THIS CHAPTER'S FEAUTURED SONG:

LIKE WE NEVER LOVED AT ALL - FAITH HILL

Wow. Sorry for the severe lack of updating lately, guys. I hope that you all did recognize the story even with the title-change. Basically, I just felt that even though that song was great, the new title really matches the story perfectly because the entire story and plot and everything Starts With Goodbye. So, yeah :)

Also, I would like to give a shout-out to the wonderful ChannyLoveForever3: reviews like that always make my day! You've no idea how much more confident that one little review has made me in this story... anyways... Onward to the story!

"I still can't believe that Miley Cyrus 'cancelled'" Nico rolled his eyes at Mr. Condor's simple excuse as his arms fell to his side after air quoting, "Just in time for Chad to magically appear two days later and take her place." Tawni rolled her eyes and continued filing her nails as we sat on the sofa in the prop room. Part of me was almost surprised that she didn't make a typical Tawni comment about how she didn't even like Miley in the first place for whatever reason.

"You think he appeared magically?" Grady asked with a soft gasp and wide eyes.

Nico clenched his jaw and put on a tight smile at Grady before muttering something to Tawni about going to get ready for the show. He gave Tawni a gentle pat on the hand before walking towards to door and giving a half-hearted wave in my direction. Grady followed shortly after, grinning goofily and pointing in the direction of the door as a sign of his departure.

Now it was just us girls, finally I felt I could take down the poorly-concealed mask I hid behind and just be honest with myself. Tawni fidgeted, her hands tumbling over each other in no particular pattern. She shifted uneasily in her seat for a moment before quietly clearing her throat.

"So, you think you're going to be alright?" She whispered, voice faltering, as she let a comforting hand rest on my shoulder. I my eyes drifted to hers for a moment and was caught off-guard by the amount of focus she seemed to have on me. My eyes swiftly falling to the floor, I let back down the shields that were threatening to raise again.

"I don't know, Tawn." I breathed, closing my eyes. "I don't know."

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"You never looked so good

As you did last night

Underneath the city lights."

A mixture of instruments played from the back corner as I walked out on to the stage. The soft clicking of my heels on the tile helped to calm me into focusing purely on the song, rather than the man with slightly windswept hair standing just off stage right and the feel of his eyes upon me.

"There walking with your friend,

Laughing at the moon,

I swear you looked right through me."

Black suit, white shirt, eyes sparkling in the spotlight, he stepped onto the stage. My eyes roamed the doors on the walls of the stage in front of me, as I remained slowly walking in a daze towards center stage. His voice was powerful, yet sweet like honey, and resonated like wind chimes. Those lessons were definitely money well-spent.

"But I'm still living with your goodbye."

I tore my eyes from studying the doors as my verse approached. Closing my eyes, I focused on my voice not quivering as it had so many times while Tawni had helped me learn the song.

"And you're just going on with your life."

With the microphones, I wasn't too aware of how close he was to me until I opened my eyes and found his face to be just a foot or so from my own. Close up, it seemed that the sparkle I'd seen had only been the effect of the spotlight. From where I stood, it was almost as if there was a haze over them.

"How can you just walk on by

Without one tear in your eye?

Don't you have the slightest feelings left for me?

Maybe that's just your way

Of dealing with the pain,

Forgetting everything between our rise and fall."

As we passed each other, I kept my face towards the audience, forcing myself to focus on something aside from how close he was to me. I counted the steps in my head, trying to be sure that all these attempts to stop thinking weren't forcing me to mess up the simple choreography that we had thrown together. His musky cologne stirred in the air between us; the familiarity of the smell caught me off-guard, nearly throwing me not only off-track but also into his arms.

"Like we never loved at all."

We sang the verse together, our faces inches apart, our voices on the rise, and eyes meeting powerfully for a brief moment before we began in separate directions once again.

"You, I hear you're doing fine

Seems like you're doing well

As far as I can tell."

He started us off this time. Stealing a glimpse over my shoulder, I saw a look of un-showy seriousness settling in on his face as his eyes focused in on me. From even a few feet away, I caught sight of a nervous swallow at the end of the verse.

"Time is leaving us behind

Another week has passed

And still I haven't laughed yet."

I could feel my nose begin to tingle, and water begin to pool in my eyes as the honesty of the verse, once again, caught me off-guard. Holding my head high in an attempt to hold-back the tears, I slowly strolled back to center-stage. Turning my face gently to the side, I tried to discreetly blink away a few tears along the way.

"So tell me what your secret is,"

As I met Chad's eyes there was the same lonely sparkle that I'd noticed months ago in my apartment. Wishing I could comfort him, I took a step closer.

"To letting go, letting go like you did,

like you did."

Bravery finally settling in, I closed my eyes and belted out the last three words with every trace of emotion in me. Reopening my eyes, I met Chad's ocean eyes with a fiery gaze all my own.

"How can you just walk on by

Without one tear in your eye?

Don't you have the slightest feelings left for me?

Maybe that's just your way

Of dealing with the pain,

Forgetting everything between our rise and fall."

The closer we got, the more emotion I could feel escape onto my face. I almost felt the hurt and accusation in the expression on my face. Similarly, I began to see various emotions cross Chad's face. As they flashed by, I only picked-up a few such as hurt and betrayal, in the midst of the many changing expressions of his face.

"Like we never loved at all."

We had become so close to each other that I could almost feel his voice. As we fell silent, I became aware of a few more tears trickling down my cheeks. Chad looked down at me with a helpless expression as his eyes lingered upon my wet cheeks.

"Did you forget the magic?"

I whispered, so taken by him that I nearly missed the microphone all-together. Taking a sharp breath, I silently hoped that I was the only one who heard the quiver in my voice.

"Did you forget the passion?"

He murmured with a mysterious tone, reaching out and wiping a tear from my cheek. I saw nothing but the empty sparkle his eyes and felt nothing but his gentle fingertips across my skin.

"And did you ever miss me?"

Gathering all the power in myself, I joined him once again. I set free all the most resonating two verse that I'd ever sung. Having dropped his hand, he moved in closer so that we were only inches apart.

"Ever long to kiss me?"

Out of breath and sense, I gasped slightly as I caught myself slightly leaning in almost in answer to the words he sang with me. By the look in his eyes, I knew that even if the viewers and audience hadn't caught it, someone had.

"Maybe that's just your way

Of dealing with the pain,

Forgetting everything between our rise and fall."

Slowly, I began to lean away from him. Finding that this helped to break the spell he had on me, I took a gentle step back, and then another.

"Like we never loved at all!"

From my place nearly four steps away from him, I put my heart into the last verse; he followed my suit. Between the pain in his voice, the despair on his face, and the ache of emptiness inside of me, I found myself biting my lip to fight-off any more tears. By the time that the pianist had played the last notes, I was one step of the stage and starting for my dressing room.

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