Meanwhile, Oliver was storming home. He felt angry, confused, sad, heart-broken, and alone. He let himself into his house and fell into bed.
He woke up the next morning to his cell phone vibrating on the floor next to his bed. He picked it up and squinted at the tiny screen. "Thirty-seven missed calls from Lilly." He blinked. "That's ridiculous." He called her back.
"Where have you been?" Lilly demanded.
"Sleeping," he yawned. "Why?"
"It's almost two in the afternoon!"
"Wow, time flies when you're hopeless and alone," he said bitterly.
"Stop being stupid. I want you to pull yourself together. Take a shower, take a walk, eat something. Miley's plane leaves at five. Do you want to go with me to see her off?"
"Does a burn victim want to take a bath in a tub of lemonade?"
"Alright, I'm trying really hard to be sympathetic, but you're making that very difficult."
"I don't want sympathy," he said, suddenly, irrationally, angry. "I want Miley." He hung up and tossed the phone aside. He slammed outside and wandered down the beach. He threw himself down on the sand when he was far enough away from his house and stared out at the waves, amazed that the ocean was so calm when he was so stormy inside.
He must have fallen back asleep; the next thing he heard was someone calling his name. He sat up abruptly and say Lilly running towards him. "Hey?" he said, blinking the sleep away.
"What are you doing?" She jerked him roughly to his feet and began dragging him across the sand.
"What?" he said. "Let go."
"It's almost four!" she nearly shrieked. "I sent Miley to the airport in a cab. If you want a last goodbye, then we have to go now."
"What's the point?" he said. "I'm just going to go and watch her walk away, and get my heart broken all over again. Thanks, but no thanks."
"Wow." She shook her head. "I really didn't think you'd give up like that. I'm disappointed in you." She shrugged. "Have it your way." She turned to walk away.
He gaped at her. "What would you have me do? She's leaving. She has her ticket, she's all packed—nothing I can say will even matter now, so what's the point?"
"The point?" She came back towards him. "Didn't you watch the movie last night? If you'd stayed for the whole thing you would know that love prevailed and they stayed together. He didn't leave."
"It was a movie," he sneered. "They had to make up."
"Yeah, and this is love," she shot back. "Oliver, you love her. You know that, I know that: make her believe it."
"It's too hard," he complained.
"Fine," she said. "Be that way. But if this is how the next years of our lives are going to be, count me out. As for right now, I'm going to go say goodbye to my best friend. You owe her the same courtesy." She turned and hiked up the beach.
"Lilly, wait!" He tore after her and they ran together to Lilly's car.