Why was I grinning?
“Why are you grinning?” Amelia echoed my own question.
“I dunno. This is fun.” I sat up from under her and stripped my sweater off. “It’s like fooling around for the first time again. It’s all scary and weird and that makes it kinda exciting.”
“Okay, but we’re not fooling around!” Amelia’s face flushed, eyes glued to my tight t-shirt. “We’re just getting used to doing stuff we’ll have to do for the movie. There’s not gonna be any—” She dropped her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Not gonna be any funny business.”
I didn’t want to laugh at her, but I had to. She sat there with a scrunched-up, grumpy face as I held my sides and howled.
“Forget it. This is dumb.” She stood, face red. “The whole idea was stupid.”
“Hey!” I grabbed her hand and pulled her back down on the futon. “I’m sorry I laughed at you.”
Our bodies were on top of one another again, lips so close together. It just felt so natural to kiss her. I was getting so used to her body and if I was being honest with myself, I wanted to know more about it—more about her. I wanted to know what’d put that seemingly permanently serious expression on her face, wanted to know what fueled her passion for theatre. I wanted to know what made Amelia Earhart moan.
“Now can we practice that scene?” I murmured into her lips.
“Okay, but no funny business. I mean it this time.”
“Promise.”
I made a silent vow to myself to never laugh at Amelia again. Something about her fragile ego made me think she’d endured a lot of bullying in her life. I knew from being friends with Sara that cruelty like that could stick with you.
“Guess we should head to the shower,” she said looking more than a little nervous.
I felt so much more tenderness toward Amelia as I followed her into her bathroom. There was something so lonely, and maybe even a little broken about her. But she really was sweet and sensitive. She made me want to cud
dle her until she stopped scowling.
If the apartment had been small, the bathroom room was microscopic. We were squished so close in the square foot of space we were practically kissing.
“Umm, do you want me to step out to give you some space to undress?”
“It’s fine.” Amelia swallowed.
“I really am sorry for laughing at you.”
“I’m sorry, too.” She toyed with her earlobe. “I know I have a temper. I get moody. I hate that about myself, but I can’t seem to do anything about it.”
“Hate it? It’s what makes you so adorable. You’re just sensitive and that’s sweet.”
She blinked at me a moment, cheeks turning pink again. She seemed to have lost the ability to speak for a moment, but finally she swallowed and said, “Actually, would you mind stepping out while I get undressed?”
9.
Amelia
Shit! Shit! Shit!
What was going on with me? I took deep breaths, trying to get my pulse to slow down, but it was no use. I didn’t even understand whether I was turned on or scared or both. All I wanted was to feel Jessica’s body against mine again, and yet, in that moment, nothing seemed more terrifying. I’d been fine when we were making out—it was weird at first, but I got used to it—why was I freaking out now?
It was that damned compliment.
It was what Jessica had said and the way she looked at me that made me go all squirmy inside. Why did she have to go and be so sweet? I’d just been getting comfortable with her and now…
My whole body turned hot at the thought of how badly I wanted to get closer to her.
Breath, Amelia, breath. Just take a minute and calm down.