Disclaimer: Based on real events, but some things are made up to help the story. Slight AU. Goes in a different direction.

Chapter 32 - June 11th, 2017

"'Cause this is love and life, and nothing we can both control. And if it don't feel right, you're not losing me by letting me know." - Excerpt from I Got You, Leona Lewis

June 11th.

Today was the day.

The day of so many firsts.

Everything had been set into place, and to be honest, Nick kind of wanted the day to be over with. Or, at least, he just wanted to fast forward to the good stuff. Technically, he hadn't seen Miley for a long time (at least, the few days felt like a long time to him), and he was growing more and more agitated without her calming presence. He hadn't realized how much he had depended on her. His whole being felt raw and just...uncomfortable without her, as if his body sensed the absence of her presence.

There was nothing he could do about that. It wasn't his fault he was so weak when it came to her. But who wouldn't be?

Nick was fidgeting in his arm chair, his fingers tapping anxiously against the arm rest every few seconds in a random pattern. Nick knew that he wasn't exactly helping anything or anyone in particular by just staying in his house and becoming more anxious with each passing second. The clock on the wall seemed to exaggerate the time. He felt like it was mocking him. Actually, he felt like all his furniture was mocking him.

With a loud sigh, Nick finally got up. He was dressed in a simple hoodie and jeans (he didn't want to spoil his nice—if casual was nice—clothes before he proposed) and some sneakers. He quickly grabbed the chosen outfit and folded it neatly with such precision that he was sure his mother would be proud and then packed it up, just in case his house burned down or anything while he was going for a drive. It was unlikely, but you never knew what could happen around these places.

Nick headed outside and into his car, stowing the clothes somewhere in the car that felt secure enough. Then, he headed into the driver's seat. He turned on the radio but kept it at an extremely low volume so he couldn't exactly hear much even when he strained his ears. He knew what you were thinking: why the hell would you turn on the radio if you weren't going to listen to it? Well, he didn't want to listen to it, not exactly, but the slight pleasant buzzing of whatever the hell the radio was playing on—whether it be a song or a commercial—was rather calming to Nick.

So Nick started driving. He basically just drove around town. Probably a waste of time and a waste of gas, but hey, he needed to do something—anything—to drive off the nerves. They were making him stand on edge. He didn't need to lose his nerve before the proposal. Suddenly, Nick's phone chimed with a message, causing him to gasp and screech to a stop on his car. Luckily, he was in the middle of some road (near the edge of it, really), and there wasn't much people around. Nick hastily parked his car on the side and pulled out his phone, faintly surprised to see a text from Joe.

Nick would've assumed that Joe would've spent all his time with Demi and not bother to text because that was just how Joe was.

The text read: Whatcha doing for MC?

Nick blinked. Of course Joe would (probably) know that it was June 11th, and that Nick probably had something planned for Miley, but did he honestly have to be so intrusive about it? With a long, drawn-out sigh, Nick answered with a simple: oh, wouldn't you like to know? Joe probably guessed—actually, Demi probably guessed because Joe was such a clueless nut—but Joe would know via Demi. It seemed that half the time, Demi seemed to read Joe's mind (actually, did it really seem that hard to read Joe's mind?) and vice versa, which might be a little odd but whatever. BUT the text could also just mean that Joe was just joking and stuff.

Taking a deep breath, Nick drove back home because what else was he going to do but panic? He twisted open the doorknob after unlocking it (though he did remember forgetting to lock it on several occasions—don't judge him, he was in a rush...to get pancakes with Joe; okay, maybe he wasn't the best role model) and nearly had a heart attack as he walked in.

"JOE, WHAT THE HELL!"

Joe smiled pleasantly. "Hello, Joe."

"Why are you HERE?!" Nick demanded. "Aren't you supposed to be in Hawaii with—DEMI, DON'T TOUCH THAT, DON'T TOUCH THAT, DON'T—"

Nick winced as Demi dropped the picture frame she was holding. A panicked look crossed her face, and her eyes widened. Then, a pissed off expression grew on her face. She hastily picked up the frame and set it back down, placing a hand on her hip. "Geez, Nick, didn't anyone ever teach you how to use your, um, I don't know, inside voice?" Demi said, very faint, barely there, annoyance in her voice.

Nick blinked. "Excuse me if I'm just a tad bit shocked that you two just stopped by uninvited."

"We stop by uninvited all the time," Demi countered.

"Yeah, but I wasn't home this time," Nick huffed.

"Dude, you need to man up," Joe said, smirking.

Ugh. Nick loved Joe and all, but there were just some days where he felt like he could—

Calm down, Nick. Calm DOWN.

Nick let out a small sigh. What was wrong with the clock, and why was it moving so slowly? It was slowly driving him nuts.

"I'm not going crazy," Nick said automatically and immediately felt stupid because who else had a voice inside their head that just mocked them?

Demi blinked. "Uhm..."

Joe smiled pleasantly. "Oh, so I'm not the only one with a voice inside my head?"

Demi's head snapped towards Joe. "YOU HAVE A VOICE INSIDE YOUR HEAD?! HOW COME YOU NEVER TOLD ME?!"

Nick hastily backed out of the room and headed into his own room, but Demi's shouting and Joe's hastily replied comments were still very audible, if slightly muted through Nick's bedroom door. Really, Nick should've kicked them out. They had shown up uninvited. But Nick couldn't bring himself to do it. He knew that Demi and Joe's argument wasn't really a quarrel. It was born out of slight frustration and teasing and because they both had such personalities that loved to be right.

Nick stared at the ceiling, watching the colors blur and swarm overhead of him. A slight knocking on his door caused him to look towards him. He hadn't realized that the screaming had stopped. Nick opened the door and beckoned Joe and Demi in, which was equally gallant and useless because they were going to barge in whether he liked it or not anyway.

"How are you?" Joe murmured.

Nick blinked.

"What?" Joe said defensively.

"You're not known for being warm and fuzzy," Nick informed him.

Joe shoved him in the shoulder. "So, how's the big proposal going to come out?" he asked casually. Nick froze. He didn't remember telling Joe or Demi about proposing to Demi. "Come on," Joe continued, nudging him in the ribs casually. "Don't worry, Nick, you're not losing your mind," he said pleasantly, a growing smile on his face that Nick could trust.

Nick shot him a wry look. "Righttt. Because I can totally trust your opinion to tell me whether I'm crazy or not."

"I said you're not losing your mind, not that you aren't crazy," Joe corrected.

"How do you know?" Nick demanded.

"I saw the ring," Joe said pleasantly. "It's a nice ring, though it could never top the one I got Demi. But it's nice. The way you put Before the Storm and June 11th on it was pretty cool. Of course, Miley might not want something that'll remind her of the 'storm,' if you know what I mean." Then, Joe cackled in an extremely obnoxious way because he was Joe Jonas.

Nick blinked. "Um..."

Demi blinked. "Why didn't you get me a ring like that?" Demi demanded, her icy gaze turning to Joe.

Joe smiled. "I couldn't fit all the letters on the ring?"

"Ugh, Joe," Demi groaned.

Nick took a deep breath and groaned, considering the other possibilities—the other horrible possibilities. "You guys didn't blab to anyone that I'm proposing, have you?" Nick said, looking up nervously. Demi stared at him as if he was crazy, and a silent breath of relief echoed through his chest. "I'll take that as a no," he mumbled. "Just keep your big mouths shut for the rest of the day."

"Huh, you know, when I'm usually trying to get something, I act really, really nice," Demi said mockingly.

Nick sniffed. "But I know you guys wouldn't really tell and ruin this for me, so I can be as rude as I want."

"Ouch," Joe said, laughing.

"You never know," Demi said threateningly. "We might. Especially if you keep teasing like that."

Nick shot his fiercest glare at Demi, but it must not have been so fierce because she didn't shrink back or anything, like someone would do if they were scared. Nope, Demi stood her ground, and though he was taller than she was, he felt like she was staring him down. Geez, did Joe deal with this all the time? Didn't it get...I don't know, scary? Or awkward?

Nick shook his head at them. "You two are...certainly one of a kind."

Demi smiled. "Are you nervous?"

Nick turned towards Joe. "Were you?"

"Yes, some. I think you would have a problem if you weren't nervous at all," Joe said in a rare moment of sincerity. Joe locked eyes with Joe for a brief heartbeat, a smile rising on his lips. "You know, it's nothing and everything like what you would think it would be, but it'll be so much more awesome than you could ever imagine... It's just like...I don't know, magic."

Demi smiled. "Miley has no reason to say no."

"Oh, she has plenty of reasons," Joe said. "I mean, Paul kind of wanted some twisted revenge on her, Miley broke her arm, Nick—"

"Thank you, Joe," Nick said wryly. "If I wasn't feeling positively paralyzed before, there's no chance of me not feeling that now!"

"Sorry," Joe snickered, and he did sound sorry. Sort of. Well, you knew how Joe was.

Nick took a deep breath, shaking his head. He wasn't sure whether to thank Demi and Joe or yell at the. On one hand, they were really crazy good distractions 9well, Joe tended to get distracted a lot himself, but we'll gloss over that), but on the other hand, their attitudes and egos were seriously tiring sometimes. You would think, that after all they'd been through, Nick would get used to it. Well, he guessed some things never changed.

Demi shook her head absentmindedly. "Wow. Look at us. It's been a long time coming, hasn't it?"

Nick nodded. "And I never would've believed any of this was possible."

Joe blinked. "Even the bad stuff?"

Nick smiled wryly. "But there are things that are so much more important..."

"Like what?"

"Friendship. And love. And family." Nick smiled. "You guys are awesome."

"Are you saying that because you think we're going to die?"

Nick exchanged an exasperated glance with Demi, and they both groaned, "Joe."

Love Will Find A Way

There were many great things that came with money—like Miley's large wardrobe. She adored her wardrobe about 90% of the time.

And then there were times where it crossed over the leftover 10%.

Nick had texted her flirtatious hints all day—though, really, the day had just started—on what he had planned. Miley wouldn't deny it—she was rather excited. However, her wardrobe was behaving a little...iffy today. She had absolutely no idea what to wear. Nick had said to wear something casual. Casual clothes she had. Idea of what on earth to wear she didn't.

Miley didn't want to wear something that made her look desperate, but she didn't want to look like she had barely put any effort in the outfit, either. She knew that Nick probably wouldn't mind if she showed up in her favorite pair of PJ's, but she still wanted to make an effort to look nice. For him. And especially because it was June 11th, their anniversary.

If only Demi was here...

Miley would ask Selena, but she and Selena had spent so much time over the past two days, and she didn't want Selena to get bored of her or something... Also, Miley sort of felt like she should be able to find out a suitable outfit to wear for her own anniversary. It was more of a pride thing (and yes, Miley knew she had a problem with her pride hence all her little mini teasing quarrels with Demi).

There were several outfits Miley had contemplated, but none of them screamed 'anniversary.' Other outfits were too fancy, some too dull. Miley had at least already decided on one article of clothing (her awesome cowboy boots), and Miley wasn't eager to call Demi over (well, it would be sort of hard to actually get Demi back as Demi was still in Hawaii) as Demi would probably chastise her clothing choice.

Miley pulled out a white shirt with long silky sleeves. The thing was made out of some silky, flowing material, and it felt so soft against Miley's fingertips. There were also some faded azure-colored shorts that went along perfectly with the shirt. Miley wondered if the outfit was too...underdone. Demi would probably think so. Selena would probably like it. Miley would probably feel comfortable enough in it. Well, if she couldn't find anything else, then this would have to be the one.

Sigh. The torture of having so many clothes you couldn't keep track of it all.

Well, it wouldn't be a problem for Selena. It was like the girl had a sixth sense for all things fashion.

Miley headed into her living room. Her mind would thank her for a break from clothes. Closing her eyes for a brief moment, Miley drank in the familiar scents of her house. A slight nudging near her ankles made her eyes shoot open. She giggled as Emu wound around her legs, tickling her ankles. Miley rubbed down and stroked the dog. A sudden knocking on the door made her frown.

"Come on, Emu, move you lazy little thing," Miley cooed.

She nudged the furry thing along and hastily hopped over Bean (another one of her dogs) to get to the door. When she opened it, she was pleasantly surprised. "Liam, hey, how are you?" she greeted. Barking sounded behind her, and Miley turned towards her dogs, her smile small but growing. She turned back to Liam. "I can't say I expected you."

Liam smiled back amiably. She saw him eying her fingers for a moment with a curious look on his face before he locked eyes with her. "I just felt like coming along," he said, shrugging slightly. "I wanted to see how you were doing." But there was a distant look in his eyes that told Miley that he was here for some entirely different reason. But she didn't begrudge him on anything.

"Come in," Miley urged.

He smiled and gave her a warm hug first. With his arms around her, Miley could imagine a different outcome, a different end to all of this. But it was only a brief moment of wistfulness of what could have been. Miley was and would remain perfectly content with the life she had right now, the life she had with Nick. Liam had been so good to her, but her heart fully belonged to Nick.

"I see this place hasn't changed a bit," Liam remarked.

Miley smiled wryly. "Is that an insult or a compliment?"

"Both," Liam said, eyes sparkling with amusement.

The dogs greeted Liam, perhaps remembering him, and Liam stroked them all affectionately. Miley watched his eyes, his beautiful blue eyes. They remained the same. These were the same captivating blue eyes that had brought her attention to him. He had been so charming and handsome and teasing, and she had sought ought his beautiful soul. His beautiful...soul.

And as of now, she could see a slightly haunted look in those eyes. She regretted hurting him to the degree that she had, but she did not regret getting back together with Nick. Nick was her safe harbor. He was her hand to hold when she was sad and her arm to hug when she just, well, needed a hug. He knew her better than anyone did (though don't tell Demi about that), and they had such a deep understanding...

Liam smiled wryly. "I came here to say... I'm glad you're happy...congratulations."

She stared, puzzled. "On what?"

Then, Liam Hemsworth smiled and stood up. "I'll see you around, Miley." And he left.

That left her with an unfinished feeling. Again, her words echoed through her mind.

On what?

Love Will Find A Way

"JOE, THAT WAS MY FOOT."

"WELL, MAYBE YOU SHOULDN'T PUT YOUR FOOT WHERE I WAS WALKING."

"MAYBE YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE SUCH LARGE FEET."

"JOE! DEMI!" Miley yanked open the door to her house. Miley's smile abruptly grew as she saw Joe and Demi. She smothered a fierce giggle as she saw the two bicker. "Honestly, you guys argue more than two toddlers!" Miley paused. "Actually, that might actually be accurate." Then, Miley realized another thing. "Guys, I thought you two were in Hawaii!"

"Nah, did you think we'd miss your pr—DEMI, THAT WAS MY FOOT."

Demi pulled Miley into a fierce hug. "Don't mind him. His mind has been a little addled since Hawaii. Must've been all that sun," Demi told her.

Miley laughed. "Or he's naturally addled."

"True, true," Demi said, laughing.

Joe crossed his arms. "I'm right here, you know?"

"Oh, we knew," Demi cackled. "That's why we were talking."

"I missed you guys," Miley said, suddenly realizing how pointless her words were. They had only been apart for a few days. But still, Miley valued their friendship very much. She gave Joe a quick hug and smiled. "But, you know, now that you guys are here..." Miley trailed off a bit awkwardly, smiling brightly to cover up the uncertainty in the room. Or the tension.

"We get it—you think we'll ruin your anniversary," Demi said, matter-of-fact.

Miley shrugged helplessly. "When you say it like that..."

"Don't worry," Demi said, flashing her a warm smile. "We won't." She shot a long look at Joe. "Well, I won't. I don't know about him."

Joe snorted. "How dare you?!"

"Oh, don't you dare deny it, Joe! After all, you almost—" Demi stopped short.

Miley looked up, amused. "What?"

"Nothing," Demi said, hiding a smile. "Nothing...yet."

Love Will Find A Way

Nick was sure. Pretty sure.

Miley was smart, and he had given her a bunch of clues as to where she had to meet him. One of the clues had been where you wore blue. Another had been do you ever think, when you're all alone, all that we could be, where this thing could go? Another had been I hope you find it. If you pieced it all together—and hopefully, Miley still remembered, she would show up.

Yes, it was the party where Nick had confessed his love for Miley.

Here was hoping she didn't get lost because that would put a damper on their plans.

"Nick?"

Nick froze. He was partially hidden—it depended on where you stood. From the doorway, he was sure that Miley couldn't see him though he had a clear view of her. She was wearing a simple white top, worn blue shorts, and her favorite cowboy boots. Her hair was in long loose wavy locks. A slightly confused look was on her face as she entered. Nick couldn't help but smile.

She entered the room and walked past him without even noticing him. Her perfume wafted around him, and he silently crept behind her. Then, he wrapped his arms around her slim waist and lowered his lips to her ear. "Gotcha," he murmured, pleased that he had scared her. She hadn't screamed or anything. She had stiffened, and her eyes had widened so wide he could see the whites around her irises.

Her head twisted towards him, and relief sank into her blue eyes. Then, she twisted her body around to face him. "I hate you," she mumbled.

He leaned forward and kissed her. "Empty words," he murmured back. "You don't hate me if you willingly kiss me back."

She smiled. "So, this old place?"

"Yeah," he murmured. "I would've said Tybee Island, but you would know if you had to get on a plane and all." He took her hand in his, squeezing hers. A smile glowed vibrantly on her face as he pressed his lips against her rosy cheek. He smiled cheekily at her. "You know, I actually took the time to get this outfit done and all. You could at least act like it's awesome," he teased.

"I like it," Miley retorted, whacking him. "It's not your worst," she added.

He rolled his eyes. "Always some backhanded compliment with you."

She rolled her eyes. Nick scoffed at her, but deep down, his insides were twisting with nervousness. He needed this to be perfect. Either Miley was a mind reader, or his palms were extremely sweaty (psh, it had to be the mind reading thing), she turned towards him curiously. "You're nervous," she stated, and he mentally cursed. She locked eyes with him. "Why?"

He smiled shyly at her, meeting her eyes. "You're incredible," he told her softly. He cupped her face gently. "You are so, so amazing," he whispered gently, stroking her cheek gently. "I always knew that..." That I was going to marry you one day. But he say that. "When I first met you, I thought, I'm going to make that girl mine one day." Miley smiled ruefully at that. Nick reached into his pocket, fumbling. "I...I..."

"Funny how fate works out," Miley murmured quietly.

"I love you so much, and I just—" Nick dropped down to one knee, successfully pulling out the ring's box (like he had practiced many times before for fear of screwing up). He flipped open the box, presenting the ring to her. Miley's eyes widened to levels Nick didn't think was possible. Her hands covered her mouth in shock. Nick looked up, meeting her eyes boldly. "Miley Ray Cyrus, will you do this crazy guy the honor of being his wife?"

Miley stared and stared and stared and stared (yes, it took four of them to get the point through). Then, he saw her eyes fill with unshed tears. "Of course!" she whispered. "Y-yes..." Nick plucked the ring out of its cushion and slid it onto her finger. Miley stared at the ring as Nick got up. Her eyes widened as she realized the lettering. "Oh, Nick..."

"Miley, I love you, I love you more than you could know," he whispered, voice ragged.

"I think I know," she murmured, voice as steady as her gaze. Then, she frowned a little, blinking. "That's why..."

Nick blinked. "Why what?"

"Liam told me congratulations," Miley murmured quietly. "And Joe..."

Nick groaned. "Oh no."

"He didn't spill it," Miley said in a rushed voice. "He just...well, Demi was there, and she stopped him." Miley smiled ruefully. "So you talked to Liam? And I'm guessing my parents, too." Miley groaned. "I should've guessed. They sounded so smug and so pleased about something... I just had no idea what that 'something' was. I..." A silly smile grew on Miley's face. "I don't even care anymore."

Then, they kissed. His arms were wrapped around her, and her arms were wrapped around his neck. He pulled her closer, letting her sweet scent wreathe around him. Then, he pressed his forehead against hers, a silly smile curling onto his lips. "You"—he pressed a kiss against her forehead—"are"—he pressed a kiss against her cheek—"amazing." He then locked his lips with hers.

"You're not so bad yourself, mister," Miley said softly, a soft affectionate look in her eyes.

"I love June 11th."

"I love your eyes."

"I love your smile."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

Nick met her gaze steadily and caught a glimpse of eternity in her startlingly piercing blue irises. He felt like he could sink into her gaze forever. He cupped her cheek gently, a smile lighting his features steadily. "Wherever we go, whatever we do, however we change," he murmured, "I'm always going to love you and stick by your side. I'm going to—"

"—save the vows for the wedding, okay?" Miley teased lightly.

He smiled cheekily. "Well, you're stuck with me."

"No other way I'd want it."

The ending of the challenges—and the start of more challenges. Another ending and another beginning, coming as easily as a wave washing against the ocean.

And if you're still looking out for love, don't give up because eventually, love will find a way...

~ The End ~

QotD: Do you think you'll ever find your soulmate?

A/N: Hey, it's Darky! WOWZERS! This story is actually DONE. As promised, this last chapter was longer. Haha, if you want a sequel to this...I probably won't write one. I think this is a nice place to finish the story. I could probably make a sequel if I wanted, but eh... Maybe, after I write a few more stories and stuff, I'll come back and do a sequel... Yeah, unlikely, but you never know!

I was actually feeling sort of sick today, but I wrote anyway (because I just love endangering my health; note the sarcasm) with Halsey's 'Roman Holiday' blasting through my headphones. Oh yes. As for the ending...I'm sort of pleased. And then, another part of me (the part that always thinks bad of everything I do) is sort of disappointed with this ending.

But what the heck! I like this ending, and I'm sticking with it! I thought I needed to stick in the title somewhere. Anyway, a huge thank you to everyone who stuck to this story! You guys are THE BEST. Thanks for sticking through this... LOVE, LOVE, LOVE you guys. This story was probably very, very...cheesy. I'm a cheesy romantic, and I'm proud of it! If there are any typos...basically, I just wrote this without rereading it. I'm hoping that my writing will improve over the years.

Oh, and I plan to change the world one day. Who doesn't? xD

Review your answer to the QotD! Tell me your thoughts? I appreciate it though you don't need to. But who doesn't love reviews? ;)

- Darky