You Were Meant For Me (Nemi)

Part 9

Nick felt slightly anxious when he noticed her silence; a feeling he couldn't explain. The fact that he had no clear memory of Demi added to the strangeness of his feeling. But the silence made him realize that he might not have a chance to fix them. "Maybe I'm too late." He muttered and let go of her hands. He took a few steps back and swallowed hard as a large lump formed in his throat. "I guess I got the answer I'm looking for." He turned on his heels and began to walk away from the porch, a sad expression on his face.

"Wait!"

He stopped dead in his tracks when he heard her voice. When he turned around, he could see a glint of tears in her eyes. He stood still, just a few feet from Demi and observed her expression, trying to figure out what had brought her to tears.

"What changed?" She asked with quivered lips. "You said you don't want to keep me in a meaningless relationship and I deserve better. So what changed?"

"You." He answered as he looked straight into her eyes. "After you left my house, I felt so damn guilty. I don't understand why I felt that way. Then I looked through the photo album and I realized that 'we' are your happiness. I don't have the right to say what I said to you when you are struggling to stay strong through the hardship since the day I was pronounced missing in Hawaii. You never left my side when I lay unconscious in the hospital. I didn't know all of that, but my parents, my brothers, Marissa... they told me everything. I have a lot of questions in my head, but no one seems to be able to answer them. That's why I'm here. You didn't ask for this to happen. None of us do because what happened was out of our hands. I'm so sorry. Everything I said was out of insecurity. Sometimes my messed up brain is too eager to take it all in at once without even thinking properly." He shook his head as he lowered his head, embarrassed by what he had said.

"What are you insecure about?"

He licked his dry lips and continued, "To be honest, Demi, I'm scared. How would I live if my memory didn't come back? Am I going to be the same Nick? I'm broken and I need to be fixed."

"Nick," She took a step closer to him. "You don't need to be fixed. It's only one part of you that's missing. You're still the same person."

He sighed and briefly shut his eyes. "But I'm not feeling like myself. I feel like a fish out of water, like I'm living in a world where I don't belong. People around me are no longer the same. I'm not the same person I used to be." He raised his head to face Demi. "Sometimes I wonder why God spared my life if He plans to take away the memory of my past and let me live miserably like this." Unknowingly, tears streamed from his eyes as he shook his head in frustration.

"Nick, stop it." She moved and stood in front of him. "Don't question God's work. I know you're frustrated with your situation. I may not understand how you're feeling, but there's a reason behind all of these." She grabbed both of his hands and held them tightly in hers as she looked into his eyes. "You may not remember anything about me, but to me, you are still the Nick Jonas that I fell in love with."

He looked at her with tears gleaming in his eyes. "After what I did to you, I don't deserve such comfort from you. Actually, I don't expect you to take me back."

"Every day, I thank God for saving you and bringing you back to me. Even though you couldn't remember me, I'm grateful that you are still here. I'd rather go through all of this than lose you for good. I have said this before and I mean it – I'll be with you every step of the way until you get your memory back." She squeezed his hand as an assurance.

A small smile appeared on his face. He pulled her in for a hug. "Thank you, Demi. It means a lot to me."

She only managed to nod while in his embrace, and tears unknowingly fell from her eyes. It had been a very long time since their last hug, and her heart was leaping in her chest from being so close to him. It was more than enough to make up for not having him at all. For the past few weeks, she was almost convinced that she had lost the man she loved. However, today's unexpected revelation gave her some hope. She was more confident that their relationship was definitely worth fighting for.