“No worries,” she waves me off. “Cami punching you in the nose took care of any ill will I felt toward you.” A small giggle escapes her lips and I want her to make that sound again. “It’s all water under the bridge now.”
“Thank you for helping me today. Most people would have kept walking.” She makes me nervous. My hand lifts of its own volition to rub the back of my neck. I’m not sure what to do with my hands. It feels weird to just leave them lying in my lap. Crossing my arms would seem aggressive. This girl has me second guessing my every move. We aren’t dating, or friends for that matter. There’s no way I should be reacting to her this way. “What were you doing out here so early anyway? From what I remember you are a fan of sleep.”
Every time we would go to Tonya’s house, we were told not to come back until after lunch because they were still sleeping. It was annoying, but we always waited. We wanted to be there rather than our own homes.
“It’s no problem, really.” Amelia answers. “And, I was here applying for a job. I’m not sure how long I’ll stick around. Ijust don’t want to mooch off my aunt and uncle. I need to make my own way.”
“Where did you apply?”
Instead of answering right away, she nods toward the deli. “There and that boutique store a few doors down.” Pulling something out of the bag, she shouts in victory. “Aha, found it. I swear this bag is like that one Hermione has in the Deathly Hallows movie.” She struggles to zip the bag closed after everything has been moved around. “How did they fit all of this in here and expect it to close again?”
“Let me see it.” Pulling the bag from her hands, I push down and squeeze the sides tight. The zipper glides around with only a few hiccups on its journey. “I’ll be right back with the cables. I’m going to pop the hood on here and jump mine off.”
The rain is coming down even harder now. It wasn’t noticeable when we were reminiscing about our childhood. But now, it pelts me with tiny stings. Rushing to the driver side door, I open it, pop the latch and close it again. As soon as I have the hood up, I hear a door open. She isn’t staying in the car. Of course not. She’s as stubborn as she was when we were kids. It must run in Mrs. Burgess’s genes because Tonya is the same way.
I’m no longer getting soaking wet. I look up and the umbrella is positioned to cover the both of us as much as possible. Putting the cables on her battery, I check to make sure they are secure. Running to my car, with Amelia behind me, doing her best to protect us from the storm, I attach the cables to my car.
Amelia’s teeth are chattering and she’s shivering. If she had stayed in the car, she wouldn’t be cold, but I’m grateful she’s thoughtful enough to want to keep me as dry as possible. “Can you go give your car some gas? I’m going to get in mine and try to get it to turn over.”
“Doesn’t it have to charge up, or something, before you do that?”
“Yeah. There’s no sense in both of us getting wet to wait for that.” A piece of hair is plastered on her cheek. A black streak across her pale face. My hand reaches up to her face. She doesn’t shrink back. Her eyes are wide and full of wonder. Pushing the strand behind her ear, I let my fingers linger longer than necessary before pulling away. “If you give it gas, it’ll charge faster.”
I don’t know if that’s true, and I’ll say anything to get her out of the cold. And to get my emotions in check. She doesn’t argue. Running to get into her car she almost slips but catches herself. The umbrella closes and she gets into the driver seat, closing the door gently behind her.
Before opening my own car door, I shake my head. There’s no way I can get involved with her. She said it herself, she’s not staying around here. Neither am I if I can help it. Pulling the door open, I get in the car.
Once I’m safely inside, I glance through the window to see Amelia. She’s rubbing her hands together in front of the vent, trying to warm them up. I hear her car engine rev as she presses on the gas. My hand is on the key to turn it, but she looks up and our eyes meet. Everything else falls away. The storm, all the shit I deal with on a day to day basis, being late to work, all of it fades into nothing. I have to get to know her. Not the girl she was when we were kids. The one sitting in the car beside me. The girl who has no doubt been broken is finding a way to put herself back together. I can’t fight my attraction or my wonder. I’d be happy with friendship if that’s what she’s willing to offer me. As much as I’ve been trying, I can’t deny that I’m interested in her.
Staring at her is starting to become weird. I can tell by her raised brows that she’s waiting for me to do something. Then I remember, I’m supposed to be trying to start my car. I turn the key once, and nothing happens. It’s the same result on the second try. Come on, please start. The third time’s the charm. My car roars to life. I say a silent thank you to whoever may be listening.
Rushing to get the cables disconnected, I hop into the front passenger seat of Amelia’s car. I let the jumper cables slide to the floorboard before turning toward her. She’s beaming. “You did it,” she exclaims.
“Thanks to you,” I nod at her. “Seriously, thank you for helping me. I’d be missing a full day of work if you hadn’t shown up.”
“It’s not a big deal,” she laughs. “It’s not like I had anything else to do. At least I can say I saved a person today.”
“Let me buy you dinner one night.” The words tumble out of my mouth before I can think it through. What if she rejects me? Pursuing her seemed like a good idea moments ago, but now, face to face, I’m thinking maybe it’s not.
“You don’t have to do that.”
“It’s the least I can do. Please, let me thank you properly.” When did I start using words like ‘properly?’ If Jake or Marshall heard me right now, they’d be laughing their asses off.
Amelia bites her bottom lip, worrying it between her teeth, and glances out the front window. The silence feels me with dread as the rain beats down on the car. She’s playing with a ring on her pinky finger, turning it round and round in circles. Damn it, I just made her nervous. It takes all of my willpower not to reach out and ease her nerves.
“I’m not really looking for a boyfriend right now, Randall.” Wincing, her eyes meet mine. “I appreciate the offer. It’s just that I’m trying to get back on my feet, and dating would complicate that.”
I throw my hands up in surrender. “We could go as friends. I’m not in any position to be dating anyone either.” Not completely a lie. I shouldn’t be considering dating anyone. It’s the friend part that I’m bummed about.
What I just said must be working, though. She stops playing with her ring, and squints at me. Trying to judge if my intentions are true. Shit, she’s not going to trust me. There’s no way she can’t see my interest in her. Mentally crossing my fingers, I wait until she’s done with whatever test she’s hoping I’ll pass.
“Okay,” she relents. “I’ll go to dinner with you. But only as friends. I could definitely use one of those right now. As much as I love my cousin and Reaf, hanging out with them makes me want to gag most of the time.”
“I know the feeling,” I chuckle. “Jake has Charleigh and Marshall has Bianca. It’s worse when all four of them are together. And they wonder why I don’t want to hang out with them more often.”
“Right? There’s only so many times a person can deal with people making doe eyes at each other.”
“Agreed.” I let out a breath. She said yes. On the outside I’m cool as a cucumber, on the inside there’s a party going on. My heart is racing and my stomach is twisting in knots. In a good way, and now I’m more nervous than I was before she agreed to go out with me. Just friends, I repeat to myself. We’re going as friends. Nothing more.