Disclaimer: I don't own Hannah Montana.
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A/N: Sorry for the delay in posting this, but I hope the long chapter will make up for the wait. Thanks again for the reviews, faves and follows. I read every comment and I appreciate it a lot! Keep it up and I will keep posting :)
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Shooting Rainbows
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Chapter 5:
Oliver was trying his best to stay awake during the meeting. He had no idea what he was doing there, since it had nothing to do with his department's field, but his boss had to be there and couldn't, so he was asked to fill in for him.
He had such a headache from the night before and he barely gotten any sleep. The meeting was long and boring and he was stuck in the conference room, having to listen to matters that did not interest or relate to him in any way.
He was daydreaming of coffee or sleep. Yes, sleep sounded better. He thought maybe he will be able to go home earlier today. His boss wasn't around and he finished most of today's work yesterday. It was the perfect opportunity.
His eyes, though half closed, were fixed on the clock that hung on the wall on the far side of the room, noting it was noon soon and he would be able to go to lunch. A sudden thought occurred to him to actually skip lunch and just fall asleep for an hour on his desk instead. The idea sounded heavenly in his head.
A sudden movement through the glass wall of the room caught his eyes and he looked over to see Jake standing outside and waving at him. Oliver hoped none of his coworkers noticed his friend. He could really get into trouble for this. His phone suddenly buzzed in his pocket and he was thankful he kept it on vibrate mode, or else the tune would have made every head in the room turn to scowl at him.
He silently pulled his phone out, thankful no one in the room even knew him to care enough to look at him, and put it under the table and read the text from Jake. 'Sup?' it said. Oliver rolled his eyes in irritation. He texted him back, 'Meeting's over soon. Wait in my office. Don't talk to people!'
He looked up to see Jake reading the message. Jake looked up from his phone, gave him a thumbs-up and then walked off over to Oliver's office.
The meeting reached to an end about ten minutes later. Oliver rushed over to his office to look for Jake.
His office was a rather small space and he had to share it with another coworker, but he didn't mind. It's not like he required privacy for the kind of job that he had.
Oliver entered his office and found Jake leaning over his office-mate's desk. Her name was Julie and she was exactly Jake's type: she was slutty and pretty. Jake only cared for good looking women and nothing else. They could be gorgeous but completely brainless and he wouldn't care. After all, it was breasts that Jake was looking for in women, not brains. Julie seemed to like Jake's presence in the room and didn't mind his flirting one bit. Oliver rolled his eyes and without even an apology to Julie, he grabbed his man-whore friend and dragged him over to his own desk.
Oliver sat in his chair, appearing exhausted than ever and looked up at Jake. "What are you doing here?" he asked him tiredly.
Jake flashed him a perfect white smile. "I finished filming my scenes early today, so I thought we could go grab lunch together."
"Well, as tempting as it sounds, I can't. I have to finish a project due today and if I want to leave early and get some sleep before tonight, I need to skip lunch." Oliver faced the truth; if he wanted to get home early today, not only will he have to skip lunch, but also his so desired desk-nap.
Jake furrowed his eyebrows. "What's with you? You don't look good."
Oliver sighed and began to rub his temples in attempt to get rid of his headache. "Lilly and I got hammered last night."
Jake squinted at him. "Did you sleep with her?"
"No!" Oliver replied defensively.
Jake chuckled. "I knew you didn't have it in you."
Oliver shot him a glare. "I'm not you, you slut."
"That's right, you're not. You're gay," he said in a matter-of-factly tone.
Oliver quickly shushed him. He looked nervously at Julie. Judging by the look she gave him, she obviously heard that last part. "I'm not gay," he told her weakly, letting out a nervous laugh.
She raised her eyebrows in return, got up from her desk while muttering, "That explains so much..." and left the room.
Oliver shot up from his chair and punched Jake's shoulder hard. Jake gasp in pain and held his aching shoulder, looking shocked.
"What are you trying to do to me? It's not funny anymore, Jake!" Oliver hissed. "First you're outing me to my roommate, now my coworkers. What gives?"
"Oliver, get over it. So Lilly thinks you're gay and will never screw you, big deal. There are plenty of fish in the sea, ones that I didn't have time to go over yet."
"First of all, she's my roommate. I don't think of her that way. Secondly, just because she thinks that, doesn't mean my whole office needs to think so, too!" Oliver said piercingly. He took a deep breath to settle down and then spoke calmly. "The last thing I need is rumors flying around here about my sexual orientation. People here likes to gossip and now Julie heard –"
"Let me take care of Julie," Jake interrupted with a mischievous smile playing on his lips.
Oliver rolled his eyes. "Great, so it's either people talking about me behind my back or Julie giving me hell because you didn't call her the next day," he said, referring to Jake's usual date routine of Jump-And-Dump, as Oliver called it.
Jake shrugged. "Who said life is fair?"
Oliver pouted as he thought about it for a moment, considering his options. "Fine. Go have sex with Julie."
Jake chuckled lightly. "It's not like I needed your permission. I mean, I already asked her out a minute before you came in," he said smugly.
"Whatever. Just before you dump her, make sure that she didn't blab about this to her friends and if she did, she better correct herself."
"Consider it done. I'm gonna make you legendary straight."
Oliver blinked at him, a serious expression on his face. "I am straight," he reminded him.
Jake tapped the side of his nose and winked. "But not legendary."
Oliver rolled his eyes again. "Fine. Now go, get out of my office and let me work." He pushed Jake out of the door.
"You're such a nerd," Jake laughed and began to walk off. "I'll go find Julie and ask her what time to pick her up tonight."
Oliver frowned. "Wait! You're taking her out tonight?"
Jake stopped and turned to look at Oliver. "Yeah..."
Oliver's shoulders sagged at that. "I can't believe you're bailing out on me," he said in disappointment.
Jake looked confused. "What are you talking about?"
"The Lakers game! We got those tickets like a month ago, remember?"
Jake's eyes widened. "That's tonight?" Oliver nodded. "Well, they're playing the Knicks, so chances are I am the one who get to score more than them," Jake said with a smirk. Oliver gave him a gloom look and walked back into his office. Jake followed him. "Listen, Ol, I'm sorry, but I will make it up to you. Julie won't doubt for a second that you're straight."
"Yeah, whatever..." Oliver said moodily, waving him off as he slumped into his chair again.
"You can still go to the game."
Oliver looked up at him and gave him a skeptical glare. "By myself? It won't be the same."
"Do you want me to ask Julie if she has a friend? An easy one is even better. You'd get laid without even trying."
Oliver shook his head in disbelief at his friend's suggestion. "I think I'll pass."
Jake sighed. "Geez, Oliver, no wonder people think you're gay..." he said with a roll of his eyes. "Ooh, I know, why don't you take Lilly with you?"
The thought hadn't even occurred to Oliver. He could ask her to go with him. It'd be a total waste of the tickets if neither he nor Jake gets to use them. He wondered if Lilly was even interested in basketball to even want to go to the game. On the other hand, it was the Lakers, he didn't know a single Angelino who didn't support them. "I guess I could ask her."
"Great! I hope you'll have fun. I sure know I will," Jake said with a wink, clapping Oliver on the back and heading out again.
"I hope you'll get an STD!" Oliver called out the door and Jake's laugh echoed down the hall.
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Hungry and exhausted, Oliver managed to get home earlier that day like he hoped. As he walked through the door, he spotted Lilly in the living room. She was knitting what looked like a scarf while she listened to music playing on TV. Her head was moving from side to side in sync with the song and he could hear her singing along, though she was very out of tune.
"Hey," he greeted her tiredly. He walked straight to the kitchen, not waiting for her to reply.
"Hi!" she said cheerfully from her spot on the couch. "You're home early."
Oliver opened the fridge and started searching for something edible. His eyes sparked when he saw last night's leftovers. He grabbed the pot of macaroni and cheese and put it on the counter after kicking the fridge's door shut.
"Uh, yeah..." he said distractedly as he poured himself a bowl and shoved it into the microwave. "Jake and I were supposed to have a thing tonight, but he ditched me. Do you want to eat with me?" he called over his shoulder, not wanting to be rude by not asking her to join him.
"No, thank you. I already ate. Didn't expect you home at this hour," she replied.
As he waited for his meal to heat up, he walked back to the living room and stood by her, so they could have a more proper and polite conversation.
She neglected her knitting and looked up at him. "So what thing?"
"Just a game," he said, shrugging his shoulders. He wasn't quite sure how to tell her. He wanted to ask her to go with him because she was the only one left that he could ask, and he didn't want to go alone. He wondered if she would even be interested. Did girls even like basketball?
She smiled at him, as if amused at his shyness.
He pulled out the two tickets for tonight's game out of the back pocket of his jeans and examined them.
To his great surprise, Lilly jumped to her feet the second she saw the tickets and rushed over to him to see them up close. "Are those Lakers tickets?" she asked, her mouth wide open, voice full of wonder. He nodded and let her take a look, and she began to inspect their genuineness.
The microwave beeped three times, signaling to Oliver that his food was ready. He turned and walked back into the kitchen, leaving Lilly rooted in place, still marveling the tickets in her hands. "Yeah, but it's not like I get to use them now that Jake canceled –"
"I'll go! Take me!" she called eagerly and his head span around in surprise.
"Really?" he asked with a doubtful frown, not sure if she was serious, but she nodded vigorously. "You like sports?"
Lilly grinned, walking over and sitting with Oliver at the dining table as he began to eat. "Are you kidding? I spent half of my childhood skateboarding, surfing and playing soccer. I was the tomboy of my class."
He laughed. "Really?" he asked again, still finding it hard to believe. Okay, so she wasn't ugly looking, but when he looked closely at her, he could defiantly see how she was a tomboy. She was kind of still one. Her clothes were too casual and her hair was always up in a messy bun. Her eyes, ocean blue, he noticed, were always framed behind her thick glasses and never once had he seen her wear any makeup on her face. Still, he thought she was quite pretty in her own, unique way.
She nodded and smirked, seeing how he was watching her. "Yeah, but I got over that phase when I reached high school and became a cheerleader."
Oliver's eyes grew even wider if it was even possible. "You were not a cheerleader!" he laughed.
She shook her head and raised her hand in an oath sign. "I was. Guilty." She arched an eyebrow at his disbelieving face. "Is it so hard to believe?"
Oliver leaned back in his chair and shrugged. "To me it is. The cheerleaders in my high school were always mean and bitchy. It might be a stereotype, but the impression I was left thanks to them was that all cheerleaders were like that. I just can't imagine you acting like them. You're so... nice."
"Why, I don't know if I should be offended or flattered. I mean, I know what you're talking about. We had a few nasty girls on our squad as well, but not all of us were like that."
"I'm sorry, I just have many scars from high school."
"What school did you go to?" she asked, not really meaning to learn the school's name, but because she was shocked at his point of view and wondered what kind of people he went to school with, that made him feel like that.
"One that groomed bitches and Queen B's out of cheerleaders and douchebags out of jocks, and they ruled the school. It was your typical American kind of high school."
"Uh-oh. So I'm sensing you weren't one of the jocks?"
"Nah. I did try for the football team at one point, but like I said, they were all douchebags and a bunch of dimwits and I didn't get along with them, so I quitted."
Lilly smiled sympathetically at him. "It kinda makes me wish we went to school together. I'm sure we would have had gotten along pretty well."
Oliver looked at her doubtfully. "I don't know... Would you have risked your popular reputation to be seen with a nobody like me?"
Lilly chuckled at that. "First of all, just because I was a cheerleader, does not mean I was popular, just athletic. Miley and I were considered to be the top losers of our class. And secondly, you wouldn't be a nobody. You would've been my friend."
She reached her hand across the table to grab his and gave him a sweet smile. Oliver felt his heart melt at the curve of her lips. Her words touched him and made him wish he did know her back in high school. It would have saved him so much pain and heartache if that was the case.
Suddenly, she perked and straightened up in her seat. "So, what do you say? Can I go with you?"
He was so dazzled and still engrossed with her earlier speech that he didn't understand what she talked about. He blinked. "Go where?"
"To the game, silly!" She laughed.
He shook his head, clearing his thoughts and remembering how they even gotten to talk about this emotional matters in the first place. "Oh," he said stupidly, and then he gave her a mischievous grin. "I don't know. You still haven't proven me you're worthy of the ticket."
She huffed in shock, not expecting his response. "Fine. Wait right here."
She got up from the table and disappeared into her room. A minute later she returned, wearing a purple and gold Lakers jersey that was too large for her tiny frame that it covered her bottom. She also had a yellow foam finger on her hand, which she saluted him with. She twirled around in a circle and then put her hands on her waist, the foam finger sticking out in a weird angle, while she awaited his answer. "So? What do you say?"
He chuckled, amazed at her appearance. "Wow. A true Lakers fan in this very room. What more could I ask for? Sure, you can come."
"Eeep!" she squealed in excitement, jumping up and down. Oliver laughed at her reaction. It's not like she really needed a reason to convince him. Once she said she wanted to go, he knew he would take her. He merely enjoyed that playful time they just shared together.
Before he'd seen it coming, Lilly grabbed him in a tight hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she said eagerly and gave him a wet peck on the cheek before she disappeared back into her room.
Oliver chuckled, a little taken aback by her enthusiasm. Who would have thought this would be her reaction? Certainly not him.
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"Are you sure you want to come? You don't have to," Oliver said to Lilly through the closed bathroom door as she was getting ready later that evening.
"Oliver..." she said in a warning tone.
"I know, I know. I'm just saying, it's Friday night, you probably have better plans and you feel sorry that I don't have anyone to go with, so as my roommate you feel obligated to come because you don't want me to feel pathetic –"
"Oliver!" she called again, cutting him mid-sentence. "Enough with the 'feeling'! I don't think you're pathetic. On the contrary, I'm the pathetic one. You had game tickets while I didn't have any plans for tonight. You're the first that asked me to go out tonight, and I'll be more than happy to spend the night with you."
Oliver was relieved to hear her say that. Wait... that didn't sound right...
"I meant..." she said, also catching on the double meaning of her words.
He chuckled to ease the tension. "I get it."
He checked the time on his watch, noting they were running late. "What is taking you so long?" he whined, feeling edgy.
"Hey, I'm a girl! We're allowed to take our time in the bathroom!" she called defensively.
Oliver exhaled in annoyance and walked into his bedroom to check his own appearance in the large mirror of his closet. It took him exactly two minutes to get ready. He wore a black t-shirt and a Lakers jacket above it, a pair of jeans and sneakers, and sprayed on some colon. He didn't need anything else.
He heard the lock of the bathroom door rattle and then Lilly emerged out. Or at least he thought it was her. She wore Lilly's jersey, but tucked it inside a tight pair of skinny jeans which she matched with a pair of black stilettos. She was the same as Lilly's height (minus the high heels, of course) and even had the same hair color that Lilly had, but she didn't look like Lilly, but more like a new version of her or even her twin sister.
Her hair was down, finally not set up in a bun. Her glasses were gone and she even wore makeup; not too much, but it was evident she had put on something. It was just a touch of mascara and eyeliner, a bit of blush and lip-gloss, but it did a whole lot of difference to her face.
Lilly looked different. She looked...
"...beautiful," Oliver blurted.
She turned to look at him, seeing him gazing at her wide-eyed. "What?" she asked, a bit self-conscious, obviously not hearing what he said.
He shook his head out of his stupor. He remembered he wasn't supposed to be staring at her. "Nothing. Ready to go?"
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Oliver and Lilly decided it'd be better to ride a taxi to Staples Center, where the game was held. At this hour of the evening, the roads were packed with traffic. Their main fear was to get held up by looking for a parking space if they'd rode Oliver's car, so they thought this was the quicker option.
They reached their destination with twenty minutes until the start of the game. The place was packed with people; the crowd was colored with a palette of gold and purple for the Lakers fans and blue and orange for the Knicks supporters. They managed to squeeze their way through and get to the entrance line quickly and easily.
Oliver and Lilly waited in line. Oliver noticed Lilly was slightly shivering from cold, her hands wrapped around herself to keep her warm. She didn't have anything on but her short sleeve jersey. He pulled off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. She looked over her shoulder at him in surprise. "You'd get cold," she said, about to protest and take the jacket off.
He stopped her. "You need it more than I do."
She smiled in gratitude. "Thank you," she said sweetly.
They reached the front of the line. An usher checked their tickers and stirred them to the right gate. As they moved through the horde of the crowd, Oliver grabbed Lilly's hand so they won't lose each other.
As the crowd began to thin, signaling the game was about to start, they finally reached their gate. Oliver spotted the snack bar and stopped Lilly.
"Do you want anything?" he asked.
She seemed to hesitate. "Hmm... I don't know..."
Oliver was sure she was just being shy. He didn't wait for her to decide. "I'll just go grab us beers."
"Okay," she accepted the offer and waited for him to return.
Luckily the snack bar wasn't busy. Everyone had hurried to get inside to see the game. Oliver returned a minute later with two cups of beer. Lilly thanked him, grabbed hers and together they walked through the gate to search for their seats. "Oh, this is awesome!" Lilly said when they found them. They had great seats: second level, front row, right in the center. Oliver was glad that Jake had paid for the tickets since they were quite expensive. Serves him right for ditching him. "Remember to thank Jake for me for not coming tonight."
Oliver grinned. "I sure will."
They managed to arrive just in time. The cheerleaders finished their routine and the crowd began to buzz with excitement. Loud chatter, cheer calls, whistles and applause filled the hall. Every now and again a flash of a camera flared from every angle. Finally, the announcer introduced the teams and they entered the court, one player after the other as they were called by their names.
The game started off great. The crowd cheered each time the ball entered the loop. Every time the Lakers scored, Oliver and Lilly jumped to their feet and cheered on and Lilly waved her foam finger high in support.
By half-time, the Knicks were in the lead, 74-59. Things didn't look that good for the Lakers.
Oliver and Lilly sipped from their now warm beers. They reviewed some of the great scores their supported team achieved and talked animatedly with their hands, laughing at some of the poor moves a few players made.
Before the second half of the game began, the song Kiss Me by Sixpence None the Richer began playing through the hall. The announcer asked everyone's attention to look at the giant hanging scoreboard above. Oliver and Lilly watched as a camera fixed on various couples and they were asked to kiss. Some happily kissed, while others refused politely. The crowd cheered and laughed at the different combinations. They even caught a few celebrities. Then, without even expecting it coming, Oliver and Lilly appeared on the screen.
It took them both a few seconds to realize what was happening, and then they both started laughing, Lilly hiding behind her giant foam finger, her face turning bright crimson in embarrassment. The announcer spoke up, "Come on, it's the Kiss Cam. Give us a kiss!"
Oliver watched as Lilly straightened up, looked at the scoreboard again, still seeing the camera was fixed on them before she turned to look at him. He saw her fighting a laugh, a smile quivering on her lips. She was obviously too nervous to be in the spotlight. People around them began to urge them to kiss; two guys from the row behind them clapped Oliver's shoulder in encouragement.
"Friends?" Oliver asked, breaking the tension and Lilly nodded.
"They will come back to us later if we won't," she said and Oliver thought she had a point.
They closed their eyes and leaned in, their noses bumping, their breath mingling together and then their lips met. The touch of Lilly's lips on Oliver's was soft and light and amazing, but to his great dismay, it ended too quickly. As they pulled apart, Oliver opened his eyes and saw Lilly's ocean blue orbs staring at him in question. Around them, the crowd cheered again and the announcer said, "That's the way to do it!"
They were the last couple to appear on the Kiss Cam and then the players walked in and waited for the whistle to blow and start the game again.
Before the lights dimmed, Oliver noticed the blush on Lilly's cheeks was still there and wondered if his face was red as well. She seemed to be focused on the game, but he couldn't concentrate on what was happening on the court bellow after what just happened. His mind kept thinking about Lilly's lips brushing his. The kiss was perfect. Not too harsh or too forced, it was perfectly moist. He wanted a repeat of it and this time he wanted it to last more than a second and maybe involve their tongues in the process as well.
Then he remembered a slight obstacle. He can't kiss her again, since he wasn't supposed to like kissing girls. Oliver cursed Jake and his plan silently and wished he never agreed to pretend he was gay in the first place. If he'd told Jake before that he didn't think of Lilly that way, then he definitely changed his mind now.
"You're okay?" Lilly asked in concern once the game was over. Surprisingly, the Lakers won, 104-98. "You seem quiet."
Oliver looked at her, but didn't say anything. He grabbed her hand again as they walked out. Lilly let him pull her through the crowd again and when they finally walked out to the cold's night air, she stopped.
"Is it going to be weird now?" she asked worriedly. "Because I don't want us to feel awkward around each other."
Oliver stopped as well and sighed. "Everything is fine, don't worry."
She folded her hands over her chest defensively. "So you're not thinking about the kiss?"
He wanted to say that he will always think about it, that there wasn't a possible way now that a day will go by without him remembering what it feels like to have her lips pressed to his, that he will probably dream about it tonight and for the rest of his life. Instead, he just smiled and said, "You call that a kiss? It was mere a peck, and a bird is even pecking better."
She raised an eyebrow, unfolded her hands and put them on her hips. "Excuse me?"
He turned around and ignored her, a smile stretching on his face and he was glad she couldn't see it. He started walking through the street, leaving her behind. "I'm hungry. Want to go grab a slice of pizza?"
Oliver heard her huff in irritation. Then her heels clicked as she marched up to him. "I'll have you know I'm a great kisser!"
Oliver tried his best not to laugh at her exasperation, but his amusement was still evident in his voice. "I'm sure you are, but as they say, different strokes for different folks."
"Oh. Right," she said, Oliver wondered if for a moment she forgot he was allegedly gay.
"So... pizza?" Oliver asked again, changing the subject.
She looked up at him, forced on a smile and nodded.
They walked together in quiet until they reached a Pizza Hut that was still open and luckily empty. They realized they were hungrier than they originally thought, so they ordered one large pepperoni pizza for the both of them. While Oliver paid and waited for their food to be ready, Lilly chose to sit down at a table by the window that viewed the street. Oliver watched her from afar. She looked outside to the cold street, watching cars stopping at the red lights and people walking by. The view probably comforted her in a way since she suddenly snuggled in Oliver's jacket. She sniffed the collar, closed her eyes and smiled contently.
Oliver smiled at that. The worker behind the counter handed him their order. Oliver carefully took the pizza box and two soda bottles and walked over to the table.
"What was that?" he laughed when he sat down.
"What was what?" Lilly asked, grabbing a slice of pizza and took a bite, a long string of cheese stuck to her lips.
"That...thing you just did with my jacket. You smelled it."
She blushed slightly. "Well, it smells nice. What is it?"
Oliver smiled and took a large bite off his own slice of pizza. "Hugo Boss. You like?"
She hummed in confirmation, too busy to chew on her food. "So, tonight was fun," she said after she swallowed.
"Yeah, I had a great time, as well," Oliver agreed. "I'm glad you came with me."
"Me too. This was even better than a date."
"What are you talking about? We are on a date," Oliver said. When she frowned, not understanding what he meant, he explained. "Think about it. It's Friday night. We dressed up, went out, I let you wear my jacket, paid for the cab, dinner and drinks and we even kissed. And I promise you that by the end of the night, I will also walk you home."
Lilly laughed. "You're right. Best. Date. Ever." They toasted their sodas bottles and took a sip. "Minus the sex part, of course."
Oliver swallowed his soda, the gas bubbles catching in his throat. He coughed lightly but quickly recovered. "Well, I can do that, too."
Lilly squeezed her eyes at him. "Yeah, right. Like I would let you in my bed after you insulted my kissing," she said, playing along.
"You mean your peck." Oliver finished his slice of pizza and leaned back in his chair. He stretched out his hands and then put them behind his head. "Well, I offered. It's your loss."
Lilly laughed at Oliver's serious face. It didn't take long before he broke his seriousness and laughed too. They both took another slice of pizza, glad that the evening went great and that they broke the tension the kiss left them with. Sorry, a peck, not a kiss.
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A/N: I really enjoyed writing this chapter and I hope you enjoyed reading it. If you did, please review and let me know. Once again, I will post the next chapter if I get reviews, so please tell me what you think ;)
