Amelia seemed excited, and darn was it contagious.

When she jumped into my arms, I was a bit taken aback, but I loved every second of it. How happy she was to see me and how she rambled on about things she wanted to tell me. Amid the excitement, I heard her say something about talking things out with Darrick. It made me curious, did he go to her workplace? Or call her to apologize? Either way, I felt uneasy. What if he wanted to test the waters on her naivete again?

As I drove her to the ice cream parlour, I noticed how bright her aura was. I could see the smile stretching her lips so effortlessly as she looked out the window. Amelia was endearing, it was incredible how much I felt drawn to her.

Chuckling to myself, I let my heart take control, planting my palms on her thigh. I noticed Amelia's slight raise in her shoulder but it immediately relaxed. She tilted her head, giving me a shy smile.

"You like doing that."

"Doing what?" I decided on playing clueless while gently massaging her lap, I liked how soft it felt in my hold. Amelia giggles, my right hand going to hold my free one. Since I still had my shirt rolled up from the mechanic workshop, my forearm was on full display. The little lady trailed her finger against it as if tracing my vein. "That." She cocked her head to the hand on my lap.

"Well, I feel it calms you down, and..." I gave it a light tap. "I like the feeling too." Amelia blushed, her cheeks brightening as she looked away. "You're making me shy." She whined, leaning closer to the windshield. This made me laugh. "Don't be. I want you to be as free as possible, okay?" Amelia squirmed, hiding her cheeks.

"You say it like it's easy."

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" I was curious about how she blushed and moved around with me holding her thighs. She quickly shook her head, "No, it's not that." A breath of relief left my lips. "So just shy?"

"Focus on the road, Evie." Was her snarky response. This made me laugh, this little lady was something else.

The ice cream parlour was one I'd been to only twice, each time was with Saff. Comfortable, was one word to describe it; the place was cream and purple, the ice-cream parlour written and glowing on the sign board. I parked the car, killing the engine. "Shall we?" She squealed excitedly, opening her door and stretching out. She was definitely too eager to wait for me to open the door.

"It's been a while since I've had ice cream," Amelia commented, walking into the parlour as I opened the door for her. "Whoa, this place looks lovely." The girl marvelled at the aesthetics of the place, "I know, right?" It took a minute to get to a seat for two because she kept stopping and gasping at little things. I didn't mind, it fueled my ego, to be honest. Perhaps I'd be taking her to more places when I could.

"Here." I pulled the chair for her, and she giggled. "Are you trying to make me swoon, Everest?" I wasn't sure if she was teasing, the way my name drew from her lips did something to my head, and I decided to play along. "Depends, is it working?" Her cheesy smile was the affirmation I needed.

"What do you want to order?" I asked, scanning through the menu. I wasn't entirely a fan of ice cream, but I took it when the need arose. Hence, I made up my mind to have the milkshake. "I want a sundae. Oh...this one sounds really nice." She pointed at it before saying the name. "What about you?" I told her my order. When the waitress came by, I was about to tell her both of our orders but seeing the excitement on Amelia's face, I stopped. Maybe she wanted to do it herself.

"H-hi, can we have the sundae and milkshake, please?"

"Anything else?" The waitress asked looking at the both of us. Amelia shook her head. "That'll be all." I smiled, she wanted to speak for herself, I could tell she was nervous from her stutter. "I usually feel pretty nervous when doing this, since I'm working as a waitress now, I wanted to give it a go. Darrick's usually the one that orders." I hummed. "Well, you did good, sweetheart."

Amelia blushed, nibbling on her lips before muttering a barely audible "Thanks."

"You go first," I said, wanting to hear what made her so giddy. She perked up, nodding. "So, uh, today...I think I handled the waitressing a bit better. I stuttered only a few times and oh, look!" She dug her hand into her pocket, bringing out a few changes. "I got a twenty-dollar tip altogether!" Amelia said with a grin, it was so contagious I was smiling in seconds. "That's good, baby. Looks like you'll be paying for our order today." I teased, watching as she giggled, pumping her chest.

"I could even buy the entire parlour if you say so."

"With twenty dollars? Perhaps they'll use your pretty face for the difference." This made her burst out into a fit of giggles, playfully swatting my arms. "I'll take that as a compliment, mister." Her gaze was solid, perhaps even flirtatious. "Mister? When last did you call me that?" She hummed, pouting her lips. "Not since you asked me to stop."

"Anyways, Darrick came to my workplace today."

The playful atmosphere was gone, and my chin clenched automatically. I didn't want to be this way, but the guy had me on my toes. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if my fist kissed his face the next time I saw him. "So? What'd he say?" I was curious. Did he admit to it or was it more mind games?

"He said he was sorry and didn't want our friendship to suffer because of what he did." I scoffed. "It's just, even though I'm a bit uncomfortable with him being near me, he seemed genuine." She mumbled the last part as though she was unsure, and then she looked up, staring me in the eye. "Does that mean I'm gullible?"

"I...uh, sweetheart." This was hard, if I said yes -- which was a half-truth, she'd be hurt. Amelia frowned as if reading my mind. "Look, I think it just means you're kind. Sometimes too kind for your own good." Her gaze didn't soften. To cool the rising tension, the waitress came just in time with our orders. Sadly, Amelia scooped up her sundae and began to munch on it.

"It's not a bad thing to be kind, Amelia. You've known him longer than I have. If you think he's being genuine, then he probably is. It's your call to forgive him, alright?" She nodded. "And just remember what I said, on standing your ground on opinions."

"I shouldn't do anything I'm uncomfortable with, even if it's with you." Her recital made me chuckle, at least she remembered it. Amelia leaned in, taking another scoop of the ice cream. "Although, I don't think you can make me uncomfortable with your requests, Evie." Oh? I leaned in as well.

"Not even if I asked you to take your shirt off?" Her eyes widened with a gasp, and the little lady swatted my elbows, her face showing embarrassment. "Everest!" I chortled, her expression was cute. "Would you want me to do that?" She muttered under her breath.

Inching closer to her, I grabbed the tablecloth, wiping the syrup off her lips. "Don't start what you can't finish, baby." Amelia visibly tensed, her eyes wandering to anywhere but mine. I noticed her breathing got shallow, this made me think, did what I say excite this little lady? I smirked. Godness, she was something.

Amelia took her bottom lip in her mouth, finally meeting my unwavering gaze. "O-okay."

"A-also! I forgot my brother, Abel, he asked me if you were still interested in the job. You know, at his mechanic shop. I forgot to tell you."

"Right, that's what I wanted to tell you." I wouldn't say the 'test' if I could call it that wasn't tasking, it was. I even broke a sweat, which I didn't do much of every day. I was starting to understand why Abel had such sculptured biceps. I got mine training for the army and he got his fixing busted cars.

"I got the job." This was accompanied by a grin. "You did?" Amelia gasped, clapping her hands, "Oh my, that's good news!" She looked like she wanted to jump to her feet and hug me, but she stayed in her spot, taking another scoop of the sundae. "Congratulations, Evie." Goodness, her joy made me feel proud of such an accomplishment.

"Thanks." I tried not to overthink the fact that I would be working for her brother.

"I guess you won't be picking me up for much longer." There was a sad look in her eyes, I mirrored it. "Yeah, that did cross my mind." She shook her head, "But that's okay! I'm a big girl, I know my way back home. Also, I'll be coming to see my brother in his shop more often."

"To see just your brother?" I teased, and she shrugged.

"I mean, if I get to see the handsome military man that works there, it's a win for me," I smirked. Handsome military man? I guess I'd take it. "You're one sly lady." Amelia hummed, pointing to my milkshake. "You haven't taken a sip of that yet." Oh right, I was too distracted. I did. It was nice, not too sweet, which I was trying to avoid. "Do you want a sip?" I directed the straw towards her.

Since we were flirting, what was the harm? Amelia blushed, looking away. "That would be an indirect kiss." "Really now? I didn't notice." I took another sip. Come to think of it, she had been focusing her attention on my lips lately. I didn't want to pressure her by asking what it was about but damn the feeling was absolutely mutual. I wanted to kiss her; I wanted to know how soft her lips really were.

Everest...calm down.

"Y-yeah you do." She stuttered when nervous, I found it intriguing.

"Anyways, I have a proposal for you." Not wanting to take it too far, I changed the subject. Amelia hummed, glancing my way. "A proposal? On what?"

"My friend, Cas, from the army is getting married. She invited me to her wedding, would you like to come with me? As my plus one." Her eyes glistened as I finished my statement. "A wedding? I-I haven't ever been to one. I don't even have what to wear-"

"Hey, if it's too much, you don't have to."

"No, no! I'd love to Evie. Thanks for inviting me. Yes, I want to go with you." I smiled, thank God, I didn't want to be attending alone, and Amelia being with me was everything I could ask for. "Thanks." She nodded. "It's my pleasure."

The waitress came in with the bill, and after a friendly banter about who'd pay, I eventually did. We got up from our seats and walked towards the exit.

"So, when do you start work, tomorrow?" I could tell she was curious, days ago, I was the one asking this question, and it made me chuckle. "Yeah, I start tomorrow. Would you be alright going to work alone or would you like me to take you?"

"No, it's fine. I wouldn't want you to be late on your first day. You might not get special treatment you know. Being involved with your boss' sister and all." She said the last part teasingly. "Involved? I asked when we were out of the ice cream parlour and close to the truck. "You mean how I have feelings for his sister and intend on showing it?" I decide to say, she leaned against the passenger's door, holding in a smile.

"And because the sister likes you back, a-and intends on showing it too."

For a minute, I stopped thinking. What did she just say? My lips stretched into a smile, heck, that was one of the most genuine smiles I'd given in my life. Was she telling me her feelings right now? "Really?" I was almost breathless, dammit Everest.

"Yeah...I thought about what you told me before. And, I have feelings for you too, Everest." Amelia was playing with her fingers, rocking the ball of her feet. I was probably more nervous than she was but wasn't showing it.

Did my heart skip or was I turning to mush?

"I...uh, shit Amelia, I think you just made me speechless." The smile held on her face, cheeks brightening. "Was that too sudden?" She asked when I still didn't say anything after a while. I chuckled. "No, it's not that."

"I'm just...happy."