helloooooo :)
so, i am definitely taking a chance with this one.
it's a short chapter story that's been injected with fluffy summer romance.
...and it's for katie lynn. (dramaticstarlet) (:
p.s. - i'm sosososososo sorry for not updating anything in forever; it's just that i had a family emergency (someone died) and i had to jet down to my hometown for a few days, where i had zero internet access.
Title : Lilly of the Valley
Summary : When Lilly stays on her grandfather's farm for the summer, she gets more than she bargained for.
Pairing : LillyOliver (i haven't written them since new years! and they seemed fitting)
enjoy!
2008
The smell of the mountains and my grandfather's farm hit my nostrils before I even have a chance to open the car door. I am most definitely not a happy camper; rolling hills engulf the farm that I'm being forced to stay at for the summer. And at seventeen, I feel I am a bit too old for this kind of vacation. My mom nudges me as I get out and watch my little sister run into the waiting arms of my grandfather, her heels kicking up dust. I take two steps to my right to get out of her reach.
"Lilly," she says to me. "Try to have fun. Don't ruin this for your father and Maddy and I. Definitely not for your grandfather. Please?"
I walk away without a word and fume at the fact that I right now I could be on the road toward Albuquerque with Miley, kicking off her Hannah Montana '08 Tour as I walk up the driveway. Absentmindedly, I drag my fingers over the rough wood of the fence to the cow pasture that my grandfather built himself when he was my mother's age.
"Lilly!" I hear someone call for me. I look up and am met with my grandfather; when I see him, I can't help but smile. He does the same, and the wrinkles around his mouth become more apparent. He engulfs me in a hug and he smells like the farm. Holding me at arms length and looking me up and down, he exclaims, "Have you shrunk? I swear, last time you were here you were -"
"Mr. Truscott!" We both look over and I am surprised to see a boy about my age walking toward us, a bale of hay under each arm. Decked out in a plain black t-shirt and jeans, he looks like he could live here.
"Just one minute, Oliver," my grandfather tells him. "I'm talking to my favorite seventeen year old granddaughter! Now, where are those parents of yours?"
"Over by the car, unpacking," I inform him. Nodding, he heads over to them - but not before he ruffles my hair. I grimace and run a hand over it in an effort to calm it back down. Once he's gone, I am alone with the brown haired boy. Awkwardly, I kick at a dusty rock with the tip of my Van.
"Hey," he says to me, extending his left arm. His watch is on his wrist, and I can't take my eyes off of it. I don't know why; it's just a plain brown watch with a brown leather band. It looks like it's an expensive Pac-Sun watch. Taking my eyes off of it, I take his hand.
"Hey," I say. "I'm Lilly - I'm Scott's granddaughter."
I jerk my thumb back at my grandfather.
"I'm Oliver."
"Why are you here?"
"I'm working through the summer, to pay for my room and board - and some other stuff for college. I go to the University," he replies. "How long are you here?"
"For the whole summer," I tell him. My eyes travel back to his watch as I scratch a mosquito bite, a rough bump under my skin.
"That's pretty cool," he says. "So it's the end of May now.. you'll be here through September, I guess?"
"Yeah; the middle of."
"Cool, that's when I leave."
"Coolness," I say. Did I really just say coolness?
"How old are you?"
"Um, I turned seventeen this year. What about you?"
"Turned eighteen in February," he says as we hear footsteps behind us. At the same time, we turn to see my grandfather heading back up the driveway straight at us. I turn around as Oliver gathers up the hay bales again and says, "See you around?"
"Do we have a choice?" I tell him and smile as he walks away toward my grandfather. Grabbing my bags, I head for the house.
...
When I'm unpacked, I make my way down to the kitchen to see if I can help with dinner and am surprised to see Oliver and another boy about his age sitting at the counter. I grab a chip from the overflowing bowl in front of them and stick it into my mouth.
"Hey," Oliver says to me through a mouthful of chips. I say the same and he gestures to the boy in the white t-shirt next to him as he swallows his chip. "This is Connor."
"Hey, I'm Lilly."
"'Sup, Lilly?" He nods at me. "I'm here this summer too, so don't get tired of me too fast."
Wow. What a pathetic attempt at a joke. I can't help but smirk.
"He also thinks he's funny," Oliver explains as he hits the back of Connor's head. "Dude, stop trying."
Smiling, I pop another chip in my mouth. Behind me, my parents and grandfather walk in, Maddy following.
"These boys botherin' you, Lilly?" my grandfather asks me; he winks. I shake my no and sneak a glance at Oliver, only to find his eyes glancing back. Our eyes meet and linger for a moment before we look away at the same time.
"Aren't you going to introduce us Lilly?" my dad asks me as he digs around in the refrigerator.
"Oh, right; um, this is Oliver," I tell him, pointing to Oliver. Then I gesture to Connor. "And this is Connor. They go to the University and are staying for the summer."
"Nice to meet you, boys," my dad says. My mom says the same.
"Oh, this is my sister, Maddy," I tell them. "And these are my parents."
"Well." Oliver says, hopping off the stool as I make myself comfortable on the granite counter top. "This meet-and-greet has been nice, but Connor and I should probably get back outside and get back to work. Nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Truscott. Maddy."
"Nonsense!" my grandfather says with a wave of his hand. "In honor of this fine, fine day, you boys join us for dinner! You can finish up whatever work you have to do tomorrow!"
Even though I was twelve last time I was here, nobody - not even my parents - are as excited for this vacation as my father's father. The boys' faces light up and everyone in the kitchen can tell that they are grateful for the break from work. My mother's voice chimes in.
"Boys, you're staying in one of the guest rooms?" They both nod. "Good, now go freshen up. Dinner should be ready in an hour."
I move to jump off of the counter I'm on once the boys are gone to change, but my mother stops me before my bare feet even have a chance to hit the tile floor. My eyebrows furrow in confusion as I finish off the crumbs they've left in the bowl.
"You wanna help me make dinner, Lilly?" my mom asks me. Her tone says I have a choice, but her face says otherwise. Seeing as how I have no chance of getting out of it, I nod. "Grab a packet of noodles from the cupboard, will you?"
The two generations of men are still standing in the kitchen stupidly until my mother shoos them away and Maddy follows. After a few minutes of silent noodle stirring on my part and sizzling chicken on my mother's, she breaks the silence.
"Those boys seem nice," she doesn't look at me. Oh, boy. Here it comes.
"Mhm."
"I saw you talking to the brown haired one in the driveway earlier. Oliver's his name?"
"Mhm," I decide play it safe and stick with one word answers.
"They're too old for you Lilly," she says. I look up and glare at her. Who is she to tell me who is too old or young for me? "I won't tell you to stop hanging out with them, because you'll hate me even more; but I'll tell you this - do not get any ideas."
What does she think I am, stupid? I grunt a response as I strain the noodles in the sink. The mountain air covers me as it comes in through the open window above the counter top.
It's a Friday night. I could be touring with Miley as Lola, having the time of my life; but I'm stick in Montana. I leave the kitchen once I murmur something to my mother about showering before dinner. As I trudge up the steps, I run a hand through my hair and sigh when I bump into someone at the top of the landing.
"Whoa," I look up to see Oliver flick his hair and smile at me, his arms on either side of my waist to steady my falling figure. He smells good, shower fresh with a splash of Axe, and suddenly I can't move, I can't breathe. All I can do is think about how I just want to stay just like this, only closer, just to be in his arms and inhale his scent. I snap out of my daydreaming trance and realize what an idiot I am for thinking that - I've known the kid for all of four or five hours. When I come out of my newest trance, I realize he is waving his hand in front of my face. "...Lilly?"
Oh, God.
"Oh, um... sorry," I say meekly. His hands are removed from my hips and return to his side.
"Is dinner ready yet?" he asks as he places a hand on his stomach. "I'm starved!"
"Seriously? You just a ate a whole bowl of chips!"
"With Connor's help," he says slyly, with a smile.
"Not yet, but it should be done soon. I'm just gonna grab a shower, so don't let them eat without me!"
"I'm a boy... I can't make promises about food."
"Ha ha," I shoot back. "I'm just gonna get out of these clothes."
"Uh..."
"And into something fresh," I finish quickly, my face turning red. "Well. I'm just gonna... okay. Before this situation can get anymore embarrassing - bye!"
I turn and walk down the hall. Behind me, Oliver is laughing as he walks down the stairs.
...
Before I know it, I'm in and out of the shower. I towel dry my hair as my shirt comes over my head and a pair of jeans capture my legs. Making my way down the stairs and into the dining room, I hum softly.
"Lilly!" My grandfather exclaims.
"Thanks for making them wait, jerk," I tease, turning to look at Oliver as I take my place to his right.
"Hey - I told you, I'm a teenage boy. And where there is food, there is man."
Even though I'm still mad at my parents, I enjoy dinner. The mood is light and laughter makes the conversation. Below the table, Oliver's barefoot brushes mine and I can feel the fabric of his denim jeans. Involuntarily, my heart skips a beat and my face turns red. I look up and he is as red as I am, and he clears his throat awkwardly as dinner slowly comes to a close around us. Standing, I move to help collect plates and Oliver's hand brushes mine. We quickly look away from each other.
"Don't worry about that, Lilly," my mother tells me. I put the plates back down in their respective spots. "We'll get that. You kids go do something. We'll get the dishes."
My sister looks up at me expectantly when I turn to her. I can practically read her mind; Monopoly.
"Monopoly?" I ask as we head into the living room. I glance behind me and am disappointed when I see Oliver and Connor making their way up the stairs. Oliver glances back at me once, but quickly looks away, a smile etched into his features.
Half an hour later, the game is in full swing with Maddy beating the living daylights out of me. I look up when I hear somebody in the doorway and am surprised to Oliver standing there.
"Hey," he says, kneeling down to examine the game board. A sheepish look graces his features when he looks at Maddy and me. "Do you mind if I join you? Connor's on the phone with his girlfriend - and trust me, he won't be done anytime soon."
This takes me by surprise.
"You're a Monopoly-er?" I ask.
"Pfft. Am I a Monopoly-er," he says cockily. I smile at him and he does the same. "Am I ever."
"You can be on my team. I'm lo-"
"No fair!" Maddy interrupts. "He's on my team! You always get somebody on your team!"
I succumb to my sister's demand and cast a shameful look to the floor when I lose all my money to Oliver and his teammate - mainly Oliver, since Maddy fell asleep an hour ago. It's well past eleven now, and the lights in the rest of the house off.
"So," he says. We're laying on our backs, the game deserted, on the floor when he props himself up on one elbow and looks down at me. "Tell me about you."
"Me? I'm a pretty lame person," I say. He smiles.
"Nah. I don't buy it."
It's my turn to prop myself up. As I do, my foot brushes his and to my surprise, neither of us move. I turn red for a split second, but his eyes stay glued on mine.
"What do you mean you don't buy it?"
"You're not a lame person. I don't buy it. I want to know something! Fact for fact," he says. He's not kidding.
"Alright," I say, dragging out my i's. "I was born in March."
"Oh, come on! That's a fact?"
"What do you want then?!" I lay back down, and so does he.
"Something interesting, duh," he tells me. Now, not only are our feet touching, but our shoulders are, too. "I'll start. I have webbed toes."
"Ew! No way!" I exclaim, sitting up, fascinated.
"Yeah, but only my second and third toe on my right foot are webbed. You wanna see?" he sits up, also, and rolls up his pant leg to show me. Sure enough, Oliver's second and third toe are webbed.
"That is so gross!" I laugh.
"Shut up! Come on, you gotta tell me something now!"
"Um," I say, thinking. "I can't fall down stairs; only up them. I just don't have the ability to fall down the stairs."
He raises an eyebrow, but waits a minute before he speaks. His back is on the floor again, and mine is headed that way. Once it's there, he twists his head to look at me, his hair falling in his eyes. As he reaches up to brush it away, I notice the watch again. I don't understand what fascination I have with it; I just do. Oliver's personality is different from the boys I'm used to back in Malibu - Oliver is funny and nice, but at the same time, he can be very forward without scaring a girl off.
"You fall up stairs? I didn't even know that was possible."
A giggle slips from my lips.
"Yeah. Once, at a football game - the biggest one of the season, may I remind you - I was walking up with this group of people and promptly fell three times. Up."
He faces the beams in the ceiling again and laughs.
"Alright then," he says to me.
"Your turn," I remind him. He sighs, and his shoulder finds mine once more.
"Ahh.. let's see here. I've got this strange obsession with reading girly magazines. Like People."
"That's not awful," I say. I'm borderline lying and a smile is on my face.
"But I also like Perez Hilton," he says. "That's bad."
I giggle again.
"Alright, you got me there. That is pretty bad!"
"Your turn."
"I have twenty eight Hannah Montana songs on my iPod," I say honestly. He turns to face me again.
"And you're how old?"
"Seventeen." Oliver smirks at me and I hit him in the chest with the back of my hand. "Oh, come on! You know you listen to her! And you're older than me! You're eighteen!"
He blushes at this and he lays back down, and that shows me I'm right. We don't say much; just stare at the ceiling. My eyes follow him as he flicks his hair from his face again and slowly gets to his feet.
"Oh," he grimaces. "That floor killed me!"
I laugh at him as he helps me up and I too grimace.
"Not so funny anymore, is it?" Oliver gestures to the sleeping seven year old on the floor. "Do you want me to take her up?"
I shake my head, my hair hitting my cheeks.
"Oh, you don't have to."
"Nah, I got her."
Without so much as a sound from my sister, Oliver lifts her up from the floor in his arms and I catch a glimpse of his watch as he walks up the stairs in front of me. All too soon, we reach the door to me and Maddy's room, and I stand there stupidly.
"Um, Lilly," he nods toward the closed door. "Could you..."
"Oh!" My face turns red for the billionth time tonight as I push the door open and walk inside to turn down the covers and he slips her inside them. Once Maddy is in, I walk with Oliver back to the door. Casually, I lean myself against the door frame.
"I had fun. Thanks for letting me play."
The awkwardness is back; it's like the end of a first date. I decide to be brave. For the first time, I realize how much taller he is than me. All of a sudden, I am leaning toward him and he is leaning toward me. I can feel his breath, hot on my lips, and we are so close.
"Yo, Oliver!" We both look up, frustrated, to see Connor. "I was coming down to get you. Dude, it's after two in the morning!"
We look at each other, amazed; surely we hadn't spent two extra hours downstairs?
"In case you've forgotten, we have to get up at five!" he says to him. As if noticing me for the first time, he says, "Hey, Lilly."
"Hey, Connor," I say. I look back at Oliver as Connor recedes back down the hallway.
"Alright, man," Oliver says to Connor's retreating form. Once he's out of sight, I hear Oliver sigh and we're left awkwardly again. He smiles at me. "Well, goodnight."
"Goodnight," I smile back. Shutting the door, I walk back into my room. Even after I'm in bed, teeth brushed and lights out, I still can't get my heart to slow down or my mouth to stop smiling.
so they're a little bit awkward, but it'll change.
holy cow guys, i am so nervous about what people will think of this one. like, you don't even understand how nervous i actually am.
so please, tell me what you thought. if you liked it, tell me why! if you hated it, tell me why.
so seriously, by all means, leave your thoughts! (that would make me feel really good)