by Mae, Mandee
By the time we are 15 minutes in, I’m really not sure if he has any circulation in his arm. I am squeezing it really hard. It was really dumb of me to think I could get through this film without incident.
“Amelia, are you okay?”
Hiding my head between his arm and the chair “Uh, yeah. I actually hate horror movies.”
“Why in the hell did you agree to see this then?” I know he’s not mad because he is laughing when he says this.
“Because this is what everyone else wanted to see. I didn’t want to be a party-pooper.”
“Do you want to leave Amelia?”
“No, I’ll be fine. I will just keep my head right here until it’s over.”
“No, you won’t. Come on, let’s go. I am not going to make you watch something you don’t like.”
“See, I wouldn’t really be watching it if I keep my head here.” I start squeezing his arm a little more when some lady starts screaming on screen. Probably because she didn’t run fast enough from whom ever is chasing her. Dumb ass!
Myles stands up, making me lose my death grip on him and grabs my hand, leading me out of the theater.
“What about Jamie and Caleb? We have to tell them what we are doing.”
“We don’t have to tell them anything, but I know Jamie will worry about you when you don’t come back, so we’ll just text them and let them know that we are leaving and will see them later.”
“Thanks Myles. We could go for a walk or just go back to the house and talk if you want.”
“We can do whatever you want Amelia. I haven’t been able to spend very much time with you the last couple of days, so whatever you want to do is fine with me.”
We end up just going back to his house. He gets out a bottle of wine and two glasses and then we make our way out to the deck, grabbing a blanket on the way. There is a slight chill to the air tonight, so we make ourselves comfortable in the chair and cover up.
We fill each other in on what has happened over the last couple of days and start talking about the fact that I only have three days left before Jamie and I are supposed to head back to Illinois. I know he is waiting for me to tell him that I have made my decision to move here, but I can’t honestly tell him that because I haven’t.
He brings his arm up and starts playing with my hair, moving it from one side to the other, tucking it behind my ear. He leans in and kisses my temple.
“Amelia, I know this is a big decision for you. I just want you to be happy and I think I can be the one to make you happy if given the chance.”
“Myles, I understand what you are saying, and yes this is a big decision. But, it has to make sense to me. I do everything the safe way. I never take chances unless I know what the end result is going to be. How can I justify moving here to be with you when I don’t know what the outcome will be?”
He adjusts the way I am sitting so I am forced to look at him. “Amelia, I am falling in love with you. I never expected that to happen again, but it has. I don’t want to lose you. Whatever I need to do to prove to you how serious I am, just tell me and I’ll do it.”
I lay my head down on his shoulder and take a couple of deep breaths. “See, that’s just it Myles. I don’t know what you need to do to prove to me that you are serious. I’m scared shitless about how I feel for you. You will just have to try and be patient with me until I can figure this out. Okay?”
“I will try to be as patient as I can be.” He sits down both our wine glasses and wraps his arms around me. He holds me tight, not wanting to let me go, because to him, this might be the last time he holds me like this.
“Come on, it’s time for bed.” I feel like I’m being carried. The next thing I know, Myles is lying me down in his bed. I can hear him removing his clothes and then the bed dips when he climbs in.
“Do you want me to help you get your clothes off Amelia?”
“No, I can do it.” I whisper back to him, reaching my arms around me, trying to get my shirt off. I only get it as far as my head before my arms become tangled and Myles has to help untangle me. I am able to get the rest of my clothes off without incident.
“Come here. I just want to be close to you tonight. I promise, no hanky panky.”
I roll over so my back is to his front. He reaches around me and pulls me in further so there is absolutely no space between us. He kisses the back of my head and then lays his head down. It doesn’t take long before his breaths have evened out. I know he is asleep. God, this feels good. I really could get used to this. What the hell am I going to do? That’s the last thing that crosses my mind before I drift off to sleep.
Waking up with Myles feels right. I know in my heart that I love him. I didn’t tell him that last night when he said he was falling in love with me. I also know that I would like to move down here to be with him, but when the time comes I don’t know if I will have the balls to do it. It’s a pretty scary thought to just up and move. I think that if I could just get past the being scared part, I could do it.
I know Myles has work to do today so I’ll have him take me home after breakfast. I don’t know if Jamie and Caleb have any plans for the day, but I would be happy just to sit and read on the deck all day. It really takes so little to keep me occupied. I would really like to finish that book I started. I am dying to see how it ends so I can start the next one.
We get up, get dressed and head downstairs for breakfast. Myles seems a little down this morning. He has a full day of work ahead of him so we won’t be able to see each other tonight. I hope he doesn’t have a lot of work to do tomorrow. It would really suck to not be able to spend my last night with him.
Chapter Thirty-two
Myles
Spending the night with Amelia in my bed was amazing. Waking up with her was, well…amazing. I hope telling her that I was falling in love with her doesn’t bite me in the ass, but I needed her to know that I was serious. I really don’t know what else to do. I have told her how I feel, hopefully she can feel it when we are together. I call her, send her texts, and any other little thing I can think of so that I pop into her head throughout the day.
I drop her off at her house after breakfast, giving her a kiss that hopefully will keep me in her thoughts all day. I hate the fact that I have to work today. I am going to make damn sure I get everything done so I don’t have to work tomorrow. I want to spend the entire day and night with her. I don’t want to leave her for a minute until the time comes that she has to decide whether she is going to move here with me or stay in Illinois.
Walking into my office, I quickly get to work. I make a stack of all the things that need to be done today and shove the things that can wait off to the side. My neck is starting to cramp from having it bent at an odd angle for so long. I toss my pen down and stand up to stretch, realizing that Caleb is standing in the doorway.
“Caleb. What are you doing here?”
“Well, since you haven’t been answering my calls, I thought I would swing by to see if everything is alright.”
“Sorry. I turned my phone off so I wouldn’t have any distractions. I want to get all this shit done so I don’t have to work tomorrow.”
“Amelia still hasn’t said anything, huh?” Caleb says, walking into the office and dropping himself in the chair in front of my desk.
“No, she hasn’t. I can’t even get a feel for which way she is leaning towards. I have done everything I can think of. I even told her that I was falling in love with her.”
“I don’t know what to tell you, man. You’ve done everything you can do. You’ll just have to be patient and let her make this decision herself. Don’t push her or you’ll just push her away.” Does he think I don’t know this already?
“I know Caleb. I am trying to be patient, but what I really want to do is tie her to my fucking bed so she can’t leave. I can’t really do that now, can I?”
“Ah, no. As fun as that sounds, I wouldn’t advise it. At least not until she makes up her mind.” Caleb stands and
starts walking towards the door. “If you need anything, just let me know. I just wanted to make sure you were still breathing. I’ll catch you later.” And he walks out the door.
By the time I get everything done to ensure that I don’t have to do anything tomorrow, it’s almost midnight. I text Amelia a couple of hours ago to tell her sweet dreams and I love her. She quickly texts back and tells me goodnight. I don’t expect to hear her tell me she loves me too. It’s still too soon for her to say it, but I can see it in her eyes. She’s just scared. Well, I’m scared too. Scared I’m never going to see her again.
Walking into a dark, empty house is not any fun. I’ve never really thought about it before, but it’s rather depressing actually. I worked straight through the day, not even stopping to get something to eat. I am so hungry now that I’m nauseous. I grab some chips to snack on and head upstairs to watch a little TV. It doesn’t take me too long before I crash.
There’s a little hope in the air when I wake up the next morning. Yes, I know it’s Friday. Yes, I know today is the last day Amelia is supposed to be here. Yes, I know she is supposed to leave tomorrow. I roll over and grab my phone off the nightstand. I know she likes to sleep in, but it’s after nine, so hopefully she will be up. I wasn’t kidding when I said I wanted to spend every minute with her. Hopefully, I will be seeing her real soon. There’s that word again. Hope. That’s all I have right now.
I send her a text letting her know I would like to pick her up in about an hour, that I have some things planned for her last day here and hit send. It doesn’t take long for her to respond that she will be ready for me to pick her up in an hour. I found a nice romantic spot at a state park not too far from here that I want to take her too. Since I know there won’t be anything to eat for miles, I’ll throw some things together for a picnic. I don’t want any distractions today. Today is the last chance I get to change her mind. Everything has to be perfect.
Chapter Thirty-three
Amelia
This is it. This is the last day of our vacation. Myles text me and asked if he could spend the day with me, and of course I told him yes. I wonder what he has planned. Jamie said she and Caleb had plans for the day as well.
Since I’m not sure what he has planned, I decide to dress comfortably in shorts and a tee. I put on my shoes just as the doorbell rings. Looking over my shoulder, the clock tells me he is right on time. I get up and go answer the door.
“Hey Myles. Give me just a second and I’ll be ready to go. I just need to let Jamie know I’m leaving so she can lock up.” I head off and tell Jamie that we are heading out and I would see her later tonight.
Walking back into the living room, Myles is patiently waiting for me to return. I want the day to start off on a positive note, so I lean up and kiss him when I get close enough.
“Ready?” I ask, after I have laid one on him. I think I surprised him by doing that.
He smiles that smile that I love. “Yep, ready if you are.”
He opens the door for me and follows me out. Once we reach the car, he opens the door for me again. What is it with opening doors for me? The men in Illinois don’t do this. They should take a lesson from the guys down here. He closes it once I am fully seated and walks around to his side to get in. Once we are both buckled, we head off to parts unknown. Well, to me they are unknown, since he has yet to tell me where we are going.
“Where are we going anyway?” I might as well ask now and get the suspense out of the way.
“There is a state park not too far from here. I thought we could take in a little hiking. I know it’s not the most romantic thing, but it’s quiet. There usually aren’t a lot of people around. We should have most of the place to ourselves.”
“Actually, that sounds like fun Myles. I suppose you have a basket full of food in your trunk too.”
“As a matter of fact I do,” he laughs, but continues, “I thought we could have a picnic while we were there.”
“Really! Can you believe I have never been on a picnic?”
“Seriously, Amelia. You have never been on a picnic? Well, I’m honored to be your first,” he says wiggling his eyebrows.
I can’t help but laugh. I reach over and lay my hand on his leg, just letting it rest there. I lay my head back and close my eyes, enjoying the calmness that has surrounded me.
“Amelia, we’re here.” He says after shutting off the car. Shit! How long have I been asleep?
“I’m up! Sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you.” I’m rubbing my eyes, trying to get them to open the rest of the way.
“It’s okay. I wasn’t going to wake you until we got here. Do you know you talk in your sleep?” He’s laughing. That can’t be a good sign.
“What did I say Myles?”
“It would be ungentlemanly of me if I were to repeat what you were saying.” He’s still laughing, dammit.
“Well, let me just say that I can’t be held accountable for what comes out of my mouth when I am unconscious.” Seriously, I can’t. It’s hard telling what came out of my mouth while I was asleep.
“Come on. Let’s go. It wasn’t that bad.” He gets out of the car and comes around to get me. We walk to the back of his car so he can retrieve the basket. Holy shit. He really did pack a picnic basket. He grabs my hand, weaving our fingers together, leading the way to the trail he wants to take. It’s almost eleven now, so he is probably going to go find a spot to have lunch. This is so cool. I feel like a little kid again.
It takes about a half an hour to hike to the spot he has picked out. It’s rather secluded, which I suspect he did this on purpose. I help him lay out the blanket then we both toss off our shoes and sit down. Myles digs into the basket, taking out a variety of things to eat. There is absolutely no reason to walk away hungry. I think he packed the entire refrigerator in there.
We spend most of the afternoon snacking on the food he brought and talking about anything and everything or nothing at all. I feel as if time is standing still as we sit here, but the reality is that the day is quickly passing us by. It saddens me to think that this could be the last night that we spend together. I’m still conflicted about what to do. My head is telling one thing while my heart is telling me another. I just don’t know which one to listen to.
Before I know it, it’s time to pack things up and head back home. We make our way back down the trail and load the basket back into car. We both get situated in the car and go back to reality.
Myles reaches over and takes ahold of my hand. “Will you stay with me tonight, Amelia?”
“Yes, I’ll stay with you tonight, but I need to go home for a while so I can get everything packed and ready to go. We’re planning on leaving by seven in morning, so I’ll need to get up early.” He looks so sad while I’m telling him this. I know he wants to say something, but is holding it back.
“So, you still haven’t decided yet?”
Shaking my head. “No. I haven’t decided yet.” That’s all I can tell him. I can’t even look at him while I tell him that. God, this sucks. Why am I making this such a difficult decision?
Chapter Thirty-four
Myles
I drop Amelia off at her house when we get back into town. She said it should only take her a couple of hours to pack and get everything ready to go, letting me know that I can come back to pick her up then. I have time to go to the store to get stuff for dinner. I just need to figure out what I’m going to fix by the time I get there.
Putting the groceries away, I head upstairs to place the candles I bought around the room. I know it sounds girlie, but I want the room to have a romantic feeling when I make love to her tonight. Hopefully it won’t be our last night. By the time I get all that done, it’s time to go pick up Amelia.
Driving back up to my house with Amelia in the car is bitter sweet. I shut off the car and go around to help her out of the car, shutting the door once she is out. We slowly make our way up to the front door, then inside.
“Are you hu
ngry? I can start dinner whenever you’re ready.”
“No Myles, I’m still full from this afternoon. I can’t believe I ate so much.” She says walking further into the room.
“Okay. Let me know if you change your mind.”
I can’t stay away from her any longer. I walk up right behind her, bringing my hand up to move her hair off of her neck. I lean down and start kissing her neck, working my way up to her ear, slightly biting it, then sucking on it to soothe the bite.
Wrapping my arms around her, pulling her back against me so she can feel my erection, I tell her exactly what I want to do. “Amelia, I’m going to make love to you tonight.” Her quick intake of breath lets me know she understands what I’m planning. I turn her slightly, leaving my left arm around her waist, I bend and place my right arm under her knees and pick her up. Her arms come up around my neck, as if an automatic response. I carefully carry her up the stairs to my room, where I gently place her back on her feet.
“Stay here for just a minute please.” I tell her walking over to my dresser to grab the matches. I strike a match and start walking around the room lighting them, one by one. She’s watching me everywhere I go, every step I take.
There is so much I want to tell her that I’m afraid if I don’t start now, there won’t be enough time.
“Amelia, I’ve told you that I love you…” I turn my head, to make sure she is still watching me while I move to the next candle. “You are the last thing I think of when I go to sleep at night. You’re the first thing I think of when I wake up. Your scent and taste are embedded in my brain. I don’t even want to begin to think of what my life will be like if you decide to leave me.”
Blowing out the first match, I walk towards the other side of the room to light the rest of the candles, stopping briefly to give her a kiss, noticing the sadness in her eyes. Striking the next match, I start lighting the rest of the candles.
