nick/miley - it feels like stealing hearts (3/3)
Title: It Feels Like Stealing Hearts
Character/Pairings: Nick/Miley
Summary: Nick still likes Miley. In fact, he is fairly certain he never stopped liking her-- in a strictly platonic way. ( I'm a Modern Girl, But I Fold in Half So Easily from Nick's POV)
Rating: PG (Some language)
Word Count: 5,700
Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing. The title is from All Time Low's Dear Maria, Count Me In. Also, this did not happen.
Other: This was intended as an outtake for this fic, but ended up much longer than I expected. This part corresponds with part four of it. It's probably not necessary to be familiar with the original, but it may help. However, if there is any confusion you can probably refer back to that part.
iv.
Things are going better now that a week or so has passed. And when Nick does think about her sometimes- it’s not like he thinks about her everyday; she’s not the first thing that comes to his mind when he wakes up in the morning or anything- it always hits him differently: he’s sad, he understands, he wants to punch the douchebag in the face. But he’s coping, even if he wishes he didn’t have to.
They’re gearing up for the next album to come out and touring in South America with Demi, and he’s so happy with all of that. Focusing on work really helps; spending time with Joe really helps, too. But sometimes Joe will get a text and leave the room to answer it, which is extremely strange. But Nick doesn’t think about it too much. The weirdest thing is when Joe will say something that sounds so much like Miley. Nick always just stares at him for a moment and blinks a lot, trying to forget.
The worst part is sending her the final version of Before the Storm, knowing he won’t be able to hand the CD to her in person; he won’t be able to watch her react as she listens to it for the first time. He puts the CD in a plastic case- the entire album, not just the one track- and searches for something to write the track listing down on. He ends up using a notecard, scribbling the tracks on one side and thinking of something to write on the other. He goes through plenty of notecards, starting out with “i’m sorry” or “hey” or “I hope you like it.” They all end up crumbled into the trashcan or ripped into tiny shreds.
He ends up not writing anything else on it.
Nothing seems right.
*
One day Joe pulls out his old Furby from a box in the basement, replaces the battery and shoves the hideous thing in Nick’s face. It’s making strange noises and blinking mechanically and repeating its name over and over again. “Aren’t these the coolest things ever,” Joe says happily, looking at it with awe. “I can’t believe I forgot about them.”
“That thing is so annoying, Joe.” Nick shakes his head at his brother, thinking he’ll probably have a headache in a few hours if Joe does not put it away.
“Pfft, no.” Joe looks at him as though he’s crazy. “It’s awesome. So much better than a normal stuffed animal.”
Nick raises his eyebrows, saying, “No. A normal stuffed animal is soft and doesn’t make creepy noises.”
“Wow, rude.” Joe presses his lips together and looks at the Furby for a minute. “I’ll call Miley and ask her what she thinks.”
Nick’s pretty sure his mouth drops open a little. “What?”
“Oh, right,” Joe answers idly, “we text sometimes.” Pulling out his phone, Joe scrolls through his contacts quickly, pressing the cell to his ear as it dials Miley’s number.
“Seriously?” Nick hears himself say, and he really feels like hurdling the Furby at his brother’s head. How could he not know about this?
“Hey,” Joe whispers, turning away from Nick.
There’s a brief pause as Miley answers. Nick rubs at the back of his neck with his hand, trying to figure out what Joe is trying to do here.
“I know you’re not supposed to talk to Nick because your boyfriend is an ass or whatever, but this is important,” Joe spits out. He turns around quickly, walking towards Nick and sitting next to him on the couch. “Now, you have two minutes to convince him that Furbys were better toys than regular stuffed animals.”
Nick thinks he can vaguely hear Miley’s voice protesting over the phone. “Go,” Joe laughs, shoving the phone at Nick, his eyes sparkling the way they do when he thinks he’s gotten someone the best Christmas present ever and is just so proud of himself.
“Hey.” Nick’s voice comes out really quiet, but stronger than he expected.
“Furbys were awesome because they could talk,” Miley mumbles quickly, as though she’s nervous or does not want to be speaking to him right now. Nick tries not to think that that could be a possibility.
“I sent you the final version of Before the Storm in the mail the other day,” Nick whispers, rubbing at the back of his neck again. He feels really steady, but he cannot figure out why. “You should get it soon.”
“And they could repeat stuff you say.”
“Miley.” He really wants her to just listen to him.
“Yeah?” she asks, sounding a little out of breath. Nick can picture her pacing back and forth, running her hand through her hair.
“They were annoying, you had to put them, no, you had to lock them in a dark bathroom to get them to stop talking.” He tries to end the pretext. Joe’s still looking at him funny, but he put his ipod in, trying not to eavesdrop too much. Nick’s thankful for that. Hearing her voice again, he suddenly has a lot to say. He gets up from the couch, walking farther away from his brother.
“I know,” Miley says softly. Her voice sounds really hoarse and sleepy, like she just woke up from a nap.
“I miss you.” He hates how his voice cracks as the words push past his lips.
“Me too.”
Nick thinks she sounds really sincere, and it makes his chest feel tight. He’d given up, but now he realizes that he can’t. It’s impossible to simply let her go when she’s Miley. Biting his lip, he tells her that, worried about her response, thinking she might not want to hear it. But whatever she says, it isn’t going to change his mind.
“Okay,” she whispers back, sounding nothing short of broken. And then Joe’s tapping Nick on the shoulder and pulling his phone out of Nick’s hand, saying that his two minutes are up.
“Did we win?” There are so many different layers to Joe’s voice that Nick thinks he’s not completely talking about Furbys. After Miley responds Joe turns to him and mock shouts, “Damn! Normal stuff animals are lame, Nicky.”
Shaking his head, Nick smiles a little at his brother.
He feels good today.
*
They’re in Brazil with Demi and she’s smiling at him like she knows a really great secret. “What?” he asks, taking a sip from his water bottle and scrunching his eyebrows together.
“ Nothing.” Shaking her head back and forth, Demi’s hair flies around her face. She’s giggling now, and Nick has no idea why she’s acting so strange. “Nothing,” she repeats again, taking a deep breath, pressing her lips together to try and keep a straight face.
“Demi,” Nick says, screwing the cap back on his water. He’s sure she will break down and tell him if he just stares at her long enough.
A smirk makes its way onto her face again, and she bites her lip briefly before exhaling slowly. “Well, I don’t know…I don’t know if I’m allowed to say anything.”
“What?” Nick loves the girl, but sometimes she’s really annoying. Right now he’s sure it’s not her fault, but the fact that Joe kept her up talking the night before. Nick knows because he had to listen to it for two hours before he was able to block them out enough to drift off.
”It’s really nice knowing people so well.” She runs her hands through her hair and tucks it behind her ears. It’s very shiny and straight and Nick wonders what the heck she did to it to get it that way. It looks really perfect, too perfect. He doesn’t like it all that much.
“You’re still confusing me.” Nick sighs quietly, ready to try and take a short nap before they have to get ready for the show.
“You still love Miley right?” Demi asks seriously, crossing her legs and looking at him intently.
“Um, well, you know-”
“You do.” Demi nods her head fervently, very sure of herself. “Good.”
Nick raises his eyebrows at her. Demi hadn’t mentioned Miley to him this whole time--he was okay with that. He was very pleased not being bombarded with a lot of questions from both Demi and Joe, as well as the two of them trying to impart unneeded comfort. He thinks it’s probably because they’ve been busy being attached at the hip, as though they don’t call each other all of the time.
“Whatever.” He’s obviously too tired to comprehend her when she’s overly hyper due to his brother. Nick stands up and realizes how good that feels. Maybe he’ll go for a jog instead of taking that nap. “Talk to you later.”
“Okay.” Demi grins at him widely. “Send your brother over here if you see him, I need to talk to him.”
“Alright,” Nick says. He doesn’t get them a lot of the time, but he thinks that’s not really important.
*
Nick’s sitting in the kitchen with his Dad discussing plans for the next few months when he hears Joe scream his name rather loudly. Nick smiles at his dad a little and slips out of the chair easily. When he gets into the living he asks, “What the hell? I’m in the next room.”
“Miley’s on the phone.” Joe’s lips pull up at the corners as he holds the phone out for Nick, shaking his head like he is very amused by the look on Nick’s face. Nick’s sure it’d be pretty hysterical if he didn’t just have a heart attack.
“Miley? What’s wrong?” he whispers into the phone, looking pointedly at his brother. Joe shrugs, smirking, so Nick points to the hallway and Joe laughs a little before leaving as slow as humanly possible.
“Nope.”
Nick wishes she would elaborate. “What is it?” He runs a hand through his hair and begins pacing back and forth, looking at the doorway, trying to see if Joe is lurking around.
“Nothing,” she says slowly, sounding really happy.
“Okay,” Nick exhales. He isn’t sure why she’s calling, but it’s nice. He was planning on talking to her when they film the Send It On video soon, but this is great too. He feels his heartbeat slowing down now that he doesn’t have to worry about something horrible happening to her.
“I told Justin we’re friends.” Nick can hear the smile in her voice as clear as day. It’s like she’s smiling at him- and not over the phone.
“Really?” He’s not sure if she’s telling him the truth or not. He’d be okay with it either way as long as she’s willing to talk to him again. But he’d rather know if they’re lying to the douchebag or not. But the idea that she stood up to him for Nick makes Nick feel really happy, as if his heart is growing.
“Really,” she affirms quietly. “I missed you too much.”
Nick’s recently enlarged heart lodges itself firmly in his throat. “I missed you too,” he manages to get out, his voice coming out deep and quiet.
“Good,” Miley breathes. So…”
Nick doesn’t say anything. He’s busy trying to memorize the rhythm of each intake of breath and each exhalation; he’s pretty sure she has a distinct way of breathing. Sitting down on the couch he looks at the clock, realizing how late it actually is. Miley’s breathing is slowing down; she’s falling asleep. “I love you,” Nick whispers quietly. Equal parts of him hope that she hears and that she doesn’t.
“What?” she asks, sounding a little shocked.
“Goodnight Miles,” he answers, closing his eyes, trying to block out the entire world.
“Night,” she says into the phone after a beat. She stays on the line for a few more minutes, and Nick can picture her snuggled up under pounds of blankets. “Bye.”
“Bye.” He hangs up the phone a little reluctantly, hoping this wasn’t a dream.
He falls asleep on the couch and wakes up at six the next morning to the sound of bacon sizzling on the stove; he feels unusually well rested.
*
Filming Send It On has been really fun and relaxing, even though it’s work. He’s watching Demi try to tie a string around Joe’s ankles and her ankles, having already tied one connecting Selena to Joe. “Nick! We should make this a,” she pauses to count how many legs there would be, “an eight legged race? Is that right?”
“I don’t know.” Joe shrugs, pulling Selena with him as he bends down, trying to help Demi. “Nick help us instead of being lazy.”
Sighing, Nick walks over to the trio. “You guys are so strange,” he mumbles, bending down to knot the string around Joe and Demi’s legs.
“I tried to tell them this wouldn’t work. We don’t even have anyone to race against,” Selena says, grabbing Joe’s arm to keep from toppling over as he stands up too quickly.
“You know this is going to be totally awesome though.” Joe grins wickedly at her, slinging an arm over Demi’s shoulder. She seems to snuggle into him, breathing out loudly.
“We could just time ourselves a few times,” Selena suggests, tucking her hair behind her ears.
“How?” Nick asks, standing up when he finishes. He looks around and spots Miley talking to Kevin quietly a few feet away. “Do either of you want to join them?” he yells, gesturing towards the trio.
“Nah,” Kevin replies, a smile present on his lips.
“No,” Miley agrees, “but I have to see this.” She skips over immediately, grabbing Kevin’s hand to drag him along. “What’re you doing?”
“We’re going to race from here to the snack table,” Demi says enthusiastically, pointing to the destination.
“Race who?”
“I don’t know, ourselves.” Demi shrugs and waves her hand like it’s not really important.
Miley looks at Nick for a moment, like she’s thinking. “Piggyback ride?” she asks, a grin forming on her face as she looks around at everyone.
“No one knows what you’re talking about,” Joe says, running his hand down Demi’s back, locking their fingers together.
“Nick could give me a piggyback ride and we could race you.” Miley claps her hands together as she says it, clearly already sold on the idea. Nick’s pretty sure he won’t be able to protest when her eyes are sparkling so excitedly.
“Alright,” he says, “best two out of three?”
“I’ll be the ref,” Kevin adds, quickly jogging to the snack table.
“Is that even fair?” Selena asks, trying her best to look at Joe and Demi so they can consult.
“Why not?” Demi shrugs, hitting Joe in the side with their intertwined fingers, looking at Nick like she’s trying her best not to smile at him in this really obvious way.
“Hop on,” Nick sighs, bending down a little. Miley wraps her arms around his neck and jumps; he catches her easily.
“Everyone ready?” Kevin hollers as Nick takes his place next to Demi.
“Yeah!” Joe and Demi shout back in unison, both cracking up afterwards and shushing each other so they can concentrate. Nick can’t really pay attention to them when Miley’s hair is brushing against his cheek and she’s whispering stuff about tripping Demi- so they can win- in his ear.
Kevin puts his hands in the air and hollers, “Ready? Set? Go!” swooshing his hands down and letting them rest by his sides.
Everyone immediately takes off and Nick’s trying his best to run as Joe and Demi yell at the top of their lungs, Selena laughing, her arm wrapped around Joe’s waist so she can keep up. Miley’s saying “go, go, go” over and over again and eventually stops when Demi stumbles over her own feet, toppling over and causing Joe and Selena to hit the ground, too.
“See, we didn’t even have to cheat,” Nick says as they cross the finish line. Miley slides off his back, accepting a high five from Kevin.
“Two out of three. TWO OUT OF THREE,” Joe shouts as he tries to help Selena and Demi up at the same time- so they can actually stand up and make their way over to the snack table. It seems to be proving a little difficult.
“We could take you any day.” Nick smiles at Miley, who agrees with him before going over to help the trio pick themselves up off the floor.
He and Miley agree to give Selena, Joe and Demi a few minutes to practice, so that he and Miley can really hammer out a solid strategy- just in case Joe, Demi and Selena are hustling them, or suddenly get good.
Kevin ends up ruling that piggyback rides are easier than having your legs tied together, so he gives the trio a five second head start.
Nick and Miley still win.
*
“Hey,” Selena says, coming up to Nick and picking up a carrot off the snack table, biting off a little of it and chewing slowly.
“Hey.” Nick looks at her for a second before examining the food on the table. He didn’t realize how hungry he was. Apparently giving Miley piggyback rides and running around with everyone wore him out more than he thought. He grabs a handful of pretzels, even though he doesn’t particularly want them.
“What’s up?” Selena asks before finishing off her carrot.
Nick can’t help but think about how good she’s been today, and he cannot believe he thought she’d be anything different. He hadn’t really talked to her since they broke up, and it’s nice getting to see her again. It’s nice seeing first hand just how okay she is. “Nothing really.”
“Cool…” Selena seems to hesitate for a moment, moving as though she’s going to walk away, but stopping abruptly and looking at Nick again. “I really like the song you guys picked.”
“Oh.” Nick rubs a pretzel between his fingers. “Thanks.”
There’s a long pause and then:“we’re good, right?” She bites her lips before smiling softly.
“Yeah.” Nick nods his head, feeling a little odd. He looks around, but Demi and Miley are in make-up getting touched-up from lunch, and Joe and Kevin are busy filming.
“You seem really happy.” Selena looks at the ground, hair draping around her face. She threads her fingers together for a second, but her knuckles don’t crack.
Finishing off a pretzel, Nick nods a little. “Um, yeah.” He just doesn’t know what to say to her.
“I’m not angry with you.” Selena looks at him genuinely, brushing a few locks of hair out of her face. “It’s okay that you like her.”
“What, I…” Nick lets the words trail off, because Selena’s grin is really friendly and her eyes are so bright and warm. He wonders just how obvious he is for a second, but he doesn’t care so much anymore.
Looking at him for a long time, Selena suddenly shakes her head and giggles nervously, holding out her hand. “Friends?” she asks.
Nick glances at her hand, placing his in her warm palm and shaking on it. “Friends.”
When Selena lets go she leans forward to touch her hand to his shoulder, whispering, “she likes you too,” before walking towards the make-up room jauntily.
Nick’s not sure why, but she just made him feel really good about the whole thing. It’s not that Joe and Demi haven’t told him the exact same thing more times than he can count, but hearing that Selena’s okay with it makes him feel better; he’s not the biggest jerk ever for breaking up with her.
It means a lot to him.
*
“So…” Miley’s voice trails off as she watches Joe give Selena a piggyback ride, the pair searching for Demi. Kevin’s disappeared somewhere, probably trying to get good reception to talk to Danielle. It’s just Nick and Miley now.
“Yeah.” Scuffing his shoe on the ground, trying to remain calm, Nick looks up at Miley, a small smirk tugging at his mouth. “Did you like the CD?”
“I didn’t know I was going to get the whole thing!” Miley exclaims happily, her hands moving animatedly. “I loved it.”
“I’m glad. And Before the Storm met your expectations?” He really hopes it did. Honestly, he can’t see her hating it, but there’s a part of him that’s worried about it. It’s just as much her song as it is his, and he wishes he had given her some say on the final, mixed version.
“You know if it was good enough for you it was good enough for me,” Miley says softly, blushing a little. Nick’s pretty sure she’s always been this beautiful--he’s not sure why he tried to forget that. He has to fight to keep his heart beating at a steady pace.
“I thought it was perfect,” she continues, her eyelashes fluttering a little.
Nick takes a step closer to her, wanting to feel her warmth. “Want to write something now?” He’s almost positive they have a few minutes before the last group shots.
“Sure,” she breathes. Nick can barely hear her as he watches some goosebumps cover her arms.
*
When they sit down on the floor, their backs to the wall, Miley takes out one of the napkins they stole to write on and carefully sketches their names in pen, trying not to rip it.
“We’re very Indie,” Nick says, “writing our songs on napkins.” It’s not really a good joke at all, Nick just can’t think when her arm is brushing his as she writes, but Miley giggles softly anyway. He closes his eyes briefly as her laugh envelopes him.
Then she looks up and stares at him, her eyes a bright blue, the color of her shirt really bringing them out. Her pupils look a little dilated from sitting in the dark studio, and Nick feels like there’s a hole in his lungs; it’s letting all of the air out of his body. Looking away quickly, Miley grabs her phone to tweet something and Nick leans over, trying to read it. The bright light from her phone makes him squint a little, and he realizes that if they moved over a few feet a light would be shining right down on them. He’s not sure why they chose to sit here.
It feels a lot like that part in the video they filmed a few hours ago, but better.
Miley puts her phone down and Nick asks, “you like the shirt?”
She looks at him for a moment before responding: “Yes.”
It’s like every time she breathes the breath goes straight through him. “Thanks. Picked it out myself.” He watches her pull a ring off her finger, twirl it, and then put it back on.
“You did not!” Miley says loudly, her voice echoing all around them.
“Well, they picked out a different one that was gross looking, so I had them get this one.” He just didn’t want to wear a bright pink shirt. It really was one of the most disgusting outfits he’s ever seen, which is saying a lot, considering what some people wear to award shows.
Miley raises her eyebrows at him, looking up through thick eyelashes. Her voice comes out amused: “Aren’t you just the little diva?”
“I’m just awesome,” Nick says indignantly, as if he’s offended she didn’t know that already. Soon he’s distracted by the way she’s rubbing her lips together a little, and he can’t help but think about how much he wishes things were different right now. He wants to kiss her, but he knows he shouldn’t.
“Did you mean it?” Miley whispers. Her breathing is sporadically hitting the side of Nick’s neck and it feels really hot compared to everything else. He’s not sure how he’s still able to form words when she’s looking at him like that; he’s pretty sure she’s not even blinking.
“Yes.” He’s not sure if she means telling her he loves her, or if she’s referring to everything in general, or something else entirely. But he’s pretty sure that’s the right answer anyway because hope- brightness- flashes behind her eyes; she presses her lips together for a moment. Reaching out, he cups her cheek, brushing his thumb over her cheekbone, inhaling as he does.
“I’m going to break up with Justin,” she says softly. Nick thinks it surprises her, even as she says it. Her eyes go wide and a tear slides down her cheek, lightly hitting his thumb. Nick rubs it away softly, studying her closely. She looks okay; he breathes out as slowly as he can.
This doesn’t make him feel as happy as he thought it would.
Pulling her in, he places a soft kiss to her forehead, letting his lips linger there for a moment. He enjoys the feeling of her pressed into his side, her head weighing down his shoulder, like he’s keeping her steady. Her lips curve into a smile- he can feel them through the fabric of his shirt. He smiles too, running his hand through her hair and closing his eyes.
This moment feels natural, like it was going to happen one way or another. It doesn’t seem like it’s about her breaking up with her boyfriend- for him? He’s not going to think things like that. It’s about something else entirely. The fact that she trusts him again, how he’s anchoring her down, making her smile, making her feel something that she isn’t scared to feel anymore.
They’ve come a long way.
*
Miley’s mom calls his and apparently has planned for him to visit Miley in Georgia. He doesn’t even know about it until the night before, and he is pretty sure that’s a good thing. He didn’t need a lot of time to think about it, to be waiting to get on a plane to go see her again. It’s better this way. He would have been able to keep the secret though, if they’d agreed to tell him sooner, even if his mom looked at him like she didn’t quite believe that.
When he arrives at Miley’s house in Tybee he rings the doorbell and waits about three minutes for her to answer, but when it opens it’s Tish, and Nick feels his smile falter a little.
“Hey, Nick. Come on in,” she says happily, opening the door.
He walks in and looks around, holding his bag. “Hey Mrs. Cyrus. Where’s Miley?”
“Oh, she’s in the shower. I tried to go get her, but I think she’ll be a few minutes.” Mrs. Cyrus tries to grab the bag out of his hand. “I can take that upstairs if you want.”
“Oh, I’ve got it, really,” Nick says resolutely. He doesn’t want to make her mother carry his stuff to the guest room; his parents taught him better than that.
“Alright, I’ll show you upstairs.” She shakes her head a little as if she cannot believe this actually worked. He follows her as she takes the stairs two at a time. Nick can hear the water running from the shower.
After he plops his bag on the floor he follows Mrs. Cyrus back into the kitchen, sitting in a chair and accepting a diet coke when she offers it. It’s strange sitting there with her; he can’t think of anything to say. There’s an awkward static in the air floating around them, broken every minute or so when she asks about his mom, or the new album, or how they’re liking Dallas (his mom is great- she’d really love to get together as soon as possible, he’s really excited about the album and going on tour, Dallas is the best and it already feels like home).
Nick’s talking to Mrs. Cyrus about the movie when he hears Miley’s footsteps thudding lightly down the stairs, padding into the kitchen. When she sees him she looks completely shell-shocked.
“Oh, hey,” he says easily, like this happens every day.
“Hi,’ Miley breathes out slowly, leaning over to hug him awkwardly before sitting in the chair next to him. “How did this…?”
“Well,” Mrs. Cyrus says, clearly pleased with herself, emphasizing certain words as she gestures around. “I called Denise and told her we really wanted to have Nick visit and his schedule’s been crazy, right?”
“Yeah,” Nick says, smiling. She looks really excited for her daughter, and Nick can’t help but see how much she loves Miley. He’s glad Miley has such a good mom- even if Nick feels really awkward trying to hold a conversation with her.
“And we talked about it, and he had a day or so, well, now,” Tish brushes some hair away from her eyes, laughing under her breath before continuing: “and I told her he could easily stay with us here until he had to go to New York. So we planned the whole thing to surprise you.”
Nick watches Miley’s face light up as her mom finishes her speech. “Oh my god, mom, thank you so much,” Miley says quickly, jumping out of her seat to give her mother a big hug.
“You’re welcome,” her mom replies, rubbing Miley’s back a little and letting her go. They share a knowing look and Nick takes another sip of his soda, trying not to intrude.
“Nick!” Miley exclaims, turning to him and attempting to gently pull him up, tugging at his arm. Quickly, he tries to finish his can of diet coke, and when it seems empty enough to not be a waste, he puts it down on the table, standing up.
She envelops him in a hug, pressing their bodies really close together, probably too close since her mom is still standing right there. But Miley doesn’t seem to notice, so Nick tries not to think about it. When she lets him go Miley immediately slaps his arm. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me!”
“Hey! It was a surprise.” He can’t help but think about how cute Miley looks when she’s so happy and energetic. “Why didn’t you hit your mom?” he asks, rubbing at his arm, even though it didn’t hurt.
“Because she gave birth to me,” Miley responds, rolling her eyes dramatically. She reaches for his hand, threading her fingers through his, swinging her arm back and forth.
He squeezes her hand, not bothering to fight the grin that pulls his lips upward. “Don’t be gross.”
“Shut up,” Miley snaps, leading him into the living room and sitting down on the couch; Nick follows suit.
“Good come back.” Her hair still looks a little damp from her shower and she smells fresh- like generic soap. He thinks he’s doing a really good job of ignoring all of that.
Miley looks at him for a moment, rolling her eyes. She moves to the other end of the couch, her back against the arm, and pushes her feet out so they touch his thigh. “Like ‘don’t be gross’ is witty,” she says, smirking at him with raised eyebrows.
“Whatever.” Nick feels her toes press into his leg again. “So, what’s up?”
“Nothing much. Just chilling with my best friend.” Hearing her say that so nonchalantly won’t ever get old, Nick thinks.
“You know what I mean,” he mumbles quietly. As her feet push his leg one more time, he can’t stand it anymore; he grabs her ankles and pulls her a little closer to him.
“I’m good. Promise.” Her voice is very soft all of the sudden, and she is looking at him closely.
“Good,” he breathes out.
“Hey, have you ever thought of straightening your hair?” she asks, teeth scraping at her bottom lip, tilting her head to the side to study him again. After a second of contemplation, she kicks his leg one last time, scooting over to him and adjusting herself so her legs are underneath her. Pulling one curl out so it looks pretty straight, Miley rests an arm on the back on the couch for balance, a very serious look on her face.
“No.” He gently hits her hand away. She’s very close now and a drop of water from her hair drips down onto his wrist.
Miley grabs another curl, nodding her head. “But don’t you think you’d look good?”
“No,” Nick repeats. But Miley ignores him, pulling another curl out, pressing her lips together in concentration as she continues to study his face. Swatting her hand away over and over, he finally grabs her wrist gently, pulling it away. Not willing to be deterred, Miley uses her other hand to continue doing whatever it is she’s doing.
Taking her other wrist, Miley grunts a little, trying to pull her wrists away for a second or two. Suddenly she stops, looking at him in a different way than before. Nick feels his heart beating loudly in his chest, blood pulsing in his ears the way it does right before he goes on stage. Her face looks soft; she looks at peace. As he leans in he notices Miley doing the same thing. Kissing her softly, he runs a hand through her slightly knotted hair, not minding the drops of water that wet his skin. His other hand is on her neck, his thumb rubbing lightly behind her earlobe. He can taste toothpaste and diet coke mixing together, and it’s not revolting at all when the most prevalent thing right now is Miley. She’s everywhere, all that he can sense and all that he can feel.
He really missed feeling like this.
And he isn’t sure what’s going to happen next or where things are going between them, or even how to define their relationship. But he’s positive that Miley will always be there. The journey has been more than worth it, because things will be okay between them. They’ll always be able to go back to each other and feel safe, feel how he feels right now.
He’s only ever felt it with her. That’s not scary like it used to be--it’s comforting.
So he kisses her again, prying her mouth open with his tongue and concentrating on the moment, nothing else.
Nothing else matters.
Character/Pairings: Nick/Miley
Summary: Nick still likes Miley. In fact, he is fairly certain he never stopped liking her-- in a strictly platonic way. ( I'm a Modern Girl, But I Fold in Half So Easily from Nick's POV)
Rating: PG (Some language)
Word Count: 5,700
Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing. The title is from All Time Low's Dear Maria, Count Me In. Also, this did not happen.
Other: This was intended as an outtake for this fic, but ended up much longer than I expected. This part corresponds with part four of it. It's probably not necessary to be familiar with the original, but it may help. However, if there is any confusion you can probably refer back to that part.
iv.
Things are going better now that a week or so has passed. And when Nick does think about her sometimes- it’s not like he thinks about her everyday; she’s not the first thing that comes to his mind when he wakes up in the morning or anything- it always hits him differently: he’s sad, he understands, he wants to punch the douchebag in the face. But he’s coping, even if he wishes he didn’t have to.
They’re gearing up for the next album to come out and touring in South America with Demi, and he’s so happy with all of that. Focusing on work really helps; spending time with Joe really helps, too. But sometimes Joe will get a text and leave the room to answer it, which is extremely strange. But Nick doesn’t think about it too much. The weirdest thing is when Joe will say something that sounds so much like Miley. Nick always just stares at him for a moment and blinks a lot, trying to forget.
The worst part is sending her the final version of Before the Storm, knowing he won’t be able to hand the CD to her in person; he won’t be able to watch her react as she listens to it for the first time. He puts the CD in a plastic case- the entire album, not just the one track- and searches for something to write the track listing down on. He ends up using a notecard, scribbling the tracks on one side and thinking of something to write on the other. He goes through plenty of notecards, starting out with “i’m sorry” or “hey” or “I hope you like it.” They all end up crumbled into the trashcan or ripped into tiny shreds.
He ends up not writing anything else on it.
Nothing seems right.
*
One day Joe pulls out his old Furby from a box in the basement, replaces the battery and shoves the hideous thing in Nick’s face. It’s making strange noises and blinking mechanically and repeating its name over and over again. “Aren’t these the coolest things ever,” Joe says happily, looking at it with awe. “I can’t believe I forgot about them.”
“That thing is so annoying, Joe.” Nick shakes his head at his brother, thinking he’ll probably have a headache in a few hours if Joe does not put it away.
“Pfft, no.” Joe looks at him as though he’s crazy. “It’s awesome. So much better than a normal stuffed animal.”
Nick raises his eyebrows, saying, “No. A normal stuffed animal is soft and doesn’t make creepy noises.”
“Wow, rude.” Joe presses his lips together and looks at the Furby for a minute. “I’ll call Miley and ask her what she thinks.”
Nick’s pretty sure his mouth drops open a little. “What?”
“Oh, right,” Joe answers idly, “we text sometimes.” Pulling out his phone, Joe scrolls through his contacts quickly, pressing the cell to his ear as it dials Miley’s number.
“Seriously?” Nick hears himself say, and he really feels like hurdling the Furby at his brother’s head. How could he not know about this?
“Hey,” Joe whispers, turning away from Nick.
There’s a brief pause as Miley answers. Nick rubs at the back of his neck with his hand, trying to figure out what Joe is trying to do here.
“I know you’re not supposed to talk to Nick because your boyfriend is an ass or whatever, but this is important,” Joe spits out. He turns around quickly, walking towards Nick and sitting next to him on the couch. “Now, you have two minutes to convince him that Furbys were better toys than regular stuffed animals.”
Nick thinks he can vaguely hear Miley’s voice protesting over the phone. “Go,” Joe laughs, shoving the phone at Nick, his eyes sparkling the way they do when he thinks he’s gotten someone the best Christmas present ever and is just so proud of himself.
“Hey.” Nick’s voice comes out really quiet, but stronger than he expected.
“Furbys were awesome because they could talk,” Miley mumbles quickly, as though she’s nervous or does not want to be speaking to him right now. Nick tries not to think that that could be a possibility.
“I sent you the final version of Before the Storm in the mail the other day,” Nick whispers, rubbing at the back of his neck again. He feels really steady, but he cannot figure out why. “You should get it soon.”
“And they could repeat stuff you say.”
“Miley.” He really wants her to just listen to him.
“Yeah?” she asks, sounding a little out of breath. Nick can picture her pacing back and forth, running her hand through her hair.
“They were annoying, you had to put them, no, you had to lock them in a dark bathroom to get them to stop talking.” He tries to end the pretext. Joe’s still looking at him funny, but he put his ipod in, trying not to eavesdrop too much. Nick’s thankful for that. Hearing her voice again, he suddenly has a lot to say. He gets up from the couch, walking farther away from his brother.
“I know,” Miley says softly. Her voice sounds really hoarse and sleepy, like she just woke up from a nap.
“I miss you.” He hates how his voice cracks as the words push past his lips.
“Me too.”
Nick thinks she sounds really sincere, and it makes his chest feel tight. He’d given up, but now he realizes that he can’t. It’s impossible to simply let her go when she’s Miley. Biting his lip, he tells her that, worried about her response, thinking she might not want to hear it. But whatever she says, it isn’t going to change his mind.
“Okay,” she whispers back, sounding nothing short of broken. And then Joe’s tapping Nick on the shoulder and pulling his phone out of Nick’s hand, saying that his two minutes are up.
“Did we win?” There are so many different layers to Joe’s voice that Nick thinks he’s not completely talking about Furbys. After Miley responds Joe turns to him and mock shouts, “Damn! Normal stuff animals are lame, Nicky.”
Shaking his head, Nick smiles a little at his brother.
He feels good today.
*
They’re in Brazil with Demi and she’s smiling at him like she knows a really great secret. “What?” he asks, taking a sip from his water bottle and scrunching his eyebrows together.
“ Nothing.” Shaking her head back and forth, Demi’s hair flies around her face. She’s giggling now, and Nick has no idea why she’s acting so strange. “Nothing,” she repeats again, taking a deep breath, pressing her lips together to try and keep a straight face.
“Demi,” Nick says, screwing the cap back on his water. He’s sure she will break down and tell him if he just stares at her long enough.
A smirk makes its way onto her face again, and she bites her lip briefly before exhaling slowly. “Well, I don’t know…I don’t know if I’m allowed to say anything.”
“What?” Nick loves the girl, but sometimes she’s really annoying. Right now he’s sure it’s not her fault, but the fact that Joe kept her up talking the night before. Nick knows because he had to listen to it for two hours before he was able to block them out enough to drift off.
”It’s really nice knowing people so well.” She runs her hands through her hair and tucks it behind her ears. It’s very shiny and straight and Nick wonders what the heck she did to it to get it that way. It looks really perfect, too perfect. He doesn’t like it all that much.
“You’re still confusing me.” Nick sighs quietly, ready to try and take a short nap before they have to get ready for the show.
“You still love Miley right?” Demi asks seriously, crossing her legs and looking at him intently.
“Um, well, you know-”
“You do.” Demi nods her head fervently, very sure of herself. “Good.”
Nick raises his eyebrows at her. Demi hadn’t mentioned Miley to him this whole time--he was okay with that. He was very pleased not being bombarded with a lot of questions from both Demi and Joe, as well as the two of them trying to impart unneeded comfort. He thinks it’s probably because they’ve been busy being attached at the hip, as though they don’t call each other all of the time.
“Whatever.” He’s obviously too tired to comprehend her when she’s overly hyper due to his brother. Nick stands up and realizes how good that feels. Maybe he’ll go for a jog instead of taking that nap. “Talk to you later.”
“Okay.” Demi grins at him widely. “Send your brother over here if you see him, I need to talk to him.”
“Alright,” Nick says. He doesn’t get them a lot of the time, but he thinks that’s not really important.
*
Nick’s sitting in the kitchen with his Dad discussing plans for the next few months when he hears Joe scream his name rather loudly. Nick smiles at his dad a little and slips out of the chair easily. When he gets into the living he asks, “What the hell? I’m in the next room.”
“Miley’s on the phone.” Joe’s lips pull up at the corners as he holds the phone out for Nick, shaking his head like he is very amused by the look on Nick’s face. Nick’s sure it’d be pretty hysterical if he didn’t just have a heart attack.
“Miley? What’s wrong?” he whispers into the phone, looking pointedly at his brother. Joe shrugs, smirking, so Nick points to the hallway and Joe laughs a little before leaving as slow as humanly possible.
“Nope.”
Nick wishes she would elaborate. “What is it?” He runs a hand through his hair and begins pacing back and forth, looking at the doorway, trying to see if Joe is lurking around.
“Nothing,” she says slowly, sounding really happy.
“Okay,” Nick exhales. He isn’t sure why she’s calling, but it’s nice. He was planning on talking to her when they film the Send It On video soon, but this is great too. He feels his heartbeat slowing down now that he doesn’t have to worry about something horrible happening to her.
“I told Justin we’re friends.” Nick can hear the smile in her voice as clear as day. It’s like she’s smiling at him- and not over the phone.
“Really?” He’s not sure if she’s telling him the truth or not. He’d be okay with it either way as long as she’s willing to talk to him again. But he’d rather know if they’re lying to the douchebag or not. But the idea that she stood up to him for Nick makes Nick feel really happy, as if his heart is growing.
“Really,” she affirms quietly. “I missed you too much.”
Nick’s recently enlarged heart lodges itself firmly in his throat. “I missed you too,” he manages to get out, his voice coming out deep and quiet.
“Good,” Miley breathes. So…”
Nick doesn’t say anything. He’s busy trying to memorize the rhythm of each intake of breath and each exhalation; he’s pretty sure she has a distinct way of breathing. Sitting down on the couch he looks at the clock, realizing how late it actually is. Miley’s breathing is slowing down; she’s falling asleep. “I love you,” Nick whispers quietly. Equal parts of him hope that she hears and that she doesn’t.
“What?” she asks, sounding a little shocked.
“Goodnight Miles,” he answers, closing his eyes, trying to block out the entire world.
“Night,” she says into the phone after a beat. She stays on the line for a few more minutes, and Nick can picture her snuggled up under pounds of blankets. “Bye.”
“Bye.” He hangs up the phone a little reluctantly, hoping this wasn’t a dream.
He falls asleep on the couch and wakes up at six the next morning to the sound of bacon sizzling on the stove; he feels unusually well rested.
*
Filming Send It On has been really fun and relaxing, even though it’s work. He’s watching Demi try to tie a string around Joe’s ankles and her ankles, having already tied one connecting Selena to Joe. “Nick! We should make this a,” she pauses to count how many legs there would be, “an eight legged race? Is that right?”
“I don’t know.” Joe shrugs, pulling Selena with him as he bends down, trying to help Demi. “Nick help us instead of being lazy.”
Sighing, Nick walks over to the trio. “You guys are so strange,” he mumbles, bending down to knot the string around Joe and Demi’s legs.
“I tried to tell them this wouldn’t work. We don’t even have anyone to race against,” Selena says, grabbing Joe’s arm to keep from toppling over as he stands up too quickly.
“You know this is going to be totally awesome though.” Joe grins wickedly at her, slinging an arm over Demi’s shoulder. She seems to snuggle into him, breathing out loudly.
“We could just time ourselves a few times,” Selena suggests, tucking her hair behind her ears.
“How?” Nick asks, standing up when he finishes. He looks around and spots Miley talking to Kevin quietly a few feet away. “Do either of you want to join them?” he yells, gesturing towards the trio.
“Nah,” Kevin replies, a smile present on his lips.
“No,” Miley agrees, “but I have to see this.” She skips over immediately, grabbing Kevin’s hand to drag him along. “What’re you doing?”
“We’re going to race from here to the snack table,” Demi says enthusiastically, pointing to the destination.
“Race who?”
“I don’t know, ourselves.” Demi shrugs and waves her hand like it’s not really important.
Miley looks at Nick for a moment, like she’s thinking. “Piggyback ride?” she asks, a grin forming on her face as she looks around at everyone.
“No one knows what you’re talking about,” Joe says, running his hand down Demi’s back, locking their fingers together.
“Nick could give me a piggyback ride and we could race you.” Miley claps her hands together as she says it, clearly already sold on the idea. Nick’s pretty sure he won’t be able to protest when her eyes are sparkling so excitedly.
“Alright,” he says, “best two out of three?”
“I’ll be the ref,” Kevin adds, quickly jogging to the snack table.
“Is that even fair?” Selena asks, trying her best to look at Joe and Demi so they can consult.
“Why not?” Demi shrugs, hitting Joe in the side with their intertwined fingers, looking at Nick like she’s trying her best not to smile at him in this really obvious way.
“Hop on,” Nick sighs, bending down a little. Miley wraps her arms around his neck and jumps; he catches her easily.
“Everyone ready?” Kevin hollers as Nick takes his place next to Demi.
“Yeah!” Joe and Demi shout back in unison, both cracking up afterwards and shushing each other so they can concentrate. Nick can’t really pay attention to them when Miley’s hair is brushing against his cheek and she’s whispering stuff about tripping Demi- so they can win- in his ear.
Kevin puts his hands in the air and hollers, “Ready? Set? Go!” swooshing his hands down and letting them rest by his sides.
Everyone immediately takes off and Nick’s trying his best to run as Joe and Demi yell at the top of their lungs, Selena laughing, her arm wrapped around Joe’s waist so she can keep up. Miley’s saying “go, go, go” over and over again and eventually stops when Demi stumbles over her own feet, toppling over and causing Joe and Selena to hit the ground, too.
“See, we didn’t even have to cheat,” Nick says as they cross the finish line. Miley slides off his back, accepting a high five from Kevin.
“Two out of three. TWO OUT OF THREE,” Joe shouts as he tries to help Selena and Demi up at the same time- so they can actually stand up and make their way over to the snack table. It seems to be proving a little difficult.
“We could take you any day.” Nick smiles at Miley, who agrees with him before going over to help the trio pick themselves up off the floor.
He and Miley agree to give Selena, Joe and Demi a few minutes to practice, so that he and Miley can really hammer out a solid strategy- just in case Joe, Demi and Selena are hustling them, or suddenly get good.
Kevin ends up ruling that piggyback rides are easier than having your legs tied together, so he gives the trio a five second head start.
Nick and Miley still win.
*
“Hey,” Selena says, coming up to Nick and picking up a carrot off the snack table, biting off a little of it and chewing slowly.
“Hey.” Nick looks at her for a second before examining the food on the table. He didn’t realize how hungry he was. Apparently giving Miley piggyback rides and running around with everyone wore him out more than he thought. He grabs a handful of pretzels, even though he doesn’t particularly want them.
“What’s up?” Selena asks before finishing off her carrot.
Nick can’t help but think about how good she’s been today, and he cannot believe he thought she’d be anything different. He hadn’t really talked to her since they broke up, and it’s nice getting to see her again. It’s nice seeing first hand just how okay she is. “Nothing really.”
“Cool…” Selena seems to hesitate for a moment, moving as though she’s going to walk away, but stopping abruptly and looking at Nick again. “I really like the song you guys picked.”
“Oh.” Nick rubs a pretzel between his fingers. “Thanks.”
There’s a long pause and then:“we’re good, right?” She bites her lips before smiling softly.
“Yeah.” Nick nods his head, feeling a little odd. He looks around, but Demi and Miley are in make-up getting touched-up from lunch, and Joe and Kevin are busy filming.
“You seem really happy.” Selena looks at the ground, hair draping around her face. She threads her fingers together for a second, but her knuckles don’t crack.
Finishing off a pretzel, Nick nods a little. “Um, yeah.” He just doesn’t know what to say to her.
“I’m not angry with you.” Selena looks at him genuinely, brushing a few locks of hair out of her face. “It’s okay that you like her.”
“What, I…” Nick lets the words trail off, because Selena’s grin is really friendly and her eyes are so bright and warm. He wonders just how obvious he is for a second, but he doesn’t care so much anymore.
Looking at him for a long time, Selena suddenly shakes her head and giggles nervously, holding out her hand. “Friends?” she asks.
Nick glances at her hand, placing his in her warm palm and shaking on it. “Friends.”
When Selena lets go she leans forward to touch her hand to his shoulder, whispering, “she likes you too,” before walking towards the make-up room jauntily.
Nick’s not sure why, but she just made him feel really good about the whole thing. It’s not that Joe and Demi haven’t told him the exact same thing more times than he can count, but hearing that Selena’s okay with it makes him feel better; he’s not the biggest jerk ever for breaking up with her.
It means a lot to him.
*
“So…” Miley’s voice trails off as she watches Joe give Selena a piggyback ride, the pair searching for Demi. Kevin’s disappeared somewhere, probably trying to get good reception to talk to Danielle. It’s just Nick and Miley now.
“Yeah.” Scuffing his shoe on the ground, trying to remain calm, Nick looks up at Miley, a small smirk tugging at his mouth. “Did you like the CD?”
“I didn’t know I was going to get the whole thing!” Miley exclaims happily, her hands moving animatedly. “I loved it.”
“I’m glad. And Before the Storm met your expectations?” He really hopes it did. Honestly, he can’t see her hating it, but there’s a part of him that’s worried about it. It’s just as much her song as it is his, and he wishes he had given her some say on the final, mixed version.
“You know if it was good enough for you it was good enough for me,” Miley says softly, blushing a little. Nick’s pretty sure she’s always been this beautiful--he’s not sure why he tried to forget that. He has to fight to keep his heart beating at a steady pace.
“I thought it was perfect,” she continues, her eyelashes fluttering a little.
Nick takes a step closer to her, wanting to feel her warmth. “Want to write something now?” He’s almost positive they have a few minutes before the last group shots.
“Sure,” she breathes. Nick can barely hear her as he watches some goosebumps cover her arms.
*
When they sit down on the floor, their backs to the wall, Miley takes out one of the napkins they stole to write on and carefully sketches their names in pen, trying not to rip it.
“We’re very Indie,” Nick says, “writing our songs on napkins.” It’s not really a good joke at all, Nick just can’t think when her arm is brushing his as she writes, but Miley giggles softly anyway. He closes his eyes briefly as her laugh envelopes him.
Then she looks up and stares at him, her eyes a bright blue, the color of her shirt really bringing them out. Her pupils look a little dilated from sitting in the dark studio, and Nick feels like there’s a hole in his lungs; it’s letting all of the air out of his body. Looking away quickly, Miley grabs her phone to tweet something and Nick leans over, trying to read it. The bright light from her phone makes him squint a little, and he realizes that if they moved over a few feet a light would be shining right down on them. He’s not sure why they chose to sit here.
It feels a lot like that part in the video they filmed a few hours ago, but better.
Miley puts her phone down and Nick asks, “you like the shirt?”
She looks at him for a moment before responding: “Yes.”
It’s like every time she breathes the breath goes straight through him. “Thanks. Picked it out myself.” He watches her pull a ring off her finger, twirl it, and then put it back on.
“You did not!” Miley says loudly, her voice echoing all around them.
“Well, they picked out a different one that was gross looking, so I had them get this one.” He just didn’t want to wear a bright pink shirt. It really was one of the most disgusting outfits he’s ever seen, which is saying a lot, considering what some people wear to award shows.
Miley raises her eyebrows at him, looking up through thick eyelashes. Her voice comes out amused: “Aren’t you just the little diva?”
“I’m just awesome,” Nick says indignantly, as if he’s offended she didn’t know that already. Soon he’s distracted by the way she’s rubbing her lips together a little, and he can’t help but think about how much he wishes things were different right now. He wants to kiss her, but he knows he shouldn’t.
“Did you mean it?” Miley whispers. Her breathing is sporadically hitting the side of Nick’s neck and it feels really hot compared to everything else. He’s not sure how he’s still able to form words when she’s looking at him like that; he’s pretty sure she’s not even blinking.
“Yes.” He’s not sure if she means telling her he loves her, or if she’s referring to everything in general, or something else entirely. But he’s pretty sure that’s the right answer anyway because hope- brightness- flashes behind her eyes; she presses her lips together for a moment. Reaching out, he cups her cheek, brushing his thumb over her cheekbone, inhaling as he does.
“I’m going to break up with Justin,” she says softly. Nick thinks it surprises her, even as she says it. Her eyes go wide and a tear slides down her cheek, lightly hitting his thumb. Nick rubs it away softly, studying her closely. She looks okay; he breathes out as slowly as he can.
This doesn’t make him feel as happy as he thought it would.
Pulling her in, he places a soft kiss to her forehead, letting his lips linger there for a moment. He enjoys the feeling of her pressed into his side, her head weighing down his shoulder, like he’s keeping her steady. Her lips curve into a smile- he can feel them through the fabric of his shirt. He smiles too, running his hand through her hair and closing his eyes.
This moment feels natural, like it was going to happen one way or another. It doesn’t seem like it’s about her breaking up with her boyfriend- for him? He’s not going to think things like that. It’s about something else entirely. The fact that she trusts him again, how he’s anchoring her down, making her smile, making her feel something that she isn’t scared to feel anymore.
They’ve come a long way.
*
Miley’s mom calls his and apparently has planned for him to visit Miley in Georgia. He doesn’t even know about it until the night before, and he is pretty sure that’s a good thing. He didn’t need a lot of time to think about it, to be waiting to get on a plane to go see her again. It’s better this way. He would have been able to keep the secret though, if they’d agreed to tell him sooner, even if his mom looked at him like she didn’t quite believe that.
When he arrives at Miley’s house in Tybee he rings the doorbell and waits about three minutes for her to answer, but when it opens it’s Tish, and Nick feels his smile falter a little.
“Hey, Nick. Come on in,” she says happily, opening the door.
He walks in and looks around, holding his bag. “Hey Mrs. Cyrus. Where’s Miley?”
“Oh, she’s in the shower. I tried to go get her, but I think she’ll be a few minutes.” Mrs. Cyrus tries to grab the bag out of his hand. “I can take that upstairs if you want.”
“Oh, I’ve got it, really,” Nick says resolutely. He doesn’t want to make her mother carry his stuff to the guest room; his parents taught him better than that.
“Alright, I’ll show you upstairs.” She shakes her head a little as if she cannot believe this actually worked. He follows her as she takes the stairs two at a time. Nick can hear the water running from the shower.
After he plops his bag on the floor he follows Mrs. Cyrus back into the kitchen, sitting in a chair and accepting a diet coke when she offers it. It’s strange sitting there with her; he can’t think of anything to say. There’s an awkward static in the air floating around them, broken every minute or so when she asks about his mom, or the new album, or how they’re liking Dallas (his mom is great- she’d really love to get together as soon as possible, he’s really excited about the album and going on tour, Dallas is the best and it already feels like home).
Nick’s talking to Mrs. Cyrus about the movie when he hears Miley’s footsteps thudding lightly down the stairs, padding into the kitchen. When she sees him she looks completely shell-shocked.
“Oh, hey,” he says easily, like this happens every day.
“Hi,’ Miley breathes out slowly, leaning over to hug him awkwardly before sitting in the chair next to him. “How did this…?”
“Well,” Mrs. Cyrus says, clearly pleased with herself, emphasizing certain words as she gestures around. “I called Denise and told her we really wanted to have Nick visit and his schedule’s been crazy, right?”
“Yeah,” Nick says, smiling. She looks really excited for her daughter, and Nick can’t help but see how much she loves Miley. He’s glad Miley has such a good mom- even if Nick feels really awkward trying to hold a conversation with her.
“And we talked about it, and he had a day or so, well, now,” Tish brushes some hair away from her eyes, laughing under her breath before continuing: “and I told her he could easily stay with us here until he had to go to New York. So we planned the whole thing to surprise you.”
Nick watches Miley’s face light up as her mom finishes her speech. “Oh my god, mom, thank you so much,” Miley says quickly, jumping out of her seat to give her mother a big hug.
“You’re welcome,” her mom replies, rubbing Miley’s back a little and letting her go. They share a knowing look and Nick takes another sip of his soda, trying not to intrude.
“Nick!” Miley exclaims, turning to him and attempting to gently pull him up, tugging at his arm. Quickly, he tries to finish his can of diet coke, and when it seems empty enough to not be a waste, he puts it down on the table, standing up.
She envelops him in a hug, pressing their bodies really close together, probably too close since her mom is still standing right there. But Miley doesn’t seem to notice, so Nick tries not to think about it. When she lets him go Miley immediately slaps his arm. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me!”
“Hey! It was a surprise.” He can’t help but think about how cute Miley looks when she’s so happy and energetic. “Why didn’t you hit your mom?” he asks, rubbing at his arm, even though it didn’t hurt.
“Because she gave birth to me,” Miley responds, rolling her eyes dramatically. She reaches for his hand, threading her fingers through his, swinging her arm back and forth.
He squeezes her hand, not bothering to fight the grin that pulls his lips upward. “Don’t be gross.”
“Shut up,” Miley snaps, leading him into the living room and sitting down on the couch; Nick follows suit.
“Good come back.” Her hair still looks a little damp from her shower and she smells fresh- like generic soap. He thinks he’s doing a really good job of ignoring all of that.
Miley looks at him for a moment, rolling her eyes. She moves to the other end of the couch, her back against the arm, and pushes her feet out so they touch his thigh. “Like ‘don’t be gross’ is witty,” she says, smirking at him with raised eyebrows.
“Whatever.” Nick feels her toes press into his leg again. “So, what’s up?”
“Nothing much. Just chilling with my best friend.” Hearing her say that so nonchalantly won’t ever get old, Nick thinks.
“You know what I mean,” he mumbles quietly. As her feet push his leg one more time, he can’t stand it anymore; he grabs her ankles and pulls her a little closer to him.
“I’m good. Promise.” Her voice is very soft all of the sudden, and she is looking at him closely.
“Good,” he breathes out.
“Hey, have you ever thought of straightening your hair?” she asks, teeth scraping at her bottom lip, tilting her head to the side to study him again. After a second of contemplation, she kicks his leg one last time, scooting over to him and adjusting herself so her legs are underneath her. Pulling one curl out so it looks pretty straight, Miley rests an arm on the back on the couch for balance, a very serious look on her face.
“No.” He gently hits her hand away. She’s very close now and a drop of water from her hair drips down onto his wrist.
Miley grabs another curl, nodding her head. “But don’t you think you’d look good?”
“No,” Nick repeats. But Miley ignores him, pulling another curl out, pressing her lips together in concentration as she continues to study his face. Swatting her hand away over and over, he finally grabs her wrist gently, pulling it away. Not willing to be deterred, Miley uses her other hand to continue doing whatever it is she’s doing.
Taking her other wrist, Miley grunts a little, trying to pull her wrists away for a second or two. Suddenly she stops, looking at him in a different way than before. Nick feels his heart beating loudly in his chest, blood pulsing in his ears the way it does right before he goes on stage. Her face looks soft; she looks at peace. As he leans in he notices Miley doing the same thing. Kissing her softly, he runs a hand through her slightly knotted hair, not minding the drops of water that wet his skin. His other hand is on her neck, his thumb rubbing lightly behind her earlobe. He can taste toothpaste and diet coke mixing together, and it’s not revolting at all when the most prevalent thing right now is Miley. She’s everywhere, all that he can sense and all that he can feel.
He really missed feeling like this.
And he isn’t sure what’s going to happen next or where things are going between them, or even how to define their relationship. But he’s positive that Miley will always be there. The journey has been more than worth it, because things will be okay between them. They’ll always be able to go back to each other and feel safe, feel how he feels right now.
He’s only ever felt it with her. That’s not scary like it used to be--it’s comforting.
So he kisses her again, prying her mouth open with his tongue and concentrating on the moment, nothing else.
Nothing else matters.