A/N: Been a while but I'm currently struggling through finals and attempting to study. Chapter five will be the final one. I had help from Abz with some grammar and fluency, Mar-cay helped me add another embarrassing moment for Miley. Reviews have dropped for each chapter, but I'm still receiving around a ten per cent review v. hit ratio. I'm received thirteen reviews last chapter (thank you!) and since this story is on the alert list for twenty-one and on the favourites of eighteen of you, I don't think twelve is that outrageous of a request. Let me know what you liked, what you didn't like, where I can improve, etc. I like hearing your thoughts, it helps me write future chapters and future stories. Now, enough of me. Enjoy chapter four. Cheers!
Disclaimer: I own nothing and am making nothing off of the following. All following characters are retained by Disney.
Speeding Up The Process
Chapter Four
"So Miley agreed did she?" Jackson asked with a large smirk.
"She did," Lilly replied with an equally large smirk.
Lilly was sitting at a stool at Rico's while Jackson was lazily wiping the tops of the counters, the lunch rush having just ended a while ago. Lilly had relayed her texts to Oliver and Miley to a very amused Jackson as he worked the end of his shift.
"So looks like we need to turn it up tonight," Jackson said placing his wash rag over his shoulder and leaning forward to talk to Lilly, resting his arms on the counter.
"Sounds as though my sister might already be thinking of something herself," he said with an even larger smirk. "Trying to impress old Oliver with a fancy new dress?"
Lilly smiled excitedly, replying quietly, "She sounded rather excited about the clothes she bought so she might have bought some clothes to impress him with." Rolling her eyes, she added, "She was absolutely gushing about him."
Jackson chuckled softly and rolled his eyes as he said, "Miles, Miles, Miles... She is in so deep." Looking at Lilly now, he asked, "So you have any ideas for tonight?"
Lilly smiled and replied, "I'm thinking dinner again of course, but I'm also thinking we should extend the date by doing something else as well."
Jackson smirked widely as an idea came to mind.
"How about we eat dinner and then see a film?" he asked. Waggling his eyebrows, he said, "A fancy restaurant and the theatre..."
Lilly smirked as well.
"I like it." Pausing for a moment to think, she said, "Now to determine what film Miley would prefer. I know there are a couple new ones out. There's a nice romantic-comedy, a couple horror and scary ones out..."
"Well girls tend to want to be held during horror films," Jackson said with a smirk. Lilly rolled her eyes.
"Firstly, half of the horror films we over exaggerate how scared we are. Secondly, Miley doesn't scare easily."
"True," Jackson agreed. "There's still the possibility she might be scared if we choose a real scary one..."
"I doubt it," Lilly said dryly. Rolling her eyes, she added, "She only panics when someone calls her on her crush on Oliver."
Jackson nodded in agreement, smirking slightly as he thought for a moment.
"Well then maybe we just go with the chick-flick, eh?" he asked as he turned around to grab his rag again, missing Lilly's glare.
"All right, sounds good. We'll have dinner at a fancy restaurant again and then go see a romantic-comedy," she said, gritting her teeth at the last part.
"Lilly in ten," Robby Ray said as he put down the phone and turned back to re-enter the kitchen. Jackson walked over to the door and checked his watch, counting silently to himself before he opened the door to allow Lilly to skateboard in.
"What's up Stewarts?" she asked enthusiastically.
"How ya' doin' Lilly?" Robby Ray asked as he looked up from a pot on the stove he was stirring slowly.
"I'm excited for tonight! Tonight might actually be the night!" she squealed excitedly.
"Ex-nay, ex-nay Lilly!" Jackson hissed as he looked over his shoulder at his father. Seeing his father was busy with the pot on the stove, he said quietly, "Dad doesn't know about our little plan–"
"–The plan you have to meddle with your sister's love life?" Robby Ray asked without looking up from the stove. Lilly and Jackson both looked over at him, mouths agape. As if sensing their looks by the silence, he looked up and said, "Yeah I know what y'all been doin' on your attempted 'double-dates'. I must say it is about time."
Lilly and Jackson's mouths widened even further in confusion.
"You're cool with this Mr. S.?" Lilly asked in amazement.
"Lilly, I've seen my Miles watching that boy since the day we moved here," he said with a chuckle, turning back to stir his pot again. Looking up with a smile, he continued, "As I've watched the two of them over these years, I just know that they have somethin' special. The two of them remind me of myself and Susan. I've also seen and heard Miles do some pretty crazy things and I've also seen her lose it occasionally when it comes to Oliver, because she cares that much. I've seen and heard Oliver do just about everything and anything for her. I know he'll make her happy. He already does..."
As Lilly smiled at Robby Ray's words, Jackson wrapped his arm around her and smiled at her, kissing her gently on the forehead. Looking up from the stove again to watch the action, Robby Ray added, "I've also watched you two over the years also."
Lilly and Jackson looked up as he turned back to his cooking.
"You're both crazy," he said with a smile. Looking up as the two of them looked up at him in mock hurt, he added, "And you two are perfect for each other."
Lilly and Jackson laughed a little, smiles stretched across each of their faces. Lilly stood up and kissed Jackson on the cheek before moving to head upstairs.
"I think I'm going to go hurry up our dear Miles before she loses it," she said rolling her eyes. "We all know how she gets with her Ollie."
Lilly headed up the stairs and proceeded to Miley's door, opening it immediately without knocking like usual. Upon entering, she saw Miley holding up and comparing a pair of dresses, one in each hand, while several others lay on her bed. She had her iPod on and earbuds in, biting her lip nervously as she compared the dresses, completely unaware of Lilly barging in. Walking closer to her, Lilly could tell that she was currently listening to 'If We Were a Movie'. Lilly rolled her eyes but smiled slightly, stepping onto Miley's bed. With a large smirk now, Lilly leaped across the room to land in front of Miley.
"Hey!" she said rather loudly and excitedly, scaring Miley in the process.
"Lilly!" she said as she caught her breath. "What is with you and not knocking? And always being hyper?!"
Lilly shrugged indifferently and smiled.
"Soooo... what are you planning on wearing tonight?" she asked with a hint of amusement. Miley smiled sadly at this and sat down on her bed.
"I'm still not sure, but I have several that I like. I just can't choose! It's such a tough decision," she said with a sigh.
Lilly looked at Miley in sympathy and sat down next to her, looking at a dress she had set on the bed.
"What exactly are you looking for?"
Miley looked at her oddly and asked, "What do you mean?"
"I mean, what exactly are you looking to say with this dress? What do you want your look to say?"
Miley frowned and opened her mouth fiercely but Lilly raised a hand and spoke over her to say, "Miles, it is okay. It is okay to try and impress him. The only reason I've been a little more active than you would like when it comes to your feelings for Oliver is because I care about you. I want you to be like I am with Jackson. I want you to be happy. Oliver makes you happy."
Miley paused for a moment, her face clear of any expression. After a moment, however, she smiled shyly and began playing with the fabric of one of her dresses.
"He really does," she said in a slightly lovesick sigh. As she opened her mouth slightly to speak, Lilly rolled her eyes with a groan and stood up, pulling Miley with her.
"I don't need to hear about your love for your little Ollie, just like you don't want to hear about me and Jackson. Everyone knows that Oliver and I are exact matches of you and Jackson. Our interactions mirror those of you and Jackson. Oliver basically is my brother and I don't want to hear about how cute you think he is or how sweet you find him, and all that other stuff."
Miley shrugged in agreement and laughed a little as she allowed herself to be dragged by Lilly to her mirror as she continued getting dressed for that night.
"So Oliver should be here soon then?" Robby Ray asked Jackson as he laid spread out on the sofa, flipping through channels on the television.
"He should actually be here pretty soon," Jackson said as he stood up off of the sofa and turned off the television. "I rung him earlier and told him what he needed to wear and everything and when to be here."
"What'd you tell the boy to wear?"
Jackson smirked widely at this, folding his arms across his chest as he responded, "Oh just you wait Dad. I've made him think this restaurant is so formal he'll be dressing like he's going to meet the Queen of England. Miles will be drooling."
Jackson laughed at his own comment while Robby Ray chuckled and said, "She's been known to do that anyway."
Jackson laughed harder at this, saying, "Yeah, poor Miley." With a roll of his eyes, he added, "Then you have Oliver who is completely oblivious to everything."
"I resent that," said Oliver as he walked through the front door and closed it behind him. He was indeed dressed as if he was going to meet Queen Elizabeth; his hair was even neat and tidy. Robby Ray and Jackson looked over at him and each raised an eyebrow.
"Sweet niblets! Did you comb your hair?!" Jackson asked as he snickered. Robby Ray shushed him with a look before turning back to Oliver.
"You look sharp son. I'd like to tell you when Miles will be down, but Lilly's also up there."
"They might be up there forever," Jackson said with another roll of his eyes.
"No problem," Oliver said with a smile as he sat down in a chair. Smirking, he added, "I'm used to having to wait on Miles. She always takes forever when it comes to clothes."
"I resent that," came a voice from the stairs. Robby Ray, Jackson, and Oliver all turned to the stairs as Miley stepped down, closely followed by Lilly. Both were also extremely dressed up. Lilly was smiling at Jackson and Oliver was currently was looking at Miley with his mouth slightly open while Miley herself had yet to look up, currently busy looking through her bag.
"Thought I heard someone complaining about me," she said with a smirk, her head still down and focused on her bag. Noticing Oliver staring, Lilly nudged Miley rather forcibly and nodded to Oliver. Looking up questionably at Lilly, Miley looked over at Oliver and her eyes bulged as she looked him up and down while her mouth fell open slightly. As Robby Ray, Lilly, and Jackson observed the two of them amusedly, Lilly decided to take things in her own hands.
"Well I think we ought to get going," she said with a smile, linking arms with Jackson as he approached and starting to walk towards the door. Turning around at the door, she called back to each Robby Ray and Miley and Oliver in turn, "See you later Mr. S. You two coming?"
At Lilly's words, Miley and Oliver both coloured slightly before hurrying out after her. Calling back at the group, Robby Ray said with a chuckle, "Not too late ya' hear? Have fun."
As Miley and Oliver approached Jackson's car, Jackson was already busy opening his passenger-side door for Lilly. Oliver seemed to shift uncomfortably for a moment before he walked ahead of Miley and opened the backseat door for her. He looked up at her with a nervous smile that she returned shyly. Lilly and Jackson both noticed this and winked at each other.
As Jackson opened his own door, Lilly turned to face the backseat where Miley and Oliver sat silently, occasionally glancing at each other.
"Soooo..." she asked, turning to Jackson and Oliver.
"Soooo... what?" Jackson returned with a smirk. Lilly rolled her eyes but smiled.
"So what do you think?" she asked indicating her dress and attire.
"You look very pretty," Jackson said in a rather routine voice, his gaze not wavering from the road. Lilly rolled her eyes again but smiled contently before turning back to look at Miley who was currently glancing at Oliver patiently. Lilly now turned to look at Oliver pointedly. His face was blank of expression. After a moment of Lilly's stare, a look of apparent realisation appeared on Oliver's face.
"Yeah, you look pretty I guess Lils," he said in a way a brother would dryly compliment his sister. Lilly glared at him.
"I wasn't asking about me," she said through gritted teeth. She turned to glance at Miley pointedly before turning back to glare at him. Oliver blinked in response. Lilly sighed in frustration before meeting Miley's eyes and reaching a silent agreement that girls seem to be able to do. Miley then turned to hit Oliver on his arm.
"She was referring to me, ya' doughnut!" she said with a scowl that still nonetheless couldn't suppress her small smile. Oliver turned to Miley after rubbing his arm.
"You look nice," he said. Miley frowned at his comment and looked down at herself.
"I look nice?" she asked sadly, pulling at her dress slightly. Oliver didn't even need the glare Lilly was giving him from the front seat as he immediately revised his comment.
"You look gorgeous Miles," he said with a smile. His eyes immediately bulged at realisation of what he had just said. Stuttering, he quickly added, "I mean you look... your dress is... pretty...? I mean, you look pretty... I mean, you look pretty in the dress... not that you don't always look pretty coz' you always look beautiful! I mean... you... I... err..."
He closed his mouth and looked down at the floor, his face now slightly flushed. Miley looked at Oliver with a slightly amused but extremely pleased look on her face. In the front of the car, Lilly and Jackson were both attempting to suppress their laughter.
"Tonight should be interesting," they both whispered, each wearing an identical smirk.
Half an hour later, the group was at the restaurant and were looking sitting at their table, looking at their menus. Actually, Lilly and Jackson were looking at their menus while Miley was giggling at a joke Oliver was telling. Lilly glanced up from her menu to roll her eyes at the pair before nudging Jackson.
"Are we sure they're not already dating?" she whispered sarcastically.
Jackson looked up from his own menu and rolled his eyes.
"They might as well be, but if you even hint at that they both will either turn red or look like a deer in the headlights. That is if Oliver understands the hint."
Lilly laughed at this and looked back over at the two. Oliver was looking back through his menu while Miley had hers open upside-down as she watched Oliver from over the top of it. Lilly shifted closer to Miley with a smirk and pulled up her own menu to shield herself from Oliver.
"See anything you like?" she asked suggestively. Miley literally jumped in her seat and pulled her menu up to completely cover her face.
"I'm still deciding," Miley responded with as much dignity as she could muster.
"Between what? Kissing Oliver here or waiting until the movie theatre?" she hissed. Miley snapped her head around fiercely and glared at Lilly.
"I am merely surprised to see Oliver dressing this formally. I was merely appreciating him cleaning up so nicely," she responded with a straight face, yet refusing to meet Lilly's eye. Lilly smirked even larger.
"You were ogling him again," she whispered out of the corner of her mouth before she returned to calmly look at her menu. Miley slapped her menu down onto the table and glared at Lilly.
"I was not ogling him!" she said forcibly, and rather loudly too, causing a few neighbouring tables to glance her way. At their table, Jackson snorted into his own menu while Oliver looked up from his own to stare blankly at Miley. Miley's face coloured slightly as she looked around. Waving in apology to her neighbouring diners, she pulled her menu back up to cover her face, again upside-down. Oliver continued to stare at Miley with a blank look.
"Who were you ogling?" he asked quietly to avoid further looks by their neighbours.
Miley kept her menu up over her face and replied hastily, "No one." She immediately turned to face Lilly and Jackson who both quieted instantly at her glare but their smirks remained. Oliver continued to look confused.
"But you shouted about ogling someone..." he said confusedly. As Miley remained silent and her eyes focused on her menu, Oliver turned to look at Lilly and Jackson, both of whom were trying very hard to hold in their laughter at the situation. Turning back to Miley he pressed, "Come on Miles. Who were you ogling?"
"Like I said, I wasn't 'ogling' anyone," she replied as she continued to avoid everyone's eyes.
"Everything is fine?" he asked.
"Yep! I'm as happy as a pig with a fresh-filled trough!"
Blinking slightly at her country saying, Oliver pointed blankly at her menu.
"Then why are you looking at your menu upside-down?"
Miley's eyes bulged and she immediately flipped it up properly and hid her face again. Glancing at Oliver from behind it with a flustered face and seeing him continue to stare; she folded her arms across her face and hid herself, leaving Oliver looking even more confused. Lilly and Jackson meanwhile pulled up both of their menus in order to stifle their laughter.
"If this is supper, I can't wait for the theatre," Lilly said with a laugh. Jackson laughed silently as well and picked up his water glass.
"Cheers!" he said with a smirk, clinking glasses with Lilly as the two of them gazed over at the embarrassed Miley and lost Oliver.
A/N: Yes, I am cutting it short before they go to the movie theatre. Chapter five will be the last chapter. Again, twelve reviews before I update. I want to be sure this is still liked and being read. Reviews have been going down... Let me know your thoughts mates! What you liked, what you didn't like, where I can improve, etc. I want to hear it. Thanks all. Cheers!