I'm almost asleep.

Lilly picked at her guitar as she rocked the porch swing with one foot, humming an unknown tune to herself as she observed the sun lifting from its sleep like a giant eye that was trying to open, but could never be met once it was. Lilly's mother hadn't come home last night, but had at least graced Lilly with a call regarding her whereabouts. She'd mentioned something about spending the weekend at a friend's place and Lilly had failed to mention they were running low on just about everything and she didn't have any money left since her last visit to the grocery store.

"Mind if I sit?" Lilly jumped slightly, not noticing that Miley had climbed the stairs, crossed the porch, and was now standing in front of the unoccupied seat next to her. She studied the girl silently with a sullen gaze, taking in the slightly parted lips arched in a charming smile that allowed white teeth to flash lightly in the dim morning. Her blue eyes twinkled with a friendliness that bothered Lilly to a certain degree and she couldn't determine why. She was beginning to believe that Miley wouldn't rest until she was on familiar grounds with the blonde, so Lilly accepted a moment of truce, the calmness her music brought her aiding in the effort it took to nod.

"Go ahead," she relented.

They swayed in silence for long minutes, Lilly's fingers still plucking at her guitar. The light notes relaxed her and she unconsciously started humming again, but faltered for a moment when Miley shifted closer. She wasn't certain why, but when she glimpsed at Miley's face, the brunette's eyes were closed and she was smiling for a mysterious reason.

As she examined Miley more accurately, her fingers slowed and her throat's vocals halted, but Lilly was unaware of this until bright blue eyes were suddenly opened and staring right into hers. Lilly blinked and wondered why such an imprudent person could have such a strikingly beautiful face.

"You have such a sweet voice from what I can tell, Lilly. Please don't stop," Miley said lightly.

"What are you doing here?" Lilly asked, trying to cover her embarrassment with her enquiry.

"Well, I... I don't even know why... It doesn't make sense," Miley stalled, pretending to be engrossed with pumping her legs to move the swing in a rapid and unstable rhythm. Lilly remained quiet and continued to look at Miley until their eyes locked and Miley realised she wasn't going to make progress with Lilly unless she was forward and honest. "Okay, don't ask me why, but I just like you. And I know you may hate me, but I think we got off on the wrong foot and I truly believe we could be friends. That is, if you're willing to give me a chance," Miley added and watched as Lilly faced the rising sun with a frown and drawn brows.

"Of course I'm not willing to Miley, but you're just going to keep on sniffing around like a hungry animal until I give you what you want, so really, I have no choice but to say yes." Miley grinned widely and was daring enough to lay an arm across Lilly's stiff shoulders.

"Thank you." There was a soft pressure on Lilly's skin as Miley squeezed Lilly's side into her body for a moment in an awkward embrace. It was gone in the next second, but it left Lilly baffled. She didn't understand why pushing Miley away made the brunette try that much harder to get closer and she couldn't overlook the joy she felt knowing there was someone willing to make the effort to befriend her. But why did it have to be someone as foolish as Miley Stewart?

"Whatever," Lilly muttered dismissively, filling the morning with her music once again.

The cry of the house phone roused Lilly from a deep sleep, creating violent mental images of slamming the device against a wall or throwing it out of the window. She smiled and scurried out of bed, leaving the absurd ideas involving her phone's destruction behind with the warmth her bed offered.

Lilly jogged down the stairs and down the hall towards the kitchen and snatched the cordless phone from its cradle, bringing it up to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey Lilly!" came Lilly's over excited greeting.

"Miley?"

"Yep! I'm glad you remember my voice." It's hard not to. You don't shut up long enough for me to forget it, Lilly thought with a silent snicker.

"Uh huh. How'd you get this number?"

"Through the magic of a phone book," Miley replied with a giggle.

"Great. Why are you calling me?"

"Well, I um... wanted to know if you've had breakfast yet?"

"No, I only just woke up thanks to an obnoxious neighbour calling at such an early hour."

"It's ten."

"Exactly." A pause followed, but Miley broke it with a frustrated sigh.

"Look, will you come over here? I'm making bacon and eggs and there's a possibility I've made extra for whoever decides to keep me company today."

Lilly hung up without another word and raced for the front door, swinging it shut behind her and running down the stone footpath outside of her house. She glanced down the road to make sure no cars decided to materialise out of nowhere and cut her task short. She was welcomed with streets occupied with nothing but ghosts and bolted over to Miley's home. When Lilly landed on the porch, she nearly let herself in, but thought better of it and politely knocked first. Slow seconds were wasted before Miley finally opened the door with a pleased smile, which morphed into a chuckle.

"So, this is how you dress when you go over to someone's house? Shoeless and clad in nothing but ducky pyjamas?"

"No, this is how I dress when I'm so starving I don't have time to consider the humiliation," Lilly countered. "Can I please come in?" Miley happily stepped aside to let Lilly rocket past her.

Thankfully, the kitchen was straight across from the door so she didn't need to worry about getting lost on her search for food. Lilly seated herself on a stool at the island in the centre of the tiled kitchen and clasped her hands, a patient expression adorning her face as she stared at the steaming frying pan on the counter.

"Shit, if all it takes to get into your good graces is food, we would've been friends a long time ago," Miley said, aiming a stunned look at Lilly, who laughed in response.

"I'm a simple girl, Miley. If you feed me, I'm sold."

"Simple my ass. You're the most complex person I've ever met!"

"Is the food ready yet?" Lilly questioned, ignoring Miley's comment. She pouted when Miley shook her head after she glanced into the frying pan. "How come you can cook? I can't cook and we're around the same age."

"Well, I knew I'd have to learn how to make meals if I wanted to live by myself, so I asked to assist the chefs working at my dad's house back in LA," Miley explained, a hint of sadness in her tone.

"Rich parents, huh?"

"Parent," Miley corrected and Lilly's eyebrows rose.

"Did your mother pass away, or are you just a bastard child?" Lilly asked curiously.

"A bastard," Miley muttered, reaching into a cabinet to retrieve two plates.

"Me too."

I know things are going slow, but that's what kind of fic this is. So let me know if that bothers you. It won't change anything, but you can still bitch, I guess.