AN: Hey, everyone! I have a great idea for a new two part Loliver story, so I thought that I'd better finish this up so as not to rack up too many continuous fics at once. It's a lot more subtle than the other two, and the tone kind of switches the second half, but I like it pretty well. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: If I owned HM, there wouldn't be any question of Lilly and Oliver getting together. Not that I'd rush to get them together – I'd make them like Cory and Topanga, where you know they'll hook up, you just don't know when. Wow, my references are getting old. In my defense, I only started watching that show in reruns …
"Oh my God."
"I know."
"Oh … my God."
"I know."
"Oh. My. GOD"
"Jeez! I know!"
Miley and Lilly sat cross-legged on Miley's bed, heads bent together conspiratorially. Lilly was twisting the comforter nervously. Miley's eyes were popping like a cartoon characters.
"But it's … Oliver," she pointed out, shaking her head a little. "And it's you … and Oliver … and it's Oliver."
"Yes. Yes it is. And once again, I know." Lilly started to pull at a loose thread. Hard.
"Oliver."
Biting down a scream, she lobbed a nearby pillow at her friend. "Ok, yeah, it's Oliver. You dated Jake Ryan, you know. Wigs were involved."
Miley's eyes widened, which had not seemed possible up until this point. "Wait. You're dating?"
"No!" Lilly thought about it for a moment, then modified it to, "Maybe. I don't know. There's been no actual date, but I'm not sure … we haven't been doing a lot of talking, really …"
"Ok, ewww." Miley made a face and threw the pillow back.
"Miley!" Red was creeping in on the edge of Lilly's vision. "I was kinda hoping for some advice here."
"Right. Advice." There was a pause; then Miley met Lilly's gaze and said frankly, "Don't kiss Oliver anymore."
"Come on," Lilly moaned, falling back onto the bed.
Miley shrugged. "Hey, sometimes people miss the most obvious solutions. What did he say after … it … happened?"
"Nothing."
"Whaddaya mean, nothing?"
Lilly stretched her neck out so her head could hang off the end of the mattress. "I mean, we said that it never happened, and then I took off. And the second time, we just sort of laughed it off … and then we did it again. So pretty much nothing."
"Then that's what you should do. Talk." Miley shuddered. "You and Oliver."
"Yeah," Lilly said to the upside down patio doors."
Miley's nose wrinkled. "Wait. Do you actually like him? Like, like-like him?"
"Yeah."
"Like you liked Jake or how I liked Jake?"
"Neither, really. More like the second, though."
"But it's …"
Lilly flipped up, her hair spraying everywhere. "If you say 'Oliver' in that way again, I'm going to stick my head in Jackson's hamper."
It was Miley's turn to look at the comforter. "What way?"
"Like it's the stupidest thing ever to like him. Like … well, like I used to." Now they were both staring at the comforter. "Back before I kissed him." A huge sigh dredged itself up from the bottom of Lilly's feet and whooshed out of her mouth. "Miley, he's my best friend. Or he was. Now I can't stop thinking about him … especially kissing him …"
Miley's head snapped up. "I repeat, ewwwwwww …"
"I'm sorry, it's just …" Lilly finally looked up. "What do I do?"
"You just talk …"
"I know," Lilly interrupted sadly. "But what do we do? Everything's changed."
"Come here." The girls reached across their crossed legs and hugged. "You'll figure it out. And, hey – you'll always have me."
Lilly didn't say it out loud, but she couldn't help thinking it wouldn't be the same.
LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
One of the best things about the beach was how the stars were visible at night. In spite of the light and pollution of the city, if she went far enough, Lilly could spend the night looking up at the sky and see so many stars she felt blinded by them. She loved spreading herself out in the sand and staring up at them for hours, in spite of the pounds of sand that rinsed out of her hair in the shower.
She buried her fingers into the beach on either side of her, loving the sounds of the ocean lapping a few feet away.
She hadn't been home all day. Her mom must be worried. Why hadn't she called?
"Hey."
Craning her neck, she saw Oliver standing beside her. She patted the sand beside her invitingly.
He lay down, knees up like hers, his feet by her head.
"Miley says we should talk," Lilly commented to break the silence.
"I know. I went to your house, but your mom hadn't seen you. I told her you were at Miley's."
One mystery solved. "Thanks."
Oliver laughed lightly. "No problem."
"So … talking …"
"Hasn't been our strongest point these last couple of days," Oliver mused.
Lilly smiled in spite of herself. "No, it hasn't."
"I want to go out with you."
He said it so directly that Lilly's breath caught in her throat. She wished that she could see his face better. "What about being friends?"
The beach breeze fluffed her bangs as she waited for his answer. When he finally answered, her stomach tightened automatically. "We always have Miley. She's sort of like our buffer, you know?"
"I guess." Cautiously, Lilly inched up a little, her knees now level with Oliver's chin.
"And," Oliver continued, encouraged by this, "we've been friends forever, right?"
"Yeah." Lilly laughed. She had entirely forgotten about the stars.
Oliver scooted down as well. Now his head was at the end of her ribcage. "You know what?"
"What?"
"My little brother just got the ninety-six crayon pack." He turned his head and grinned at her. "With the sharpener."
Tentatively, he extended his hand. Just as hesitant, she took it.
"It's the sharpener," she told him quietly. "It has a weird effect on me.
Oliver pulled her hand to him and kissed it. Then they lay there, looking up, just holding hands.
AN: I hope you liked it. It's a little short. I'll post that other story as soon as I have my chapter for TCHA up. Oh, and I have no idea if Oliver has a brother or not. I feel it was mentioned once, though. Anybody else know? Love? Hate? Review!
