In Real Life (Nemi)

Give Your Heart a Break

I was so nervous as I stepped onto the porch where the Jonas family lived, when they were in Texas. They came here to get away from the hustle & bustle of Hollywood, sometimes. I knocked on the door, a little loud, so they could hear me. It took a few minutes for someone to answer. Denise's face looked so happy when she opened the door & saw me standing there.

"Demi!" Denise said, sounding excited to see me as she pulled me into an embrace. As I stepped into the foyer, I looked around for any sign of Nick. I saw none. "And what do I owe this pleasure of your presence today?" Denise asked, closing the large front door.

"I was in Africa until a few days ago, so I was out of the loop. I just heard about Nick & Olivia."

Denise took a deep breath. "Yea. I am scared for him, Demi. I have never seen him this bad. Not even when he broke up with Delta. He won't talk. He just answers your questions. You know... like do you want cheese on your sandwich? That kind of thing. I've talked to Susan, Olivia's mom & she says the same thing about Olivia. I don't get it. They were so happy & couldn't wait to get married, one day & the next day, Nick is telling me he needs help calling the guests to tell them the wedding has been called off. He wouldn't tell me why & Olivia hasn't told her mom either. It's a big mystery. It's like if they're so miserable, why did they break up? What happened that was so bad that they had to break up?" Denise was looking at the floor, her brows knitted together in concern for her baby. Denise looked at me, as if she forgot I was there. "Demi, I know you & Nick had a fight or something happened & your friendship has been in trouble, but maybe you can talk to him. Maybe you can get him to snap out of this or tell you what happened. I mean Joe couldn't even get him to crack a smile when he visited. Have you ever seen him be around Joe & not smile?" Denise's eyes were frantic as she looked at me for answers.

I shook my head. "I don't know if I can get him to smile, but I can try talking to him." I gave her a smile of encouragement.

Denise tilted her head, frowning. "What happened between you two that made you not be friends anymore? You two were always like two peas in a pod. You were more than friends. You had this connection that went beyond words."

I looked away for a moment, trying not to cry. I shrugged my shoulders. "I didn't agree with his decision to get married so young & it caused issues with us." It was sorta the truth.

Denise nodded. "I understand. I was not happy when he first told me, but I couldn't say anything. I'm in no position... I'm just his mom."

"Where is he now?" I asked, looking around.

She sighed again, glancing upstairs. "Probably in his room, where he has been pretty much since he got here." Her voice was sad as she motioned with her head toward the staircase. I took a deep breath & headed up to Nick's room. I was dreading seeing him, but at the same time I was excited. I missed him so much it hurt, but I didn't want the reminder that he didn't love me the way I loved him.

I knocked on Nick's door & waited. No answer. I didn't hear anything inside. Maybe he was sleeping. I knocked once more & after another minute, I opened the door & went in. Nick was in a huge comfortable recliner, laying back, eyes closed & earbuds in. He hadn't heard me. I wasn't sure if he was sleeping or if he just had his eyes closed. His face was relaxed except for the wrinkles in his forehead. I decided to sit on his bed for a minute to watch him, to see if he opened his eyes. The minute I sat down, I saw his lips move, slightly. He was singing along to the song he was listening to. I heard him take a deep, cleansing breath & then he lifted his head off the chair, opening his eyes. They were wide when he saw me watching him. His hands came up to yank the earbuds out as he cleared his throat.