A/N: Chapter Three is up. I know this story hasn't been too romantically exciting up until this point, but we get pretty much straight Loliver in this one. I'm actually really pleased with this chapter. It starts off a little slow, but the second half is definitely one of my favorite Loliver moments I've written this far. Enjoy!
Chapter 3: The Dust or the Words
"Of course, before we go on to anything harder, we have to review the basics," Mr. Coleman stated to his students. "So we're going to do a little titration."
That was about where Lily stopped listening. From across the room she eyed Oliver, who nodded to her approvingly. Partners. And they knew what they were doing. Lily had done this lab probably three times before, and Oliver was a pretty damn smart kid who was doubling in science at the moment. She figured it would be okay for her to tune out this once.
After a few more moments of instruction, they rose from their seats and set to work gathering the NaOH and reactant and whatever else was supposed to go in the flask.
Lily found herself with a gentle grasp on her burette's knob, turning it slowly to allow only the tiniest amount of chemical to escape through the nozzle while Oliver stirred the mixture below. The anxiously awaited the turning point of their liquid.
"There! Pink!" Lily held a hand up to Oliver to stop and nearly jumped from her stool. "Hold up, where'd it go?" She said a moment later as the pool of color forming from the reaction faded into transparency.
"The ions dispersed. That's gunna happen plenty before it actually stays pink." Oliver nodded reasonably at her.
"Fine," she sat down reluctantly and tried to hold in her excitement each time a little more NaOH dropped in and the fuchsia color stayed a little longer.
"Lily, stop. That's it." Oliver grasped her hand on the knob to make her close it.
"Aw, but what fun is that?" reluctantly she withdrew her fingers. "All that work and we have to make it pale pink? Just a little more and it could be so much prettier."
"It's what Mr. Coleman asked for," Oliver noted the mL gone from the burette as he spoke.
"Figures," she sighed, "Mr. Coleman, we've got the pale pink." She called him over from another pair across the room.
He nodded approvingly and walked away again. "Do you want to wreck it?" Oliver grinned mischievously at her.
"Absolutely," she told him, turning the knob and letting the rest of the one clear liquid pour into the other until the product was a saturated, jewel pink. And for some reason, this brought immense satisfaction to both Lily and Oliver, who joked and laughed throughout the process until the final drop had been washed down the black counters' sink.
The pair snatched their things from the front of the classroom and ran from the door.
"Who would've though AP Chem could be so much fun?" Lily swung her messenger bag back and forth on her shoulder in time with her steps.
Oliver still had his hand on her shoulder from where he'd led her out of the classroom, "Always a pleasure working with you, Lillian."
"And you too, Oliver," they shook steadily. "Titrations have always been my favorite."
"You just like the colors," Lily slid her hand from his and gestured for him to follow her down the hallway. "I can't. I've got Government this period," he looked at her longingly, "But look, Lils, I feel like I haven't seen you all year. Let's hang out on Saturday. I really want to talk to you."
Lily found herself wishing suddenly they were younger, that senior year wasn't the last of it before they separated. 'That's awfully dramatic for before lunch,' she told herself, letting the thought slip from her mind. "I'd love that, Oliver. How about we go to the park down the street from my house?"
He nodded, leaning in and giving her a quick peck on the forehead before turning and heading hurriedly down the hall.
'I'll go work on my photos, then,' Lily told herself and returned to her locker to gather her supplies. She checked her reflection in the little wire mesh mirror hanging on her locker door and pulled a little canvas bag she was pretty sure used to be for cosmetics from the top shelf. When she reached for the big black binder, she felt a strong hang on her shoulder.
"Lily," she turned.
"Will," she gulped. She'd almost forgotten that she'd run into him over the weekend, but there was no forgetting now that his bright eyes were boring into hers and his seducing scent was wafting tauntingly through her nostrils. "How's it going?" She tried to look casual as she swung her locker closed and leaned up against it.
"Pretty well, actually," he grinned and slouched a bit on one leg. 'Adorable.' "It was nice seeing you this weekend."
"Yeah. I'd never really talked to you much before. It's nice to get to know you."
"And you," an honest smile crossed his face forming little dimples along his cheeks. Lily noted it immediately. "Speaking of getting to know one another, I was thinking we might be able to do a little more of that. We should hang out some time."
Lily felt every bone in her body disappear, which of course resulted in the dropping of her pencil bag, which of course resulted in a very loud thud that interrupted the fantastic conversation the pair had been having a moment earlier.
"Oh, sorry," Lily blushed furiously and knelt to pick it up, but Will already had grasped it and was holding it out for her to take, looking her straight in the eyes.
"No problem." She accepted the bag graciously, tucking it back inside the blue messenger she always carried. "So, do you have a cell phone I could reach you at?"
'Cell phone, address, room number…' "Sure," she pulled out a pen as he graciously ripped a corner of paper from the notebook Lily just realized he was carrying. 'Oh right,' she reminded herself, 'school's happening.'
She handed him the little scrap of college-ruled and he gave her a slight nod as he tucked it into the pocket of his fantastically-fitting blue jeans and gave a slight wave, "I'll talk to you soon."
Lily hoped that was a promise. She couldn't wait to tell Maya. When she reached the photo lab a moment or two later, she realized she'd never taken out her black portfolio binder, and it sat patiently still in her locker two floors down.
Xxx…xxX
Lily rubbed the scratched skin on her arm tenderly as she stepped gingerly across her yard, trying to stay hidden in the shadow of ten o'clock at night. Climbing out a window was certainly not as graceful as the romanticized movies played it out to be. She wouldn't say she was sneaking out, really, but both she and Oliver were bud until later at night, and there was no way she was passing up the chance to hang out with him. There were some things her parents just didn't need to know.
Two blocks later the park came into view, and seated on the center swing, gently pushing and pulling his feet through the wood chips was Oliver Oken, waiting for her. She knew he must have seen her because he smiled suddenly and motioned towards the swing set.
She galloped over to meet him joyfully, seating herself enthusiastically next to him. The red plastic seats were shorter than Lily remembered. Had she grown that much in the past few years? She hadn't thought so. She settled herself in and began tentatively kicking at the ground to get up some momentum. "So what do you want to talk about?" Her words were louder than she expected in the otherwise silent night.
"Dunno," he shrugged, twisting the plastic-coated metal chains of his swing to face her. "What's on your mind?"
She took a moment to consider, pumping her legs a little harder and getting just a little higher in turn. She'd almost forgotten the question when Oliver began doing the same. Soon they were flying in rhythm to one another, back and forth until it occurred to Lily that they'd come to talk, so she slowed a bit, pulling a sneaker-clad foot through the wood chips. "Are you worried about college?" she asked tentatively.
"Worried how?" he looked at her for clarity.
"I don't know. Any of it?" she leaned back so her long blonde hair fell off her shoulders. She turned sideways just far enough to stop herself before the ends dragged in the dirt.
"Sure," he copied her, not having the long hair to worry about (Lily was thrilled that he'd decided to cut off his mop head during junior year.) "I mean, I'm not too worried about getting in. I know where I want to go, and it's not too much of a reach,"
"Plus you're a genius who could get in anywhere."
"I wish you guys wouldn't say that. Besides, it's not all about grades anymore. I can't get in just anywhere because I'm smart," he proceeded in twisting his swing so far that his feet no longer touched the ground and the swing spun quickly the opposite direction of it's own accord.
"You're right. It's all about how pretty we are," she sighed, "Guess you're screwed after all, Oliver."
"Haha, Lillian. Just because you're an obvious in with those looks of yours doesn't mean you should make fun of us less fortunate."
"Aww, thanks, Ollie," she blushed a bit and watched her lap intently, "but really, you don't have to tell me that kind of stuff. I don't care what I look like."
"Oh stop," Oliver laughed, pointing a finger accusingly at her, "You're beautiful Lily. Besides, I know every girl cares way too much what she looks like. Don't think you can fool me."
She giggled a bit under her breath and turned away. Oliver loved telling her how good she looked. She never fully believed him, but there was something flattering about hearing it all the time. She examined her shoes thoughtfully, noticing she'd forgotten to change the laces to the red ones as she'd planned. In the silence that ensued a new thought came to mind. She inhaled deeply before letting anything out, unsure of whether or not this would be something she could talk about Oliver with. Letting go of her pride, she whispered, "So there's this guy."
Oliver's feet, too, hit the ground to halt him, sending brown earthy dust into the air around them. "A guy?" he choked, whether on the dust or the words Lily was unsure.
She could tell that she was blushing even in the darkness. She'd never had a boyfriend to talk about with anyone with before, let alone Oliver. She felt a little out of place, but if she could talk to anyone about it, it should be him, right? "Yeah, I think I might really like him."
She heard Oliver swallow hard, but was watching her feet intently now. "Really?" The word was tight in his throat. She could tell he wanted to hear more, so she continued.
"Well it's just really recently that I realized how serious it must be. I mean, suddenly our relationship is a lot closer than it used to be, but I don't want to take any chances," she was almost whispering her confessions to him.
He took a long moment, to think she assumed, before answering. "What chances could there be?" His words were curious, but almost knowing. How did he already know if she didn't?
"Well, what if I decide to tell him, or you know, do something else that might clue him in, and he doesn't feel the same way?" Both swings were still.
"Lily," Oliver pleaded with her. His words were slow and deliberate. "I'm pretty sure he feels the same way."
"How do you know?" Her head shot up in eager curiosity.
"It's just a feeling Lil. Besides, who wouldn't like you?"
"I don't know, Oliver, but let's be serious. We've been around each other for pretty much forever, and it was a little while ago that I started wondering if there might be more to it, and suddenly it's like wham, there it is. Take your chance."
"So what's the problem?"
"What if I'm imagining it? I feel like he might be interested. Actually, I'm pretty sure of it, the way he looks at me and talks to me. It's like he suddenly realized that I might be good for something more, and he's acting on it too." Oliver gulped. "But maybe I'm just getting a little carried away with myself. Wishful thinking, right?"
"I don't think so."
"Well it's not as if you could know," she whined sadly.
Oliver sighed deeply. "Do I know this guy?"
"Yeah, you know him."
"Well?"
"You could say that. I'd venture a guess that you guys are taking just about every class together this semester."
Oliver seemed to be considering the possibility silently.
"Maybe it's time for a change in relationship."
"I think you might be right, Lily. We've been friends for a long time."
"What?" Lily's thoughts were scrambled. Were they on the same page?
"We've been friends for a long time. That's what I said."
"Oh, right, right. That's why I decided to tell you this. I didn't know if I could talk about this kind of thing with you, but I figured 'who would know better?', right?"
"Right," Oliver sighed.
"I don't want it to wreck a good friendship, though."
"Maybe the friendship is supposed to be more. Maybe that's just the first step."
"Yeah," she paused. "Homecoming is coming up."
"What?" She seemed to catch him off guard.
"Homecoming."
"Gotcha. I know a confused girl who I'd really like to help out by asking," he smiled a bit to himself, but Lily caught it.
"Really?" Lily locked eyes with him passionately, leaning in a bit. "Lucky girl. Do I know her?"
"You definitely know her."
"I bet she'll be thrilled to be asked by you. She probably thinks about it all the time."
"Do you?"
"Do I what?"
"Do you think about it all the time?"
"Oh, you mean when he's going to ask me?"
"Yeah."
"No, not really. I mean, I hadn't gotten that far in my planning yet."
"Oh," Oliver dropped her gaze.
Lily kicked at the earth again, sending her swing into gentle rocking. "Do you think I should tell him?"
Oliver followed suit. "If he doesn't tell you first."
"What do you think he'll say?"
Lily pumped higher, leaving Oliver in steady slow motion below her. But she could still hear him breathing. Maybe not hear him, but she could sense what he was doing without looking. He inhaled sharply, standing from his swing and reaching out to grab the chain from which her swing hung, slowing her and positioning himself until he was standing straight before her looking her in the eyes.
"He'd say 'Lily, I – "
"My phone!" she cut him off, digging through her pocket to find the buzzing contraption. Oliver moved aside as she jumped form the swing. Definitely the most inconveniently-timed phone calls of all time. She glanced down at the screen, "Oliver! Her free hand grabbed his wrist, "It's him!"
Lily felt Oliver go limp as he dropped the chains, "What?" he asked dumb-struck.
"It's him! Calling me on a Saturday night! Can you believe it?" She dropped his hand and ran towards the jungle gym calling, "Sorry Oliver, I've got the take this." She pulled open the phone, "Hello?"
"Hey, Lily," his voice seemed unusually deep over the phone, much to the ecstasy of Lily.
"Hey Will," she settled against the climbing pole, leaning her back against it and propping one knee up casually, "To what do I owe the pleasure?" she giggled at the formality.
Even through the hollowness of the phone call, Lily heard his words clearly. "Homecoming is coming up. I was hoping you'd be my date."
She grinned uncontrollable and rocked along the pole nervously, letting her spine roll off the curve with each movement. "That sounds fantastic," she told him giddily.
"Great, but I've got to go. I'll call you later with the details. Bye!" Lily heard the distinct sound of the call drop, but it was a good two minutes before she willingly closed her own phone. The conversation was still so close. She was going to be Will Giordano's date to senior Homecoming. She had to let Oliver know.
"Oliver!" she called as she ran back towards the swings, stuffing the phone back into her pocket as she went. "Oliver!"
But when she got there, his swing was empty, and in the distance she saw his dark figure, hands in pockets and head slung low, walking home for the night.
A/N: What do you think? I personally love this exchange. Poor Oliver, right? Don't worry. Lily will come around eventually, even if she doesn't know it yet. Homecoming is up next, though, and dances are always just too fun to write. Not to mention dresses are involved, and who doesn't love getting all dressed up? Well, Lily for that matter. But enough with the rambling, thanks for reading, and please review!
