Staying Grand For You ~ICONic Boyz~

Chapter Thirty-One

Candace Miller

I gasped and covered my mouth. "No! That's not me."

"That's you. The one and only." Madison laughed. They were showing me the video of me on FaceTime, whilst I was hyped up on laughing gas.

"No! I did NOT say any of those things! And I did not stick your phone in my pants. I think I would remember that."

"Apparently not. When you got to my house, we all watched you reach in your jeans and pull out his phone." Nick stated.

"Bitch, did anyone ask you?" I asked, jokingly.

"Oh hell no. You did not just call me bitch, bitch."

"Who you calling a bitch, bitch? Yeah, I called you a bitch. Whatchu gonna do about it?"

"Bitch, you better back da fuck up!" Nick yelled. getting in my face. We collapsed in laughter and hugged. "I love you," He chuckled.

"Love you too, Nick." I smiled.

"You really think my laugh is adorable?" He asked, looking into my eyes. Yeah...

The other boys had all left during my 'High-As-Fusco' moment. So it was just Nick, Madison, and me.

"Hey, Candace, now that you've come back down to Earth, I wanted to tell you that I learned a new song on the piano." Madison saved me the embarrassment of answering.

"What song?"

"Perfect by Hedley."

"Grand! Nick, you have a piano, right?" I asked excitedly.

"Yeah," He led us to the room where the piano stood in the center of the room.

Madison sat on the bench, me sitting next to him.

He played the first notes softly, and I waited for my part,

"Falling a thousand feet per second, you still take me by surprise.

I just know we can't be over, I can see it in your eyes.

Making every kind of silence, takes a lot to realize

Its worse to finish then to start all over and never let it lie." I sang. Madison's eyes widened, and he nudged me with his leg.

"And as long as I can feel you holding on. I won't fall, even if you said I was wrong.

"I'm not perfect but I keep trying cause that's what I said I would do from the start.

I'm not alive if I'm lonely, so please don't leave. Was it something I said or just my personality?" Nick was recording the whole thing with his phone. Oh, Lord.

"Making every kind of silence, It takes a lot to realize

Its worse to finish then to start all over and never let it lie.

"And as long as I can feel you holding on. I won't fall, even if you said I was wrong." Madison and I were facing one another now, his hands still on the keys, playing the beautiful song.

"I know that I'm not perfect but I keep trying cause that's what I said I would do from the start.

I'm not alive if I'm lonely, so please don't leave. Was it something I said or just my personality?

"When you're caught in a lie, and you've got nothing to hide,

When you've got nowhere to run, and you've got nothing inside.

It tears right through me, you thought that you knew me, you thought that you knew..

"I'm not perfect but I keep trying cause that's what I said I would do from the start.

I'm not alive if I'm lonely, so please don't leave. Was it something I said or just my personality?

I'm not perfect but I keep trying cause that's what I said I would do from the start.

I'm not alive if I'm lonely, so please don't leave. Was it something I said or just my, just myself?

Just myself? Myself? Just myself?

"I'm not perfect, but I keep trying." I ended. Madison was leaning in, our lips a mere inch apart and getting closer.

Nick didn't stop us. He didn't stop recording. Would I really kiss Mad? We LIVED together. And what about Mikey?! I still had Vinny to deal with, too.

But all of these thoughts were pushed from my mind as Madison's warm lips gently touched mine.

   OH MY GOD. What was happening? My head was spinning, I couldn't get a grip on any thoughts. Why? Why were we kissing? Why did Madison kiss me? Why did I kiss him back?

  Does Mikey mean nothing to you?! You have too many boys after you! You lead on too many people! You need to close them off, and choose one. Like Madison said that one night, "Just choose already!"

  My head cleared, and I gained enough sense to pull away. Nick raised his eyebrows and stopped recording.

 "Um... I'll... be in the kitchen... if you need me." He bit his lip and looked down. On his way out, he paused beside me and rested a hand on my forearm. Nick looked me reassuringly in the eyes before leaving me to face this. Alone.

  Madison stood up, looking down at me. I couldn't meet his burning gaze, so I stood up myself and faced the wall.

  "Madison." I sighed, trying to figure out how to talk about this. He gently lay a hand on my shoulder and turned me to face him.

  "Did you want to kiss me?"

 "I don't know."

  "Are you glad you kissed me?" He rephrased.

 "Madison, I really don't know right now. I..." I licked my lips and took a deep breath. "I really don't know what just happened. Why did you kiss me?"

  "Because, Candace, believe it or not... I like you. A lot. Okay? I'm sorry."

  "Don't regret it. Because I don't." I said simply, and walked out of the room, desperately trying to escape the awkwardness.

***

"What's up?" Nick asked, eating Pringles.

 "Nothing." I muttered.

  "Everything...okay?"

 "Of course not."

"Hey, guys, Mom just called. I need to go home. She found out about the broken XBox and... Let's just say she isn't the happiest mother ever." Madison sighed, slinging his back pack over his shoulder.

  "What broken XBox?" I asked.

 "Um... well.... remember that one night when-"

  "I don't even want to know. Do I need to go too?"

 "No. She said you're fine. Sorry I can't stay, man." He and Nick did that bro-hug thing. I gave him a real hug and he left.

  "What do you want to do?" Nick asked.

 "We could play the Wii?"

  "Yeah. Go put a game in? I could invite Vinny over, too."

 "Yeah, sure." I smiled. Just don't let me kiss anyone else for another year or two...