I Know

"Jackson, you know us dating was never even a possibility, you're my best friends brother, I'm your little sister's best friend." Was what Miley, Oliver and Robbie Ray heard Lily saying when they got to the bottom of the stairs. They saw Lily standing on the top of the stairs and Jackson standing one step down from her with his hands on her hips.

"She's nearly 19, she's not exactly little, anyway, I don't know how we got from me inviting you to my 21st to this."

"Well we did, you know, you agreed never to bring it up again after you kissed me on the beach the day after my 15th birthday."

"I remember and I'm sorry, I just want you at my 21st that's all."

"It's ok, I'm flattered you asked me and I'd love to come but I want to make one thing clear, it doesn't matter if it's my 15th, your 21st or my 31st you will still be Miley's big brother and I will still be her best friend, it's all moot anyway, I'm with Oliver."

"It's interesting."

"What's interesting?"

"That you have a boyfriend, who you claim to love, who you've been dating for three and a half years, yet at the beginning of this conversation I put my hands on your hips to get you to stop going down the stairs and they have been there the entire time and you haven't made me move them, their still there now."

At this she looked down at her hips and saw hands Jackson's hands were there, she then promptly removed them.

"So your hands were on my hips, so what?" she asked

"It's not that they were there it's that you let them be, you didn't tell me to let go or take them off your self or wriggle away, you let me stand here, holding you by your hips." He paused and studied her expression and her eyes

"You know what I think?" he asked as the three at the bottom looked on

"What?" she said

"I think you like me, I think you have feelings for me too, I think you always have." He said then he climbed the stair separating them and stood close, there was less than a foot separating them, Lily's eyes widened.

"Jackson…" she said not knowing what to say, unable to think with him in such close proximity and knowing what he was saying was true.

"You know what else?"

"What?"

"You know Miley would be ok with it, you know if you told her you loved me that she would accept it, you know she would give us her blessing and want us to be happy. You know the only reason you won't admit how you feel about me is because of Oliver. You know you're afraid if you break it off with him it will ruin the friendship. I heard you, what you told Miley about how you feel like the relationship is like friends with benefits, how, and I quote, it's just like it was when we were just friends but now we sleep together."

"You heard that?"

"I didn't mean to, I came downstairs while you were telling Miley in the kitchen, anyway the point is you know you're stuck in a relationship that no longer makes you happy, you know you're with Oliver when you want to be me." He said as he came even closer, lessening the gap to ten centimetres

"Jackson…" she was at a complete loss for words, it was true, all of it, every word and he knew it

"Moreover, you know I love you, you know I've been in love with you since you were fourteen and you know you love me too." He said and kissed her, she kissed him back and deepened the kiss; after a few seconds she pulled away, needing to say something.

"Jackson…you…and I…" she started but was unable to put all she was thinking into words, immediately he understood.

"Hey, it's ok, I know." He said and kissed her again