Flashback:
"Dude, what the fuck?" I questioned as Joe shoved me into his bedroom, onto his bed then walked over and locked the door. Looking up I saw Kevin standing against the far wall, he gave me a small wave. "Care to explain why you basically just kidnapped me?"
"Nick, we need to talk to you." Kevin stepped forward.
"And you couldn't have politely walked down to the end of the hall and knocked on my door?"
"No, Nick you are out of control."
"We are really getting worried."
The bed sank down as Joe sat down on the corner, while Kevin flipped the computer chair from Joe's desk around and sat down.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Sticking my nose slightly upwards, I rolled my eyes. They are so annoying, seriously they are overreacting.
"Yes, yes you do. And it's not healthy what you are doing Nick." Joe shared a look with Kevin.
"Nick..." Joe leaned over, placing his hand on my back.
"Nick what!" I jumped off of the bed and out of Joe's grasp, "you guys are overreacting, seriously it's just a few drinks now and then. Just because you didn't when you were 17 doesn't mean I can't. God, what happened to not judging others?" I started pacing back and forth, preparing for their reactions.
"Nick, we don't judge. This isn't about us judging you. This is about why you are drinking. You aren't even doing it in a social setting Nick, you are doing it late at night all alone in your room or out back. And it's not now and then; it's every night for the past three weeks. Ever since she started seeing him." Kevin finished, in the kind tone that was so him.
I froze when he mentioned her.
"Nick, it doesn't make sense, last year you guys figured things out peacefully. And you know damn well that if you went to her, and told her you were ready to jump she wouldn't even look before leaping. So why are you doing this to yourself?" Joe pushed; he knew both sides to the story. Hell he had probably told Miley what I was doing to myself.
Turning my body to face them, I just stood there. Knowing they were right, the problem is I can't put why I'm doing it or anything into words. It won't come out properly. "I know it's wrong, and I know I'm being stupid. But it somehow makes sense, I can't go to her. Not now, I don't know how to say why. I can't explain it, it just. I just, I love her but I can't have her. She is with someone else and happy so I found alcohol and it makes me happy. I want to stop, but every time I try I find a new picture of them together. She is, we are, you guys will never understand it…" I sighed and turned, walking right past them and out the door. They didn't say a thing; I can't explain it to them because they will never understand what Miley and I have. They will never understand my pain, and honestly they aren't worth the time or words.
From my stiff position on the couch, wrapped in one of Nicks old button downs over a maternity tank since I no longer swam in his clothing, I heard the front door open and close as soft footsteps approached Nick and I breaking the awkward silence that had been consuming us. I turned my head just as Trace walked into the living room, spotting our pairing on the couch he gave me a knowing look before walking over and kissing my forehead.
"Hey baby sister." His raspy soft voice floated towards me, as he walked over and sat in the arm chair adjacent to the couch. "Nick." He simply said as he and Nick exchanged a quick nod. "Sooo." He glanced at us.
Clearly he noticed our clothing situation, Nick clad in his blue boxers sticking out from his dark wash jeans and no shirt in sight. Or well no shirt near him, his shirts over on the floor of the kitchen. And myself hiding my simple boy shorts under the thick blanket I kept adjusting around my waist. Our bodies slightly over lapping on the couch, but the awkwardness of the conversation, no matter how we were dressed still hung in the air I was sure.
"Well, it is pretty obvious what you two were up to while I was on my walk." He cleared his throat, his eyes moving in fluid lines across our bodies on the couch. "Work out your problems then?" A girly giggle escaped his lips.
"Trace, can you please let us be alone, so we can figure things out?" An edge was on my words, purposely placed there, to make my big brother feel awkward and leave.
"Yea, yea one second." He waved his hand at me, clearly immune to my effort to get him to leave after so many years of living together. "I just have a question for you two, how exactly does that" he moved his finger back and forth pointing at us, "work when you are with someone so pregnant?" He started laughing hysterically at that point.
Forgetting I was only clad in boy shorts beneath my blanket , I stood up faster than I thought possible at this point of pregnancy and waddled across the floor to my brother who was bent over his finger still pointed at the couch, obviously finding himself hysterical. Pulling him out of his chair rather easily, I pushed him towards the stairs, until he had either the choice to face plant onto the hard wood or suck it up and walk away. He chooses to walk up stairs still laughing the whole fucking way.
I watched as Miley turned her perfect body away from the stairs, and marched over to the kitchen reaching into the refrigerator pulling out a large picture of iced tea. "Nick, I love you more than anything. But I've told you before; I don't know how we can make this work. I'm afraid for our child; living in a place like Los Angeles with us as parents is not the making of a good childhood. You and I turned out the way we did because of our beginnings, because we had some sort of normalcy. Granted mine wasn't as normal as yours but still…."
She poured herself a glass and took a huge gulp, stopping herself from what she and I both knew was about to become a rant. "Do you want any?" She asked in such a normal tone I let a laugh slip, always back to simple even in the most stressful times.
"No, thank you." I brushed off the answer. "Miley, we turned out the way we did because we have amazing families who raised us the right way. And our child will be raised with not only those families to support them, but also the amazing friends we have made along the way, all who are just as grounded. We can do it; we can make a normal life for a child in our world. We have the right people around us; we have the right mind set." My hands were out reached towards her, adding dramatics to the situation.
She let out a long sigh, the thoughts in her mind moving a mile a minute. Finishing her iced tea, while her eyes never once letting go of mine. Finally she placed the glass in the sink, and padded her way back to the couch. We curled up together, in complete silence, both worrying about everything, both trying to find a solution to our problem. Finally her voice broke the silence, "Just you and me against the world like before?" Her words seemed to come out of a dream like state.
"You, me and baby, against the big bad world; I promise." I kissed her hair and whispered the promise into her ear.
She seemed to ponder my answer for a while before she answered. "Good, because I don't know what you would do without me Mister Jonas. I am after all, your lucky charm." She turned her face towards mine a smile so large across her entire face.
"You are right, since day one Miley, you have always been right. As long as I still get to be prince charming…" I responded, as we both pulled out old memories to share. Laughing with each other in a way, that hadn't been done in months. Finally, Miley and Nick are back.