With the Lights Off...

(40): Find My Way Back

*So, I know. Nina should've just told Ian about Javier and all that stuff in her past, just so Derek won't have anything on her anymore. But come on, I couldn't stop writing that semi break-up scene. It just makes so much more room for them to run back into each other's arms and be all cheesy, lovey-dovey again. Okay? Yesh. Anyway, title is based on Miguel's song. Love that song <3 love you guys too!*

Nina's POV

For the past three days, I didn't even bother to call Ian. All I ever did was just sulk and hide in my house, waiting for someone to drag me out and talk to him.

And even when Torrey, Candice and Kat did that, I still didn't talk to him.

Now, he's missing?

I knew Ian was not the type to run away from his problems. In our relationship, that was practically my job. Ian always faced his issues, he always dealt with them. 

Maybe, knowing that I was 'cheating' on him made him do a full 180 and just run off, try to forget what happened. Try to forget me.

Those three days could've been long enough for me to just run to his house and stop him. It was long enough for me to tell him that I was lying, that I wasn't cheating on him. That I was only guilty of being such a foolish, naive girl.

"Nina, here's your water," Paul sighed, sitting down next to me. He placed his hand on my shoulder and ran it up and down my back soothingly. "Neens, you have to calm down."

I bit my lip and took the glass from him. I took a long sip, not realizing I consumed the entire contents of the glass. I set it down on the table and rest my elbows on my knees, placing my head in my hands. "I can't," I muttered sadly. "Ian's missing."

"What exactly happened, Paul?" Kat asked, sitting across from me. She reached out to take my hand and I let her. "Where did you hear about this?"

Paul put his hand down. "I was just on my morning run and I decided to pay a visit to him. After hearing about the whole argument with Nina from Torrey, I knew he needed someone to talk to. But, when I got to his house, no one was home. I knew that if he was out, he'd leave his kitchen light on. It wasn't. So, I went to his condo. He wasn't there either." He got up from our seat and stood there worriedly. "Then, I went to check on him in his trailer, to see if he's been crashing there on set. He wasn't there either. I called his phone at least ten times. It was off."

"Maybe, he's in a hotel or somewhere where no one can bother him," Candice said. "Maybe, he's not missing. He's just cooling off."

"But he wouldn't be this incosiderate as to let anyone worry about him like this," Torrey said. "He'd at least leave a message or something."

"Maybe..." Paul sighed, looking at me. "This was the last straw for him."

I bit my lip and looked away. "He's just not ready to look at me. And after what I did to him, I know for a fact that I can't look at myself either."

"Nina, sweetie," Torrey sighed, kneeling down in front of me. "Please just tell us what went on between the two of you."

"It's killing us that we don't know," Candice said. "You do realize that, right?"

"I do," I said. "And I'm such a coward because I don't know how to tell you."

"Tell us what?"

I swallowed hard and looked Torrey right in the eye. "I told Ian that I was cheating on him with Derek Hough. But, he already knew that. Because he read this note that Derek snuck into my bag when I met up with him in the Philippines. He's been keeping it from me, but he doesn't know that he read it before I did."