Nick should've known that singing this song with Demi would be a bad idea. He should've known that he'd be way too tempted to grab her and kiss her at the end. Probably because that's all he ever wanted to do.Now here they stood, facing each other as Demi lifted the mic to her lips and filled the venue with the sound of her beautiful voice.
Oh man, oh man
I am not really known for ever being speechless
But now, but now somehow
My words roll off my tongue right onto your lips, oh
I'm keeping cool while you keep smiling
Saying all the things I'm thinking
Oh man, oh man
I am like you so I want proof I'm what you're feeling
Nick was glad he snapped back into reality as they sang the chorus together again. They voices always sounded amazing together. They always knew just the right harmonies, they knew what their fans loved and they knew that whenever they sang together, it sounded even more beautiful than when they'd sing alone.
Demi and Nick looked into each other's eyes as they ended the song together. Demi's lips curled up into a smile and the singer turned towards the audience, waving at them. She thanked them and Nick for having her on stage for this song and left just as fast as she appeared before the music started. Nick watched her walk off the stage and licked his lips. He took a deep breath, smiled a little and turned back to his fans to finish his set.
After a few more songs, Nick ran off the stage as well and walked around to find Demi. She was standing in the hallway, that paper cup filled with coffee between her fingers as she talked to Holly and laughed along with her. Nick could feel his heart beating faster whenever he heard Demi's laugh. It was one of the most perfect sounds he's ever heard and it never failed to excite him. The singer approached the brunette and placed his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently.
Demi turned around to look at him and smiled. "Hey there, rockstar.", she smirked and Nick couldn't help but chuckle. "Hey..uhm, can I talk to you for a minute?", he asked and Demi raised an eyebrow. "Uh, sure.", she said and said bye to Holly before following her best friend down the corridor and into his room. Ever since they performed that son together, Nick knew he couldn't deny his feelings anymore. The feelings that made him write that song.
"So, what did you wanna talk about?", Demi asked and leaned back against the table. Nick ran his hand over his buzzed head and took a deep breath. "Okay, this...this could turn out really weird and awkward, but I just wanna be honest.", he started and Demi frowned. "When we sang "Close" together...there was something that reminded me of why I wrote that song.", he said and Demi placed her cup down.
"What was it?", she asked and pushed her hands into her pockets. She gave him that look of interest and confusion, paired with a light hint of worry. He knew that look. She always looked at him that way when he wanted to talk to her about something problematic. She always gave him the feeling that she really cared about what he had to say and tried her best to help him with everything. He was just afraid that she wouldn't be able to help him this time.
"It reminded me of you.", he said and Demi looked even more confused. "Okay, I-I should explain that.", Nick said and chuckled nervously. "When I wrote that song, it after I realized all the feelings I had for you." Demi's eyes got bigger and she lifted her hand. "Nick, you sh-..." Nick shook his head quickly. "No, Demi. Please just listen. I wanna tell you this before I chicken out again and it'll take me a while to grow the balls again, so just...let me talk.", he said and cleared his throat.
"I realized a long time ago that you mean much more to me than you should. You are not my best friend. You are not like my sister. I am in love with you.", he said and felt the weight being lifted off his shoulders instantly. "And then I realized that you'd never feel the same way. And I had a time where I was just so afraid to be around you or talk to you. I got uncomfortable when people asked be about our friendship because all I ever wanted was for us to be more than that."
Demi's expression softened. She looked at Nick, her head tilted to the side a little as a comforting smile crossed her face. "And I needed space. So i thought not seeing you in a while would help. But it made everything much worse.", he said and shrugged. "And that's when I knew what space meant."
"It's just a word made up by someone who's afraid to get too close.", Demi said and walked over to him. Nick looked down on the floor, biting his lower lip. He felt Demi's hand on his cheek, making him look at her. "I am like you. And god damn, Nick...I want proof for what you're feeling.", she smirked and Nick swallowed hard. He knew what she wanted. He knew what she meant. The singer cupped his best friend's cheeks and placed his lips against hers for a passionate kiss and in that moment, he knew getting close was nothing he should be afraid of.
