Hello strangers. Well, I guess I would be the stranger here. It's been a while, huh? I apologize deeply for taking so long on updating my stories. A lot has happened... Life. But, here is the next chapter to this story and I hope I won't disappoint. Hope I didn't lose any readers. Enjoy.
- Four -
"You didn't get her phone number?" Travis asked exasperated; looking up at Miley from his place on her bedroom floor.
Miley gave an innocent smile. "I was having too much fun… It didn't cross my mind for some reason. It's not like it'll be hard to get."
"Then do it," he shot back humorously.
"I will… Besides, it might've been weird to ask for it after only a day of actually hanging out."
"Miley, Miley, Miley… You always come up with excuses. It's okay to be nervous, but you have no reason to be. She obviously thinks you're cool."
"I hope so… Yesterday was so much fun. Lilly's really cool. I hope the other guys like her, too. It'd be nice to have all my friends get along."
Travis thought about that for a minute. "What if they like her the way you do?"
Miley froze and then slowly sat up on her bed. "Crap… I never thought about that… What if she likes one of them that way too?" she panicked.
"I knew you liked her," he stated.
"Shut up," she groaned. "This is serious… Lilly probably is straight and, no offense to Oliver, she'll probably think Jake is hot. Maybe even you!"
"You know I would never do anything like that to you, Miley," he said with nothing but seriousness.
She let out a slow breath. "I know… This is why I try not to like people so much. I'm trying really hard, Travis…"
Travis sighed. "Yes, I know you are. I understand being cautious, but damn, Miley… Don't try too hard or you might end up missing something great. What you need to start off with is seeing how she feels on the whole 'people being gay' thing and go from there. It's a good start."
Miley blinked. "And what if she says she hates it? Then what? Hide part of my life from her? Come clean and have her hate me?"
Travis narrowed his eyes at her. "You are so complicated…"
"No, I'm realistic," she reasoned.
"Sometimes you're too realistic. But think about this… What if she says it doesn't bother her and that she supports anyone who is? That wouldn't be the end of the world, would it? The thing is you're never going to find out unless you ask her. You always think the worst will happen, but you need to realize that good can happen too when you take chances."
Miley's eyes fell to the floor. "I did that once. Remember Mikayla? See how that turned out?"
"Well that's because Mikayla's a bitch. She didn't deserve you, Miley. That's another thing you need to realize."
A dramatic sigh escaped as Miley fell backwards onto her bed. She felt bad that she continuously had these conversations with Travis. All it did was go in circles. "I'm sorry…"
"For what?" he asked, crossing his arms.
Opening her eyes, Miley saw Travis had stood fully now, looking at her with concerned eyes. "….For always talking about my relationship issues…."
"Hey, it's all right," he reassured. "Venting is a good thing. I think if you didn't, you'd explode."
"That doesn't mean I can't feel bad," she said with a sigh.
Travis sent a sympathetic look towards his friend. "All right, Miles, how about we go out and do something before you get yourself depressed, okay?"
"There's nothing to do…"
"Sure there is!" he said with enthusiasm. "Let's go riding. That always brightens you up."
A smile grew on her face as she thought of Bluejeans. "This is true…"
"A-ha!" He grinned. "I got you smiling."
As she stood up, Miley rolled her eyes at him. "Whatever. Let's just go before I hurt you."
Travis watched Miley walk out of her room with a mock pout of his face before following her out. "It's always the good guys that get hurt…"
…
Lilly parked in the parking lot of the local grocery store. She had been running low on food for a while but was just too lazy to actually go out and shop. Therefore, her time spent eating was mostly at the diner, but Slash was low on dog food. It was definitely time to shop. After making sure her car was locked, Lilly made her way towards the entrance of the store with a smile on her face. Everything she did here was a new adventure and, as dorky as she felt about it, she enjoyed it.
Inside the store, Oliver stared blankly at a magazine while he stood behind the check out line. He has worked here for two years and nothing ever became interesting. Yawning, he finally looked up and couldn't help but widen his eyes at the girl that just walked in. "Whoa…" he whispered to himself.
Lilly looked around, confused, for the pet supplies. Hopefully they had some… Turning her attention to the right, she saw a check out clerk and smiled. "Hi," she said, walking over to him. "Do you guys have pet food here? I'm kinda new and don't really know where things are yet."
"Um, y-yeah," Oliver stammered. "It's, uh, down there… Aisle eight."
Lilly laughed inwardly to herself at his stuttering. "Thank you."
"No problem." He grinned. "Let me know if there's anything else I can help you find."
"Absolutely. Thanks again." With that, Lilly walked off to get her needed items.
Oliver, mouth hanging open, watched as she walked off with a shopping basket in hand. Her jeans fit her so well…
Grinning to himself, Oliver went back to his magazine while he waited for her return. He was very glad he was the only lane open…
Lilly cringed as she neared the meat section. The cashiers obvious interest in helping her made her feel uneasy. She decided to push it out of her mind for now and focus on getting food. Luckily she didn't need a ton of food, just to get by until her next paycheck, which would be this coming week. Being on her own was tough, but she felt so free and…happy. That was something she hadn't felt for a long time.
"I can do this," she whispered to herself before turning down the freezer aisle.
…
Oliver was filled with excitement when the cute blonde returned to the front of the store nearly a half hour later. Only a few other people have come in since then, so it wasn't busy, and he was still the only available cashier. "Find everything okay?" he asked in his usual professional kindness.
"Yes, thank you," Lilly said as she unloaded her items onto the counter.
"Glad to hear it." He scanned items and then offered another smile. "New around here?" he asked.
Lilly smiled a little. "Yeah. Guess it's easy to tell around here, huh?"
"A little. I've worked here for a while now. It's easy to spot new comers."
"Plus I still kind of dress like I'm in California," she admitted with a laugh.
"Hey, no worries." Oliver paused to check the computer screen. "All right, Miss, your total is sixty-eight fifty."
Lilly handed him her card and soon started gathering her items into grocery bags. Oliver, as his name tag presented, was soon next to her helping load up the second bag. "Thank you," she commented warmly.
"Not a problem. Hope you have a nice day," he said with a broad smile.
"You too." And with that, Lilly was off to head back to her apartment.
Oliver's grin never left his face. "Wow…" he whispered to himself.
…
Several hours had passed and Miley sat with Travis on the porch of her house. She had a wonderful time riding Bluejeans, as usual, and it certainly did lighten her mood. After taking a sip of her lemonade, she glanced over at her friend to notice him looking at his phone. "What's up?" she asked.
"Oh, it's Oliver. He said he's off work now and wants to tell us something. Want to go meet up with him? I could eat…"
"Sounds good to me. Just have to get my purse." With that, she quickly ran inside, up the stairs, and into her bedroom to retrieve her purse. Then she was just as quick to make her way back. "Let's go! The more I think about food, the hungrier I get."
"Good!" Travis shot back with a laugh. "All that riding wore me out and gained me an appetite."
Together, they hopped into Travis' car and he drove off towards their usual hangout: the diner. Miley opened the window to let the nice summer breeze flow through. "I'm actually more anxious to hear what Oliver's so excited about," she commented.
"No kidding. Even through a text I could tell he was giddy."
Miley laughed at that. "He is too easy to read sometimes." Still smiling, Miley then laid her head back against the seat, closed her eyes, and enjoyed the wind hitting her face. All too soon, though, they were at the diner where Oliver was already waiting patiently for them by the door. "That was quick," she commented.
"He's insistent, that's for sure." Travis hopped out of his car and waved at Oliver. "You sure got here quick." He smirked.
"I know. The grocery store isn't that far from here." Looking past Travis, Oliver smiled at Miley. "Hey, Miles."
She greeted him with a hug before stepping back. "Apparently you have something to gush about?"
"I do! Let's go in and eat. Spending all day watching people buy food sure gets me hungry," he said with a hint of annoyance.
"And you're always hungry anyways," joked Travis.
"Haha, very funny." Seeing their booth, Oliver smiled and quickly went for it, even though the place was nearly empty.
Travis and Miley followed with ease and took a seat across from Oliver. A waitress was quick to serve and then, after a few short minutes, the three friends were left to chat while their food cooked. "Okay," Travis began, "what's your excitement all about?"
"Right!" Oliver said, eyes beaming. "Okay, so at work today it was slow and horribly boring. Nothing new there. But then, out of the blue, this gorgeous girl comes in that I've never seen before."
Miley's face fell.
"Seriously guys…wow! She was really friendly, blonde hair, blue eyes, and get this… She's originally from California! She was adorable. I just wish I had gotten her name."
Travis, wide-eyed, cautiously looked over at Miley. He knew who Oliver was talking about and by the look on Miley's face, she knew as well. "Her name's Lilly…" Travis answered for her.
"Lilly? Really? How'd you…." Oliver stopped mid-sentence when he realized why Miley was looking at him so oddly. "Oh… You mean, that's…"
"Yeah…" Miley answered coolly.
"Shit, Miles, I….I didn't know…"
"It's fine…" She sighed; running a hand through her wavy hair. "You'd probably have a better shot with her than I would anyways."
Now Oliver felt terrible for ever bringing it up. "Miley, stop… I'm sorry. I didn't know she was the same girl at your work. I've never seen her face before. If it makes you feel any better, you have really good taste in women." He offered a charming smile, hoping to lighten the mood.
Miley laughed. "Oh yeah, my taste is real good. Straight girls and crazy cheaters."
Travis lightly elbowed her. "Shut it, Miles. You may be surprised with Lilly."
"This is true," Oliver added. "I swear, I won't get in the way of things."
Oliver's sincere statement melted Miley's heart. He really was a sweet guy. "I'm not one to want to get my hopes up…but she is really cool. But, if she is straight, I'll see if I can hook you up."
His eyes narrowed in confusion. "Bros before hoes, Miles. If you have feelings for her, I don't want to"-
"Don't worry about it, Ollie. I've had crushes on straight girls before and they pass eventually. Well, aside from Chelsea…"
"That's completely different, though," Travis voiced.
"Exactly." Miley smiled sadly at the thought of her former best friend. "Anyways… If Lilly is straight, you can ask her out, okay?" she said, keeping her eyes locked with Oliver's.
"We'll see," was his only response.
…
Lilly sat back on her couch, watching 'American Pickers', as her dog took comfort on her lap. She had barely given the television program any attention, for her mind was elsewhere. The attention she got from the guy at the grocery store irked her in a way. He didn't creep her out or anything, but, in a some way, she was hoping to not get attention from guys. She laughed to herself. "Oh, Slash…you have no idea how easy you have it being a dog."
Slash's ears perked up at the sound of Lilly's voice; making her laugh lightly.
"Maybe I should call Mom… I'm sure she misses the sound of your bark."
Feeling that hearing her mother's voice is what she needed right now, Lilly reached across to the coffee table to grab her phone. In no time at all, the phone was ringing, and she hoped more than anything that her mother wasn't busy with something else.
"Hey, sweetheart!" came Heather Truscott's voice. "Oh honey, I miss you so much. How's Crowly Corners treating you?"
Lilly's heart warmed instantly. "Hello to you, too, Mom. Things are going pretty good."
"And the apartment?"
"It's awesome. I almost have everything in place and then I can send you pictures."
"Good! I'm anxious for those. More importantly, my dear, how's work?"
A blush crept across Lilly's face, even though her mom couldn't see her. "It's really good… Very friendly people…"
There was a short silence before a delighted gasp escaped Heather. "Don't tell me you already found someone of interest, Lilly," she said lightly.
Lilly groaned. "How do you do that?" she laughed.
"I'm your mother. Even over the phone I can sense your tells. So…?"
"Well… Um…" She hesitated.
"Lilly…" Heather said gently. "You know you can talk to me about this. I told you this doesn't bother me at all. Don't let your father get to you."
Tears pooled at Lilly's eyes and she took a moment to brace herself. She didn't call her Mom to cry. She called to talk about her situation. "Sorry," she croaked.
"Honey, it's all right." Heather's voice was soft; caring. "There's nothing you can't tell me."
"I know…" Lilly took in a deep breath. "There is something I wanted to talk to you about."
"I'd love to hear it."
A smile appeared on the young blonde's face, helping ease the tears away. "Well, there's this girl at work, her name's Miley, and she's a lot of fun. She's lived here her whole life, so she ended up showing me around."
"That was very nice of her! I find that a great advantage."
"It was. She showed me pretty much everything import place around here. Some time she's going to bring me over to Nashville.
"Lucky! I'm going to find the time to come visit you soon, Lilly. I want to see everything….and perhaps meet Miley?"
Lilly smirked. "I can hear the smile in your voice, mom. I'm sure you'd be able to meet her. We are friends at least. I just…I don't know how to find out if she's okay with…well, you know…"
"Guess you won't know until you ask," came Heather's response. "So, what is she like?"
Lilly couldn't help the grin that split her face even if she tried. "She has long, wavy brown hair, hazel eyes, and she's pretty tall. Not too tall, but I am short. Um…she absolutely loves horses, obviously, and she's just really nice. I can't wait to get to know her better."
"You're so smitten," Heather laughed.
"Mom…nobody says 'smitten' anymore," Lilly said with an eye roll.
"I'm old, I have an excuse. Also…I sense hesitation from all of this. What's your worry?"
"That she'll think I'm disgusting and I'm right back where I started."
Heather's heart broke. "Lilly… I guess the best thing to do is spend some time getting to know each other, gain the trust of friendship, and, if she's as nice as she sounds, she'll accept you no matter what. If not then you hold your head high and keep following your dreams."
"It's hard to do that if people treat me differently…"
"I'll always be here, Lilly. No questions asked."
"Thank you, Mom…" she nearly whispered.
"I love you, Lilly. I couldn't have asked for a better daughter. I will try very hard to come visit soon, okay?"
Now a tear, though happy, slid from Lilly's eyes. "I'd love that."
"Me too, sweetheart."
"Hey, um…I have another thing to discuss," she quickly added, not wanting the conversation to end just yet. "I went to the grocery store today and the check out guy was, well, rather friendly towards me. How do I avoid further flirting from him?"
Heather laughed. "Simple. Don't act interested at all."
"I suppose. I just don't want to come off as a bitch. Pardon my language."
"Yeah, like I've never heard you say that before. Just don't worry about it. If it comes down to it, just say you're not into dating right now."
"At least it sounds nicer than 'ew, gross.'"
"It certainly does!" the older blonde laughed. "Oh, Lilly, I sure am glad you called."
"Same. But I think I'm going to get going and make some supper. Plus Slash is staring at me by his dish."
"Ah, sounds like you're being summoned. I will let you go then, and hopefully talk to you again soon."
"Of course." Lilly smiled.
"Great! Have a good night, sweetie."
"Goodnight, Mom…" Reluctantly, she hung up, sighed, and then stood to feed the dog and then herself. Talking about Miley to someone lifted a huge weight off of her shoulders and she was so grateful to have her mother to turn to. Plus, her mom was right… Building a friendship first was a good idea. No…a great idea. If Lilly could gain an amazing friend, then she'd be happy. If it lead to something else, well…she'd be ecstatic.
Miley was so nice and carefree. Although, Lilly still couldn't help but feel something had clouded over Miley's life. If Miley ended up being comfortable enough to tell her life story, then Lilly felt no reason to not return the favor. Time would have to tell.
Sorry if this was a short chapter, but more will happen soon. And I will try try try to get things updated more often. School is going to start back up and therefore I'll be around my ex all the time...yippie... (the one that sparked this story btw). Anyways, hope you liked it, hope to hear from you all. Thanks for reading!