The tense atmosphere had softened up after a week of me working in the mechanic shop, I was also beginning to adjust to the unique characters I worked with. Abel being the boss was the most understanding guy I'd come to know. However, he had a tough exterior and a seemingly permanent stoicism which only seemed to melt when his girlfriend Ramona showed up unannounced.

Guy—yes that was his name, I muffled a chuckle when I came to know this, had a boyish face and a masculine body. He mostly sported a grin when fixing cars, I wasn't surprised how he drew in most of all the female clients, his charms were undeniable. He was a smooth talker with a friendly persona, no surprise how my fondness for him grew by the day. I found it interesting how most of the men here ranged from honey to dark skin, so I was a bit of an oddball with my porcelain ones.

Andrew was another character in the shop, I noticed how close he and Abel were, he was the second in command, tall, slim and honey skinned. He always had his hair in a high bun and the volume of it surprised me. Apart from the physical, Andrew was an accommodating person, a bit bossy, but I didn't mind.

The last was Rasu, an Indian. He wasn't stereotypical, he didn't have an overbearing accent, it just lingered with some words: bushy eyebrows and a big smile. What I found intriguing was about his wife. She seemed older and he confirmed that she was, about five years older. It was no comparison, but I felt more connected to him.

"Would you finish this for me, man? I must take this call." Rasu asked, his phone still vibrating in his pocket. Wiping my sweat – which I'd been doing a whole lot recently, I nodded. It wasn't like I was extremely busy, just refilling the containers of oil. "Sure." Taking his place, I scanned the car, he was in the middle of supplying air to the tires. As I picked up the pipe, I noticed a woman leaning on one of the chairs, simply watching me.

"Uh, you know we can call you after this. So, you don't have to wait, I presume you don't fancy your clothes reeking of engine oil." I finished with an airy chuckle which she replied with a giggle of her own.

"I'm just a bit... sceptical." Her voice was light, melodic even. I observed her appearance, she was pretty and young – but looked older than Amelia. "Sceptical?" I repeated with an eyebrow raise. Instantly, she began waving her hands, "No, no, I'm not meaning to be racist or anything." That took me by surprise. I laughed.

"Who said anything about being racist...?" "Emily." She completed, taking my trail in an attempt to ask for her name. "It's just, the last shop I went to, my car kept breaking down after two weeks, it turns out he was milking me dry," Emily explained with a small smile. "He was Indian."

"Ah, so prejudice then." Her eyes widened. "Huh, it's-" I chuckled, this lady was easily flustered. "I'm kidding." I'd heard of mechanics who fixed what was asked but spoilt another, just so they could make a loyal customer out of you. "Rasu is more skilled than me, I mean I only just started working here but I can verify their credibility, you'll come back to thank us even," I added with a wink. I wasn't flirting, of course not. I was only doing what Guy would have done.

Emily nibbled on her lip, looking away. "O-okay." Getting back to work, I crouched down to get a good look at the tires. "Can I know the name of the man handling my car?"

"That's a unique way of asking for names, Emily." She giggled, and I saw her shrug her shoulders from my peripheral, "I get that a lot."

"Get what?"

"That I'm pretty unique." This made me chuckle. "I see. It's Everest." "Like the mountain?" When was the last time I heard such a quirky question? With a smirk, I nodded, "Yes, like the mountain." She hummed. "Figures, you're pretty tall, built too. Do you work out?" What was this? Twenty-one questions with Rasu's client? I shook my head. "Guess again."

"Track?"

"No."

"Heredity?" I laughed. "Emily, that's an interesting guess but wrong again." She seemed chattier than when I first got a glance at her. The unsettled expression on her face had simmered down, replied with a pout. Speaking of pouts, I wonder how Amelia was doing at her workplace. Seeing as I didn't get to drop her off and I wasn't going to pick her up either, it did make me feel a little more drawn. I was missing her already and I saw her not too long ago. Well, it was too long in my opinion.

"Army."

"Oh, really? That's..."

"Not what you thought?"

"Charming." Her words caught me off guard, and I turned, giving her a look. She just giggled. "Is it?" How was working in the army charming? I got into an argument with my Pa because of it, heck, I went incommunicado with him for a while. "You've never been told that before? It's like a man in a suit, there's just something charming about it." Ah, was that it? A man in a suit, did Amelia see me as charming as well?

The thought tugged at my lips.

"That's one way to look at it." She giggled, something she was beginning to do often. I heard her get up from the bench, and felt her presence behind me. "You're friendly." Emily's observation earned a hum. That was new, I didn't see myself as friendly, maybe easy-going. "Most people are once you get to know them." Perhaps she thought Rasu wasn't, which caused her to sit glued to the chair, eyeing him as he fixed the vehicle.

"Is that what you think?" She asked, still lurking behind me. I was done pumping the air into the tyre, and with a huff, I stood up, towering over her almost immediately. "An optimistic view on this. A thing I learnt from someone close to me." I was referring to Amelia. It was interesting how she didn't instantly condemn a person even after a bad first encounter. I held in a chuckle, I'm sure that prick -- I mean guy -- was already on her 'I forgive you.' list. Darrick or whatever his name was.

"Someone close to you? Like a girlfriend?" The question made my heart puff in pride, I liked that term on her. "No, not yet." The words slipped out before I could stop it, rather overconfident of me, wouldn't you say? "Oh, n-not yet?" The lady covered up her stutter with a chuckle. "It's serious." I nodded, not knowing if it was a statement or a question. Before she could say anything else, Rasu jogged towards us.

"Hey, man. Thanks for that." I gave him a nod, it was my pleasure, knowing how to do these things was quite intriguing for me. I felt like some sort of handyman. Rasu turned, going to meet Emily who took a step back with a forced smile. Ignoring the two, I focused on some other things that needed my attention. Like the windshield, Abel said to fix it after he was done with the engine.

"You got this?" Abel asked with a reassuring pat on my shoulder. Even if I said no, I'd still have to do it anyways. Giving him a quick nod, I look at the shattered windshield. Abel had asked that I watch him repair one a few days ago, so I was relying on my recalling skills. Picking up the repair kit, I search for the tools to use.

Humming to myself, within a few minutes, the battered glass had been removed. It was time to clean the new glass. I noticed footsteps got louder before I felt a light tap on my bare, sweaty forearm. I looked up from the glass, seeing Emily. I thought she'd already left, what was she still doing here?

"Hi, Everest. They're still moving my car out of the shop." I nodded, pursing my lips, was that what she wanted to tell me? "So, uh...there's this burger joint that just opened recently, actually, my brother's the owner." She started, "Really, that's nice." I continued cleaning the glass, not wanting Abel to see me slacking on the job I just got.

"Do you want to go check it out with me, on Saturday?"

Still concentrating, I carefully placed the glass into position, copying what Abel had done, it was after some minutes I realized she was still standing there and had asked me a question. "Oh, sorry about that, I just had to get this right. So, burger joint." Emily nodded, hopefulness beaming in her eyes. Cas' wedding was on Sunday, I was free Saturday, but in all honesty? the place I wanted to be was with Amelia. I was going to ask if I could spend a few hours in the park.

"So, Uhm..."

"It could just be for like an hour. I want to get to know you." My eyebrows knitted. The last thing I wanted was to give her the impression that I was interested. "Look-" "As friends, I know you're thinking of your 'close someone' but it's just a brunch. I'm sure she won't mind."

"It's..."

I didn't even know what to say, so when I heard a voice I'd been wanting to hear all week, my whole attention turned to the direction in a hot second. "Hey, big brother!" It was Amelia.

Was it already three? I didn't know how time worked in here, faster than normal I bet. My lips tugged as I saw the little lady skip into the mechanic shop, her radiant smile lighting up the room. I was exaggerating, it just lit up in my mind. Yes, I now believed what Gabe said now, I may be whipped. I saw Abel laugh, throwing his head back.

"Amelia! To what do I owe this surprise?" I shouldn't have been listening in on their conversation, even when Emily held my arm to draw my attention back, it wouldn't divert.

"Do I need a reason to see my awesome big brother?"

"Mhm, I know the reason you're here, and it's definitely not because of me."

Amelia gasped, her plump lips parting, she was really putting on a show. I liked how free she was around Abel. "Impossible! How's Ramona? I haven't seen her in a while." They continued to talk, their voice now out of my hearing. I stood still as if wanting her to notice me. Good Lord, I was a mess. Engine oil stained my apron and my body was glistening with sweat, I probably didn't even smell the best right now.

"So, what do you say?" The sudden voice pulled me from my thoughts. "Huh?" Oh right, the offer was still on the table, a date -- as friends. Emily seemed like a nice woman, she really did. But the one who had my heart - as cheesy as it sounded -- was the bubbly girl right there that I was waiting to notice me.

"I'm sorry, I-"

"Is that her?"

"Huh?" Emily pursed her lips, unbothered at my shocked expression, she cocked her head over to Amelia who was still preoccupied with Abel. "The one you like," Emily stated, her eyes watching me intently. I chuckled, was my stare so obvious? I looked down at her palm, they were still on my forearm.

"Yes-"

"Evie!" Amelia and I's voices sounded in unison. A smile broke out on my face, and I turned again, this time more confident. "Hey, sweetheart." Amelia's smile faltered when she saw Emily, her gaze dropped, and so did her skipping. I was about to introduce Emily, who honestly needed none as I wouldn't even see her again, Amelia straightened up, walking over to us.

"I missed you."

Her voice was low, and perhaps it was my overactive imagination, but there was a hint of sultry there. Before I could get over how nice it was to hear her say that, she held my bare shoulder, tiptoeing to reach my line of sight. This lady looked even better up close. With a shy smile, Amelia closed the gap between us, landing a kiss on my cheeks.