Chapter 3

Best Friends

"So how's life?" Miley asked as she stared at Oliver.

Oliver and Miley sat at Sally's, eating fries, while catching up about what happened in the past. Of course Oliver knew some things about Miley, but every detail. It just felt weird without Lilly there though. It was usually the three of then when they ate there, but Lilly was with Matt and Oliver still didn't know that Lilly was seeing him.

"Life has been… well confusing." He shrugged.

Miley raised her eyebrows. "Confusing before or after you moved from here or back to here?"

Oliver stared blankly at her and shook his head. He took a piece of fry and bit it before answering his question.

"Life was pretty good before, I had girlfriends', gone to parties, drank on occasion, but up till the summer, it got confusing." He shrugged. "I met someone who made me realize that I missed being here and then when I come back, I find Lilly dating Matt. Matt hurt her our freshman year and yet she's seeing him? I don't get it."

He didn't know why it came so natural to him to just talk to Miley like this. It took a while till Lilly trusted him again. Maybe because it didn't hit Miley so much as it did with Lilly.

Miley sighed. "Well, he didn't really hurt her; it was my fault in the first place." She shook her head. "And anyway, its not like it matters, they'll probably break up in a week or so. I don't think Lilly has dated Matt for more than two months."

Oliver choked on the piece of fry he was working on and stared, wide-eyed at Miley. "Two months?"

Oliver furrowed his brows and looked down at his fries. Hadn't she thought of him once during the time they separated? Plus, two months, they were still talking then and she never bothered to mention she was dating Matt? The things they talked about, life, love, if they'd ever see each other again, it just hit him, she kept this a secret from him and she never told him. He just felt like all this was a lie.

"Yep, well, they weren't really close, but then Matt wanted to get close to her, like he wanted something serious, but she's holding back. I don't know, Matt confuses me. We'd have to see what happens between them." Miley shook her head and moved closer to the table. "Anyway, what exciting things have you done in Seattle?"

Oliver shook his head. Lilly mustn't have told Miley about us. He rolled his eyes and took another fry from his plate.

"Well, I have idiot friends who I kept as friends, but they made me busy so I was friends with them. They were kind of like those guys who were jerks, but they were good looking." Oliver smiled as he thought of his friends.

"Hm, so you were Mr. Popular huh? Nice." Miley giggled and sat back in her seat.

"Nope, not Mr. Popular, way far from that, but I always went out. I think if my parents really found out about the things I've done, I don't think they would've let me move here." He chuckled.

"So Mr. Oken is a bad boy huh? Ollie's Trolley has gotten naughty." Miley smirked.

"Yep, but whatever, I never did anything too bad, just a few drinks here and there… but I haven't done that in a long time" Oliver sighed glanced at the clock.

They had only been there for forty-five minutes and he already wanted to go. It just felt weird being alone with Miley and it has been a long time since he saw her. Maybe that's why it was so weird. Plus he felt like she was trying to flirt with him. He didn't want that at all, all he wanted was a small talk with them and maybe find out more about Matt and Lilly's relationship, but he didn't want to seem like a stalker at all.

"Oh! By the way, did you see Lilly in Seattle?" She asked with hopeful eyes.

"No, not at all. I never knew she went." He shrugged.

"Really? I thought there might be a chance-"

"Seattle's pretty big. Plus, Lilly looks different you know?" He shrugged as he reached for his cup of water. He took a sip from it and Miley eyed him.

"You seemed to know how she looked like right away when I saw you twice today and you never once said hi." She raised an eyebrow and Oliver stared hard at her.

Suddenly it came to him. Miley was the girl in the morning. The same girl who he walked passed while he was looking for Lilly. How can he not see it? Same hair, almost same look, just a little grown up. Gosh he was stupid. He couldn't even think about Miley and only thought of Lilly. Sometimes he thinks he has an obsession with Lilly, but he couldn't. He only cared about her and now all he could think was confusion just because of the whole 'Matt' issue.

"Did you recognize me? I doubt it." He smirked and put his cup down. "Anyway, I was just going to my locker when she was blocking my locker. I never once thought it was Lilly until she kept on staring at me. It clicked and we hugged." He lied and scratched the back of his head.

"Oh!" Miley nodded her head, not really believing the story, but she couldn't prove wrong.

"Yep, anyway, how's life with you? HM is still big and you're still here. When will you tell everyone who you really are?" He asked and Miley laughed.

"Oh Oken it always goes back to Hannah Montana. I'm surprised you kept this secret for so long." Miley winked and Oliver took a deep breath.

"Well, that secret isn't exactly a secret you could easily forget." His voice dropped. "So Hannah Montana, how does it feel to be a superstar for almost five years?" Oliver grinned and folded his hands on the table in front of him.

"Life is.. Good actually." Miley started off with a story, but Oliver didn't really listen.

All he was concerned about was Lilly and it made him wonder why she never talked about dating someone else in the first place.

----

"Gosh, is he going to call or not?" Lilly sighed and looked at her phone as she waited.

Lilly sat on the center of her bed, waiting for a phone call. After a boring afternoon of Matt telling her of his day and asking who Oliver was, she was just tired. Matt totally forgot who Oliver was, but when he realized it was Oliver, he seemed a bit over protective.

It didn't matter though. To Lilly, it was more of a boyfriend thing. Boyfriends are always like this, late on calls or a little over protective, but it didn't matter. She knew that if Matt knew what happened during the summer, he wouldn't even allow her to see Oliver at all, thus showing how possessive Matt could be.

It was weird. She felt like she was cheating on Oliver even if she wasn't even dating Oliver. They broke up in the airport three months ago and now that Oliver is back, it just made her feel screwed up.

The one day she promised herself that she was going to forget about Oliver, there Oliver was, in front of her with open arms. He's willing to take her back so fast and yet she doesn't know what to do.

Lilly dropped back on her bed and put her cell phone next to her. She rolled on her side so her back faced the window and looked at her cell phone. It was already 8PM and still no call from Oliver and it worried her. She knew he and Miley went out when she left, but she wondered if Oliver told her about the two of them.

Miley would throw a fit if she found out all the things that happened during the summer by Oliver. She wasn't exactly her innocent self then and being in California meant that she could clean up her act or at least what she had been saying the whole time she came back, "Whatever happened in Seattle, stayed in Seattle" which kind of meant she was still a virgin in California right?

Lilly groaned. "I should just ignore him. He probably knows I'm with Matt so he's going to move on."

She didn't want it bothering her that he knew, but it was like everything was hitting her so fast. She only found out that today that Oliver is back and that's it. She never told him when she and Matt dated and that's that. She just hoped nothing bad would come out of it.

She heard a noise coming from her window and she sat up on her bed to look at her window. She saw something trying to get in from her window and she froze in fear, afraid to see what was coming. Finally, she saw a body drop, quite a familiar body actually, and when it stood up, it was Oliver.

She sighed. "Gosh, you know, it would be more romantic if you came from the balcony." She told him as she got off her bed to walk over to Oliver.

"Hey, is it my fault I don't want to be like your usual Romeo?" He asked and dusted his clothes off.

Lilly stood in front of Oliver and put her hands behind her. She stared at him as he looked down at his outfit, which was pants and a black shirt. When she caught his eyes, she felt like blushing. All the feelings she wanted to avoid started coming so fast, she couldn't help but allow her blush to take over her whole face.

"Hmm, same old room." Oliver said as he looked away from Lilly. It was the same, everything was the same, about her room. Bed in the middle of the room, night stand next to it, book case, everything, it was like how it was the day he left.

"Yeah, I like the feel of it." She turned around to sit on her bed.

"Oh." Oliver followed her and sat down at the end of her bed.

"So you didn't call-" She started.

Oliver twisted his upper body to look at her and he defended himself. "I never thought I'd hang out with Miley the whole time. I'm here now, I never called because I wanted to talk to you in person."

"What's the difference?"

"I get to look at your beautifulness. That's one thing I missed the most." he reached forward and cupped her cheek.

Lilly shook her head, making Oliver's hand drop. "Shut up." She looked away from him and to her lap. "So what's the story? You being here? Why?"

"I missed this place. I promised you all that I would be here and graduate with you guys during our freshman year. It would be bad if I broke the promise." He smiled.

"Breaking promises, they really do suck huh?" Lilly asked and he shrugged.

"Yep. Anyway, I'm living with an aunt a few houses away so I simply snuck out an-"

"Oliver Oken, will you stop sneaking out?" Lilly asked with a pleased look on her face. At least he snuck out to see her right?

"I wanted to see you, is that so bad?" He asked as he moved on the bed so that he sat right next to her.

"No, that's sweet though, at least you were thinking about me." She grinned and lay back on her bed.

"Ah yes, thinking about you, one of the good perks that keep me alive." He grinned and lay next to her. "I could never forget you if that's what you think."

Lilly shut her eyes and put her hands on her tummy. She had to know why he never talked to her for those few weeks they lost contact. She felt depressed, kind of like he got tired of her or something. She didn't want that to come out of their relationship, but now that it has, it scared her.

"Then why didn't you call me? Why did you stop talking to me?" She asked.

Suddenly she felt a hand on her stomach which made her surprised. She knew Oliver liked to touch when they talked, it was something she realized while in Seattle, but she didn't know if she wanted Oliver touching her. She was afraid that she might want him more than anything if she allowed him to touch her. She wanted to keep the distance or she would probably forget Matt and move on to Oliver-again.

"I wanted to surprise you. It was stupid of me and I know how serious you take certain thing which is why I did it slowly. I wanted to make you happy when you saw me, but now that you're with him, it changes everything and I'm sorry."

"It's okay, don't worry." She sighed. Finally she remembered. She had to know if he spilled anything that happened between her and Oliver to Miley. "Did you tell Miley about… us?"

Oliver bit his lip and turned his head to her. He saw that she still had his eyes closed and she sighed.

"No. When I realized she didn't know anything at all, I just avoided everything during the summer, although I told her I met someone who changed me."

"Changed you as in…?"

"Made me feel something I've never felt before… made me realize a lot of things, you know the usual." He sighed and he heard Lilly sigh as well.

"That's good." Then, Lilly suddenly sat up. She looked down at him and raised an eyebrow. "Now, tell me why you really came back."

Oliver rolled his eyes and shook his head. He pushed himself up from the bed and stared straight at her. He knew that Lilly has feelings for him, she couldn't possibly forget about him and their first time back in Seattle.

She's probably avoiding the feeling just because she's with Matt. He told himself and shrugged. Might as well tell her now.

"I missed you so much Lilly. I thought that when I get here, we could be together again, but I had to find out you were with someone else…"

Lilly sighed. She never wanted to start a conversation which would end with them arguing. She could already see the fight to come soon.

"Is it my fault? We broke up at the airport. I thought I'd never see you again so I hid myself from dating Matt. As the calls grew less, the more I was up for dating. You said I shouldn't wait and he was the one guy who wanted me you know?" Lilly turned on her bed so she was looking at Oliver.

"But you never bothered-"

"I never knew you would care." Lilly dropped her eyes.

Oliver frowned and moved close to Lilly. He moved so he sat close to her and put a hand on her shoulder with a finger on her chin. He tilted her head up and smiled.

"You know I care, don't you remember what we did in Seattle?" Oliver asked, making Lilly blush all over again.

"Seattle." She bit her lip, making Oliver smile. "Must you that up? It's embarrassing."

Oliver dropped a hand and took both her hands in his. "Embarrassing yet sweet. I don't regret it and I'll always remember it."

" Me too." Lilly nodded. "And yet here I am, posing as the most innocent girl in the world and you bring up such an intimate time. You know, a relationship doesn't always have to involve… it."

"And yet we did it." Oliver teased.

Lilly rolled her eyes and pulled her hands away. "Is that all you cared about?"

"No, I cared about so much in our week relationship." Oliver replied.

"One week, that was short, but we knew each other longer. I'm with Matt now, don't think you can interrupt our-"

"You were probably the first girl I actually lo-cared for you know? I'm just saying that. I'm not trying to get in between you and Matt." Oliver cleared his throat, making Lilly glance at him.

"Well, I'm happy we cleared this up." Lilly put her hands over Oliver this time and looked at him through the darkness.

She couldn't really see anything, all she could see was the shape of his body and that was fine. That's all she really asked for. She doesn't think that she could go through looking at him, broad daylight, just talking about this stuff. It was like, she could really get through him in the darkness. That's what they did in Seattle too.

"So you're off limits now." Oliver said softly. He tightened his grip on Lilly's hand.

The way Oliver made it sound, it was like she was property, but it was also something he picked up. She didn't mind it, but it kind of hurt in a way where she didn't want to be 'off limits' to Oliver. Gosh, this was making her confused.

"I guess, if you want to put it that way." Lilly bit her lip as she shrugged.

She felt a little regret, but it didn't matter. She's not supposed to see him more than a friend. She had a boyfriend and even if most of her feelings are for Oliver, she knew it would be wrong to break up with Matt just like that. She practically told herself that she will get Oliver, even if it did mean that she's going to get hurt.

"Oh well." He chuckled. "At least I'll be with my best friends."

"Best friends, like how it was before you left." Lilly forced a smile, even if Oliver couldn't see it.

"Yep, so I guess I should leave then?" He questioned as he let go of Lilly's hands.

He started to get up and Lilly followed him. She watched his figure and followed him as he walked toward the window. He finally stepped into the moonlight, which shone from the window, and turned around to step at him. There, Lilly couldn't help but stare at him. She stopped in front of him and looked down at her feet.

Oliver smiled and put his hands on Lilly's shoulders so she could look at him. Once they caught each others gaze, Oliver cupped her cheek and sighed.

"You're beautiful and you look happy, Matt must be treating you well." He sighed and dropped his hand from her cheek.

Lilly felt her heart slightly ache, but she shook it off and smiled.

"Yeah, he has."

Oliver turned as he was about to head out the window, but then turned back. "So you know, since we're friends and all, its okay if we still kiss, as friends? You know?" He suddenly says and Lilly was slightly taken back from that.

"Huh?" She asked and Oliver chuckled.

"Never mind. Good night Lilly." Oliver said and leaned his face close to Lilly, just to kiss her cheek. He quickly turned around and gently slipped out from the window.

Lilly stood there, a bit shocked, and cupped her cheek. She shook her head and walked toward the window as she watched Oliver climb down. She closed the widow as soon as he reached the bottom and started running from the lawn and onto the sidewalk.

She sighed and turned around to lean against the wall. She dropped her hand and shrugged.

"It's just a kiss on the cheek, no big deal." She told herself and walked back to her bed, trying to forget about the tiny peck on her cheek.

A/N Hope you liked this update! Sorry if I'm kinda late with updates. Sorry.