"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" Miley slapped her hands against her head as she slowed her headlong flight to a walk. "What were you thinking, Stewart!? Kissing her out of the blue like that! Not what was needed!"
Ceasing her mumblings, Miley paused and looked around. She wasn't sure how far along the beach she had run. On her left were more of the beachfront houses common to this stretch of shoreline. Above and in front of her, the house- and street-lights on the headland were visible, adding their illumination to that of the stars shining in the vault overhead, mocking her with their warm glows and happy twinklings. Off to her right, the ocean pounded rhythmically against the sand. With a groan, Miley realised that in her thoughtless, headlong flight away from the party, she had actually run the wrong way - east instead of west - and her own house lay behind her in the other direction. Unless she could find a way up on to the Pacific Coast Highway and walk back home along the streets, she would have to go back past Matt's house - and risk running into Lilly again.
Lilly! A stab of pain went through her, and the tears she had been fighting back overwhelmed her once again. She sank to her knees in the sand and sobbed into her hands. Lilly would most likely never talk to her again, not after her selfish and inappropriate actions just now. Miley now had to face the cold, harsh reality of a life without Lilly - her best friend and soulmate. She honestly didn't know if she'd be able to get by.
She was startled out of her musings by the sound of her phone ringing in her pocket, loud and jarring in the quiet night. She hastily pulled it out and checked the number - it was Lilly; but she'd known it would be. Miley hit the ignore button; she couldn't face Lilly right now, even over the phone. She couldn't hear the recrimination that would surely be in her voice.
Only a couple seconds later, she heard the sound of someone running across the sand behind her. Turning as she scrambled to her feet, she was just able to make out in the darkness the short figure of Lilly jogging towards her.
"Miley!" Lilly called out as she came to a stop in front of her, barely out of breath despite the fact that she must have run the same distance as the brunette in half the time. "Are you okay?"
"How did you know where to find me?"
"Some of the people at the party saw which way you ran off. I went in the same direction for a while, then called you and heard your ring tone up ahead. Oliver's freaking out - he saw how upset you looked when you left... I'm freaking out. Why'd you run away? Especially after... that?"
"I ran away because of that! Lilly, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do that. I don't know what came over me. I should have been comforting you. Instead I... Look, I know you must be mad, but is there any way we can just forget that ever happened?"
"Miley..." Lilly spoke slowly. "I'm not mad at you for kissing me. And if you really do just want to forget about it, we can. But please, just answer me this, and be completely honest: why did you kiss me? And did you really mean all that stuff you said, about the way you saw me? The way you loved me?"
Miley took a deep breath, and looked down at her feet, unable to look Lilly in the eye. "Yeah. I meant it. I do love you. And as more than a best friend. And I kissed you because I gave in to temptation and did what I'd been wanting to do for the last three weeks - ever since that night when you kissed me, after our 'date.'"
"Oh. That."
"Yeah. I know you were only playing, but... I don't know, it just opened up all these possibilities! And I couldn't stop thinking about it! And when you started spending all your time with Matt, I guess I just realised exactly how much I missed you, and how much you meant to me. But I couldn't say anything to you. Not as long as you were happy with Matt. You know, on the night that you went to meet him at the dance, and I was at the concert, I dedicated 'One in a Million' to you. I hadn't planned to - I usually dedicate 'True Friend' to Lola. But that night, it just felt right. And as I was singing, the lyrics made me think of you." Miley finally looked up at the blonde in front of her. "Lilly, I understand if you can't be around me for a while, or ever. But at least I don't have to lie to you any more about how I feel. And I hope you can still be in my life, somehow." Miley looked away again, as tears began trickling down her cheeks once more.
"Miley..." Lilly cupped the brunette's face in her hands, and made her look her in the eye. She gently wiped away Miley's tears with her thumbs. "Of course I'll still be in your life. BFF is not a label, it's a promise - a promise to always be there for each other, to always be beside each other on our journey through life, no matter what. I'm the one who hasn't been a good friend. You've obviously been going through something huge these last few weeks, and we should have been going through it together. But instead, I swept it all under the carpet. Miley, I'm not gonna be mad at you for kissing and running, since I was the one who did it first. That night, at your place, when we first kissed - I don't even know why I did it. It just felt... right. Like you said it should in your little bathroom speech." Both girls smiled. "I certainly wasn't playing or messing with you. But then, we were all worried about going on Judge John to get revenge, and instead of revenge I ended up getting a boyfriend. And in the rush of it all, we kinda forgot to talk about it. And as time went on, it just faded into the background. And maybe I was to blame for that. Maybe committing to Matt was my way of not having to deal with something that was confusing. But that just left you dealing with it on your own. And for that, I am so sorry. Miley, when I kissed you, did you like it?"
"Yes! I meant it when I said I couldn't stop thinking about it!"
"I liked it too, Miley. And when you kissed me earlier tonight in the bathroom, although I was surprised, it certainly didn't feel wrong or awkward."
"Lils, what are you saying?" Miley's heart had started racing, but she wouldn't dare hope this was leading where she so desperately wanted it to go.
"I'm saying I care about you. And you clearly care about me. And you've been more honest with me than Matt ever was. And judging by the fact that we both keep wanting to kiss each other, I think there's something here, between us, that we should explore. I'm saying I want to give us a try. As more than friends. Because I think you could be my soulmate - my one in a million - as well."
"Are you sure?" Miley could hardly get the words out, so overcome was she with the swirl of emotions coursing through her.
For an answer, Lilly stood on her toes and pressed her mouth firmly against Miley's, kissing her with all the love and tenderness and veiled passion that Miley had been dreaming of and longing for these last few, long, lonely weeks. When they broke apart, both girls had big goofy grins on their faces.
"Oh yeah," said Lilly, as she linked her arm through Miley's and started to lead her back along the beach towards home. "Now I'm sure."
