Setting the cushions in front of the couch, and turning the lights and television on, Amelia ensured the place was warm enough for the feel as well as to the eyes, for a great movie night, while Marco made popcorn and took the bottles of beer from the fridge, Shawn ordered the pizzas for the night.
"Thanks for letting me join you" Shawn said as he entered the kitchen.
Marco looked at him and said, "Just make sure she doesn't know about it."
"Marco, why'd you do this?" Shawn asked making sure Amelia wasn't around.
"What calling you for lunch and all?" He chuckled.
He nodded.
"I don't know man, I guess you make her happy so" He said shrugging his shoulders.
Shawn smiled registering his words in his mind.
"Hey Marc, can I call you Marc?" He asked.
"Yah sure, but we aren't bonding over it" he warned.
"Will keep it in mind" Shawn said raising his hands up in submission, "But before that" he said raising a finger and rushing in his direction, engulfing him in a man hug.
"Thank you" he said as Marco stood shock at his little victory hug.
"Seriously what is going on with you two?" Amelia said as she stood on the entrance of the kitchen.
"Nothing" the two said in unison, again, stepping back from each other in an instant.
Amelia eyes them, before picking up oregano from the cabinet and moving out.
They watched while they ate and drank and that is how the three felt complete. They couldn't care less of anyone near them right now, because they were totally in the present. Marco lay his head on Amelia's lap as she sat on the couch and he sat on the cushions below, while Amelia lay her head on Shawn's shoulder. And that is how they slept.
Before Amelia knew, it was already Wednesday. Stepping in the elevator of the publishing house, she pressed the button of the top floor. Before she knew Shawn entered the elevator, before the door would close.
"Hey, you're early" she stated.
"Yah, yah, I am" he said smiling.
They stepped out of the elevator and moved towards Amelia's office, and to her surprise Shawn was leading the way. He opened the door of her office and signaled her to get in.
"How'd you knew where my office was?" she asked stepping in.
"I...uhm have been here before" he said reminding her of the conference day.
"Still, you never came this far" she said.
"Come on Lia, you names outside" he reminded her.
And there she gave in. Mrs. Fuller entered the office with the girl which bought in coffees, and with the team of lawyers to get the papers checked.
Signing the papers the investors were officially invested in the company, finally.
"We shall celebrate," Shawn said, as the team of lawyers left her office, leaving the two of them alone there.
"Absolutely" she said.
"Lunch?" He asked.
"Can't make it, got a meeting" she said.
"Alright, dinner then?" He asked.
"Sounds good," she said.
"Great, I'll pick you," he said.
"Nope, I will" she said.
Shawn raised his eyebrows at her, "That" he paused pointing at her, "Sounds great."
"Great," she said.
Wearing a black backless dress with high heels, keeping her hair open by her side, Amelia was ready for a club night. She drove towards his place, as he had messaged her the address.
"You look handsome," she said as he sat on the passengers seat.
"I wish" he said looking through the windshield, "I could say the same about you." Now looking at her, he closed the distance between them and whispered, "But you look beautiful."
And she smiled, as she drove in the direction of the club.
"Where are we?" he asked.
"The club" she stated.
"Oh this is what you meant by celebration?" he asked embarrassed.
"Yah obviously, why?" She asked.
"I thought we would go to some restaurant, so I invited Mrs. Fuller as well," he said.
"What?" she asked unbelieving.
"And Marco," he said.
"And where are they?" She asked.
"The Italian restaurant, two blocks back" he said looking at his feet in the car now.
"You are unbelievable," she said.
"Oh, you thought this was a date?"
"Please, why would I think that" she stated.
"You kind of reacted so"
"Shut up"
And the two of them sat with Mrs. Fuller's family, Marco at the Italian restaurant, in that black-less black clubbing dress. Yes you heard that right.
"Bye Amy" Marco said hugging her, before shaking hands with Shawn and wishing Mrs. Fuller a good night.
"Bye Amy, congratulations" she said placing her hand on her cheek.
"So?"
"Stop it, Shawn," she said. He looked at her in confusion.
"I was sitting in that restaurant like I was there for clubbing, I haven't been this embarrassed in my life."
"Okay, I'm sorry, I should have informed you," he said, "It's just that I didn't expect that."
"Come with me," he said asking her hand in his.
"Where?"
"I spoilt it, so I'll have to make it up to you," he said and starting walking towards the right of the block.
"Shawn?"
"Yah?" He asked not stopping.
"We left the car behind," she reminded.
And with that, Shawn stopped in his track, before turning a hundred and eighty degrees in the opposite direction, with an absolutely expressionless face and moving towards the car.
He drove. She relaxed.
"Stay here for a second," he said stopping the car and rushing out.
The two of them parked the car and moved towards the elevator of her office building.
"Shawn it's mid night, why are we here?" She asked.
"You ask a lot"
"And you never answer"
"Shh, don't spoil the surprise" he said.
Reaching the top, he opened the door of the terrace and stepped in.
It was the top floor of a 50 floor building. Making space for her, the two of them sat at the top of the little glass canopy which had railing to all sides. Shawn opened the pack of Taco's and handed one to Amelia.
"Wow, this is great" she said taking in a bite.
"I know," he stated.
"How'd you know about this place?" He asked.
"I would come here, when I was..." Shawn stopped.
"What?" She asked.
"What?" He played dumb.
"What did you just say?" She asked.
He started coughing listening to that, now that he had no way of skipping it.
"Shawn are you okay? Water?" She asked and he nodded, still playing dumb.
And with that se got distracted. One point for Shawn, for sure. They sat there for uncounted hours, as none of them cared what time it was, because the city lights in front of them were the most beautiful thing, and they were invested the present completely.
Stepping the shower, in her bath, Amelia couldn't stop the flow of memories from last night. All the conversation that they had, was replaying in her mind, as she rubbed the shampoo in her hair, her eyes fixed in the air. She lost track of time, and for the very first time in a year, she was late to office. Last time she was late, when she had to pick Marco up from his little heart break with the a girl at his campus. She had to baby sit him till three in the afternoon. But today she didn't even have a valid reason for being late and she hated it.
"There she is," Amelia heard a familiar voice as she entered the reception of the building. Looking in the direction she heard the voice, she couldn't believe her eyes. It was Jack, after two years.
"Oh my God, Jack what are you doing here?" She asked, as she took hurried steps in his direction, and hug him with an arm behind his neck.
"It's so good to see you Amy," He said.
"Where is Ty?" She asked.
"Africa, he still had work to do," he said.
"When will he be back?" She asked.
"Soon," he assured.
Taking about things over breakfast, the two of them said their goodbyes finally, planning on meeting this Sunday.
Mrs. Fuller assisted her with the day's work, signing more authors for publishing, and reading about five scripts. Reading these would always ignite a writer in Amelia. She would think about her own character, and it's life whenever she had to read other writer's creativity. And she couldn't wait seeing her characters take a form, that these characters did. She usually wondered if people would read her stuff the way she read other author's work? Will they like reading her imagination and her use of words? Will she be like her dad, the author of ten best selling novels, or will she have to strive for a long time before any of that happens? She understood the best feeling in the world is when people wish to live the character's and the story you've written, and she knew she wanted to make it all happen. And there was no other way of making that happen, except writing. You can only get better at what you do, by doing it more often, and doing it will efficiency and effectivity. It was hard to fight the fear that would creep in her heart of failing at being one, but not trying wasn't an option. All we have is one lifetime, and all we wish to be, should be achieved in this one life time. Motivating herself, she took out her laptop, and started tying into it again. She had an hour before stepping out of the office, and the day's job was almost done. So why waste time? She thought.
An hours work would be that productive she could have never guessed. Not only did she complete a chapter, but also she found the direction in which she wanted to take the story forward. A chocolate-vanilla life isn't something interesting for a story. A story should have all the flavors, keeping it salty on certain occasions, it needs to be sweet and sour and bitter as well. And right now "Tasha", Amelia's character was having a tornado of all the flavors in her life.
As much as she wanted to turn it back to sweet for her, she knew she needed a little more bitter and sour for her. Because what is sweet without them. How will you relish the sweetness of an ice-cream without ever tasting bitter-guard.
Coming back home, she couldn't wait to put her thoughts into words. A rush of tornado was inside her head with ideas, and scenes and plot generation. Not even helping herself with a coffee, she sat on the couch, after changing into a tank top and shorts, she started typing.
Hearing the bell, she took off her eyes from the laptop screen, and noticed the darkness in the room. She never knew when did the sun set, being that engrossed in writing. Switching the lights on, she opened the door to find Shawn leaning on the door frame.
"Lia," he said.
"Hey Shawn," she said making way for him.
"I got you dinner," he said.
"Why?" She asked in confusion as they had no plans.
"Because Mrs. Fuller told me how lost you were the entire day in that screen of yours, that you didn't even have lunch," he stated.
"Mrs. Fuller is my assistant, how do you know her so well?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, I don't," he said distracted by dim lights of the lounge, looking at the ceiling, "I called her and asked her."
"And why did you do that?" She confronted.
"Well, you were too busy, that you didn't check your phone, so..." He said.
"Oh, damn" she said looking at the screen of her phone, which displayed messages from Shawn.
"I got burgers for us" he stated.
Switching on the television, the two sat comfortably, with Amelia folding her legs on the couch, an Shawn loosing his tie at the neck and placing his feet on the table top, they ate their burgers. Since it was Lia's house, the two watched a "The Notebook."
Shawn grumbled. She ignored.
They laughed.