Chapter Four

Saturday - September 18, 2010

Gray Household

Remember how I said Demi and Miley would be great friends? Yeah, well turns out they're a little more than great friends. They're like... the best of friends.

I just lost my best friend to another girl.

Don't guys usually lose their best girl friend to a guy? Well, things always work backwards with Miley, I don't know why I'm even surprised.

So how and when did Miley start choosing to hang out with other people but me?

Oh yeah, when Demi Munroe rocked into our lives.

Oh and you know my other best friend? Joe? Yeah, well I kinda lost him to Demi, too.

I hate my life.

"Dude, what's wrong with you?" I flinch as Kevin punches me into the shoulder.

OW.

He takes my silent treatment as a free pass to talk some more and ask questions.

"Where's Miley?" I groan.

"I don't know, okay?" I'm frustrated at the mention of Miley. Why is everybody asking me where she is lately? I mean I know Miley and I hang out a lot – or at least we used to – but that doesn't mean I don't hang out with other people. Right? Right. Hanging out with me, myself and I is good from time to time, isn't it? Okay, good, we're on the same page.

"Whoa, calm down, man." Kevin looks at me curiously before deciding my mood swings aren't important enough for him to dwell over.

Good choice, big brother. Good choice.

"Nick!" And just like that, I'm knocked off my feet by the 5'4 tiny woman who's about to marry my brother.

Danielle.

"Hey Dani!" I smile, returning her warm hug.

"Hey, hey, hey." Kevin interrupts. "How is this fair? She gets a 'Hey Dani' and all I got was you snapping at me." His eyes narrow at me. "What's wrong with you?"

I guess he changed his mind... my mood swings seem important to him after all. Damn it.

"Where's Miley?" Danielle suddenly notices my best friend's absence.

"Not you too!" I snap.

"See. Something's wrong with him." And Kevin's talking like I'm not even there.

"I can hear you, you know."

"What's wrong, Nick?" Dani's voice is soothing as she lifts herself onto the bar stool beside me at the island. I give her a lopsided, apologetic smile.

"I didn't mean to snap."

"Are you sure you're okay?" She tries once again but my lips are sealed. I will not turn into a girl and become a cry baby. No. That would be a crime against humanity.

"Yeah, I'm fine." This time a fake smile twists up my lips and she drops a kiss on my cheek before she and Kevin leave me be.

For now at least.

On a break, come keep me company? – M

My phone lights up with the short message.

And now I feel like an ass. I completely forgot about Miley's first day at the dinner a few blocks away, the very one we went to several days ago to get her the job she needed.

I resist the urge to ask her where Demi is and settle with a simple reply.

On my way.

The dinner is definitely crowded and I'm surprised she even gets a break given the chaos. The chef in the back kitchen is yelling out a bunch of instructions to his staff and everybody's scrambling around, taking and giving orders from the usual clients.

I laugh as I spot Miley running out of the kitchen, an apron wrapped tightly around her small frame. Her hair is up in a messy bun and I can tell her boss isn't going easy on her from the exhausted look on her face.

"Aren't you gonna take my order?" I ask as she steps around the counter on which is situated the cash register. Her eyes lock on me and a relieved smile spreads across her cheeks.

"Thank god." She breathes out as she stumbled into my arms. Uhm... okay? "First day and he's already driving me nuts!" She huffs. "What did I ever do to deserve this?" She mumbles against my chest and being the best friend in the world, I can't help but laugh.

"Aw, it can't be that bad, can it?"

"Worse." She mutters, her head never moving from its place on my chest. I laugh silently as I stir her towards a table and sit her down. I order two coffees from a waiter passing by before turning my attention back to Miley.

"Is it bad enough for you to quit and-"

"And accept your family's money? No." There's a finality to her tone and I know better than to press. I will get my way. Eventually. I hope.

She sighs tiredly as she drops her head on the table.

"Where's your new best friend?" I stick my tongue out at her as she lifts her head from the table.

"Joe's probably sucking faces with her." Her laughter is muffled. "Can't say they are worried about moving too fast." She adds, her tone mocking. Joe's never been a worrier when it comes to girls so I shouldn't be so surprised. But I am. Because Demi never seemed like the easy kind of chick. But then again, it is quite obvious that she likes Joe more than just a little.

"Oh, so that's why you called me here? Because Demi was busy?" I tease.

"What are you talking about?" Her tone is so soft and she looks so tired I can't help but feel guilty at the small, insensitive jab I just gave her.

"Nevermind." I shake my head. "Here, drink this, it will give you an extra boost for the remaining of your shift." She smiles adoringly at the coffee I just pushed towards her and I can't help but smile at her antics. "Drink up." I nudge her knee with my own and she finally sits up straight. "You know, in all the time I've known you, I don't think I've ever seen you tired." I narrow my eyes at her. "What's up?"

"I told you." She hides her face behind the large cup as she takes a sip. "My boss is a slave driver."

"Do you have a fever of some sort?" I touch her forehead only to have my arm swatted away.

"I gotta get back to it." She gets up hurriedly and walks off, leaving me with our unfinished coffees. Did I say something...? I shake my head, trying to ignore the part of me that's telling me something isn't quite right here.

...

It's later that night that Miley walks in my room, a sheepish smile covering her face.

I smile as I spot her and close the textbook I was reading to welcome her.

"Hi, stranger."

"Hey." She wraps her arms around herself and rocks back and forth on her heels in a gesture that is so unlike the Miley I know.

"Wanna talk about it?" I raise my eyebrows at her. Her eyes widen for a split second and she just stares at me, seeming dumbfounded that I could pick up on her behaviour.

"How-how do you know I wanna talk?" I laugh silently and motion for her to sit beside me on my bed. She carefully takes a seat and I wonder what has happened to my best friend.

"Your odd behaviour kinda gave it away." I retort, smirking cockily.

"I'm-" She cuts herself off when she realises there's no point in contradicting me. "Okay so maybe I've been acting a bit weird lately."

"You think?" She chuckles and swats my arm, making me groan in mock pain. "You've been hanging out a lot with Demi." I point out, unable to restrain myself from pointing out the obvious.

"Yeah." She sighs deeply. "I just-" She shuts her eyes tightly and I'm suddenly nervous about what she's going to say next. Why? Don't ask me, I don't have a clue.

"What's up, Miles?"

"I've been looking for my father." She admits, her voice barely above a whisper. My eyes widen. She's talking about her father. No, no, scratch that, she's talking about looking for her father.

"Oh whoa." For lack of better words...

"I'm so scared." She bites her lip and I can see her eyes filling with tears.

"Miley?" I pull her towards me, wrapping my arms around her. "Mi, what wrong?" I stroke her hair, holding her head comfortingly to my shoulder.

"Demi-" She hiccups. "Her father..." Still not getting it? I decide to let her cry it out on my shoulder, trying to put my worry aside as I try to comfort her. What does Miley's father have to do with Demi and her father?

"It's okay..." I whisper against her hair, brushing my lips lightly over her hair. I honestly have no idea what I'm doing... Comforting crying girls doesn't exactly come first on my to-do list. And to top it off this is Miley. And she's crying. Miley never cries. She pulls away from my hold and wipes her hands across her cheeks. I take that as my cue to ask again.

"Mi, what happened? Why are you crying?" My voice is soft. Too soft to my liking but I guess it suits the moment.

"Demi just told me that her father died two years ago. It was his birthday a few days ago, that's why she's told me." I guess she thinks that's going to clear things up for me... except it's not.

"That's sad." I say dumbly because honestly I don't see what that has to do with Miley crying.

"You don't get it, Nick!" She wails, her blue eyes filling up with tears all over again. Oh no. "He cheated on her mother and they were divorced... Demi hated him for breaking his mother's heart so she turned her back on him. And then he died of cancer!" I wrap my arms around her again as she lets a few tears slip. "I've been so busy hating daddy..."

And just like that, I'm understanding what's going on here... The pieces fall together, fitting like a perfect puzzle.

She is afraid the same thing might happen to her. She is afraid her father might die and she will be left with guilt eating away at her because she held onto her anger against him instead of forgiving him and moving on.

"You have your reasons for being angry... These things take time." I try to reassure, kissing the top of her head affectionately.

"If anything ever happened to him, I don't know what-" She's crying all over again. I rock her in my arms and pull her down to the bed so we're lying down together.

"Shhhh..." I try to quiet down her sobs but to no avail. My heart feels like it's down in my stomach, weighing heavily. I've never seen her like this and I'm not sure I like it. Sure, she's having some break throughs and maybe, in the long run, this is going to be good for her since she has some serious daddy issues... But I can't help but worry about her. I can't help but feel her pain as she lies in my arms, crying away against my chest. I feel her tears against my skin, dampening it. My arms wrap tighter around her and I sigh with relief when I notice she's not crying anymore, merely sniffing.

A single droplet of tear in those large blue eyes is enough to shatter my heart, I realise with mixed feelings. When did I become so protective of her?

I tuck the stray strands of hair behind her ears and smile down at her.

"You're going to be fine, Mi. Because whatever you decide, it will be the right thing to do." Even I'm surprised at my wise words. "Just... let time do its job. Heal. Take things one at a time. Make sure you do what you want to do. You can't make decisions based on a guilty conscience." I don't know if my words make any sense but she nods slowly, listening carefully to everything I'm saying. "Just know I'll help you however I can, okay?" She wraps her arms around my neck and tugs me close. I hug her close and kiss her forehead before pulling away and standing up.

"You wanna stay the night?" I question as I strip down to my boxers and take out a pair of sweatpants from my cupboard. I slip them on before turning to Miley whose eyes are already closed. Okay...? That was fast.

"Next time warn me when you're about to strip in front of me." I jump when I realise she's not sleeping.

"Sorry." I laugh as I pull out a comfortable t-shirt to sleep in.

"Lucky for me, you're not too bad on the eyes." She teases. I feel my cheeks reddening at her admission and I'm thankful she's staring at the ceiling so she doesn't notice I just blushed. I blushed.

"Do you want something a little comfier to sleep in?" I'm already rummaging through my cupboards, trying to find a pair of shorts that will fit her.

"Mmm." She hums softly, her eyes drooping close. I can tell she's fighting against the much needed sleep.

"Come on." I gently tug on her arms and pull her up. I push her towards the bathroom and hand her the clothes I found her.

"I never said I was staying!" She calls out as soon as I shut the door to give her some privacy.

"You didn't have to." I holler back, laughing to myself. She can barely walk straight... does she really expect me to let her drive home in this state? I shake my head. She has another thing coming if that's what she thinks.

She emerges moments later, clad in a pair of shorts and a large t-shirt of mine. She looks adorable.

"Come on, I'll even tuck you in." I tease as I motion for her to get in. She frowns as she gets under the covers and raises her eyebrows as she watches me pull the covers over her body. "Good night." I lean down and give her a quick hug.

"Wait." She whispers, her voice not sounding like her own. "Where are you going?"

"Guest room." I answer simply, as if obvious.

"But this is your bed."

"Mmmm and I'm lending it to you for the night. You should feel special." I tease, laughing softly at how she's trying to fight off the sleep. Her previous emotions had rendered her emotionally exhausted.

"Good night." She finally mumbles, unable to fight the sleep any longer. I gently close the door as I step out and head towards the guest bedroom, preparing myself for a long, sleepless night.