Disclaimer: I don't own Hannah Montana.
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A/N: Terribly sorry for the long wait on this chapter. I wasn't feeling that inspired and I when I did, I was busy with real life stuff. Hope you understand and that this chapter will make up for it. Once again, thank you all for the reviews, faves and follows! Don't forget to review this chapter as well! Enjoy! :)
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Shooting Rainbows
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Chapter 9:
It's been two whole weeks since Kevin had popped back into Lilly's life. Oliver did not expect that his suggestion of getting to know him over one measly dinner will open a Pandora Box and Kevin will enter his life in addition. Oliver's quickly realized that the first impression he had on Kevin was completely off and his whole perspective on the guy changed 180 degrees.
It seemed like Kevin had become another tenant in their apartment, but one that didn't pay rent. He was always there, whenever Oliver least expected. He'd prance around the place in only his boxers, even when Lilly was away. He'd eat from the food Oliver cooked and bought, drink the milk straight from the carton and leave it empty on the counter without taking into his consideration to save some for Oliver when he was about to leave for work in the mornings, or even think to throw the empty box into the trash. The guy was a mess on two legs and Oliver couldn't stand any additional second of his presence in his home.
It was all getting on Oliver's nerves and he had enough. He knew if he won't say anything to Lilly soon, he would burst, but Lilly won't take quite well another one of his tantrums, so he decided to talk to her when he got back home from work that night, and hopefully Kevin won't be there.
"Arghhh!" Oliver growled loudly and threw his head back. The sun stroked his face pleasantly and Oliver sighed before he banged his fist hard against the small round table of the café he sat in. "I hate him. Hate him!"
Jake, who sat across from him, didn't stir. He wetted his thumb and flipped a page in the magazine he was reading.
"I simply hate him. With every fiber of my being. I never hated someone so much in my whole life. And you know me; I'm not a hateful person. On the contrary –"
"Yes, Oliver, you are a lovely human being," Jake said in a monotonic voice, his gaze still focused on his magazine. "You are friendly and caring and wonderful. Are you done yet?"
Oliver shot him a glare. "Why so rude?"
Jake put down the magazine and turned to Oliver. "Well, you've been going on and on about this for the past two weeks. All I've heard was 'Kevin this' and 'Kevin that.' I'm sorry, but it's getting really annoying. Now, if you don't you have anything new to say, can we order? I'm starving and I thought you only had a fifty minutes lunch-break."
Jake didn't wait for Oliver to reply. He raised his hand and signaled for the waitress to come over. Oliver only pouted in return, knowing that Jake was right. He must have been insufferable these past two weeks, whining and grumbling every chance he had.
The waitress began to scribble Jake's order and then turned to Oliver. He closed his menu, having memorized it by heart by now. He didn't know why he did it, when he knew exactly what he was going to order, but he still did it anytime they went there. They've been having these lunch breaks more often now. Oliver just felt he needed to get away from the office, breathe some fresh air and relax in the sunlight.
"I'll have the –"
"Mushroom ravioli with no onions," the waitress completed with a nod as she scribbled on her notepad and winked at Oliver. He blushed, feeling a little embarrassed that she knew his usual order by now. Jake, who have finally ended things with Julie a week before, found her interesting, so he insisted on coming to the same place every day and sit at one of the tables she served so he could ask her out, and she declined him politely every time, which made Jake want her even more. Oliver didn't mind coming there each day. As long as he had a distraction and an opportunity to spill his heart out, he was good.
"Yeah..." Oliver said sheepishly. "Oh, and can I have a large mug of your strongest espresso?" He demonstrated the wanted mug size with his hands and the waitress quirked an eyebrow, but nodded and wrote it down nonetheless.
"I'll see if it's possible," she said.
"If not, just bring two regular doubles." She nodded again and scurried off into the front of the house before Jake could hit on her again.
Jake lowered his sunglasses as he checked her behind and smiled in contentment before he turned back to Oliver. "Still not getting any sleep?"
Oliver yawned loudly just then and shook his head. "No. Earlier I fell asleep on my desk. Luckily I woke up just before my boss walked in, but I think I had keyboard marks on my face because he looked at me funny and Julie laughed. I just don't know what to do anymore. I can't go through this one more night. I'm going insane."
"They're that loud?" Jake asked, amazed.
"I have no clue," Oliver said honestly. "I can't even take a chance to listen to them doing... that. It's enough to hear her giggle at every stupid joke he makes, believe me. I just sleep with music playing really loudly into my ears and you can only imagine how peaceful that sleep must be."
"That sucks," Jake grimaced. "But then again, you can't know for sure that they're sleeping together."
"Please, you'd have to be blind and not see that. He's there all the time. I wouldn't be surprised if he's there as we speak. And both Lilly and I are at work right now."
"Did you talk to her about this?"
Oliver sighed and sank in his chair. "I want to, but what am I going to say? 'Take your slob of a boyfriend out of the apartment'? She'd kick me out in a heartbeat."
"Well, not like that, obviously, but you've got to put a stop to it. Doesn't he have his own place?"
"I don't know. The guy popped up out of mid-air and refuses to disappear. There isn't a single morning where I don't find him sitting at my kitchen, eating my cereals. I'm really at lost here."
Jake leaned closer on the table. "You've got to do something, Oliver. First he takes over your girl, then your groceries, and before you know it, your apartment is also gone, because she decides she wants to live with him and you're out, living on the street."
"Or back on your couch," Oliver murmured.
"Which, by the way, you can take over whenever you'd like, even now, if you want a good night sleep. Or, well, a better one than what you get now."
Oliver smiled gratefully. "Thanks, man, I appreciate it. I might take you up on that."
They sank into a comfortable silence. A few teenagers approached Jake and asked to take a picture with him. Jake gladly consented and flashed them his brilliant white smile, making the group squeal with glee. When they left, the waitress appeared with their order. Jake eyed her flirtingly, but she simply ignored his moves. Oliver stifled a chuckle, knowing that Jake didn't take rejections well, simply because they happened rarely.
"One veggie burger with salad, and one mushroom ravioli with no onions," she said as she placed the plates on the table. She laid the drinks next, one diet Sprite for Jake and, "One large espresso," she said and handed Oliver a large mug of dark, aromatic coffee. "I took it upon myself to make sure you'd get it in a mug, since the bartender tends to be an asshole when asked to do something exceptional."
Oliver looked up at her lovely face and smiled his gratitude. "Thank you... Mary," he said, reading her nametag. He felt a bit rude that he didn't learn it until now. She served them enough times by now that he should have had.
She shrugged and hummed perkily. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to call me," she said, emphasizing the word 'call' and sliding a napkin on the table towards Oliver. "Enjoy your lunch." When she didn't get Oliver's response, she blushed and quickly drifted to another table.
Jake gaped at her, at then turned to stare at Oliver. "Unbelievable."
"What?" Oliver asked distractedly as he added salt and pepper to his ravioli.
"All this time I've tried to win her over and here she is all over you. I never had a chance."
Oliver snorted, but then met Jake's serious face. "Wait... really?"
Jake looked shocked and offended at the same time. "Did you seriously not notice what happened now?" He grabbed the napkin she gave Oliver and held it high in front of his face. Oliver cheeks warmed when he noticed she had written her number on the napkin. "Am I the only conscious person sitting at this table?" Jake threw the napkin back on the table in exasperation and Oliver simply shrugged in response.
"Probably. I'm half sleepwalking," Oliver muttered and took a large gulp of his coffee. "Ah," he crowed at the scalding temperature of his drink and quickly put the mug back down to the table and began taking shallow breaths to cool his scorched tongue. "Seriously, if she liked me, she would have warned me the coffee was made on the surface of the sun," he grumbled.
Jake's eyes studied him watchfully. "You're still not over Lilly, are you? After everything that happened and all the beefy guys that walked through your apartment, you still like her."
Oliver pointed his fork at Jake. "Hey, there's only one beefy guy. And yes, it may seem like I'm a bit of a masochist, but I still think about her. It's hard not to when I see her every day, you know?" Oliver reached over to Jake's plate, but stopped his hand in mid-air when he noticed what his friend ordered. "No French fries?" he asked with disappointment and withdrew his hand.
Jake shrugged. "I'm on a healthy diet," he said with his mouth full of his veggie burger.
Oliver chuckled. "Since when?"
"Since today. I became aware we come here every day, and I always order something greasy, so I decided I needed to change it up a bit. It's actually in my contract that I can't gain too much weight."
"Poor you," Oliver said apathetically, not really meaning the words.
Jake growled. "No, poor you. I'm on my diet by choice. You have your troubles without asking for them and you don't even try to get rid of them."
Oliver's phone chimed and buzzed on the table. He looked at the screen and noticed a text from Lilly. He quickly read it and sighed, then turned off the screen without replying and focused back on his food.
"What does she want?" Jake said. Oliver thought it was funny how he already knew it was her just by judging Oliver's reaction.
He stirred the cream sauce in his bowl and stacked two pieces of ravioli on his fork but he didn't eat them. "She asks if I can come home early tonight, because she wants to discuss the party," he said distractedly.
Oliver finally bit into his pasta. Jake perked up and raised an eyebrow as he waited for Oliver to give him more details, but Oliver didn't notice. "What party?"
Oliver shrugged one shoulder. "She wants us to have a Halloween party at our place. We're supposed to go sometime this week and get decorations and costumes and everything."
Oliver could feel Jake's piercing stare. "Were you planning on telling me, or am I not invited?" he asked, sounding slightly hurt.
Oliver looked at him apologetically, now feeling a little guilty. "Of course you are invited, but I really don't feel like I'm up to go to a party, let alone host one in my house, especially if it means I'd get to spend more alone time with her. I honestly thought if I ignored her, she would let the idea go, but she's persistent."
"Oliver, why do you keep doing this to yourself? Look at you, you're miserable. Why don't you just move out? It would make your life much less complex and it'd be easier to get over her."
Oliver sighed heavily. The idea was almost intolerable. He wasn't sure he could do it. Well, technically, he could, even if it would break his promise to Lilly. But he needed her in his life, that's for sure, even when being away from her would hurt him just as much as being around her would. Yet, he didn't think he would be able to wake up in the morning, knowing she's not around anymore. Those past few weeks he's spent living with her changed his life for good.
Oliver shook his head. "I can't. I signed a lease for one year," he gave as an excuse.
"So you're just going to let yourself suffer for a year? Every lease has an option to get out of. Just leave her checks of two months' rent and find another tenant to replace you."
Oliver knew it was an option, but Lilly wasn't just his roommate anymore. She was his friend, as well. He didn't know how she would take his moving out, especially after such short time.
He sighed again. "We'll see."
Jake chuckled hollowly and shook his friend at him. "You are a masochist."
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Despite wanting to stay up late at the office, Oliver finished all his work for the day and left home early. He assumed Lilly would be pleased and shower him with tons of questions and ideas for the party once he got home. He really didn't want to have this party, but she seemed excited about it and if it would make her happy then he would do it.
He was about to enter the apartment, but stopped when he heard his name. Confused, he decided to leave the door open only slightly so he could listen in. Kevin was there, again, and by the sounds of his agitated voice, it appeared that he and Lilly were having some sort of an argument.
"I just don't trust the guy," Kevin said and Oliver frowned. Were they really talking about him?
"You're overreacting, Kevin," Lilly replied. "Oliver is fine. You have nothing to worry about."
"What about the other night? I walked in to find you two canoodling on the couch."
Oliver pressed his eyes closed and his mind reeled back to that night Kevin mentioned. He and Lilly finally had their apartment Kevin-free. They had dinner and decided to watch a movie. He wasn't sure how, but they found themselves spooning on the couch. It felt so natural to hold her in his arms, that for a few minutes he forgot she was someone else's girl... until Kevin entered and burst the bubble.
Lilly laughed out at that. "We watched TV. And we weren't canoodling. We just... lay together. We were comfortable. We only have that one couch, you know."
"I don't care. You could have sat on either side of it. You're my girlfriend, Lilly. I don't like you getting comfortable on couches with other men."
"So it's not that you don't trust him, you just don't trust me," Lilly accused, and her voice became sharp. Oliver could picture her standing in front of Kevin with her hands on her hips and a blaring look in her eyes.
"I didn't say that –"
"Oliver is gay, may I remind you that. We're just friends. And as you said, I am your girlfriend, but right now, I really don't want to have that title."
Kevin groaned loudly. "See what he did? Now he made us fight!"
"He didn't make us fight. You did! You and your over egoistical brain. Why can't you just accept the fact that Oliver is in my life right now? I told you about him before we decided to get back together and you were okay with that."
"That's when I thought he was really gay."
Oliver froze and gulped hard, feeling his heart begin to race in his chest. He couldn't believe Kevin saw right through his act. Sure, someone was bound to find out the truth sooner or later and Kevin was a smart guy so there's no wonder he realized the truth. Oliver always thought that with time he would tell Lilly the truth, but never expected the secret to be revealed by someone else. He knew he shouldn't have got himself into it in the first place. He shouldn't have listened to Jake; Stupid Jake and his stupid plans that always got Oliver involved into some sort of trouble.
Oliver planned to close the door and just leave. He would run away. Anywhere but here would be better right now. He really wasn't keen on Lilly throwing stuff at him for lying to her, so he'd better flee now before she'd throw him out herself.
"What?"
The disbelief in her tone made Oliver stop before he could turn away. He stayed for just one more moment and kept listening. They didn't know he was there, anyways, so one more minute of eavesdropping wouldn't change anything.
"He's not acting all that gay to me and I don't like the way he touches you. It's like he has some secret motive."
"You're really losing it now," Lilly said dismissively.
Hope quickly filled Oliver's heart. Maybe Lilly won't believe Kevin, after all.
"Am I? Have you ever seen him with a guy before?"
"No, but I haven't seen him with a woman before, either. And you know why? Because Oliver is a very private person and it's none of my business whoever he dates. For all I know, he's single at the moment."
Kevin let out a low chuckle. The sound of his mocking voice made Oliver feel even more loathing for the guy. "Good. Then how about we set him up with someone?"
Before Oliver could fathom what he just heard, his phone went off, blasting its horrible ringtone through the empty corridor.
"Shit," Oliver muttered and quickly fumbled his pockets in an attempt to silence the damn thing at once before he'd be found.
"What's that?" came Kevin's voice from within the apartment.
Oliver quickly pushed the volume button on his phone and the ringtone stopped playing. He quickly looked at the screen, noting Jake's name flashing at him before the call ended and a message of one missed call appeared. Oliver silently cursed Jake for his bad timing. Acting quickly, he pressed the phone to his ear and pushed the door open, pretending as though he just arrived.
"Yeah, just got home," he said, trying to sound convincing as though he was having a real conversation with someone. As he hung his coat and took off his shoes, he eyed Kevin and Lilly and nodded his greeting. He noticed they were standing in the living room, watching him. Kevin sighed heavily and Lilly rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's rude behavior, but she quickly replace her annoyance with a sweet smile at Oliver. "Listen, I'll talk to you later. Okay. Bye." Oliver pretended to hang up his phone, secretly eager to end the show before he'd receive a real call and get caught for lying.
"Hey, Oliver," Lilly greeted.
"Hey. What's up?" he asked. He looked carefully at Kevin, trying to decipher the frown that he had on his face. He hoped Kevin didn't realize he'd been listening to their conversation outside.
"Nothing," Kevin replied dismissively. He shot Oliver a dirty look before he turned back to Lilly. "I'll see you tomorrow." He leaned over to kiss her, but she set her jaw and turned her head to the side and his lips met her cheek instead. Oliver noticed the cold glare she gave him.
Kevin's cheek reddened, probably with annoyance rather than embarrassment. He pushed past Oliver and left, not sparing him a glace.
Oliver stared at him and watched as he shut the door hard. He looked back at Lilly with a puzzled look. "I hope he didn't leave on my account."
Lilly shook her head. "Don't mind him. He's just having an off day."
"He's not staying here tonight?" he asked, trying not to sound too interested.
"Guess not," she said bitterly.
Oliver was delighted. Finally, after weeks of insomnia, he'd be able to sleep peacefully.
Lilly sat on the couch and sipped from a glass of red wine. Oliver noticed there was another empty glass on the table and thought that what was supposed to be a romantic evening for them, turned into something different. He couldn't help but feel slightly pleased.
He sat next to her and studied her for a moment. "Are you alright, Lilly?"
She set her glass back to the table and turned to him. "You still don't like him, don't you?" she asked, ignoring his question.
Oliver's mouth fell open, surprised at her accusation. "I... Umm..." He suddenly felt a large lump form in his throat and he gulped hard. "I... didn't say that..." he said weakly.
She shook her head and sipped more wine. "You didn't have to. I can see you aren't thrilled on having him around."
Oliver knew it was pointless to deny it now. "Well," he started, considering his words carefully. He didn't want to upset her again. She seemed a bit sensitive of the topic the last time they discussed it. "He has been spending an awful amount of time here."
It took him by surprise that she did not pout, huff or yelled at him. She simply chuckled hollowly. Oliver raised a questioning eyebrow at her. "Yeah, I guess you're right," she said. "I'm sorry. I should've asked you before if you'd be okay with him being here."
"I don't mind him being here. He's your boyfriend, after all," Oliver said and it literally pained him to say the words aloud. Saying them meant accepting it was real. "It's just that I didn't expect him to be here all the time. He's here even when you're not around. It's just... weird."
"Oh." She seemed to be thinking about it for a few moments. "You're right. I'll talk to him about it."
"If it's a problem –"
"It's not, honestly," she said and she sounded sincere. "You're not supposed to feel uncomfortable in your own home. I should've seen it from your point of view." Slowly, she furrowed her eyebrows at him. "Saying this isn't your way of marking your territory, right?"
Oliver stared at her wide-eyed and couldn't help but laugh. "Excuse me?" Did she just refer to him as a dog?
She reached out and patted his bicep gently. Oliver's eyes followed her hand as it touched him and then looked at her doubtfully. She blushed and moved her hand to her lap. "I meant this isn't some sort of a male-domination thing, right? Because you know this is your apartment and Kevin is not going to take your place here, not matter how much time he spends here, or what part he's playing in my life. I like living with you."
Oliver smiled and nodded, feeling a great wave of relief wash upon him after she said that. Since Jake mentioned it earlier at lunch, the issue truly bothered him, and he was glad Lilly clarified to him that she's not going to kick him out so she could live with Kevin instead.
"Anyway, don't rule him out so quickly, okay? He's a really nice guy once you get on his good side. I guess he's sensing you don't like him and he's acting defensively about it, so he might come off as a jerk, but he's not, I swear."
Oliver fought a grimace, knowing he will never get on Kevin's good side, not that he'd try. Kevin obviously didn't like him and found him suspicious and for good reason, too.
"Why do you care what I think?" he asked her.
Lilly smiled at him. "Because you're both important to me and I'd like you to get along."
Oliver knew he didn't try hard enough to get to know Kevin. He only hated him for one reason – because he was jealous of him. Kevin had the only thing Oliver wanted and couldn't have. Despite whatever he thought about him, he knew that if Lilly found him loveable, there must be something good in him, or else she wouldn't be with him. He wanted to believe she was a smart girl who knew what she was doing, but he couldn't shake away the feeling that Kevin should not be trusted.
Oliver nodded, silently agreeing to give Kevin a second chance, but inwardly, he promised himself he would keep an eye on him. He wouldn't want Lilly to end up miserable because of one lying bastard.
"So how was your day?" she asked, changing the subject and breaking his stream of thoughts.
"Fine," Oliver replied with a shrug. Truthfully, it was anything but 'fine'. He'd barely functioned today and was glad to finally be home. It was only six o'clock, but the thought of getting to bed and sleep until morning never been more appealing.
She took one more gulp from her wine and turned to him. "Who was that on the phone earlier?" she asked incidentally.
Oliver gulped, trying to think of a lie quickly. "Uh... Just a friend," he said in fake nonchalantly, even though he was sweating rather intensively.
"Jake?" She watched him closely with one eyebrow raised. Even her tone sounded interested for some reason.
"Uh, no," Oliver answered quickly and silently cursed himself for it. Saying it was Jake would have been a much easier answer. After all, it was Jake who called him. Oliver shut his fists so tight until his nails began to hurt his skin. He knew he'd have to play along to the lie.
"Huh," she huffed and straightened her back. "Say, Oliver, you don't see anyone right now by any chance, do you?" She stared at the blank TV screen, avoiding meeting his gaze, as though she was embarrassed for asking.
Oliver gulped nervously, quickly remembering the last thing he heard Kevin said before his phone went off in the hallway.
"No..." Oliver said slowly, feeling a little apprehensive at what was about to come next. "Why?"
She laughed lightly. "No reason. Just trying to get to know you better. It'd be fun, though, if you were dating someone and we could all go on a double date."
Oliver faked a laugh but internally felt a small pang in his heart. He didn't know how she could go from being pissed at him one moment to a loving girlfriend the next.
"I like being on my own," he lied, knowing exactly where she was going with this.
"Nonsense. No one likes to be alone."
"Well, let's just say I had bad experiences in the past that left me quite traumatized. I'm not sure I'm ready to put myself out there quite yet," he said, hoping that will make her drop the subject.
Luckily, it did. "Alright," she said and finished her glass of wine. "You want some?" she asked, pointing at the other glass.
"No, thanks. I think I'll just go rest for a bit," he said, standing up.
Her eyes widened and followed him. "Rest? I thought we were going to plan the party."
Oliver sighed. He was really looking forward to get to bed. "Halloween is next Saturday. We have plenty of time to plan."
"That's just the thing. We don't. I'm leaving for the rest of the week tomorrow night."
Oliver frowned. "Where are you going?"
"New York. Hannah has a few concerts and interviews there."
"Oh."
Lilly sighed and her eyes reflected disappointment. "Never mind. I can see you're not into it."
"No, no. I am," he quickly said, sitting back down next to her and her eyes sparkled with hope. "Come on, what did you have in mind?"
"You don't have to –"
He grabbed her shoulders and forced her to look at him. "I want to help."
She grinned and hopped right to the point. Oliver felt a little cheated, but dismissed it. 'As long as it made her happy,' he reminded himself. "Well, I was thinking of something subtle. Just a few cobwebs in the corners, some pumpkin lanterns scattered around, bats hanging from the ceiling."
Oliver nodded. "Sounds fine. So no fake skeletons behind doors or bloody heads in the punch bowl?" He smirked.
Lilly laughed. "Let's stick to the less horrid decorations."
"Alright. Music?"
"Nothing Halloween-themed. Something rhythmic that will make people dance."
"And how many people are we inviting?" Oliver asked. He looked around their small apartment space. "I don't think we have room for a lot."
"I was thinking on inviting around twenty people, just close friends, you know. Who would you like to invite?"
"Well, there's Jake. I hope it won't be a problem with your friend Miley. I gathered they have a bit of history between them."
She shook her head. "It won't a problem. She's not coming. She's got other plans already."
Oliver nodded. "Good, so no awkward moments there. Maybe I'll call up a few friends, but they probably won't come. I don't know many people, as there is."
"What about people from your office?"
Oliver wrinkled his nose and shook his head. The thought of inviting his boss, or worst – Julie, made him shudder. He would invite her out of courtesy, even when he didn't want her there, and she would come, no doubt, since she liked to party and basically annoy him, but she won't show up alone. She would probably drag Bethany along with her, and Oliver could never risk Lilly meeting them. They might spill what happened between him and Beth and Lilly can't find out he went out with a woman when he was supposed to be gay.
Lilly nodded her understanding. "And your... friend?" she asked, her voice held a suggestive tone to it that Oliver didn't like.
He quickly shook his head. "An out-of-town friend, so I really doubt it," Oliver clarified, burying himself even dipper in the lie. But it did the work, because Lilly pouted and let it go.
"And what are you going as?"
Oliver scratched his head. "I don't know. I really suck at this."
"Do you want me to help you choose?" she offered kindly.
Oliver thought it was a good idea, since he was really terrible at costume ideas. "But you have to tell me first."
Lilly rolled her eyes. "Fine, but you can't be too picky."
"Well, that depends on what you have in mind. Nothing feminine and nothing shirtless."
Lilly crossed her hands over her chest. "You're not a fun gay, you know that?"
He shot her a warning glare. "Lilly, I'm serious."
She threw her hands up in defeat. "Fine. I'll think of something." Yet, a smirk suddenly spread on her lips and he was beginning to worry for what she planned for him.
He clapped his hands once and smiled. "So I think we covered just about everything."
Lilly smiled and nodded. "See? It wasn't so hard."
Oliver had to agree. "I'm sorry about before. I just... I haven't had much sleep lately. I can't really think straight."
Lilly snorted. Oliver chuckled at her cute laugh. "What?" he asked.
She fought her laugh. "I'm sorry. It's the wine, I swear. But just hearing you say you can't think straight is ironic with you being gay and all."
It took a minute for Oliver to understand what she talked about, but when he did, a wide smile spread on his lips and he laughed along with her.
She pushed herself from the couch and took the wine glasses to the kitchen. "I'll call people tomorrow to let them know about it before they'll make other plans."
"Good," Oliver said, standing up. "I'll do the same, but don't expect to see a lot of people from my side," he said and chuckled awkwardly. He walked slowly to the kitchen and stood behind her, watching as she washed the wine glasses in the sink. "What time are you leaving?"
She turned her head and looked at him over her shoulder. "We have a red-eye flight at ten, but I'm leaving around seven."
"Oh," Oliver said. He shoved his hands into his trousers' pockets and stood awkwardly in place.
She finished washing the dishes and turned fully around to look at him as she dried her hands in a towel. "Will you be here? I'd like to say goodbye before I leave."
"Of course," Oliver said with a nod. He pulled his hands out of his pockets and walked over to her. "A week, huh?" he asked, his voice holding a dejected tone in it.
She nodded. "I'll be back before you know it," she said and added a wink. He gave her a small smile and looked deep into her blue eyes. She returned the gaze and he gave a small involuntary gasp at the intensity of it. His hands slowly reached hers and he pulled her close until they wrapped around her small back and hers around his neck.
He shut his eyes tight as he savored the warmth of her body. "Why does it feel like you'd be gone longer?" he asked, unable to control the words from spilling out. She buried her head in the crook of his neck and they slowly began to rock from side to side, lost in the embrace. Oliver was sure that if Kevin walked in right then, he would beat the hell out of him. But he didn't care because for once, Kevin was not around and Oliver was free to enjoy the moment. "I'll miss you," he said honestly, his voice barely a whisper.
"Me too," she murmured back.
They sank into a comfortable silence and Oliver knew he could stay like this forever, but to his great disappointment, she pulled back from the hug and the moment was broken. She had a slight frown on her face, her eyes looked clouded and she stared into space. She looked as if she was suddenly struck by reality and without expecting it.
A minute later, she blinked and forced on a smile. "I'm not sure if I'll have time to call you. I'll try, but usually these things are really time-consuming and I barely find spare time."
He nodded his understanding. "No worries. It's your job. I get it that you'd be busy."
"Try to take care of a few for the party, alright?" she asked.
"Sure," he nodded again.
"And we'll go pick costumes when I get back," she promised.
"Deal."
They exchanged one more look. She moved her hand, as though to grab his, but stopped and pulled it back. "I'm going to lie down for a bit. The wine gave me a headache. You're going to sleep now?"
Oliver answered with a yawn. "Yeah," he said.
They each headed for their own room. Oliver stopped at the door and looked back and saw she did the same. "Goodnight," they both said and disappeared behind the door.
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A/N: I like the many conflicts in this chapter and I especially like the ending. I didn't plan on writing it. It just came to me and it fit perfectly because the lack of Loliver in this chapter. I hope you liked it as well. :) Please REVIEW this chapter. I'd like to read your opinions and thoughts. Do it and I'll post the next one as soon as possible. I'm already working on it. Thanks a bunch! :)
