"I don't get her sometimes," Oliver said to Miley later that day.
"Look, I think I know what this is about. How long have you and Lily known each other?"
"Since kindergarten I guess."
"And how long have we known each other?"
"Two years. At the most."
"Exactly. So did you ever think that maybe Lily is afraid you'll replace her? I mean, that's how I would feel."
Truthfully, Oliver hadn't thought of this. Miley did have a point, though. Oliver had to see Lily.
"You're great, you know that?" Oliver said to Miley.
"I've been told a couple times."
When
Oliver got to Lily's, he didn't see anyone in the house.
"Lily!"
He called up the stairs. "Lily come on, I didn't even do
anything. You'll have to talk to me eventually."
Oliver grabbed a blanket from the couch, and sat down on her front porch, planning to stay there until she came outside. He must have fallen asleep, because when he woke up, the stars were staring him in the face. He glanced down, and noticed a post-it sticking to his shoe. Oliver read it, and headed down to the beach.
"Lily," he said when he saw her sitting on a rock. "Please talk to me. Or at least tell me what I did to deserve this cold shoulder you're giving me."
"It's
not you." she mumbled back to him. "I think it's me."
"What
do you mean, you think it's you."
"Something's wrong with me, Oliver."
Oliver panicked when he heard this.
"What do you mean something's wrong? Are you sick or something?"
Lily laughed, and Oliver noticed he could see her breath. He wrapped the blanket around both of their shoulders.
"No, it's nothing like that. I've just been thinking about things I had the opportunity to have but didn't take them. And I guess I'm regretting that now."
"What kind of things?"
"I don't know," she whispered. "You, mostly."
Oliver pulled Lily so that her head rested on his shoulder.
"I know what you mean," he said.