A/N: Chapter 3 is up!! If you're suddenly confused, it's because I had a blip and reaised that my dates were all wrong... I am such a fool and, consequently, now running a day behind my scedule. But, to be honest, I was figuring my schedule would go out the window after day one. I followed it so far, but I have ultimately failed.

Anyway, enjoy the next chapter!!

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Chapter 3

22nd December

It was the same battle with her boots as she had had the previous morning, but today Lilly was definitely more sluggish. She had found it very difficult indeed to wake up as her alarm sounded that morning and the shower which greeted her was warm and soothing, lulling her back into sleepiness. The skiing of the day before had certainly taken a toll on her, which she discovered as her body protested when she tried to put on her ski socks with the stiffness in her legs and the tenderness of her bruises.

She was so wrapped up in trying to click the buckles into place that she barely registered the bench she was sitting on dip slightly as another female sat very closely to her.

"Good morning Lilly." A friendly voice, with an accented undertow, greeted the hapless blonde that morning.

Lilly's head shot up as wakefulness flooded her mind for the first time and she felt clearer than she had since she had woken up. She was faced with Miley Stewart's bright smile as the other girl joined her in the mission that was putting on the ski boots.

"Hey Miley." Lilly returned a greeting and she finally clicked the last of the buckles into place, "How'd you sleep last night?"

"Like a baby." Miley happily replied as she slipped her foot into her second boot, "Yourself?"

"Yeah, I slept really well. It was the getting up which nearly killed me." Lilly grinned.

Miley laughed, "Oh dear, well maybe that'll teach you to curb your competitive spirit and take it easy next time in your afternoon sessions?"

"Who told you about my competitive nature?" Lilly asked with a smile.

"Oh please, it's written all over you in soccer practice during gym class. Not forgetting volleyball, softball, track… Need I go on?"

"I didn't realise anyone had noticed." Lilly wondered, "Or that you have been watching me so much?" She teased.

Miley scoffed, "Yeah, I always like to perve on you in gym." Lilly suddenly felt an increasingly familiar awkward spasm in her chest, which strangely heralded pleasure in what Miley was saying. Lilly blinked and tuned in on the rest of Miley's words, "…But how could you not know? You're like, the most competitive person in the year or something. Maybe even the whole school."

"Nuh-uh." Lilly replied.

"Uh-huh." Miley grinned and resumed her attention on tightening her boots, "Dang flabbit, these things are impossible." She muttered impatiently.

Lilly watched Miley struggle for a couple of moments longer and then descended to the floor in front of the brunette, "Here, let me do this for you. It's easier if someone else does."

"Thanks." Miley sighed and heaved herself upright again where she happily watched the goings-on of the changing room. "It smells of feet in here." Miley said conversationally.

Lilly smirked, but maintained her attention on Miley's boots, "Yup. I think that's a smell that's here to stay."

"You could be right."

"There you are." Lilly finished on Miley's boots and the other girl stood up to wiggle her feet, checking the tightness.

"That's brilliant Lils."

Miley extended her hand to help Lilly up, who was already smiling from the shortened version of her name that Miley had adapted. As Lilly finally came to stand in front of the brunette she found Miley taking a quick glance over her outfit.

"You know Lilly; the blue in your ski jacket really brings out the colour of your eyes." Miley stated, "You look really nice. It suits you."

Lilly's stomach did a back-flip and she mentally tried to calm her whirring brain before speaking, "Thank you." She couldn't help but allow her eyes to roam over Miley's own clothing choice; at the close-fitting green jacket with complimenting dark trousers which hugged close to her behind, whilst leaving the legs themselves looking long and slender. Say something and stop staring at her! "I really like your ski clothes too, they fit you really well."

Miley smiled, "Thank you." Her eyes lingered on Lilly's for a little longer until she turned to gather up her skis and poles. "Are you ready for this?"

"Miley, I was born ready." Lilly grinned and together they set off for the slopes.

x-x-x-x-x

Lilly held on tightly as the ski lift jerked forward and she was suddenly yanked up the first part of the climb. She was quite comfortable now that she had got to grips with this new type of lift, although at first it had been a strange idea. She was leaning back onto a button-like seat which had fitted between her legs, whilst she held onto a pole in front of her that kept her attached to the cable wire above and gave one of her hands grip, whilst the other held her ski poles. It was like skiing uphill, but in a very controlled manner as her feet bounced along the uneven ground beneath her. She kept them parallel and made sure to scout out any bumps which threatened to de-seat her. A particularly uneven section of the snow suddenly emerged and Lilly braced herself for the awkward impact, and she was shortly over it.

Lilly turned back and smiled at Miley, who was attached to the button behind her. The brunette at once caught Lilly's eye and grinned back, even managing a wave, but unfortunately taking her eyes off the ground for a moment was a foolish error. Miley stumbled upon the bump in the snow which Lilly had avoided, but was quickly thrown off and spun sideways into one of the small drifts of snow that lined the lift course.

Lilly sighed in mock despair; the only way for Miley to get up now was to start at the beginning, at the bottom of the slope. Yet this was practically impossible since the other girl was hopeless at standing once she had fallen and would be requiring help. Thus Lilly Truscott exited the lift prematurely and skied precariously down to help her friend to her feet.

She found Miley lying in a pile of snow and laughing outrageously. The sound of her amusement filled the quiet air around the girls and twanged upwards in a musical accompaniment to the voices of fellow skiers, and the mechanical noises of the lift. Lilly found herself laughing alongside the other girl, and the sensation of it filled her chest with warm bubbles that made her feel giddy and light-hearted.

Lilly steadied herself and breathed deeply before asking, "How did you manage that?"

Miley was spluttering in search of an explanation as she looked up at Lilly, from her rather not so lady-like position in the snow. She was lying on her back with her legs splayed out in front of her, much like Bambi after his first turn on the ice, and Lilly found herself extending a hand to help her up.

"Th-thank you Lilly." Miley stuttered, once she had managed to get her breathing normal, and reached up to take on Lilly's helpful gesture.

Other skiers passed the two girls and smiled sympathetically as they journeyed up the lift. This included their own instructor whose concern was somewhat masked by his merriment upon seeing his snow-covered students, "Will you be okay girls?"

"Yeah, we'll be just fine thanks." Lilly called back assuredly, before turning her attention to Miley, "Come on Missy, let's get you up and running again.

Fortunately for Lilly they had at least learned their lesson from the previous day and, with a bit of slipping but mostly success, Lilly tugged Miley to her feet and then helped her with her poles. "Thank you." Miley said again, once she was properly standing. "Right, I think we'd better get down there and start all over."

"Yes…" Lilly replied and watched Miley with twinkling eyes.

"What?" Miley asked, as she tried to read the expression on Lilly's face.

"Nothing." Lilly smiled, "Just skiing with you is making the holiday very amusing for me."

Miley stuck out her tongue and, following her blonde companion's lead, managed to make a fairly clean go of the descent.

x-x-x-x-x

Lilly looked up with pride at the slope which she had managed to successfully manoeuvre that morning. She had come to a stop at the bottom, after negotiating between the cones their instructor had set out for them, which had become gradually tighter in the corners and she was the only one to have mastered it.

"Very good Lilly." Jean-Michelle congratulated her as he skied over, "You are ze only one who managed to do zat."

"Well it was easier than I thought it would be," Lilly admitted, "it's all about the control I guess."

"Indeed." Jean-Michelle agreed as he watched one of the nine year olds paying no heed to his obstacle course, as he came careering down the slope, racing one of his brothers. "Lilly, 'ow would you like to move up a group? I think we will only 'old you back if you stay wiz us. There is a space in ze next level, you wouldn't be far behind zem eizzer."

Lilly frowned and glanced down at her skis before looking upward as Miley prepared to make her descent. The brunette was doing well until she lost control in a corner and missed a good few cones, before getting back on track and swerving haphazardly in and out of the final few.

"Thanks for the offer, but I think I would be happier staying put in this group." Lilly answered, before turning her eyes back over to Miley, who was skiing towards her. The brunette's cheeks were flushed pink with mild embarrassment, and pleasure, and her eyes danced wildly as they made contact with Lilly's, until Miley looked away and concentrated on braking.

"As you wish." Jean-Michelle replied, and then he skied off to help one of the middle-aged women who had hit a mount of snow.

"You didn't just see that, did you?" Miley asked as she arrived, panting, next to Lilly.

"Oh no, don't worry, I didn't see that." Lilly smiled and Miley looked relieved, "I didn't see you miss half the cones as you span out of control down the slope, only to regain your focus in the last sector, whilst almost hitting that woman."

Miley punched Lilly lightly in the arm, "You're so funny Truscott." She looked thoughtfully at Lilly for a moment, "What did he want anyway?" She asked as she glanced over to Jean-Michelle.

Lilly chewed her lip, "Nothing really, he just asked me if I wanted to move groups."

"Oh." Miley's eyes were suddenly flooded with disappointment as she looked at Lilly.

"Don't worry, I said I didn't!" Lilly reassured her quickly.

Miley's face lit up for a moment, until she frowned, "But you might do better in a higher group… You're not just staying in this one for me, are you?" She asked tentatively.

Lilly felt her heart thud against her chest, Why else would I stay? "No, of course not. Who do you think you are anyway, the Queen of Sheba?" She teased and Miley chuckled.

"Alright, then why do you want to stay with the misfits?"

"Well, erm, just because, okay?" Miley raised an eyebrow, a signal that she wished for Lilly to continue, "Jean-Michelle said that it was more advanced but I don't feel comfortable with that. I think I'd rather be the big fish in a small pond, rather than the fish that breaks its neck on a red run."

Miley laughed, "And there's the competitive spirit which you tried to convince me you didn't have last night."

x-x-x-x-x

Lilly was gradually becoming more impatient with her family; they seemed insistent on getting through their desserts as slowly as possible and the frustration was racking up as the blonde pushed her empty bowl aside, hoping they'd get the message.

"So, what are everyone's plans for tonight then?" Michael Truscott asked his family and Matt was quick to jump in.

"Sarah and I are going to do this night walk with some other couples in our ski group."

"That sounds lovely dear," Heather Truscott chipped in, "and what about you Lilly?"

Lilly glanced up on hearing her name, she had been rather distracted until now, "I'm going to go and spend some time with Miley in the bar."

Heather nodded, "I'm glad to see you two getting on so well. I knew something good would come out of this holiday." She smiled appraisingly at her daughter, "Just don't drink too much Lilly, skiing on a hangover is never a fun idea."

"Mum!" Lilly squeaked, feeling her cheeks turn red, "Who said we'd be drinking?"

"Oh Lilly, I know European rules are soft. That's one of the reasons why I loved coming skiing when I was your age." Heather conspired with her daughter, "I just thought it would be best to warn you, I'm only doing my motherly duties."

"Yes…" Lilly muttered and scowled at her mother playfully, "Do you mind if I excuse myself? I need to go and get changed."

"What do you need to get changed for?" Matt asked huffily, "You're only going into the next room."

"I might want to freshen up, okay?" Lilly reproached him, before wishing the rest of her family a good night and heading up to her bedroom.

Delving into her closet she pulled out her skinny jeans and a cute top along with her converse. Lilly let her hair hang loose about her shoulders, running a brush through it a few times to ensure that it was tamed. She finally gave herself a look over in the mirror before checking the time and leaving to make her way back to the bar.

The mood in the room was somewhat calmer than it was the previous night, since the children were tucked up in bed and weary skiers had settled into a more peaceful decline for the evening. Lilly felt her own heart beating strongly inside her chest as she found her way over to the couch where a certain brunette girl was seated.

Miley Stewart's long, brown hair hung in tussled curls about her shoulders and spilled over, down to her chest. She was wearing a tight, mauve, sweater that hugged her body with warmth whilst the colour in it made her eyes burn brighter. Her pouting lips spread and grew into a smile that over-powered Lilly's own physical reactions and forced the other girl to grin unendingly back, from some emotion inside the blonde, which she never realised she even had before. Lilly's body was tingling again from that same self-awareness which Miley had induced in her the previous evening, and she once again reminded herself of how charming and pretty, and funny she had to be in order for this girl to like her. For Miley Stewart to like Lilly Truscott truly was a matter of high importance on the young woman's agenda.

"Hey Miley." Lilly said as she took a seat beside the other girl on the couch.

"How's it going Lils?" Miley asked amiably before pushing a glass of white wine towards her, "This is for you."

"Oh, thank you." Lilly found herself blushing, "But, I feel really bad because I haven't bought you a drink yet."

Miley smiled, "It's cool. You can get the next one if ya like." There then followed a pause where Lilly sipped from her drink and Miley turned to gaze into the fire which burned brightly at them from the opposite wall. Somehow the brunette had managed to hold claim to one of the best couches in the room, away from the noise of the bar and television area, in a more secluded corner with the sound-system playing pleasantly in the background.

The fire itself only made their situation grander and it beautified everything that it illuminated. It lit up Miley's eyes whilst shadows thrown out by the flames danced in all the curves of her face. Her cheekbones were made prominent by the dusky lack of light which gathered beneath them, where the fire had failed to ignite, whereas the colours in her hair were outstanding; multiple shades of brown intertwined with rare threads of gold.

"You're hot."

Lilly blinked and choked slightly as she swallowed her drink too quickly, "I-I'm…" She gawked at Miley, "What?"

"You look a little pink, are you too hot?"

Now the heat really did rise into Lilly's cheeks and, as much as she willed it to go, the stronger her face seemed to glow, "Oh, no, no, of course I'm not. I'm just tired; I go red when I'm tired." Lilly explained as embarrassment gurgled up.

"I'm tired too. I think that last slope just about finished me off today." Miley confided, "No, wait. I was probably finished when my brother insisted on seeing my new 'skills'. He chided me so much I really tried to outdo myself and ended up almost flooring one of the women from our group!" Miley shook her head as her eyes crinkled with a silent laughter of their own, "Luckily I hit another snow drift and it cushioned the blow. No major bruises for me…yet." Miley added as an afterthought.

"Well, that's a bonus." Lilly agreed.

"Yeah." Miley smiled at the fireplace. "Hey, speaking of skiing accidents," Her attention quickly returned to Lilly, "How're your bruises doing?"

Lilly's hand slid to where her side would twinge with a short burst of pain if she moved in a disagreeable manner, or would generally ache as she tried to rest. "I think they're okay really, but they don't feel like they're getting any better."

"Let me see."

The simple force of Miley's words was enough to affect Lilly akin to someone having knocked into her chest, mildly winding her. As if moving in a daze she inched her torso around, so that it was easier for Miley to see, and carefully tugged her shirt upward.

Miley's eyes on her bare skin for the second time that holiday was enough to make her melt like the winter snow that was settled on the ground outside, yet Lilly maintained what she hoped looked like a normal composure.

"Gosh…" Miley breathed, "That one's still quite big…" Her fingers crept through the air between them to the place where all of the senses in Lilly's body seemed to be falling over themselves to gather, whilst they awaited the other girl's touch.

Miley paused before she laid her hand on Lilly and met the other girl's eyes. Lilly couldn't read what Miley was thinking since a wall had shot up fast within the depths of her azure irises. Miley's eyebrows creased forward apologetically before she glanced down to the place where Lilly was purple and hurt, and rested her fingertips on the spot where Lilly's side had collided with the ground, just over twenty-four hours ago.

Lilly's chest rose as she inhaled deeply, since up until that moment she had been holding her breath. Miley's hand slipped down and away, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you."

Miley spoke quietly and she looked to Lilly with anxious eyes. It was only then that the blonde realised how closely they were sitting, with thighs almost touching and faces nearer than a foot apart. She leaned backward, into the arm of the couch as she simultaneously lowered her shirt and laughed it all off nervously, "You didn't hurt me at all. It's not a problem."

Miley chewed her lip as she sat lost in her thoughts and Lilly fretted over the other girl's serious composure. Fortunately this was short-lived as Miley's face suddenly lit up and she reached down to where her bag was and started rummaging around. Lilly eased herself into a more comfortable position, allowing her body to loosen but forcing her mind to release the chinks which she had held herself in.

Finally Miley found what she was looking for and thrust forward a small and round tin which she pressed into Lilly's hand, "Here, this is for you."

Lilly looked down and read the label, "Arnica… Hey, this is what you were telling me about yesterday."

"Sure is," Miley smiled, "and it really helps soothe the skin around a bruise."

"Does it make them heal faster?"

Miley shrugged, "I'm don't know about that. My dad just recommended we bring the stuff and I've liked the effect it's had in the past."

Lilly turned the tin over in her hands, "Anything to help get rid of this ugly swelling is good in my book."

Miley frowned a little, "Your bruises aren't ugly."

Lilly laughed, "Miley, they're bruises, of course they're ugly."

Miley shook her head, "Nuh-uh. That's where you're wrong. Take your bruise for example and look at the colours. You've got purple… but then you've also got this green and this yellow, and they all merge and turn into one another, really quite naturally. And just think, your bruise started out small and puny but gradually blossomed out. Kind of like a flower. You also know that it's not going to stay around for long, so it's got a sort of mortality to it, which makes it precious, in a way; because mortality is precious. Plus all bruises tell a story and that one reeks of skiing holiday fun times."

"You know, that's sort of poetic."

Miley grinned, "Well I'm sorta creative."

"I thought you would be." Lilly replied and looked at Miley closely, "But, I really don't know much about you Miley Stewart."

One of Miley's hands had risen to play aimlessly within the chocolate depths of her hair and she leaned against her armrest as she smiled at Lilly coyly, "What do you want to know?"

Everything. "I don't know. What you get up to in your spare time. What you like and dislike; music, sport, television, movies… That's just to name a few things."

"Well, we have a lot of time to get to know each other." Miley said simply, "Plus I want to get to know you a little bit better." She looked thoughtful, "What music do you like, Lilly?"

"That's not fair! I asked you first." Lilly pouted and Miley smiled at her new friend's sulk.

"I like all sorts; pop, country, jazz and rock, to name a few."

Lilly nodded, "Yeah same, including some punk stuff my dad was into when he was younger."

Miley grinned, "I don't know much about that... My dad introduced me to the tamer side of music."

"Yeah well, that's all good too." Lilly agreed, "I mean, you can't go wrong with a bit of Hannah Montana really can you?"

"Do you like her?" Miley asked, and Lilly suddenly noticed that her face had assumed the same poker-face expression that she had adopted earlier, when her hands had been on Lilly's skin.

This is a test… what do I say? "Yes." Lilly replied bravely, "I mean I know she's mostly for kids, and it's kind of lame for a seventeen year old to listen to her music… But I just like the message her lyrics put across and they give people hope. Her songs could mean anything you want them to, and they always have the ability to cheer me up." Lilly glanced downwards in apparent shame but Miley only smiled warmly.

"I like Hannah's music too."

"She's got something special." Lilly quipped and Miley laughed.

"And when she's looking at you, you wanna get all sentimental?"

"Something like that." Lilly muttered shyly as Miley's eyes seemed to glow brighter than before.

"Do you want another drink?"

"Why not? But this time I'm buying." Lilly rose from the sofa and headed towards the bar where she stood and asked for two glasses of white wine again. She could feel that Miley was watching her without even needing to look in her direction, and something about knowing that made Lilly's stomach surge with tiny bubbles that rose through her, like all the fizz in a glass of champagne.

"Thank you Lilly." Miley said as the blonde lowered her drink onto the table in front of them.

"My pleasure." Lilly smiled and took her place next to Miley again.

The two girls sat in amiable silence, as they took sips from their refreshed glasses, until a certain track from the sound system made the corners of Lilly's mouth twitch, "Hannah Montana… it's almost as if they knew we had just been talking about her."

Miley chuckled, "Yup."

"I didn't realise her music would be played here, in the Alps."

"Look around you Lilly," Miley pointed out, "most of the people in this bar are English-speaking. They haven't really played any songs in other languages tonight."

"Oh." Lilly's expression turned to thoughtful as her mind absorbed the familiar lyrics that Hannah Montana was belting out across this small bar area, in a hotel in the French mountains. "I really like this song; it's one of my favourites."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah." Lilly smiled, "I had tickets to go and see her perform in LA a couple of months ago, and I couldn't wait… but she cancelled. Apparently she had a throat infection and couldn't perform."

"Rumour has it she wanted to re-schedule but couldn't because the venue was already booked up for the next few weeks." Miley chipped in.

"Ah, that explains it." Lilly nodded, "I was so disappointed though. I've always wanted to see her perform live, more than anyone else, you know?"

Miley's eyes glittered as the light of the fire danced within their cerulean depths, "I know. And one day you will get to see her sing live Lilly."

"Yeah, I hope so. I mean, I know it's lame that I should want to see Hannah Montana but I do think she's really cool. Everyone is always talking about how she's great live and how she makes everyone in her audiences feel like her best friend." Lilly laughed, "Oh god, I actually am the dorkiest person in the world."

Miley grinned, "Nah. I'm far dorkier than you Lilly, don't you worry."

"How? How could you be dorkier than someone who idolises Hannah Montana?"

"Idolising?" Miley raised her eyebrows, "Gees Lilly, I didn't realise you had the Hannah Love that bad." She teased.

Lilly shook her head in mock exasperation, "I don't love Hannah Montana. I just like her music… Perhaps a little too much." Lilly contemplated.

"You can never love anything too much."

Lilly halted in her movements and her glass of wine stopped a little away from her lips. There was a lingering depth to Miley's tone that had turned the mood, yet she was certain if Miley had spoken in that way before that evening, Lilly would not have noticed. She was beginning to adapt to who Miley was, and it was exciting.

Lilly lowered her glass to the table and looked at Miley carefully. She was sitting and gazing into the fire again, leaning casually against the arm of her chair but her eyes gave everything away. Lilly was learning this now; she knew to take a chance on Miley's eyes because they would always tell her the truth, even if she couldn't read what it was.

"What do you mean?" Lilly asked tentatively, and Miley's smile was very small when she looked back at Lilly.

"Just what I said; that you can't love anything too much. The ability to doesn't exist, since love is an endless and unfathomable thing to judge, like the ocean, or the number of miles that exist in space."

Lilly smiled, "That's deep."

Miley's face lost all tension and seriousness fled her bottomless eyes, "I'm not just a pretty face Truscott."

"I wasn't saying you were." Lilly grinned, "With all this poetry about my bruises being beautiful, and speculation on love, I would say you're far more profound then I would ever have guessed."

Miley shrugged her shoulders apologetically, "I'm sorry. It's a strange personality trait of mine." The brunette sighed, "It's 'cause I keep to myself and don't have much of a life outside of school."

Lilly frowned and wondered if she would be rude to press much further, yet decided against it due to the overwhelming urge she had to get to know Miley Stewart better, "What do you do in your spare time?"

Miley looked at Lilly seriously, "If I told you, I'd have to kill you." She deadpanned.

"Oh ha ha."

Miley grinned, "I spend loads of time with my family, and doing homework."

"Cool, but what do you do when you're not doing that stuff?"

Miley shrugged, "Not a lot. I've only lived in Malibu for a few months, but I haven't really clicked with anyone at school, until now maybe…" She smiled at Lilly and the appreciation which glowed from her eyes was unmistakable, "I'm not normally such a quiet person but I've found settling down here hard after leaving Nashville."

Lilly nodded, "I'd hate to be dragged away from my friends and taken somewhere else when I'm just two years from completing high school. Especially somewhere that has Amber and Ashley." Lilly mock shuddered, but Miley caught on quickly.

"Yeah, they can be real nasty sometimes."

"Well, you don't have to face them alone anymore. That is, if you could stand to hang out with me some more?"

Miley looked away with a small smirk, before looking back at Lilly shyly, "I would love to."

"Besides, with me you get the whole package; you also get Oliver Oken thrown in there, free of charge."

Miley giggled, "Oh Oliver… he tried to hit on me on my first day."

Lilly's jaw dropped, "You're kidding?"

Miley laughed and shook her head, "Nope. Don't worry; he soon gave up when he saw some other girl, a senior, strutting down the hallway in an almost non-existent skirt. But it was funny."

Lilly shook her head despairingly, "Wait 'til I bring this up with him…"

"Poor guy." Miley added and her eyes found Lilly's once more, "You know, when I first came to the school, I thought the two of you were an item."

"That happens a lot."

"But then I realised that you weren't, you're just really close."

"Like brother and sister sometimes." Lilly admitted.

"I think that's real sweet. I love how a boy and girl can be so friendly and not be in a relationship."

"It is nice." Lilly pondered, "Although, I've often wondered to myself why we're not. We just don't seem to click that way together."

"Fair enough." Miley agreed.

"What about you?" Lilly enquired, "Out of all your friends that you left behind, was there someone really great in particular that you miss loads now?"

Miley looked thoughtful, "There are plenty of people that I miss, but no one that special."

"No pining boyfriend back in Nashville?" Lilly asked, although she found the question difficult since it got stuck in her throat on the way up, so she took another sip of wine, it was helping her loosen up.

Miley shook her head slowly, "I don't have a boyfriend. Do you?"

"All the boys at school are freaks." Lilly answered straight away, it was the same response she had been giving her mother over the past year.

"That's just what I thought." Miley muttered.

Lilly shifted her position in her chair and immediately felt the reminding jolt of unease in her side when she pressed too hard on the couch. Her whole body was beginning to suffer from the day's labour and she knew that bed wasn't too far away. Miley seemed to be feeling the same as yawns flocked her thick and fast until she was stretching and blinking back sleepiness.

Lilly nudged Miley with her leg, "I think we should get to bed soon."

"Sounds like a plan." Miley's voice rumbled. Her tiredness was very becoming in terms of giving her voice that extra inch of appeal, Lilly secretly decided.

I wonder what her voice sounds like first thing in the morning? Probably all croaky and deep, like this. But it's kinda nice. Lilly smiled to herself, "I'm gonna head up then. Thanks for such a great evening. It's the perfect way to finish a hard day of skiing, just having a couple of drinks in the bar with good company."

"Aw shucks Lil, you flatter me." Miley laughed as the pair slowly rose to their feet. "I'm just gonna go and see my brother before going to bed, he's by the TV… as always." Miley rolled her eyes and grinned at Lilly, "Are you going to be able to find your way back okay?"

"Come on Miley, I'm not that hopeless."

"Sure." Miley chuckled as Lilly pouted; an expression which she had quickly picked off Miley and was enjoying exploiting.

"Well, I'm not as hopeless as you Miley Stewart; you can't even find your way down a ski slope properly."

Miley opened her mouth to protest, but quickly decided against it, "You know, you're probably right." Her eyes caught the light from the fire once more and burned captivatingly and Lilly found herself staring shamelessly into them. The endless layers of blue on further subtle colours of blue, with tinges of green, were drawing her in…

"Goodnight Lilly." Miley said, and stepped forward to eradicate all distance between them.

Before she could stop herself, Lilly found her arms open wide alongside Miley's and leaned into the brunette's embrace. For a few, blessed, moments the entire world slowed down until Lilly was not even sure if anything existed out of the sacred aura that circulated around herself and the other girl. Everything about Miley from her touch to the smell of her hair that winter's evening had wrapped Lilly up so tightly that her chest was constricted for want of air. When she did breathe in she could almost taste the fragrance of Miley's sweet smelling hair in her mouth. Miley's arms were so perfectly warm and comfortable that Lilly became addicted and filled with a mad desire to never let go, for if she did, then, would her body break apart?

Miley released her hold on Lilly and the air that rose up between them seemed cold after the blonde had been surrounded by such endless warmth, and without Miley holding onto her she seemed lacking in some way.

"See you tomorrow Lilly Truscott."

"Not if I see you first Miley Stewart," Lilly replied and, without being able to stop herself, found herself winking. It was a rare sensation, for Lilly never winked unless she had something in her eye. It was that, more than the feelings that she had during their hug, which made her begin to question herself so thoroughly.

"Sleep tight." Miley's husky voice bade her, and the brunette started to walk away, leaving Lilly with a lingering look that the blonde knew would haunt her all the way until she went to sleep.

"You too." Lilly muttered and Miley turned away, walked beyond the bar and then disappeared from sight.

Lilly raised a steady hand to the place where she could feel her heart beating in her chest and rested it there, underneath her shirt and against her skin. She knew now that her feelings for Miley Stewart were no longer platonic, although she was uncertain as to whether they had ever been in the first place. The thought that this other girl could induce such emotions and passions within her was frightening. Yet within her being and just discernable in her sky-blue eyes, Lilly was surging with an electrifying desire that no longer had anything to do with skiing with, or merely becoming Miley's friend.

-

Right by a fire place
We shared our first embrace
And then inside my heart
I felt a fire start

-

Gabriella Cilmi