A/N: Hey all. Guess who's back? I promised you all I'd be back in 2008 and here I am. Since my other story (Finding My Way) majorly bombed, I thought it'd be nice to update Thunder. Sorry it's been so long - it's been a rough few weeks, as most of you have already heard. To make up for the long wait, I wrote you all an extra long chapter - 10 pages to be exact. Crazy, I know. But don't worry - it's packed with a LOT of stuff!
Sadly, no one won the the 'Dream Sequence' Contest, but that's ok. The correct answer was the movie Anastasia, which I realize isn't a Disney movie (sorry about that...). Look for another contest soon! Have fun reading :)
It was an early, crisp August morning in Malibu. The sun had just risen, bathing the sky in bursts of pink and orange. An anxious Lily and a tired Oliver sat on the rickety bench outside of the Lewiston Recording Studio, awaiting the arrival of their best friend. Lily's leg bounced erratically, an unknown nervous habit of hers, and she continually checked her watch every six and a half seconds. Oliver yawned before looking over at Lily and raising an eyebrow at her.
"Jesus, Lily, can you chill? She'll be here!" Lily's head snapped in Oliver's direction so quickly that he wondered if she'd gotten whiplash.
"Oliver, how the hell would you feel if you hadn't seen your best friend for the whole summer?" Oliver looked at Lily as if she had the IQ of a four-year-old.
"…I haven't seen my best friend for the whole summer…"
Lily opened her mouth a few times to retort, but shut it quickly when she realized how much stupider she'd look if she tried to deny her mistake. Instead, she crossed her arms over her chest, huffed, and sank farther into her seat. Oliver rolled his eyes and leaned back against the bench, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket. He checked the time and his eyes widened when he saw the numbers staring back at him. He glanced around the empty streets, looking for any sign of the third member of their waiting party, and sighed when he saw no one approaching them. Oliver quickly sent a text message out, asking where the other member was, and patiently watched his screen for a reply.
After ten minutes of waiting, Oliver sighed in defeat and put his phone back in his pocket. He glanced back over at Lily, only to find her looking at him hopefully. He sadly shook his head and looked past her down the empty street. Lily frowned a bit before continuing her nervous routine.
A few minutes later, the low rumble of a bus echoed in the distance, causing Oliver's eyes to focus and Lily's head to snap up. Both stood up with large smiles on their faces when they saw the large tour bus turn the corner and head toward them. The vehicle came to a stop in front of them and before the engine turned off, the black door burst open. Miley hopped off the stairs and wrapped Lily and Oliver into a giant hug, squeezing them tightly.
"God, I've missed you guys so much!"
A muffled 'We missed you too' made her realize that they probably couldn't breathe properly under her suffocating embrace. She let them go and looked each one over, noticing a few changes in both friends.
Lily had grown an inch or so and had started to gain her womanly figure. Many hours in the sun had given her a decent tan, but Miley could still see a light sunburn on the bridge of her nose. Her face had become more mature and defined, making her look more her age than before, but her bright, blue eyes still held that childish spark in their depths.
Oliver, on the other hand, had grown a few good inches and now towered above both her and Lily. He wasn't as lanky as he was in the past, but was still lean and seemed to have learned how to use the balance that nature gave him. His brown hair, lightened from so much time at the beach, was still as shaggy as ever, yet suited him better somehow. His brown eyes now showed maturity and wisdom, something Miley never thought she'd see with Oliver.
Squealing again in excitement at seeing her two best friends, she launched herself at Lily and hugged her again. Lily laughed and squeezed her back, happy to see her friend again. Miley soon let go and did the same to Oliver, who wrapped his long arms around her and picked her up off the ground in excitement. He soon put her down, allowing her to regain her breathing after being crushed against his chest in the air.
Miley smiled at the pair once more before looking around, trying to find the person she missed desperately. When she didn't see him, she looked back at her friends with questioning eyes. Oliver looked at the ground, unable to look at her, while Lily shook her head sadly. Miley's smile slipped off her face momentarily and her eyes flashed with hurt, shattered that he hadn't come to see her, before it was replaced with a fake, plastic smile.
"It's ok. He, he probably had other things he needed to do." At the worried look her friends gave her, she added, "Really, guys, it's ok. Now, why don't you help me unpack my stuff from the bus?"
Lily and Oliver shared a look before nodding in agreement. They went off to help the roadies grab Miley's boxes from the bus, glancing back when they noticed Miley wasn't following them. She was staring down the street, waiting for the golden-haired boy who had leaped over boxes to see her off three months ago. She waited, and waited, and waited, trying to fight off the pain of being forgotten. With a sigh, she turned around, smiled lightly at her friends, and went to help them unload the bus.
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Bright sunlight shone down on a sleeping Jake, causing his face to scrunch up in discomfort. It wasn't supposed to be so bright out at four thirty in the morning, was it? He slowly cracked open an eye and quickly closed it in pain. The sunlight was hitting him directly in the face, making waking up much harder for Jake. He slowly tried opening his eyes again, blinking rapidly in order to adjust to the light. He glanced over at his alarm clock to see the time; the numbers 10:17am stared back at him. Sighing with relief, he closed his eyes again and rested his head against the pillow, ready to go back to sleep.
'Wait a minute – 10:17?!'
Jake's eyes snapped open and he jumped out of bed, grabbing his alarm clock to double check the time. The same numbers glared back, causing him to swear loudly and run a hand through his hair. Miley was going to think he forgot about her, even though she was all he could think about for the past three months. How was he going to explain this to her?
A loud laugh by his door caught his attention and he turned to see Carley leaning against the door frame, covering her mouth in an attempt to contain her laughter. Sobering up when she saw that he'd noticed her presence, she smiled widely.
"Morning Sleeping Beauty. I was wondering when you were gonna wake up. I didn't think it would be this late – it's better than I'd planned for!" Jake narrowed his eyes at her.
"You did this?You reset my alarm?!" Carley brushed off his anger and put on a casual tone.
"Well, I had to get you back for the toothbrush incident and I thought that making you miss your meeting would be the perfect revenge. Not my fault that you rely on an alarm clock to remind you of your appointments."
She nodded toward Jake's calendar, specifically toward today's date, which was circled in red with the words 'Lewiston Studios, 5:15am' in the center. Jake looked at what she was talking about and turned back to her with anger in his eyes and a tone that would send any grown man running.
"That wasn't an appointment, Carley. That was where I was supposed to meet Miley, since today is when she's coming home from her trip. I was supposed to be there for her when she got off the bus, and now she'll think that I've forgotten all about her, just because my stupid little sister thought it'd be fun to get revenge for something that was a goddamn accident."
Carley paled with every word that came out of Jake's mouth. She didn't mean to mess up Jake's relationship with Miley – she actually liked Miley! She looked back up at Jake, wincing at the hard look in his eyes.
"Jake, I'm sorry! I didn't mean…I didn't know!"
Jake ignored her and, grabbing a towel and clothes to change into, brushed past her to take a shower. Carley followed him, pleading for him to understand that what she did was a mistake.
"Jake, please! I'm sorry! I, I didn't know, Jake, I didn't know! I swear! I'm sorry!"
At the bathroom door, Jake turned around to face her, looking down at her angrily. He spoke to her coldly.
"Don't talk to me, Carley. I don't hang out with immature brats."
With that, he shut the door in her shocked and hurt face. Carley stared blankly at the door, trying to regain her composure. Tears had unknowingly formed in her eyes as her brother's words repeated themselves over and over in her ears. She'd never seen her brother so angry before – especially at her. Sure, they got into fights all the time, but they were always playful and didn't mean anything.
Despite what everyone thought, the eleven-year-old looked up to her older brother a lot. He was always cool and popular, even before he became a big movie star, and she always wanted to be around him, just to be cool too. Sure, he was a total idiot some times, but she loved him very much, and hearing those words slip out of his mouth cut deeply into her heart.
Blinking back her tears when she heard the shower start running, Carley stepped away from the bathroom door and quickly made her way into her room. She knew that she had to fix her brother's relationship, both with her and Miley, and racked her brain for a way to do so. Finally getting an idea, she quietly snuck back into Jake's room and opened the top drawer of his dresser. She felt around his shirts until she found what she was looking for – his cell phone. She had hidden it so that he wouldn't be woken up by any phone calls, thus ruining her plan of revenge. Guilt rose in her chest again when she noticed that Jake's friend Oliver had sent him a text message, asking why Jake wasn't waiting for Miley with them.
Hearing the shower turn off, she hastily closed the drawer and sprinted into her room, the phone clutched tightly in her hand. Shutting the door, she quickly scrolled through Jake's phonebook until she found Miley's home number. She didn't want Miley to ignore Jake's call, so she opted to call the house since there was more anonymity. Pressing the 'Send' button, she nervously waited for someone to pick up the phone.
"Hello?" Carley nearly jumped for joy when she realized it was Miley who had answered.
"Miley! It's Carley – please don't hang up!" She heard a small chuckle on the other side.
"Why would you think I'd hang up on you?" Carley let out a small sigh and lowered her voice.
"Because of my brother…" Silence greeted her and she knew that Miley was upset about Jake. "Miley?"
"Oh, sorry, must have zoned out for a second," Miley gave a fake laugh, "I understand about Jake. It was only a matter of time before he forgot about me anyway. Probably laughing it up with some pretty, blonde movie star while I was gone, right?" Miley's voice cracked near the end, causing Carley's guilt to triple.
"No, Miley, that's not the case at all! It's my fault that he didn't come this morning. He had set his alarm to meet you, but I thought it'd be funny to mess with him and make him miss his appointment, so I reset his clock. I didn't know he was supposed to be meeting you this morning, I swear! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to wreck anything! Please don't blame Jake, or think he's forgotten you, please!" Silence once again greeted her, making Carley nervous. She finally heard a sigh on the other line.
"And this isn't some ploy by your brother to make me forgive him? How am I supposed to know that he didn't put you up to this, Carley?" Carley sank down on her bed in defeat, the springs creaking loudly throughout the room.
"Believe me, you can't fake the pain of having your brother not speak to you for messing up his relationship. I, I've never seen him so mad before, Miley. He's never given me the cold shoulder. It really hurts." The other side was quiet, causing Carley to sigh audibly. "If you don't want to talk to me either, I understand. I just thought you should know the truth before you blamed the wrong person." Just as she was about to hang up, Miley's voice came over the receiver.
"I'm not mad at you, Carley. You didn't know about today, and that's understandable. What you did was still bad – he could have missed a really important meeting, you know – but these kinds of things happen. And if I know your brother like I think I do, I know he'll come to forgive you very soon." Carley let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank you so much, Miley. I'm really glad you're not mad at me," As she was talking to Miley, a plan formed in her head. "You know, speaking of Jake, he's been talking about you non-stop. In fact, he was telling us earlier about the special date he was planning for you tonight – a little 'Welcome home celebration', you know?"
"Really?" Carley smirked – Miley was hooked.
"Mhmm, tonight. He'll be sending a car to pick you up at seven thirty – is that ok?" Carley could practically see the large smile on Miley's face.
"Yeah, that sounds great! Tell Jake I'll see him tonight! Bye Carley!"
Carley hung up, ecstatic that her plan to fix Jake and Miley's relationship had worked. She turned around to put the phone back in Jake's room, only to see her brother standing at the door. Her eyes widened, wondering just how much he heard and what he was going to do to her. Looking down at her with hard eyes, he motioned to his outstretched palm, silently telling her to hand over his phone. Lowering her eyes to the ground, she slowly put the phone in his hand, squealing when he gripped her hand and drew her into a hug. Startled, she tensed in his arms, unsure as to what to do. Bending down, he whispered in her ear.
"Thank you." Shocked, Carley pulled out of the hug and looked up at Jake in both happiness and confusion.
"You talked to me!" Smirking lightly, he ruffled her hair affectionately.
"Well, after fixing things with Miley, how could I not?"
"You heard all that?" Jake nodded in the affirmative. "Jake, I'm really sorry again. I didn't mean to make you so mad." Jake's eyes softened.
"I'm sorry too, kid. I may have overreacted a bit with you, but you have to understand that you can't do that to people, ok?"
Carley nodded and dove into Jake's torso again, causing him to grunt in pain, and wrapped her arms around his middle. Jake smiled down at her and returned the hug. After a few minutes, Jake pulled away.
"So what's this about a date?"
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Pacing nervously in front of his mirror, he ran a hand through his already tousled hair, worrying about how he was going to tell Miley about his feelings toward her. He'd been setting up the date the whole day and had completely forgotten to figure out what he was going to say to her. Should he go for the direct approach? Or should he slip it in casually during their conversation? So many decisions…
When he finally noticed that his hand was viciously attacking his hair, he quickly brought it down by his side and faced the mirror. This night had to be absolutely perfect if he didn't want to look like a fool, and the only way to be perfect was to practice. Grinning at himself, he struck a James Bond pose and put on a British accent.
"I love you, Darlin'." Frowning at how stupid he sounded, he decided to try a different approach – Elvis.
"Hey, Pretty Mama. Do you know how much I love ya?" When he looked at his Elvis pose, he nearly burst out laughing at how downright ridiculous he looked. Maybe a 1940's gangster would work?
"I'm gonna tell you how much I love ya, see? Gonna tell you I love ya lots, see?" Sighing in defeat, he let his forehead fall onto the mirror and groaned. "God, I'm so bad at this…"
A muffled "Thank you, Captain Obvious!" could be heard from down the hall, alerting him that Carley could hear him through the wall. Growling, Jake yelled through the wall.
"Shut. Up."
Hearing his sister's giggles, he rolled his eyes at her, inwardly glad that their relationship was back to normal. Glancing at the clock, panic started to set in when he saw that he had five minutes left before Miley arrived. He mentally thanked the heavens that he convinced his parents to leave the house for the night, as long as Carley got to stay and that there was no funny business, of course. Carley, on the other hand, agreed to stay in her room upstairs – something she usually charged money for, but did for free in order to make up for the stunt she pulled that morning.
Checking over himself once again in the mirror, he nodded his approval before shutting off the lights and making his way downstairs.
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Miley sat in the car, anxiously tapping her fingers against the black leather seat. The driver had told her that the date's location was a surprise and that Jake would be meeting her there.
Jake.
God, how she had missed him. E-mails and phone calls were one thing, but seeing him in the flesh was completely different. Had he changed like Lily and Oliver had? Had he lost interest in her and wanted to break up with her tonight? Carley said he hadn't, but with Jake she couldn't tell. Lord, she hoped not.
Miley nervously played with the hem of her dress. Tonight was the night she was going to tell him exactly how she felt…if only she knew how that was. Her father always said that distance makes the heart grow fonder, and man did it apply in this situation, but she wondered just how fond her heart was of Jake. Did she just like Jake a whole lot more, or was it…love? She wasn't exactly sure. If that didn't make her nervous, it sure as hell did now. And what if he didn't share her strong feelings? What was she to do then?
Before she had time to answer her own questions, the car pulled up to a familiar looking door. Glancing up, she was surprised to see Jake's house. The car door was opened by the driver and, thanking him for his troubles, she walked up the house's front steps. Taped on the front door was a note written in neat scrawl, telling her to follow the arrows. Miley smiled at Jake's cute idea, letting out a chuckle when she saw that the first arrow was pointing down toward the doorknob.
Opening the door, she made her way through the house, guided by the mysterious arrows. She saw that the last arrow pointed toward a familiar pair of French doors. Once again grabbing the elegant handles, Miley felt a sense of déjà vu come over her, making her smile inside. Gently tugging open the door, she slipped into the beautiful garden.
She looked around in awe, marveling at all of the colorful flowers the garden had. It was almost as beautiful in the evening as it was at night. Sadly, it was still too early for the lights to be turned on, but she didn't mind. Glancing around, she finally spotted Jake in the vine-covered gazebo. Smiling, she took off down the grassy path, anxious to see the boy she missed so desperately.
When she reached the gazebo, she came to a sudden stop outside of its entrance. Jake had his back to her, staring off into the horizon where the sun had recently set. His hair had grown a bit longer since she'd last seen him, the ends now curling slightly behind his ears. Like Oliver, he grew a few inches and from what she could see, his face was more angular and defined, making him look even more attractive than before.
Jake felt a presence behind him and lost his breath when he turned around. She was a vision in white and he noticed that she had started filling out quiet nicely over the summer. Her light summer dress showed off her toned legs and newly acquired curves, and contrasted nicely with her rich, chocolate hair. Miley had grown up during the summer, and Jake wasn't complaining one bit.
Miley took a tentative step toward him, unsure whether her mind was playing tricks on her or whether all this was real. When he didn't disappear, she took another, and another. She stopped and smiled at him when she saw the look of sheer desire on his face, slowly biting her lower lip.
That did it for Jake. In two strides, he reached for her and kissed her breathless. It had been so long – too long – since he'd tasted her and he nearly died when he breathed in the citrus scent of her shampoo. He tried telling her everything through the kiss; how much he missed her, wanted her, needed her, cared for her, and possibly loved her. It finally became too much for both to take and they broke apart for oxygen. They panted heavily, never breaking eye contact until Jake noticed something glinting in the dimming light. Looking down, he saw the pendant he had given her all those months ago resting against her heaving chest. His eyes snapped up to meet hers.
"You still wear it?" Immediately knowing what he was referring to, she smiled.
"I've never taken it off, even in the shower. It means you're always with me."
For Jake, that had to have been the sexiest thing he'd ever heard anyone say. He lunged at her again, attacking her mouth furiously with his. She responded just as violently, trying, but failing, to get enough of him.
Suddenly, the entire garden lit up, causing the couple to break apart in wonder. Miley looked around the gazebo in awe, taking in the twinkling lights that threaded through the numerous vines. She felt like Cinderella, living in a complete fairytale. Jake, on the other hand, looked toward the house, smiling when he saw Carley waving at him from the window. She gave him a knowing wink and disappeared into her room.
Carley's surprise reminded Jake of his task for tonight, which had been pushed to the back of his mind during his kisses with Miley. Reaching behind him, he picked up the small, delicate flowers resting on the gazebo's railing. Miley was now watching him curiously, wondering what he was up to. When he presented her with the flowers, her heart swelled.
"Forget Me Nots?" she whispered in awe. He smiled softly at her and tucked a few of the flowers behind her ear.
"So you know that I could never forget you, Miley."
Her eyes watered slightly. He hadn't forgotten her! She threw herself into his chest and buried her face in his neck, breathing in his unique scent. She felt him kiss temple before gently resting his head on hers. Slow music suddenly appeared from hidden speakers, startling Miley. She looked up at Jake to find him laughing lightly at her and she quickly let him go, a scowl on her face for being mocked.
Jake held his hand out to her, silently asking her to dance, to which she shook her head and turned her head away from him. She felt his hand slip into hers and gently pull her to him, allowing him to wrap his other arm around her waist while he raised the one currently holding her hand. He slowly started to rock them back and forth. Her resistance was slowly dying with every second, until finally giving up and resting her head on his chest once more.
They danced beneath the sparkling lights, forgetting everything around them but the person in their arms. They swayed gently to the soft music, burning this moment into their minds forever. When the song ended, Jake pulled away from Miley, knowing that this was the moment of truth. The time to tell her had come and he was a complete wreck inside.
"Miley, there's something I need to tell you." Swallowing his heart back into his chest, he took a deep breath. "I…" he drifted off, trying to get his lips to say the words. "I…I…" Miley waited, confused.
"Yes?" He tried again, desperately trying to get his throat to open.
"I…um…" She was waiting on bated breath, hoping he was trying to say what she wished he felt.
"Yes?"
He knew she was waiting for him to say something, something that could potentially change their relationship forever. He knew he had to say it, and he had to say it now.
"I…I love…your shoes!"
Jake could have smacked himself. Shoes?! The best he could come up with were her shoes?! God, he was an idiot. Miley looked around awkwardly.
"Oh. Um, thanks…I guess…"
'Get a freaking grip, Ryan. Just tell her how you feel!'
Sucking in a deep breath, he turned to her again, a determined look on his face.
"Wait, no. That's not what I wanted to tell you." He noticed the curious spark in her eyes, telling him that he had her full attention again. "I know it's probably stupid, and you probably don't feel the same way, which is completely understandable because I think I have retarded feelings that probably aren't normal, but I'm falling for you, Miley Stewart, I really am." He didn't notice her gasp of surprise. "I don't think it's quite 'love' yet, but I think I'm getting there, maybe some time soon, even though we've only been together for a few months I already feel this really close connection with you and it's not really a feeling I can ignore-"
Miley crashed her lips onto his, effectively stopping his rambling. After a moment of shock, Jake finally responded to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and roughly pulling her to him, leaving no space between the pair. Her hands threaded through his hair, applying pressure to the back of his head and increasing the friction of their lips. Soon, Miley pulled back and caressed Jake's cheek, staring into the sea-green eyes she dearly missed.
"I'm falling for you too, Jake Ryan."
Jake smiled widely, his eyes sparkling with the same child-like happiness she saw when he was utterly and completely happy. He kissed her again, but this time it was soft and gentle. Her arms wrapped around his neck once more, playing with the fine hairs at the back of his neck, while his settled on her hips. They had finally taken their relationship to the next level and were steadily heading toward the largest step of all – love.