"Tristen, stop," I choked out as he tickled me on the floor.

"Not going to happen," he said, continuing his path of destruction.

"Ok! Ok! I give. Tristen, I. Can't. Breathe." I wiped tears from my eyes.

Instantly he stopped, allowing me to roll over on my side, and gasp for air.

"Next time you better think through what you're going to say," Tristen threatened as I regained myself.

I nodded as he checked his phone.

"So any word from Miles?" Tristen asked.

I shook my head at him, causing my loose ponytail to fall out. "No, I just wished Miles would text me back," I pouted as I thought about the message I sent him two days ago. I thought he would respond quickly, but here I was, waiting for his text that might not even come.

Seeing him in town just reaffirmed that there was so much we needed to say to one another. But if we kept taking so long to respond, maybe that was the universe telling us there was nothing left to say.

"Maybe he's busy," he shrugged as he pointed to my phone. "Your phone is buzzing."

"Who is it?" I asked hesitantly. By now, the news of Isaac getting locked up was old. However, a few of his die-hard fans had not relented in giving me peace.

"Unknown number," he said as he handed me the phone.

I looked at the buzzing phone until it stopped.

"You aren't going to answer?"

"No," I said as a voice message lit up my screen. Hesitantly, I put the phone to my ear to listen to it.

Sobs were what I heard first. "Isla?" Miles' voice rang out. "Can you come over? I need to talk."

For a second, the world stood still. My heart fluttered as he said my name, but it was almost instantly replaced with a pit in my stomach which made me feel nauseous. Something was truly wrong and there was no use in wasting time. I had to go see him.

I looked at Tristen, knowing that he was leaving on a trip traveling around Europe in the next hour. If I left now, I wouldn't be able to see him off. "It's Miles."

Tristen nodded as he brought me into a hug. "Go."

I held onto him tightly. Sometimes Tristen was a terrible brother, but other times, he was perfect, and this was one of those times. "You're the best brother, I hope you know that."

He chuckled as he let me go. "I'm making up for things I messed up."

"You don't have to do that," I said as I stood up from the ground.

I told him countless times that it wasn't his fault that Isaac went ballistic. "Just take a lot of photos and call me when you land in Spain, will you?"

He smiled. "Next time it will be you, traveling the world."

"I hope so," I said as slipped on a pair of flip-flops. "I love you."

"I love you too. Now go help your friend."

I gave one last smile to him before walking out the front door to get to Miles'.

Somehow he got my new number and called, which meant something. His voice rang around in my mind on repeat, hoping to find an answer thought it. What did he need to talk about? I just prayed that I would say the right things to him.

I parked on the street next to his complex and ran to it, not thinking about how long it had been since I was once here. I just hoped he still lived here.

I entered the lobby and waved to the doorman. "Miles still lives here, right?"

"Sure does, Isla. It's nice to see you around again! I'll let him know you're coming," he said with a smile.

I nodded at him. "He already knows." I got into the elevator and the doors closed, pushing me to the top of the complex, closer to Miles.

It took only seconds for Miles to answer the door when I knocked. His face red and blotchy told me he had been crying. He cleared his throat and stepped aside, allowing me to walk in. "It's good to see you again."

I nodded as I looked around his unchanged apartment. It was the same as when I last was here. "I dropped everything to come."

He wiped a stray tear from his face and sat on the couch. "I just... I couldn't be alone. I needed a friend."

I followed him to the couch and sat next to him. "Well, I can be that."

He gave a half hearted smirk before wiping his hands on his thighs. "I wasn't sure if you would come."

My stomach curled into knots. I had told him before that I was here for him, and I meant it even if we weren't dating. The last thing I wanted him to believe was that I changed. "I'll always come for you. As long as you want me to."

His shoulder bumped against mine before he pulled back. Although, I wish he stayed a little longer. I missed the warmth he gave.

I shook my head as I cleared my head. He wanted to talk. I was here for that. But how could I start the conversation when I didn't know what was on his mind?

"How was the tour?" I asked.

He shrugged. "It was alright. We went to a lot of places, saw a lot of things. People love my music."

I nodded. That much was true. Miles was a pop star. His music was crushing the top songs list right now on the radio. As much as I was fine about talking about his music, that wasn't what I was here for. I never cared about any of that, all I cared about was him. "But how did you like the tour?"

His face twisted up. "It could have been better."

"How?"

He looked at his feet. "I felt like I did everything wrong." He sighed as his gaze shifted to the wall in front of us. "I wasn't supposed to be... I didn't want to do the things Rodger said..." He shook his head. "You ever feel like you are nothing if you take away your talents?"

I eyed his hand on his leg. I wanted to squeeze it, but I wasn't sure if that was the right move.

He stood up and paced the floor. "I listened to him too much."

"Maybe that is true, but you can change. There is always room for change."

He sat back down on the couch and leaned into me. "I'm worthless. I'm just worth as much as my songs."

I shook my head as my heart broke. A lump appeared in my throat as I held him tighter. I wanted to know what Izzy and Rodger did to him. Miles didn't just snap, they broke him. "You're not. Shhh, Miles, you're so much more than that. You're my best friend. You're a brother, a son, an uncle, a friend, a fantastic kisser, a scholar, a gentle heart, a somewhat decent soccer player, and so much more. Your music does not solely define you, neither does what people say about you. You are valued, loved, cared about by so many."

He nodded as he gripped onto me with shaking hands. "I'm so sorry Isla, for everything. I shouldn't have left you on the side of the road. You needed me and I wasn't around. I didn't try hard enough to get in touch with you."

I shook my head. This wasn't only his fault. There was a lot I did wrong too. "You aren't the only one to blame here, Miles."

He frowned, chewing on my words. "But I shouldn't have left."

"There were a lot of things we shouldn't have done, Miles, and it's not just because of you."

Once again, silence took over, that was until Miles spoke up again. "I broke up with Izzy. I also fired Rodger. Hired someone new, someone who will give me the freedom that I need. He understands me and is supportive of my ideas."

I smiled at him, knowing that was the step in the right direction. I had been waiting for so long for him to do this. Finally, Miles was taking control of his life. "I'm happy to hear that."

"My new manager is on board with releasing a statement about my MS. I figured it was about time to step out of the closet about my diagnosis. I'm ready to own my life again."

My smile grew. This was what he needed to do and finally, he was pushing himself in the right direction. "You don't know how long I have been waiting for you to say those words to me."

He chuckled lightly, but it was rough like gravel. "You were the one that pushed me to realize what I was missing."

And here I was, thinking he was the one that pushed me to be better. Looks like we were both good for each other.

We let the silence take hold of the room like a vice grip until Miles spoke up. "I missed us," Miles stated as he eyed my hand.

I nodded as I crossed my hands over my chest. As much as I missed him too, I wasn't ready to jump back into what we had. He broke my heart, and I needed time to jump back in. I think we both needed time to ease into this again.

He sighed as he gazed out into the blue sky from the window, then looked back at me. "I know you're not looking to take me back, and I'm not asking for that. But can you accept me back into your life as a friend?"

I nodded at him. "Of course." I didn't have to think twice about that. Yes, it would take time to heal my broken heart, but I was at least willing to accept him as a friend. I would always accept him as my friend.

"Great," he smiled then pinched his lips in a fine line, as if he was thinking about something. "I should have reached out to Everly as soon as you didn't text me back. I should have not let us fall silent for so long."

"It's ok, Miles. Don't beat yourself up about it."

He nodded in silence, although his eyes said he wanted to say more.

"Come on, let's talk about something else."

I thought about all the things he missed within the last few months. There had to be something that I could say to change the topic. "Did you send my application to UCLA?"

He shrugged as he pushed his hair from his face. "I thought it was stupid not to apply. You're meant for that school."

"Thank you." Without him, I would not have even applied. In my mind, it wasn't worth it when I knew I couldn't afford it, but once again he was pushing me to be the best person I could be.

"I honestly did little. I just knew who to talk to. They were impressed with your application and wanted you there."

I smiled as my insides felt warm and gooey. They wanted me there. I belonged there. "Miles, I don't know what to say."

He chuckled. "Well, I hope you told them yes."

I nodded. "Of course, I did. It's my dream school."

"I know it is. I already told Selena about your application. She wants to hang out as soon as you move in. She likes you and that's hard to do since she doesn't like many people."

My cheeks turned hot. I never imagined people as interesting as Miles or Selena that wanted to hang out with me but here we were.

"And I'm hoping we can hang out in LA too," he added carefully.

I wanted that. With him by my side, I felt whole knowing I had my best friend back again. "I don't know, maybe if I have nothing better to do, we can."

He quickly smiled, sensing my humor. "Ha ha, hilarious."

I threw him a wink. "You just better show me all the cool spots in that town."

We talked for hours until the sun went down. But the more we talked, the more I realized that things had changed. Miles wasn't the same as he was and maybe I wasn't either. There was something dull in his eyes. He fought against it but I saw shadows that weren't there before.

"I have to go," I said as I checked the time on my phone.

Miles frowned but gave a nod. "I hope to see you soon."

"I promise you that," I said as I stood up from his couch and stretched.

Miles grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze. "Thanks for coming."

I smiled as I intertwined my fingers with his for a moment before letting go again. "Any time."