Chapter Twenty-Six

"You did what?" Miley asked Demi over the phone as she walked around her hotel room.

"I called Joe."

Miley sat down on the edge of her bed. "Alright. What did you say?"

"Nothing. I hung up. Several times."

Miley suddenly laughed picturing it. "Are you telling me that you called Joe and hung up without saying anything like stalkers usually do?"

"Oh no! I did!" Demi said panicking.

Miley held in her laugh to try and comfort her friend. "I'm sure it's alright, Demi. Do you think he knows it was you?" She asked as she heard a knock at her door. She stood up and shuffled her feet over to it.

"I don't know. Yes. No. He probably does! God! Why do I have to be so...obsessive?"

Miley sighed. "Demz, I'm sure it's fine. He probably doesn't even care. He probably thinks it's a random hang up call. I can assure you this is the last thing that Joe is worried about." She swung her door open and gasped. "Joe."

"Miley, what's wrong? What about Joe?" Miley distantly heard Demi's voice through the earpiece.

"You!" Joe glared at her and pointed his index finger at her accusingly. "Have you been calling me and hanging up?"

"Is that Joe?" Demi asked.

"Um, no, I haven't been doing that...Joseph." She said slowly.

Joe raised an eyebrow. "It's either you or Taylor. You are the only two who would play with my head like this. You know how badly I'm waiting on a call from Demi!"

"Oh God! He thinks it's you!" Demi said catching on to most of what Joe was yelling.

"I'm sorry, Joe. I'll...stop." Miley said slowly. "I think."

"You think?" He hissed. "Is this some kind of game to you?"

"No!" Miley shook her head while her eyes widened. "I-I-"

"Why is he yelling Miley? Is he mad?"

"Joe...give me a second for this phone call and we'll talk, okay?" She knew he wasn't just going to agree so she went back into her hotel room leaving the door open and disappeared into the bathroom. "Demi," she whispered. "Joe's really mad because I took the blame for the phone calls."

"I should've known he would be mad. God, I can't ever show my face to him and his family again, Miley. I'm so embarr-"

"Demi." Miley said harshly into the phone to get her friend's attention. "You don't get it!" She dragged a hand through her hair pushing it back, frustrated. "Joe is mad because he thinks it was me calling when he was desperately waiting on a phone call from you. He thinks... I'm trying to mess with his mind." Miley put the top to the toilet down and sat on it. "All he wants is to hear from you just like all YOU want is to hear his voice." Miley waited in silence for Demi's next response. It was a long silence on the line before she began to speak.

"Tell him it was me." Miley heard Demi sigh silently through the earpiece. "Tell him the next time that I call I'm going to be absolutely sure of what I want." Miley heard a deep and calm breath before she heard a click and then nothing. Knowing Demi had hung up, she clicked 'end' and cautiously made her way out of the bathroom. Joe had invited himself inside and was now sitting on the bed waiting on her.

Springing to a standing position as she approached him.

Miley opened her mouth to speak but Joe stopped her holding up a hand.

"You don't...have to say anything. I know."

"You know?"

He nodded then looked down at the phone in his hands. "Demi was the one calling me. God, this is so messed up!" He said frustrated, stalking away. "This is the furthest thing from what I wanted. I need my best friend back, Miley."

"Demi..." She shook her head. "She doesn't only want to be your best friend and until...she can want what you want, she can't talk to you. She said ...next time she calls you she'll know exactly what she wants."

He turned back to Miley bringing his gaze down on her. "Am I making a mistake, Miley?"

Miley just stared at Joe unsure what he was asking.

"I mean..." Joe glanced down at the floor before taking a step toward Miley. "I don't want to keep playing with her heart but...if...I love her...and she loves me...maybe it'll work."

Miley nodded finally understanding but she still didn't answer because continued to talk his on way through.

"But that's just it. 'Maybe' isn't a sure thing. I just want her there and if my love for her causes her to leave or something happens...do you know how much I've missed Demi in the last month? I barely eat anything at all and I only sleep on days when I see a video or something or hers just floating around. I don't think I could bare that again if we broke up." Next thing Joe knows is that a teary Miley wrapped her arms around him. "Miles?"

"God, I hope Nick loves me like this." She sighed into his shirt. "Those words are the only way I can think of describing what I feel for him."

"Yeah, I don't think my nerves could handle another Nick and Miley breakup." Joe wrapped his arms around Miley so it wouldn't feel so awkward. "Try getting a person that only feels with his heart to eat and on top of that, trying to get my mom to stop worrying that he'll fall over and die because he's a diabetic."

They both heard small footsteps and turned to the sound, letting go of each other. "What's going on here-Miley are you crying?" Nick rushed over to her.

She sniffled and wiped her eyes. "Just a little bit."

"And I was just leaving." Joe said as he headed towards the door but turned back to Miley. "Thanks."

Miley shrugged. "I haven't done anything, Joe. You were the one doing all the talking. Um..." Miley moved toward him, "Demi needs time to-"

"I know." Joe cut her off with a smile. "I have hope that things will work out the way that they should." He nodded goodbye to both of them. "Bye, guys." He turned and walked out.

Nick looked confused as his finger pointed to where Joe had just exited. "That...was weird." He said referring to seeing

"What?" Miley shrugged. "Joe and I are friends now and he just might be invited to the wedding."

Nick's gaze went straight to Miley at the words. "Wedding?"

Her eyes widened as she went straight to the bed and sat down. "Nevermind." She said before laying on her back and watched as Nick joined her and he slowly smiled.

"Miles." He said as he grabbed her hand laying on his back, too and also facing her. "Let's talk about the wedding that we're definitely eventually going to have in the future."

"Are we?" She smiled as he nodded and she lifted her head and laid it on his shoulder so that she was closely nuzzled in his neck. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well...I'm thinking Joe and Kevin can be my best men and Frankie can be the ring bearer."

"Noah will be our little flower girl. She'll look so cute."

Nick nodded in agreement. "We can have a wedding on the beach. What do you think? Small or large?"

She shrugs. "I don't really care how many people are there as long as you make it."

"Is that right?" Nick said as he hovered over hid gaze raking her body.

She nodded and lifted her hand up slowly to caress his curls on the back of his neck, bringing his head down for a kiss. "You make me feel so beautiful."

He lifted his head up and stared down at her. "You should always feel that way, Mi."

She shook her head. "Will you always be here?"

Nick laid down beside her and pulled her into his arms again. "You can already consider us an old married couple."