"Sonny?" I asked her. She turned around as her hand touched the doorknob. "Yes?" She asked, hope in her eyes.

"What were you thinking of when Skylar kissed you?"

She sighed and looked me straight in the eye.

"I was thinking of you."

And with that she left, leaving me with the truth and nothing but a strained heart.

...

"Skylar?" She whispered. "Yes." Nico replied. "He's a little over six feet, brown hair, green eyes, on Mackenzie Falls?" He said.

He heard her gasp and something fell to the floor. Silence filled the air and Nico panicked.

"Angelica?"

I was a quick wet boy,

diving too deep for coins

All of your street light eyes wide on my plastic toys

Then when the cops closed the fair,

I cut my long baby hair

Stole me a dog-eared map and

called for you everywhere

Chad Dylan Cooper sighed while stirring his melted vanilla frozen yogurt. His blonde hair was combed to perfection, his black blazer and blue button down-shirt made all the girls swoon, and his five hundred dollar watch beamed from miles away. All these things made him the most attractive man in the ice cream parlor. He could easily have any girl he wanted without even trying.

Despite all of this, his heart was stolen by the most pure-hearted girl he knew, and he had no intention of taking it back.

Portlyn Maddison sighed from across the table. She was really torn up about her best friend. He was miserable. She had to barge into his dressing room and literally had to drag him out. Luckily, he was already dressed in his high-class Mackenzie Falls attire.

In all truth, Portlyn needed to set him straight. Everybody knew that he was wrong except for him. She loved him, but sometimes he could be really thick.

Chad looked up at her and smiled slightly. Sure, he was tired and didn't feel like going out, but he did need to tell Portlyn something. Something important.

"Portlyn, I-" He took a deep breath. "I'm going to make up with Sonny." He put his spoon down, his eyebrows furrowing. "I should have listened to everyone a long time ago. It was nobody's fault." He took a deep breath. "I just hope Sonny will forgive me."

Portlyn grinned and clapped her hands excitedly. Less work for her! Everybody at the shop turned to look at her outburst. In any other place they would have been chased by the paparazzi, but they've been coming to this shop for years. The owners knew them, and anybody who even made a peep would be thrown out.

Chad smiled at Portlyn. He was so lucky to have a best friend like her. He was lucky to have all his friends- Tawni, Nico, Grady, Zora, Chastity, and everyone else on the set.

He would have included Sonny in that thought, but Sonny was so much more to him. Sonny was everything he ever wanted all in one package. He couldn't just be friends with her. Even putting her in that category would be an insult to his portrayal of her.

"Sooooo when are you going to do it?" Portlyn asked him. He smiled and checked his watch. It was already 7:00. This time yesterday, he was driving to the studio to get his script. Funny how everything had flipped upside down in less than 24 hours.

"Today. I don't want to wait. I have to tell Sonny I'm ready to forgive her."

"That was fast." Portlyn mumbled. Chad nodded. "I thought it over, and I realized that Sonny was right. She was doing it for me. I was just so angry and hurt-"

"Chad." Portlyn stopped him, placing her hand over his. "I know. You don't even have to explain it to me. I know."
He smiled gratefully, but then frowned. "You know, I deserve a big 'I told you so'."

"Well." Portlyn began, smiling at him. "You won't get one from me. Like you said, you were hurt and angry. You weren't thinking properly."

"But I hurt everyone." He said guiltily. "No." She interjected. "To us, you were being the same old stubborn ass as always. You just hurt Sonny." She smiled teasingly, and he couldn't help the smirk that came onto his face. "Am I that stubborn?"

"Do you have to ask?"She exclaimed, throwing her spoon at him. It landed on his nose, the gooey ice cream starting to drip onto his blazer. He quickly jumped up and the drop fell to the floor. Portlyn cracked up, but Chad just looked at her annoyed.

"It's not funny! This is Michael Kors!"

Portlyn smiled as she walked through the Condor Studios hallway. She and Chad had just gotten back from the ice cream parlor and he had went to go talk to Sonny. Finally.

Suddenly Portlyn left two hands go around her mouth. They were cold and strong, tight enough that she couldn't get free but loose enough so that she could breathe. She gasped and moved around furiously, trying to get the person to loosen their grip. But they were too strong. Their hands wrapped around her waist and pulled her about an inch or two off the ground. Her eyes widened as she realized what was happening.

"Mphmm!" She tried to scream, but the person's hand gripped around her mouth and he spun her around. She struggled to get free, and it wasn't until he whispered something into her ear that she froze.

"Hey beautiful."

At that second, she got free and turned to face the intruder, already knowing who it was. "You ass!" She screeched, pushing Nico slightly. "You scared me!"

He laughed and pulled her close. "You were scared. Of me." His bent his face down and leaned his forehead against her head. Portlyn couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. Sure, Nico was a bit goofy and immature at times, but he was hergoof.

"I can't believe I'm not mad at you." She whispered to him, shaking her head. He chuckled and hugged her, spinning her around. "Youcan'tbe mad at me. I'm Nico Harris, the most charming, handsome-"

"Immature, goofy-" Portlyn continued, cutting him off. "Hey!" He cried, throwing his hands up in the air. "I'm on So Random. That's my job."

Portlyn's eyebrows raised slightly. "Well if that's the case, I'm going to have to be dramatic and serious all the time." She let out a long, deep sigh. "Oh, there's nobody in this world who loves me. I'm just going to die alone- Nico! Get off!" She exclaimed, hitting Nico's back. Nico had picked her up by her legs and was now racing throughout the hallways.

So this is love. Portlyn thought, laughing. I might just be perfectly fine with this.

Chad took a deep breath as he arrived at his and Sonny's secret place near a small lake. The sun's rays reflected off the water, making it sparkle. There were numerous small animals scurrying around, something very odd in the middle of Hollywood, California. But he didn't complain. He loved the view and the peacefulness. When he came here, it was as if all of his thoughts disappeared and he was left here with nothing but beauty and quiet.

Just as he got ready to sit down on the grass, he spotted a figure sitting on the edge of the lake. It was a girl, with long brown hair and pale white skin. Chad froze as he realized who it was, he could never forget her. Sonny.

She was looking up at the sky, whispering something softly to herself. It wasn't until he got closer that he realized she was singing.

If I could take it all back I would now
I never meant to let you all down
And now I've go to try to turn it all around
And figure out how to fix this
I know there's a way, so I promise
I'm gonna clean up the mess I made
Maybe it's not too late

His heart broke listening to her sing about him. He just wanted to run up to her and hug her, and never let her go. But he couldn't. He needed to win her back.

"It's beautiful." He said softly, slowly walking towards her. She jumped up and turned around, her face filled with shock. Chad gulped-she didn't look too happy to see him. "What are you doing here?" She whispered. He shrugged.

"I came to clear my head." He looked down and shuffled his feet slightly. She merely stood there silently, waiting for him to speak. Her gaze never left his face.

"I-" He paused, at a loss for words. He couldn't figure out where to start. Somewhere in the midst of all of this, they had both been wrong. But was it truly their faults? Or was it just the way things had unfolded? "I'm listening." She said, willing him to continue. He cleared his throat. "Sonny, I'm so sorry. I know that I was a jerk to you, and that I wouldn't listen, but you have to believe me when I say that I trust you now."

She took a deep breath and turned her head slightly, peering into the water as if it had her response. A cool wind blew, whipping her hair with it. She looked as if she were floating. She squinted hard into the trees, thinking. "You didn't trust me." She whispered, biting her lip. "I know what I did was wrong, but it was for you. Even after I told you that, you still couldn't be with me." Her voice broke slightly, but she quickly cleared her throat. She wasn't supposed to cry. And she wouldn't let him back into her heart so easily. He hurt her, just like she hurt him. But she had done her part- she apologized. She told him the truth. Now, it was his turn to win her back.

Chad's eyes flashed with pain at her comment. He couldn't even imagine what she could have went through, risking everything just for him. She got caught, but no matter what, he understood that she was still the same Sonny.

She looked at him with a torn face. " You told me that you could handle your own problems. What am I supposed to do with that, Chad? Do you expect me to just back off? I-I can'tdo that! You know that!"

Chad's eyes pleaded with her as he came closer. "Sonny, I know what I said, and I'm sorry-"

"You know, when people are angry they tell their true thoughts and feelings. It doesn't matter what you say now, it's what you said before that matters." She turned her back to him, her arms crossed, facing the water. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she blinked them back. 'Be strong, Sonny' she thought.

Chad took a deep breath and put his arms around her, hugging her from behind. "I was stupid. I said things I didn't mean. Sonny, I know I can handle my own problems, but I don't want to. I want us to face them together." She closed her eyes as he leaned his chin on top of her head. "You and me, Sonny and Chad. Just like we were meant to be."

She closed her eyes and leaned back into him. "You know Chad, this year has had do many down points. So many times when I thought that it was over."

"But it wasn't." He mumbled.

"I-I jumped off a cliff, which was incredibly stupid. You cut yourself."

"I used to cut myself." He corrected her. A small smile played on her lips. "Right. You used to. And then when I almost got ran over by the car, and when Skylar was flirting with me and I was too stupid to notice, and now this-"

"Sonny! Chad cried, turning her around to face him. "None of this was your fault. It was fate."

"But what if it wasn't? Don't you get it? All these problems stemmed from my stupid actions. I overreacted, I didn't see the stop sign, I fell for Skylar's trick, everything's because of me!" She took another shaky breath, running her hand through her hair. Chad froze. "Sonny, what are you saying?" He whispered. She bit her lip.

"Chad, as long as you're with me, we're going to have problems. Because I make mistakes. I don't want that for you."

"I don't care. Whatever this relationship has to offer, I accept it. I love you, Sonny Monroe. You know that."

She shook her head, taking a step back. "Chad, I now you love me. That's why I don't want to be with you. I don't want you to get hurt."

"Sonny, stop talking nonsense."

"But-"

"No. Just- here." Chad knew his words would not change his mind. But he knew something that would. He grabbed her hands, putting them around his neck. He then put his arms around her and hummed slightly, swaying. She looked up at him confused, her arms limp at his shoulders.

"What are you doing?" She asked him, her eyebrows and nose scrunching in confusion. Chad chuckled and kissed her nose softly. "We're dancing."

A smile formed on her lips. She couldn't help it. He was just so silly, so random, so spontaneous. "There's no music, dumbo."

"We don't need any." He whispered. They swayed in silence for a few moments. Sonny's previous thoughts still swirled in her head, but the pros of them getting back together were now beginning to outweigh the cons. Right here in his arms she felt like anything was possible. Like no matter what she did, she would have a warm and safe place every night to fit right into. Chad's blue eyes bore into her chocolate brown ones.

"See this?" He said, gesturing to their current position. "This is how we're meant to be. We love each other. Why throw away something so perfect? Something people spend their whole lives searching for?" She laughed and put her head against his chest. "Is this from one of your scripts?"

He rolled his eyes. "No, surprisingly. This is coming from the place that you've always been in. My heart." Sonny's eyes watered at his heartfelt words. She didn't deserve him. But he was here. He would patch up her mistakes. Make it seem like she had not made any. And she would do the same for him. Always.

"We're okay, right?" He whispered. She lifted her head off of his chest and played with the hairs on the back of his neck.

"We're more than okay, mister. You always know what to say."

"Well, I do have a way with words." He said proudly. She laughed and rolled her eyes. "Yes, you do."

They swayed in silence until the day turned to day. Because all in all, there was no reason for them to hurt. They fit perfectly together. They helped each other through the worst moments of all, their fates were intertwined. She made him a better person, and in return, he made her happy.

There were never two people who say each other's imperfections so perfectly.

Have I found you

Flightless bird,

jealous, weeping

or lost you, american mouth

Big pill looming

~Iron & Wine

I decided to put a short and sweet chapter.

But don't worry, the silence before the awakening is just as important a the awakening itself.

Thoughts?

:)

Review please.