Classic ~ Nick Austin (COMPLETE)

43. Always

It was late the next night, around 2:30am, we had returned from dinner hours beforehand and I had forgotten to bring my sleeping pills so I wasn't able to sleep. I was lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling, but decided to go out onto the balcony to help myself get tired. I poured myself a cup of tea, before walking out onto the balcony to look out at the ocean. I was out there for about 20 minutes before I heard the door open and close. I glanced over my shoulder to see Nick walking out, sitting on the seat next to me.
"Still don't sleep?" He asked and I shook my head.
"This is the first night in a while that I haven't." I replied, unable to look at him.
"Hey, you okay?" He asked, I could feel his eyes burning into me.
"Yeah, I'm great. You?" I replied.
"Um, I'm great two." He started, "Do you remember the last time we were here? How we danced on the beach."
"Yeah, of course I remember." I replied feeling my eyes water over briefly before I blinked it away.
"That was the night I fell in love with you." He whispered, as a tear slid down my cheek.
"Don't do that." I whispered back.
"Don't do what?" He replied, making me let out a groan.
"Don't pretend that you ever loved me. You can't keep saying that when you turn up a week after we break up with the one person that I hate more than anyone in the world." I replied through gritted teeth.
"Hey it's not like you haven't moved on, I mean you were on a date with Trent, and I'm not stupid, I can see that you and Ryland have something going on." He replied, making me shake my head.
"I haven't moved on. I invited Trent over so that I wasn't lonely and when he kissed me I told him to go home. And Ryland is the only person I can get full support from because he's the only person who knows the full extent of what we had." I replied, rolling my head back, "Trust me, I haven't moved on."
"You haven't?" He whispered, giving me a questioning look. "But what about what you said on the phone? How the only way you could move on would be if you didn't see me."
"Yeah and then you came back a week later." I replied, still unable to look at him. "But thank you for coming back with her, it's really helping me get over you."
"It is?" He asked and I nodded, "Then why haven't you looked at me this whole time."
"Because..." I started, unable to think of a valid reason.
"Ronnie, look at me." He whispered but I shook my head, "Look at me."

I turned my head, taking in the small smile that had formed on his face.
"I missed you." He whispered and I nodded.
"I missed you two." I replied, "But, I can't be with you. I can't be around you. It just hurts so bad."
"So you're saying that we can't even be friends? We have to go from having all that we had to having nothing?" He asked in return and I nodded.
"You know, before today I could have said yes, we could be friends. But I can't be friends with you now that you're here with her..." I started but shook my head, "I'm just going to go to bed."
"Okay, goodnight." He whispered as I stood up, walking into my bedroom. I laid down on my bed, able to drift off to sleep.

---
"Okay who's next?" Dixie asked as we sat in the dark, karaoke room. We had rented the room out so there was no one else in the room, and we had been drinking for a couple hours so I was clearly feeling a buzz.
"I vote Ronnie!" Nessa shouted, already drunk.
"Yeah, Ronnie!" Anthony called out as well.
"I'll pick a song for you! Come on Ronnie, just do it." Ryland offered and I nodded.
"Fuck fine, come on." I groaned, grabbing his hand and leading him up to the screen, waiting by the microphone while Ryland typed away on the machine. He walked away as the music started to play, so I glanced down at the screen to read 'I Will Always Love You' by Whitney Houston. 

"WOOO I LOVE THIS SONG!!" Avani called out and I laughed slightly glancing around at the group before my eyes landed on Nick, holding his eye contact with mine.
"If I should stay, I would only be in your way. So I'll go, but I know, I'll think of you every step of the way... And I will always love you, I will always love you, you, my darling you, hmm. Bittersweet memories. That is all I'm taking with me. So, goodbye, please, don't cry. We both know I'm not what you, you need... And I will always love you, I will always love you, you..." I sang, feeling my eyes water over as I did so, I finished singing, and walked back down to my seat.
"Way to make me fuckin cry Ronnie." Nessa slurred, wiping the tears from her cheek.
"Sorry, Ryland picked the song." I replied, as Ryland sat back down next to me, handing me a vodka martini.
"You are the queen of Karaoke. You win." Ryland smiled cheekily as Madison stood up, walking up to the machine.
"And you nailed the high notes." Dixie smiled back at me.
"Thanks gu..." I started before getting cut off by the music starting again. The same song.

"Oops, I think you made the bitch mad." Ry laughed and I nodded.
"Let's see how she does." I replied, smirking as I glanced between her and Nick, whose eyes were fixed on me. She started singing, it wasn't bad. But, she didn't quite hit the high notes in the chorus.
"Ooh, he picked that, yikes." Addison said in my ear, making me laugh.
"Yeah, poor him." I laughed back, eyeing him out of the corner of my eye, he was still staring at me. My phone buzzed in my back pocket and I pulled it out to see a text from Nick, I gave him a weird look before opening the text:

-
Nick: Hey can we talk outside?
Ronnie: Yeah
-

We stood up and I followed him out of the Karaoke Bar, onto the street.
"What's up Nick?" I asked as we walked down the block a bit.
"Do you still love me?"