Jake's P.O.V

"Hey Mom," I said smiling, as she wrapped her arms around me and just about squeezed the oxygen from my lungs. "Ease up, I'm shooting tomorrow," I said jokingly, interrupting her planting kisses on my face.

"Sorry," she said with a large grin. I could tell she was happy to see me and this made me feel bad I hadn't visited in so long.

She rubbed my cheeks for a second and took me in before noticing Lilly standing awkwardly behind me. "Oh you must be Miley, Leslie's told me so much about you," she said, bustling past me to see Lilly.

I don't know who turned redder; me or Lilly. I was downright mortified but Lilly was just looking politely embarrassed.

"No Mom," I said through gritted teeth. "This is Lilly, a friend of mine."

"Oh a friend?" she said, eyes twinkling.

I could tell exactly what she was thinking and decided to stop it before she got ahead of herself. "Just a friend," I reminded her.

My Mom looked like she got the message and didn't press the subject. I couldn't say more because at that moment, what felt like a rocket hurled into my midriff.

"Tommy!" I gasped, the wind knocked out of me.

My kid brother stared up at me, grinning toothily. "Jakey!"

I grinned back at him. My brother was the only one who called me Jake in my family and for that he was my favourite. It was one of the reasons why I always snuck him chocolate biscuits when my parents weren't looking.

"How you been buddy?" I asked him, scooping him up.

"Good," he replied. "I saw you on TV the other day Jake."

"Really? That's cool."

"C'mon guys, let's eat," my mother's voice called from the kitchen.

A while later after we'd eaten dinner, I gave Lilly a tour of the house.

"Thanks for coming. They can be a bit overbearing sometimes."

She elbowed me neatly in the ribs. "They're nice. Pity it didn't rub off on you."

"Ha ha," I retorted sarcastically.

We entered my bedroom and she cracked a smile. "I can't believe this was your room."

I laughed. "Believe it. This is where Jake Ryan became a star."

"Don't you mean Leslie Ryan?" she asked, giggling under her breath.

"Oh that's it; you're in for it now."

I grabbed her by the waist and slung her playfully on to my bed, proceeding to attack her with pillows.

"Hey, stop it," she laughed, her voice muffled.

"Say 'Jake Ryan is the greatest actor of our generation,'" I ordered her.

"Jake Ryan is the greatest actor of our generation!"

I relented, chucked the pillows down and collapsed next to her. We were silent for a moment before she suddenly spoke.

"It's really great the way you are with your brother. You can be a really good guy when you want to be Jake."

I sat up and she followed, her face inches from mine. "Thanks," I murmured.

I'd never really noticed how beautiful up close she was, or the cute freckle she had on the side of her nose.

There was no way to explain what I did next. It was like some gravitational pull. I found myself leaning in as she did, pushing my lips out, closing my eyes, waiting for us to meet…..

"Hey guys, I made dessert."

We jumped apart as my mother's voice pierced the air. I glanced over to the door and saw her standing there. By the look on her face, she knew what she had interrupted and quickly exited. I sighed and looked over at Lilly who had made sure we were now a good distance apart.

"We'd better go," I said wearily, not willing to acknowledge what could have just happened. Lilly nodded dully and sped off, leaving me in her wake.

We arrived back at the apartment late that night, our stomachs bursting with the wonderful food my Mom had served. I'd forgotten just how good a cook she was.

Lilly was quiet the whole way home and I knew it had something to do with what had almost happened.

I threw my jacket down on the couch when we stepped inside. "Are we going to talk?"

"There's nothing to talk about," she replied expressionlessly.

I stormed over to her and flung her around to face me. "I'm not going to let you ignore me, not anymore."

Lilly pushed me away, her eyes alight, burning right through me. "God, get over yourself Jake!"

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I yelled, my voice breaking through two octaves. "One minute, it seems like you actually like me and the next you hate my guts. Make up your mind!"

She bit her lip furiously, half-snarled and started to walk away. But I was in no way going to let her off the hook.

"Tell me what your problem is."

She stomped back to me and fixed her glare on me. "You!" she said, poking a finger into my chest. "You're my problem."
"What did I do?" I asked, in all seriousness. I was now confused.

"You made me fall for you!" she screamed, her fingers locked in tight around strands of her blonde hair.

I didn't move for a full minute. We both just stood there, staring at each other, neither saying a word. She waited, anxious and tense, for my reply.

"Jake I –"

I closed the gap between us and cut off any words she might have had to say. Our lips met and all the hopes, dreams, fears, doubts that existed in my world melted away. Because right now, all there was, was Lilly.

Miley's P.O.V

I'm tired, sore, carrying a significant amount of jet lag on me but Jake's worth it. At least I hope. I'm outside the door of his apartment and my hand is hovering just above the doorknob. Forget butterflies, my stomach is doing back flips.

I'm afraid I'll see him and he won't make me really feel like he used to. That his smile won't make my heart race. That I'll fall out of love with him and into love with the other boy who's been on my mind. But I still extended my fingers and took hold of the cold metal.

Jake's P.O.V

If the world ended right now, I reckon I'd be alright with it. There's nothing else but her. She's lying underneath me on the couch, her arms around my neck, kissing me. Me.

Lilly, the skater tomboy, the geeky girl I met in school years ago, the best friend of Miley…

Miley.

I unglued myself from Lilly's soft lips and it hurt. "We can't do this," I said, jaw clenched tight.

Lilly stared at up at me, her blue eyes radioing into mine. "I know," she said simply, lifting a hand away from my neck and to run it across my forehead. I sighed into her touch and closed my eyes for a fleeting moment. Then I leaned down, my face pressed against her neck.

"We can't," I whispered against her warm skin.

"I know," I heard her reply in the same voice as before.

I brought myself back up to stare at her. And then the words I'd written to Miley echoed in my head.

If you find someone, someone you feel like you can love fully, I want you to give them a shot.

And then I decided.

Nothing else mattered as I smashed my lips onto hers, smiling into the kiss.

Miley's P.O.V

I turned the knob and to my surprise, the door was unlocked. I took a deep breath and stepped into the apartment.

And then a part of me died inside.

Okay, those who love Jiley (like I do) might be seriously hating me for this chapter but it had to happen

But I want you to continue reading because I promise you'll get the best ending possible