Alex laughed and nodded her head again while Nate turned red, infuriated. Jason stuck out his hand. "It's an honor to meet you. What you've done to Nate is legendary." Alex couldn't stop smiling as she shook Jason's hand.
"Yeah! I mean, you glued his most embarrassing things in front of your whole school! You poured the crappiest crap on his head and in other places! You actually made him cry for God's sake! I bow down to you, Alex Russo." Shane said, literally bowing down. Alex covered her mouth to stop her from laughing so much while Nate has never been more angry and embarrassed in his life.
"It's nothing." she said, trying to be modest. She looked at Nate, giggling at his expression.
"Nothing? You've done the worst pranks on Nate that Shane and I could only dream of!" Jason said. "But I'd never expect Nate to invite you over." he said, snickering at his mortified little brother. "Oh, yeah, and where's Miley? Isn't she, like, Alex's best friend or something?"
"We, um, Alex and I had a school project to do. Our stupid teacher just had to pair us up." Nate said, glaring at Alex. Alex glared back at him and shook her head.
"It's like getting paired up with the spawn of Satan." she said. Nate sighed and rolled his eyes. He grabbed Alex's arm and dragged her into his room. "Well, I'll see you guys later!" she smiled, quickly waving goodbye to Shane and Jason. Nate pulled her into his room and closed and locked the door securely as fast as he could. He pinned Alex onto his door and let out a sigh of relief.
"You have a big mouth." he said, poking Alex in the arm playfully. Alex smirked.
"So…you talk about me?" she said.
"Oh, don't flatter yourself, sweetheart. I think the key word is complain." Nate said, smirking right back at her.
"Yet, the goody-goody Nathaniel Gray still talks about his sworn enemy, the notorious Alex Russo." Alex said in an overdramatic voice as she pushed Nate off of her and sat on his bed. Nate shook his head but kept his smile on as he sat right next to her on his bed. Alex looked around and smiled, happy to see that there were barely any pictures of him and Miley or signs of their relationship. She felt guilt inflicted into her as she found a small picture of Nate and Miley near his bed stand but ignored it. She turned back to Nate, giving him a toothy grin. "So your music?" she said, excited.
Nate bent down to reach something under his bed. "Okay, but you have to promise to show me your art next time. Promise?" he said as he picked up a composition notebook with a bunch of music notes and names of famous bands on the front. Alex nodded her head and took the book from Nate's hands. She flipped through the pages as Nate stared at her, looking through every song, imagining every melody, silently hearing Nate's voice in her ears.
"Could you sing some from me?" Alex asked, giving Nate a shy smirk. Nate widened his eyes and shook his head no. "Aw, come on! Miley said that you're really good at singing! Please, Nate? Sing for me?" Alex pleaded, hugging his stomach. Nate laughed as he continued to shake his head. Alex kissed his cheek. "Please?" she whispered.
"No." Nate said, blushing slightly. She kissed his cheek again, and Nate shook his head once more. Alex took Nate's face into her small hands and turned his head so that he was facing her. She pulled him softly onto her lips and kissed him. She slowly released, smiling childishly at him. "Um…okay." he said, dazed. Alex giggled as Nate reached for his guitar and picked up his songbook.
"So what is Nate Gray going to sing for me today?" Alex asked as she wrapped her arms around Nate's neck and peered over his shoulder. Nate smiled as he flipped through the pages. As they stayed in that positioned, that awkward loner feeling inside of them faded off. They felt like they were doing things like this for years. It was like, it was correct if Alex had her arms around Nate, it was correct if Nate was serenading Alex.
"It's a surprise." he answered back. He stopped at one page that was didn't have a title. Alex glanced at the page, noticing that he just recently started on it. Nate only had part of the first verse on it. Alex smiled as she read over the first couple of lyrics Nate has written. She smiled, wondering what it sounded like in song.
"So sing." Alex whispered, eager to finally hear Nate's voice. Nate turned red again.
"Okay, I really don't want to sing, but I'll play it for you. That's the most I'll do." he said. Alex sighed and ruffled up his hair.
"Fine." she said, defeated once again. So Nate strummed the guitar, playing while humming the sound of the lyrics. Alex closed her eyes and smiled as she leaned her chin on Nate's shoulder, resting her head by his. She felt like she was floating on a cloud, drifting away into a beyond, just hearing the sound of Nate's voice echoing all around her.
She was taken by surprise when the someone started banging on the door. They separated from each other and sat on the far side of the bed, putting on their fake faces of annoyance towards one another. Nate walked up to the door to open it. He rolled his eyes to see Shane again. "Mom said that we'll be having dinner soon. Alex, you could have dinner with us if you want to." Shane said, smiling at her. Alex stood up and fixed her ruffled shirt.
"It's okay. My parents probably want me to have dinner with them. Thanks for the offer though. I'll see you later, guys." she said, smiling at Shane as she brushed past Nate's shoulder. "Um, the project, Nate, um, we'll continue it tomorrow." Alex said, eyeing his guitar. Nate nodded his head, understanding that she wanted to hear the rest of the song tomorrow. Alex nodded as well, her eyes glued to the floor. She turned around on her heel and walked away, out of the house.
"Wow, she's hot." Shane said once Alex closed the door behind her. Nate tensed, trying not to glare at his brother.
"Gross." he said, shuddering.
"Hey, is she single?" Shane asked, smirking. Nate couldn't help it. He wanted to hit Shane right there.
"Well, she's too young for you." Nate said, a little too quickly and a little to angrily. Shane raised an eyebrow and smirked at his brother.
"And she's just absolutely perfect for you?" he said.
"Yeah-" Nate stopped and bit his tongue. "Your point?"
"Do you hate Alex?" Nate gave Shane a weird look. This is the girl he's been insulting and rambling about to his brothers since he was five. How could Shane forget already? Nate nodded his head, thinking about how much an idiot his brother is. "And you love Miley?" Shane continued, his devious smirk never leaving his lips. Nate nodded his head again, this time slower. He gave Shane a serious look, wondering where he was leading on. "Wow, Nate, I never thought of you as the cheater type."
"What?!" Nate yelled. He almost fell flat off his feet as those words ran through Shane's mouth. How could Shane - the most dumbest person ever, second to Jason - find out that he was cheating on his girlfriend that fast?! Shane just met Alex today, and she and Nate made sure to be stealthy inside of his house. How could Shane possibly even assume it?
Shane burst into laughter as he watched Nate's expression. "I knew it! You guys are hooking up behind Miley's back!" Nate covered Shane's mouth, elbowing him in the stomach.
"Shut up!" Nate whispered. He pulled Shane into his room and released his grip from him. "How the heck did you even know?!" Nate yelled, nervous beyond compare. Shane scoffed.
"Yeah, like it wasn't obvious. Please, if you hated her like you did before, you guys would be at the library instead of our house doing this so called project. Plus, I overheard you guys acting all goo-goo gaga, and you playing one of your songs for her. You never let Miley hear your songs, Nate." Shane said. Nate ignored his last sentence, trying to find a way to get back at Shane later on.
"Overheard or eavesdropped?" Nate asked, his eyebrow raised.
"That doesn't matter. What's important is that you can't cheat." Nate rolled his eyes, thinking about how much of a hypocrite his brother is being right now. Shane shook his head. "Yes, I've cheated before, and I know how they all end up. Badly. I know it's hard loving two girls, Nate. But you have to choose only one because in the end, not only your heart will be broken, theirs will be too. It's even worse to see them heartbroken then it is you. Now tell me, Nate, do you like Alex or…do you feel that something else?"
Nate stared into space, not knowing the answer. He touched his chest, feeling his heart thump in its slow pattern. Do I like Alex or… do I feel that something else? he asked himself. He thought about it, thinking about how he treated both of them equally. Not really equally, but the same. Both with respect, kindness, and…love. He loved Miley, that's for sure. But what about Alex? He would never cheat on Miley if he just liked Alex. No, he had to feel something more with that. The sparks he felt when he kissed her, the way he would melt as she smiled gloriously up at him, the way he would just want to be with her the whole time.
Just the way he feels when he's with Miley.
"I…hate her." Nate said, finally looking at Shane's eyes. Shane raised an eyebrow and folded his arms, looking like he was waiting for Nate to continue on. Nate sighed and rubbed his head. "And I love her." he muttered.
A/N: Wow, apparently I'm in love with this new series becuase I seriously just can't stop writing! I wouldn't be surprised if I updated tomorrow or something. (Probably not, but you never know.) I haven't updated this fast since, like, last summer! It's mainly all thanks to you guys and your awesome reviews. They're making me really happy! You guys rock!