Chapter 11

.

Lilly was getting antsy and she knew if she was feeling that way it must be ten times worse for Miley. She threw another look at the clock, but only five minutes had passed since the last time she had checked. With a groan she turned back to the books spread in front of them. Miley was fidgeting horribly, tapping her feet, shifting in her seat, fingers playing with the edge of the book she was looking at. Lilly knew she could easily leave, this wasn't her homework that had to get done, but she couldn't just leave her girlfriend in dire straits.

The thought of Miley as her girlfriend still made her smile. It had only been a few days since it had become official, but other than Lilly's birthday party, they'd practically spent every free moment with one another. Except, of course, the time Miley was forced to spend on her schoolwork. Lilly had quickly realized the reason Miley's lessons seemed to drag on for so long and rob her off time with her girlfriend was simply that Miley was so hyperactive her grandmother had to give her fifteen minute breaks every thirty minutes. Now Lilly was anxiously waiting while Miley finished her algebra homework.

She could tell Miley was itching to run around or climb a tree, but instead they were sitting in the diner, immobile. Grandma Ruby had gone to Murfreesboro again and Susan hadn't trusted her daughter's attention span to finish the homework on her own, so now they were both stuck there. Lilly had tried helping, but apparently her brain did not cooperate on vacation mode. At least it looked like Miley was almost done.

The screeching of tires sounded abruptly, followed by a crash. Most of the people in the diner jumped up, looking out the windows or running outside to see what had happened. In a town this size, nothing exciting ever did, and even Lilly felt compelled to alleviate her boredom with a bit of rubbernecking, though she reigned herself in. Miley glanced up from her papers to look out the window, but from their position they could only see the tail end of an old truck stopped a little further down the road. Lilly stood, trying to get a better angle, when a man burst into the diner, out of breath.

"Old Ed McCarthy just got hit by a truck. Someone call an ambulance!"

Lilly sat back down, shocked. An uproar went through the diner at the news. She thought she'd heard the name before and realized it was the old man who had grabbed Miley at the diner a few weeks ago. A few people ran out to help, or, more likely, watch, and those that stayed inside were practically glued to the windows. There was some murmuring inside the diner and the voices seemed to get louder, until some rang out above the cacophony.

"We know who's responsible. What are we waiting for?"

"Ed's just an old man, he'd never harm a fly…what's he ever done to her?"

Lilly wasn't sure who this 'her' was they were talking about, but she had a horrible feeling. Suddenly Susan was next to them, grabbing Lilly's arm none too gently to pull her out of the booth. Her face was pale, worried, and she kept glancing at the angry rubberneckers by the window.

"You have to get out of here, now," said Susan quietly and Miley looked up at her mother with unguarded, innocent eyes. Susan pulled her out, as well. "Lilly, can you take Miley to your house?"

Lilly, though still in the dark about what was really going on, understood the woman's need to get Miley away from the crazy townspeople. She almost nodded, before stopping herself. "My mom's got a book club thing going on. I'll take her car, we'll go to the farm."

Susan nodded, stopping her daughter from packing her school books. Miley looked at her with sad eyes. "Mom…"

"Honey, you need to go…take the back exit. Lilly will stay with you."

Lilly nodded and took her girlfriend's hand. She might not understand what was going on or the need for this urgency, but she would not doubt or argue Miley's safety. Susan ushered them towards the kitchen and Lilly noticed one of the men coming towards them. He looked angry. She tugged on Miley's hand and they made their way through the kitchen and out the backdoor of the diner. The bright sun blinded them, but Lilly wasted no time and took off towards her house, never letting go of her girlfriend's hand.

The storm clouds rolled in as if on cue and she heard the distant thunder. Miley's hand twitched in hers. Lilly looked at her, though she thought she probably looked a lot more panicked than Miley did. The roads were mostly empty; anyone who had been out was very likely at the accident scene to watch. She didn't slow down until they reached the edge of their property. They probably lived in one of the biggest houses in all of Crowley, owing to the fact that her father was now one of only two accountants in the entire county. Whereas her school "friends" who had come over during her birthday party had been sufficiently impressed by the display of wealth, Miley hardly ever batted an eye. Miley was much more intrigued by nature than by fancy gadgets, though she did love to fiddle with the equipment in the SUV.

They reached her front door in record time and Lilly almost doubled over to catch her breath. Miley was breathing heavily, but she seemed to have enjoyed their run, if only for the fact that it had burned off some of her excess energy. Lilly squeezed her girlfriend's hand. "Miles, I'm just gonna go grab the keys, you wait out here, okay?"

She nodded absentmindedly, eyes to sky. More thunder sounded. Lilly dashed inside, grabbed the keys off the counter and yelled something to her mom about an emergency at her girlfriend's. She'd seen the book club members still there and hadn't wanted to make life harder for her mother by mentioning Miley's name. As soon as they were both in the SUV, the first raindrops started falling. Lilly was on edge, her whole body filled with nervous energy and anxiety, but when she looked at Miley, the girl seemed hardly to have noticed anything was amiss.

"Miley, are you ever going to tell me what the hell is going on?" asked Lilly, fueled by a sudden bout of anger.

Miley looked at her, her expression so guileless, Lilly's anger deflated. "What do you mean?"

Lilly sighed, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel. By the time she turned off the paved road towards the farm, the rain was coming down in buckets. A clap of lightning sounded and Miley jumped. Lilly looked at her oddly. She would have taken nature-loving Miley to be the kind of girl to dance in the rain and laugh in the face of dangerous thunderstorms. "What's wrong, road kill?"

Miley smiled at her nickname. "Lightning and I…we have a checkered past."

Lilly wanted to know what that meant, or why the townspeople were insane, but she was already pulling up in front of the cabin. She almost opened the door, but Miley stopped her, a sheepish look on her face. "I don't have my key."

"You're kidding, right?" Lilly sighed, knowing Miley was not. Now they'd have to sit in her SUV until either the rain stopped or someone else came home.

Miley nudged her shoulder. "We can go into the barn. The hayloft is very dry and comfy."

Lilly looked out the window, but she could hardly see more than a few feet. No matter how dry the loft might be, she didn't think they'd make it there without getting soaked. Perhaps staying in the SUV would be a better choice, she thought, but Miley was already out the door. Cursing, Lilly jumped out and followed her girlfriend towards the barn. She was soaked through within seconds. Miley pushed the barn door closed behind them. She, too, was drenched, but she was laughing and Lilly felt all her anger and annoyance ebb away.

Miley vanished in a little room off to the side and came out carrying a couple of old blankets. Lilly was looking at the right side of the barn, where rain was breaking through the blackened and charred slats. She followed Miley to the ladder on the other end and they climbed into the hayloft. Miley had been right; it was dry and right under the window some hay had been spread out, surrounded by large hay bales. It looked cozy enough, but for some reason seeing the burnt side of the barn had left Lilly feeling uneasy.

"What happened to the barn?"

"It caught fire," said Miley simply, spreading the blankets over the hay on the ground.

"Yeah, I can see that. But how?"

Miley sat on one of the bales, wringing out her wet hair and kicked off her soaked sneakers. "Lightning strike."

Lilly's eyes widened almost comically. "Wait, we're hiding out from a lightning storm in a barn that burned down because of a lightning storm?"

"It didn't burn down. And anyway, the lightning hit the house and then jumped to the barn. Crowley has a volunteer fire department and they're not the fastest. The house burned down, but they did save the barn."

Miley seemed hardly concerned, but Lilly remembered her jumping at the clap of lightning earlier and wasn't convinced. But she sat down on a bale across from Miley, nevertheless. "So, that's why you all live in that cabin?"

Miley nodded. "Mom and I had just moved in with grandma a few weeks before that. But she's having the main house rebuilt. It's gonna be great…I'm gonna have my own bathroom!"

Lilly couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm. "Why did you move?"

"After daddy died, we didn't have enough money. The bank took our house, so we came here."

"Miley…" There were so many times Lilly felt at a loss of what to say, or felt guilty for having things so easy. But then she remembered, Miley did not see it that way.

"I like living with my grandma and with the chickens and my favorite tree."

Lilly shook her head, smiling despite herself. Nothing seemed to bother Miley. She glanced out the window to her left, watching the rain continue to pour down. The constant beating on the roof was somewhat calming and she felt at peace, though she wished she could have been wearing dry clothes. When she looked back to her girlfriend, Miley was taking off her shirt. Lilly's mouth went dry.

"Uh…Miles…what are you doing?" She thought back to the last time this had happened, when Miley had been sick, and figured at least this time it wouldn't be as horrible for her to sneak a peek.

Miley did not seem concerned with Lilly's wandering eyes. "My clothes are wet and I'm freezing. I'm gonna get under the blankets and warm up. Come on."

Lilly swallowed hard, her eyes glued to Miley, who was trying to peel off her jeans. Her voice came out as a high-pitched squeak. "Me?"

Miley laughed and practically dove onto the blanket, pulling another one on top of her. She was shivering and Lilly knew it was her duty as a girlfriend to keep Miley warm. Her mind was completely blank, her body functioning on autopilot as she tugged off her t-shirt and shorts. Lilly climbed under the blanket with her girlfriend and it was as if suddenly she had woken up, realizing for the first time what she was doing. Panic descended upon her and she almost climbed back out, but Miley was already pressing her slick, warm body against the blonde's. Lilly bit her lip to keep from groaning and squeezed her eyes shut. This was torture.

Cold fingertips danced across Lilly's skin, along her ribcage and across her abdomen. She wanted Miley to stop and she wanted her to keep going. Miley laughed and suddenly she was almost completely on top of her, one leg between Lilly's, the warm skin of her torso sliding against her girlfriend's. She was dangerously close and Lilly grabbed her hips to stop her from moving. She looked into the blue eyes and saw nothing but sparkling excitement and mischief.

"What are you doing, Miley?" It had become somewhat of a mantra for her now and wondered if Miley's mother and grandmother used that phrase excessively, as well. Then she realized with a grimace this was not the time to be thinking about Miley's mother or grandmother.

Miley wriggled slightly, her wet skin gliding along Lilly's torturously. She was smiling and leaned down, bringing their lips together. A fire erupted within Lilly, burning hot throughout her body. Miley's kiss was still tantalizingly slow, but she was pushing against her so completely Lilly's head swam. Miley nipped at her bottom lip and Lilly groaned involuntarily. It was as if she were losing complete control of her body and her hands gripped Miley's hips tighter, the wet material of the girl's underwear pressing against her hands. It wasn't until a hand brushed along her abdomen, sending shockwaves through her, that she managed to pull herself out of the haze.

She grabbed Miley's wrist, gently, and waited for the girl to meet her eyes. "Miley…"

The blue eyes met hers, questioning and Lilly sat up, forcing the girl off of her. The cool air hit her and she shivered. She drew the blanket tightly around both of them. Miley was now practically sitting in between Lilly's legs, her own thrown over her girlfriend's thighs. She was so close Lilly could hardly think.

"What's wrong?" asked Miley.

Lilly sighed. She couldn't believe she was literally rolling in the hay with a girl as gorgeous as Miley and had stopped her. "I don't want you to do something you'll regret."

Miley's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Why would I regret it? I want to be with you."

"Miley…it's just…we've only been together like a week. Isn't that a little fast?"

Miley frowned. "Why? I want to be with you…why would that change if it'd been five months?"

It was a valid point and Lilly, in her current state of agitation really had no counter argument. She looked into the impossible blue eyes before her. "I don't want you to do something you're not ready for, Miles."

Miley laughed. "Why would I come on to you if I wasn't ready?" She seemed to think then suddenly her face fell. "You don't want to be with me?"

Lilly realized she had talked herself into a problem. Her whole body was begging her to make love to Miley, but her brain was having misgivings. What if Miley thought she had to do this because they were girlfriends, or that Lilly wouldn't stay with her if she didn't? Then again, Lilly realized, when did Miley ever do something she absolutely didn't want to?

"Of course I want to be with you, Miley. You are the most beautiful, mesmerizing, amazing girl I've ever known. I just want to make sure this is really what you want." Lilly was warring with herself, part of her hoping Miley would back out and the other part pleading for this to continue.

"It is. Will you make love to me, Lilly?"

She could not deny her girlfriend that request. Lilly leaned forward and kissed Miley softly, cupping her chin. In one swift movement, she gently pushed Miley onto her back and moved on top of her. Miley looked up at her with such trust Lilly had to swallow hard.

"I love you, Lilly," Miley said so softly, but earnestly, it almost brought tears to Lilly's eyes. Everything inside of her screamed it was too soon, that she couldn't say that, couldn't feel it, but she knew it was right. Whatever this was between them, it was complete and all-consuming. It was love.

She rested her cheek against Miley's and whispered in the girl's ear. "I love you, too, Road kill."

Miley laughed. Lilly sat up so she was straddling Miley and ran her hands slowly down her girlfriend's sides. She snuck a hand underneath her back and unhooked Miley's bra. Lilly looked down at the mostly naked form of her girlfriend, trying to drink her all in. Miley's skin was soft and smooth and Lilly trailed her fingers across it, her fingertips brushing against the sides of Miley's breasts. Even in the poor light, she noticed some of the odd scars she had seen on Miley's back reaching across her left shoulder. She traced her fingers across them, surprised to find the skin was smooth.

"What happened?" asked Lilly, reverently, wanting to know everything about this amazing body beneath her.

Miley was still looking at her with those open, trusting eyes. Lilly brushed a hand across her breast and Miley arched into her touch. "Lightning strike."

Lilly stopped, splaying her hand against her girlfriend's taut abdomen. "What?"

Miley looked at her, eyes hooded, her chest rising and falling heavily. "I was…struck by lightning."

Lilly merely gaped at her, fingertips still on the strange scars. She shook her head, trying to wrap her mind around the fact that all that power had gone through this small body and left nothing but an odd array of scars. She leaned down, bringing their lips together again. Miley wrapped her arms around Lilly's neck, holding her close. Lilly trailed her hands along Miley's sides all the way to her hips. She hooked her fingers under the elastic of Miley's underwear and pulled back from their embrace, sliding the underwear down Miley's long legs. Miley watched her, eyes clouded with desire. She lay before her, completely bare and Lilly had to keep her head from spinning. Their eyes met, emotions passing between them that were almost overwhelming.

Lilly trailed her hand along the inside of her girlfriend's thigh. Miley's breath hitched. Lilly moved her body across Miley's, capturing her girlfriend's mouth to stifle the moans as her fingers slipped into the warm wetness for the first time. Miley trembled underneath her and her hands grabbed Lilly's shoulders tightly, holding her in place. Their kiss never picked up pace, never moving past the sensual slowness that defined them so well. Lilly nipped Miley's bottom lip lightly and pulled away, trailing soft kisses along the girl's jaw, towards her neck. She moved at a slow, steady pace and Miley's body trembled with each stroke. Lilly kissed her neck and curled her fingers, making her girlfriend moan into her ear. Miley's nails dug almost painfully into Lilly's shoulder.

Lilly watched her girlfriend's face, the reverent, relaxed look upon it, the way her lips were slightly parted, her eyes closed and she knew it was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen. She did not speed up, keeping up the torturously slow pace, while she left a trail of soft kisses down Miley's torso. Miley grabbed her forearm tightly and Lilly moved up, kissing her tenderly. Miley arched her back and suddenly her whole body stiffened underneath Lilly's, tremors coursing through her. Lilly did not slow or quicken her pace, eyes fixed upon her girlfriend's face. Miley's eyes did not open until several moments later and when they met Lilly's, she smiled.

Lilly removed her hand and wrapped her arms tightly around Miley's body. Miley kissed her, conveying so much emotion and passion with one kiss Lilly felt her throat close up. She laid down next to her girlfriend and Miley turned, burying her head against Lilly's neck. Her arms slipped easily around her girlfriend's bare waist. Lilly held her close and realized after a few minutes, Miley was asleep. She almost laughed, but the seriousness of what had just transpired still weighed heavily on her. Lilly knew, without a doubt, this had been the most intense and most meaningful moment she had ever shared with anyone. Miley was in her heart, so completely and totally, it took Lilly by surprise, but she knew, she would not have it any other way. Because Miley was her one, she was convinced.