A/N: It's funny that I was seriously worried about making this chapter long enough, and then it turned out to be one of the longest that I've written. Anyway, here we have Chapter Ten. I'm quite pleased with it, and I swear it's guaranteed to make you "aww" at the loliverness. I apologize ahead of time for the swearing. Don't put two teenage boys on the same wire. They might really get into it. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I put out three chapters in one day (Yes, you caught me. One was a fake chapter). Do you really think someone who's working with teen stars has that kind of time? No. I don't really, either, but I've skillfully put off my schoolwork for you people. =D

Chapter 10: Sweet Words

"Lily," Mike had told her just the day before, "you've got to call Oliver. I know you're going to the wake, but really, you've gotta call him. It's just polite."

She had nodded and told him she knew it, but she was "just so nervous to have to talk to him again", and she didn't know "how to not make it awkward."

So Mike told her he'd help. They'd three-way. He'd call them both today at seven, and they could all talk together. "That way," he'd reassured her, "if the conversation gets awkward, I can always jump in and cover for you two."

She'd thought it was sweet at the time, but now it just made her sick. It had been almost a month since she'd last spoken to Oliver, and even though she wasn't mad at him, and she was pretty sure he wasn't mad at her either, she just didn't know what she was responsible for saying.

Now she was busily working down in the kitchen, happily moving extra slowly through the dishes she was washing. Maybe that way the water would be running and she wouldn't hear her phone ring all the way up in her bedroom. It wasn't her most clever plan, she knew, but at the moment, the pan that had held that night's chicken was just way more entertaining and within her comfort zone than a three-way with Mike and Oliver.

She distinctly heard the chiming of the grandfather clock in her living room when seven o'clock rolled around. She'd moved on to running the soapy sponge diligently over the bowl from the green beans. She'd almost finished when the heard her phone start ringing.

'Adonde tu vas, te sigo' it sang her favorite Spanish song grandly through her hallways. Oliver'd picked it for her. He'd taken four years of Spanish and swore by it, but she had no idea what the words meant. French tended not to help with that. Instead of running for it, though, she just stared motionlessly at the green bean bowl, not ready to leave it yet.

'Solo por ti, yo vivo,' it continued, and she considered very seriously dropping the bowl just to hear Oliver's voice on the other end. It had been so long.

'Eres mi obsession,' it began again, and she lost it. She knew what that phrase meant, at least. The guilt overcame her, and she dashed up the stairs to grab the call.

'Eres mi obsessio-on. Es por amor que estoy perdido en' She thrust her hand out to retrieve her singing mobile, flipping it open just before the little word 'ti' that she knew came next in the lyrics. She was breathing hard, so she moved the phone away from her mouth to make sure Oliver and Mike wouldn't hear her pants. Well, for Oliver mostly. She'd just caught her breath enough to say hello when a voice beat her to it.

"I guess she's not going to pick up." It was Mike. She froze at the unusual nature of the potential conversation about to start.

"Oh well," It was Oliver's voice. Oliver's voice was coming through her cell phone. That stopped her thought process before the hello could finally make itself known to the y-chromosomed pair. "I'm not up to talking to her right now, anyway." Lily tried to figure out just what emotion was resting in his voice as he said this, but she couldn't manage it. So she just stayed silent, deciding to take a moment and listen, forfeiting all her rights to speaking.

"I understand." It was Mike again. "Well, we were just calling to wish you our condolences on your grandfather. It's a hard time, I know." His words were sweet.

"Thanks Mike," Oliver replied shortly, almost uncomfortably.

"Well, if you ever want to talk about it, I'm here to lis—"

"I don't think I'm going to want to talk about it." Lily was surprised at his choice of tone. Oliver had loved his grandpa. He was always telling her stories about him. How could this not be hurting him? "Sorry, Mike. I'm just not really up for it."

"S'okay," Mike replied forgivingly. "Do you want to talk about something else? You know, maybe get your mind off it for a while?"

Lily heard the crackly loud over-the-phone breath that Oliver let out in response to this. "Yeah, actually." She could tell he was leaning back and running a hand through his hair over at his house. She just could. It warmed her inside a little to know she knew this. "That would be awesome, Mike."

"So how's Lily?" Thanks, Mike.

"God, Mike. Do you have to bring her up? We're trying to make me feel good here." There was nothing in the word "her" that bothered Lily, but she didn't like hearing it in his sentence. It made her feel like an object. It was unfair and insane to say, but she wished he'd just say her name instead.

"Well maybe this will help. You know you have to talk about it sometime. Why not now?"

Oliver sighed. "All right," he said giving up. "I just," he started, and Lily leaned closer despite the fact that it wasn't going to help her hear any better over the phone. "I just can't believe it, Mike. She broke up with Will." He said it again, enunciating so as not to give the wrong meaning to a single word. "She broke up with Will. Why the hell would she do that?"

"Must not have been what she was looking for." Lily realized the hint Mike was dropping, but Oliver didn't seem to catch on.

"Apparently. But come on, Will Giordano? I hate to admit it, but the guy is really perfect for her. He's got everything going for him. He's smart and funny and good-natured. I even love hanging out with him. He's all tall and blond and good-looking. I should be thrilled that my best friend was dating a guy like that." He blew a little air from the corner of his mouth. "But I spent all my time wishing I was as good as him, trying to be like that for Lily, and she goes and breaks up with him. Mike, if Will Giordano isn't good enough for Lily, who the hell is?"

"Maybe he's just not what she's looking for," Mike tried to reassure him, restating his previous words to clue him in. Oliver was oblivious, as usual.

"Well, I mean, I guess no guy is ever going to be good enough for Lily," he laughed a little. 'What the hell does he mean?' Lily thought. "I mean, she's just too good for everyone. Really. No one deserves her."

There was a long silence, and Lily leaned back into the pile of pillows at the head of her bed.

"Oliver," Mike began, "Do you know why she broke up with Will?"

"Well," he admitted, "I guess not. But isn't it obvious."

"Yeah," Mike laughed, "to everyone but you."

"Huh?"

"God Oliver, you're so dense." Lily blushed, knowing what Mike was going to say. She was so happy someone understood (well, even if it was after half an hour on the phone). "Lily broke up with Will because she thought that's what you wanted her to do."

"What?" There was obvious worry in his frantic voice. "I don't want her to give up Will just to make me happy."

"That's not what I mean, Oliver," Mike jumped in before Oliver could start again on one of his tirades. "Lily broke up with him because she was in love with you. As in, she didn't think it was fair to stay with him if the whole time she was going to be thinking about you."

"Wh-what?" Oliver sounded stunned, then huffed loudly. "How do you know that?" he asked suspiciously.

"She told me."

"When?" And so the interrogation continued.

"She called me one night after Senior Retreat and told me what happened. She said she wanted you both, but she was only going to keep it up with Will because she thought it would be fair to him. She'd let him date her for three weeks. How could she just cast him aside? But she wanted to give him up for you because she was in love with you. I told her she had to make a choice before anyone got hurt, and she said she'd have to pick you because she just couldn't stop loving you."

Lily grinned. Her tale was awfully romanticized in Mike's version. The boy always knew exactly what to say, which was probably why he was such a stud with the girls, but whatever got the point across best to Oliver.

"Are, are you serious?" He asked, astonished.

"Absolutely. I don't lie about Lily." 'I should eavesdrop more often if I get all these compliments,' she thought, beaming.

"Damn it." No mistaking what he said there.

"What?"

"Well I can't possibly call her now. I made a complete fool of myself," he almost whined into the phone with agony. "She has every right to be furious with me after the way I shut her out this past month and a half. Is it really halfway through December already?"

"Nearly."

"Damn it."

"But Oliver," Mike began again. "I think it's still your job to talk first. I mean, if you were her, the absolute last thing you'd want to do is call you. It's too awkward for her; she wouldn't have anything to say." He imitated a girly voice and said "'Hi Oliver. You really pissed me off by not listening to me at all last month.' Do you see how this isn't getting anywhere? It's really not her responsibility."

"I hate it when you're right," Oliver groaned, and she heard his head hit his desk. That's where he was sitting, anyway. He always talked on the phone while sitting backwards on his chair, legs spread apart, leaning on his desk. That or in his pajamas and under his covers. That's how he talked to her, and that's how she talked to him. There was something intimate about being in bed when you were talking to someone. "You know," he said, "she called me once."

"What? While you two weren't talking?"

"Yeah. It was maybe a month ago. I was down eating dinner, but when I got back upstairs there was a voicemail on my phone. I checked it, and it was silent for a long time. I would have hung up, usually, thinking somebody just didn't put the phone down fast enough after calling me, but I just knew it was going to be her. Then all she said was 'Damnit, Oliver," and hung up. It sounded like she was going to cry."

"Why didn't you tell me that before?" Mike pleaded.

"I dunno," Oliver mumbled. "It just didn't seem that necessary. Honestly, I was just confused by it. I didn't know what the hell she intended in it. It makes sense though, now. I mean, she tried to do something right for me, and I just totally fucked it up." Lily closed her eyes and gaped. His words were not at all eloquent, but he really understood her.

"Something you do a lot, huh?" Mike teased.

"Shut up," Oliver told him, but he was smiling, she knew. "But God, her voice just broke me down inside. It just reminded me that I was never going to be what she wanted, but I knew I had to at least call her back. It must have taken me a week to build up the courage, but when I finally called, she didn't answer, and I haven't talked to her since. Maybe she's still mad at me. That's probably why she didn't pick up tonight."

"I don't know, Oliver. I really don't think she's that mad."

"What, have you been talking to her behind my back again?" Oliver chided.

"Nope. Just a feeling," Mike told him plainly, pleasing Lily very much.

"Maybe not." He paused. He really paused. It was a dramatic "dare I say it" moment, but then he did. "I was never angry at her," he admitted, and Lily smiled from her bed. "I was just so bothered that night about the fact that I was never going to be what she wanted that I got upset with myself. I cut her off and shouted. I must seem like a real bastard to her. I was just, just so defeated feeling. I guess I just wanted her to know how much she hurt me, but she hadn't tried." He stopped again and exhaled loudly. "God, I'm such an asshole."

Lily had almost forgotten Mike was there after listening to Oliver's sweet words. She wanted to run to his house right then, but thought better of it. "What the hell did you think she meant when she was all over you on her bed, for Pete's sake, Oliver? Damn, you're pessimistic if you didn't catch on to that."

"I, I dunno Mike. I hadn't really thought about it that much," he laughed. "I was so, so thrilled that she was, you know, letting me touch her and hold her and be with her at first that it was just all I could think about. Nothing about her intentions, just that I got to feel her body against mine."

"Pervert." Mike threw that one in just for kicks, and it made Lily laugh silently into the receiver.

She felt Oliver smile in response. "Says you."

"Touché."

"So we were just lying there, having a pretty intense conversation, and I remember Will. I didn't know she'd broken up with him then, so I figured she was just spreading herself too thin. You know, telling herself she'd let me fool around with her to make me happy. I guess I thought she was doing me a favor or something, but I didn't want her to have to. I told her I wouldn't do it because I thought I was removing myself from the equation, making her choice easy and obvious. Shit, Mike. I thought I was protecting her."

"Why do we always think we've got it right?"

"We're just a couple of dumbasses," Oliver laughed, and Mike agreed.

"Did you tell Lily how much you love her, Oliver?" Mike spoke quietly after a few moments of comfortable silence.

"You make me look like such a woos, Mike," Oliver sighed, but Lily was holding out for what he was going to say. "I mean, I told her after the whole bridge incident that I was pretty unfixably in love with her, and then that night I made it pretty clear that I wanted her body, too. So I was pretty blunt in giving her the full range of my emotions, but really, Mike, I don't think I'll ever be able to express to her the way I feel about her," he breathed, and Lily melted into a tiny Lily puddle on her bed. When did Oliver Oken learn to be so darned romantic?

"Oliver," Mike started cautiously, then waited, "You're crazy for her, I hope you know. No guy admits this crap. You're either insane or she owns you, man."

"You have no idea," he laughed a little, reluctantly. "There are so many things I love about her. Like, like that night. She turns on her radio and just starts dancing. Just wild jumpy ridiculous dancing, and I just sat on her bed and watched her for a little while before she convinced me to jump in. I mean, first of all, she convinced me to dance with her, and I don't dance. But really, she was just so damned cute. She was so happy and excited about it that I just couldn't turn her down. All I wanted to do was make her happy. I wanted it to be my fault that she wanted to dance around her bedroom like a twelve-year-old."

Lily scowled, now out of her Lily puddle, at the twelve-year-old part, even though it was true.

"Owned," Mike remarked smartly.

"But then I went and got all teenage boy on her. I started looking at her body and thinking about it, then it didn't help that I pretty much had free range of it once we were lying down. She had her butt all tucked against me, and I thought I was going to go crazy."

"Woo," Mike sighed, "I sure know that feeling."

"I felt so guilty though. She should be more to me than just a piece of ass, and she is, but when she's all vulnerable in my arms, or God, when she was on top of me, Mike, the girls was bent over me straddling me, I just can't control myself, and my mind wanders to some really unwholesome places."

"Horndog," Mike was laughing. "I'm glad we're talking about something I can relate to, now."

"God, you freak." Oliver was blunt, but continued anxiously. "I didn't tell you this, but that night on the bridge," he started.

"Mmhm," Mike interjected.

"Well, it got pretty steamy. I mean, Mike," he lowered his voice, "she undid my belt."

"What!?" Mike shouted. Lily pulled the phone away from her ear in pain. She had really wanted to forget she'd done that. "She, she…you know?"

"No, I made her stop," Oliver sounded almost in pain.

"Fool."

"Oh shut up, Mike. I couldn't possibly let her do that," he lectured. "First of all, she was dating Will at the time, and I couldn't let her give all that up yet. I mean, I don't think she'd done any of it with him, and I wasn't going to be the one to steal any of her innocent parts from her. I didn't want her to look back on her first anything with that kind of guilt."

"You know what? You're a girl, Oliver," Mike sighed good-naturedly.

"But shit, that was hard. I mean, not only did I realize that it was going to kill her on the inside, I mean, I was rejecting her after all, but my body just wanted it so badly. I wanted her to do it, and I'll never forgive myself for that."

"I have to say," Mike jumped in. "That's quite melodramatic." Lily pulled the phone away from her ear and giggled at the jokes Mike made on the sidelines. Oliver barely noticed.

"But I might be able to let it go if I just wanted her body and thought she was cute, but the gods aren't gunna let me have it that easy. No, I also have to care deeply, passionately, about her. I mean, every time something happens to me, all I want to do is call her up and tell her. And I'm always worried about whether or not she's going to get hurt doing whatever she'd doing. Mike, for God's sake, I go to bed thinking about her and wake up the same way. I don't want to leave her when we're talking, and everything I see reminds me of something she does," he chattered, but Mike cut him off.

"Okay, now you're just rambling. I don't know how you keep up with yourself, boy. But Oliver, what the hell are you gunna do about all this?"

"I, I don't know," he admitted. "I wish I could just see her in the hallways and run up and kiss her all over."

"You're definitely a horndog."

"Jerk. You know that's not what I meant. Besides, I can't do that. I don't know how she feels about me right now." The words were wistful and soft. "But I don't know how much longer I can put up with this. I want to fix things with her so badly that I'm afraid to do anything because I don't want to mess it up more." Lily was once more a puddle on her quilt.

"I don't really have much experience here," Mike said honestly, "But I think you'd better just start talking to her. You know, whenever you can. It doesn't have to be all deep and prepared ahead of time. It'll probably all just get straightened out after a little while. But you can't just ignore her."

"I know."

"Besides," Mike added slyly, "Once you've made up, the two of you can go at it like dogs. You clearly want that."

"Oh shove it, Mike," Oliver taunted. "I would never treat Lily like a dog," he cooed sentimentally.

Mike just snorted. "Oliver, you are truly a woman at heart."

"That's okay," and Lily felt him grin, "because I always thought lesbians were kind of hot. Me and Lily all—"

"Stop right there!" Mike commanded. "I don't want to hear anymore! You've convinced me to hang up."

"Good," Oliver laughed. "I was getting sick of being all mushy with you, anyway."

"Right, well," Mike paused, reluctant to continue, "I'll see you at the wake then?" It had to be said.

Oliver inhaled sharply, regretfully. "I guess I'll see you there."

"Too bad Lily didn't pick up to talk."

"I'm sure she had her reasons. Besides, it was nice to let you know all this."

"Mmhm. Well I'll talk to you Monday," Mike said, and the line went dead on his side.

Lily was about to hang up her cell phone, but a low breathy whisper caught at her heartstrings, making her stay on the line a bit longer. "Lily, why don't you understand?"

Then he hung up.

A/N: Awww, right? They even used the same line on each other. Okay, we're (probably) all girls here, so don't you wish that guys really talked like that? I mean, it's pretty clear that they're not so sentimental, but I tried, so there you are. By the way, if anyone can identify that song that was Lily's ringtone without looking it up, you're officially my best friend. If you can understand the words, cute, right? Love love love love love him. Anyway, it's 1:30 in the morning right now, which is why I'm all chatty, so forgive me. But I do love reviews, and I'm asking for them shamelessly. Goodnight, everyone!