I Never Should Have Let You Go

n i c h o l a s

Remember how I said a few days ago that going upstairs with Sarah (no, we did didn't have sex, we just engaged in other intimate activities) was the worst mistake of my life?

Well I think I've got an action to top that- letting Kevin and Dani invite Cianna to come to this New Year's Eve get-together.

How is it fair that the girl I'm dating isn't allowed to attend, yet the one who my father forbade our family from seeing, is?

Exactly; it's not fair.

"Pass the salad please." I called to no-one in particular.

There was no reply from anybody. Surely one of Danielle's college friends had noticed my request. Kevin was chatting along with Maya, Joe with Mandy and Demi, and Cianna was quietly picking through the food on her plate.

Oh I'm sorry, what food? There was a large piece of lettuce, a few cubes of tasty cheese, and about 3 dry crackers.

"Aren't you going to eat anything else Ci? You'll be sick with an empty stomach."

Wow. Who said that? They absolutely read my mind.

Cianna glanced up quickly. So maybe I'd said that. Oops.

"Um, I mean I shouldn't really care." I blubbered, returning my attention to the knife gliding through my steak.

"Oh, I'm just not hungry, haven't been lately." she murmered with a small smile.

If she was trying to flirt with me, then she should really start to back off. I had a girlfriend, and if she couldn't get over that fact then it was her problem.

"Yo! Gravy please!" Joe asked, nudging Cianna's side.

She immediately handed him the jug. What is the go with that? I gave her the best year of her freaking life and this is how she repays me?!

"Bitch." I muttered under my breath, stabbing my fork into the slab of meat on my plate.

Next to me, Mandy flipped her head around and spat, "What did you just say?"

My hand immediately flew to the back of my neck and I began to scratch furiously. "Oh, just saying I'm itchy."

Mandy pursed her lips, looking unimpressed, but let it go, and continued to chat with my older brother.

I finished off my meal in silence, scrunched my serviette into a ball and threw it at Cianna.

It smacked her in the forehead before bouncing onto the floor.

"I think the icepack that I tried to use was better, don't you?" she smirked, tucking a few loose strands of freshly dyed blonde hair behind her ear.

A reply from me was not important at that point, so I just started texting Sarah under the table.

She said she was stuck at a family event, but something made me not believe her. I mean, come on! Who wouldn't want to spend time with the [i/] Nick Jonas?

---

At 10 oclock, everybody but me sat down around the TV to watch the fireworks all around the world.

Instead of my brain being overwhelmed by unimportant things such as crackers being shot into the sky, I put it to use to create a new song.

Kevin's music room was messy and I hated it. There were papers strewn all over the wooden desk in the corner, a pencil holder was tipped over (probably courtesy of Riley) and the piano was collecting dusk.

Maybe Danielle would appreciate it if this place was tidy. I started on the corner next to the wardrobe, filtering through a tangled jumble of leads sitting in a clear storage box.

At the bottom of the container was a large purple folder, facing downwards. I picked it up, turning it over. The front was plain, but as soon as I opened the cover, it all came rushing back to me.

'50 reasons Cianna and Nick should date (and eventually get married).'

It was the scrapbook that a fan had made us all those months ago. Mum must have given it to Kev after me and Cianna broke up. I don't understand why though, it's not like I moped about for weeks on end...

The image of Cianna in a wedding dress was a shot to the gut. Marriage and engagements were still a raw subject to me, for obvious reasons.

Reason 1 - You'd have cute babies.
Reason 2 - You both have a great head on your shoulders.
Reason 3 - First love is true love.
Reason 4 - You make each other smile.

Ugh, what a piece of junk. That fan certainly wasted their time. I stood up, moved to the balcony and dropped the book out, hoping for it to land in a steaming pile of dog turd. Let's just hope my paper face doesn't get touched.

"What the hell was that?!" a female voice cried from outside.

I peeked out the window cautiously. One of Danielle's friends was having a cigarette on the grass, and the loud bang of the photo album hitting the concrete had startled her.

"Uh, sorry!" I called, dashing down the stairs.

I was too late to grab the scrapbook before she picked it up. The red-head was now standing at the head of the coffee table exclaiming, "how good are these photoshops!"

A narrow piece of paper slipped out from between pages and landed in Maya's bowl of icecream.

She snatched it up and became to read it loudly and obnoxiously. I tried to jump and grab it from her, but I wacked myself between the legs on the arm of the couch.

I tried not to concentrate on the pain bubbling all over but it was difficult.

"0.62 ctw 14k White Gold Diamond Three-Stone Emerald Engagement Ring. $15,500. Purchased on the seventeenth of Dec--"

Cianna was looking straight at me, biting her lip softly. Honestly, she looked she wanted to cry, and I didn't want to see that.

I hated it when she cried.

"Maya, stop!" I demanded, my voice raising as my temper bubbled over.

My so-called best friend just glared, and continued on opening her big trap.

"Engravement costed an extra 200, so that brings the total cost to $15,700. Oh! Plus an extended warranty of 500 dollars, which adds all up to 16,200."

Catching a look at my reflection in the mirror above the fireplace, I saw that my whole face was red with anger.

"Maya, I think that's enough." Danielle said gently, handing me the receipt.

If I wasn't a gentleman, and if violence against women was legal, I would've socked Maya one in the mouth.

Danielle's friend gave me the scrapbook, and I dashed back up the stairs to retrieve the actual ring from my coat pocket and stomp on it.

Eff my life.

c i a n n a

I couldn't bring myself to say anything; I was still in shock. There was a gentle murmur as the guests gushed over how lucky the recepient of the jewellery would be.

They had no idea that itwas had been for me. Joe massaged my shoulder gently, twirling strands of hair around his fingers.

"That must be some ring, huh?" Dani's mate Stephanie said, sounding impressed.

Damn right. I'd only caught a quick look at it on the 19th of this month, but that flash of green was incredible.

"I know! If only he was a bit older I'd make him get down on his knees and propose!" another girl Jennifer agreed, laughing.

Nick wasn't ready for commitment, neither was I. We were young adults, only being introduced into the world of unknown. It was necessary to grow separately, and not at one, in order to learn the important lessons of life.

"I'll go talk to him." I found myself saying, clambering to my feet.

"Are you sure?" Danielle asked, furrowing her brows.

I nodded, giving her a wordless answer, and climbed the stairs slowly and carefully. The first thing I expected to hear was screaming, or some form of loud noise as Nick took out his frustrations.

Instead, the gentle chimes of piano echoed along the hallway. I stood poised in the doorway, leaning against the frame. He didn't seem to notice me, despite the reflective wardrobe doors.

There were no lyrics leaving his lips just yet, but the melody was familiar. Very familiar.

He was playing our song, the song we'd worked on so hard together, the song that had so much meaning to the both of us.

Nick finished the first verse, sighed heavily, and reached down to pat the scrapbook resting on the same stool he was sitting on.

There was a box shaped bulge in the jacket pocket resting over Nick's lap. I knew what it was, but I was too scared to look as he opened the ring case.

"I really wish we could've stopped the world Cianna." he murmured, placing the velvet box on the top of the piano.

With a small smile, I mouthed to myself, "Me too Nick, but we still can."