Falling For Amelia Manning - 20 When Did You Know?

Present Day

“Edan?”

“Edan, you haven’t said anything for a long time, you okay?” Amelia tried to get her attention from the floor where she was still sitting. She didn’t think her news would be this shocking for her, but she’s been standing frozen for the last five minutes.

“Phoebe,” Amelia called to her, a little louder than she should. She saw the flick of her eyes darting toward her and then the door, still without a word out of Phoebe’s mouth.

“My mom’s coming,” Phoebe finally spoke just before darting to her bed with a few books still stranded on the bed sheets while Amelia ducked down and rolled as far under the bed as possible.

“Knock, knock, I’m coming in, be decent.” Her mother called as she opened the door. With a laundry basket on her hip, she walked around the room, as usual, picking up clothes as she trekked through. Phoebe jumped from the bed and started to help her, making sure she didn’t see any of Amelia’s clothes on the carpet with hers.

“I can do that mom, it should be part of my punishment anyway, I’ve only got a few more days left,” Phoebe told her as she finished finding the last of the clothes. Stunned, her mom just stood there with the basket in her hands, wondering what was going on with her daughter. “Don’t look so shocked, know how to do laundry!” Phoebe suddenly shouted when she saw her mom’s expression. “The machine filled with your food fight clothes for two days, begs to differ,” she reminded her which made Phoebe’s cheeks turn red. She had forgotten about James and her clothes in the washer, she never put them in the dryer later that day.

“Fine, I mess up once and suddenly I can’t do the laundry!” Phoebe tried to turn it on her mom, but she wasn’t having it. Throwing the basket down, her mom clapped her hands together for emphasis. “You think you’re so good at the laundry, then you get to do all of it. I want it cleaned, dried, folded, and put up. Even my clothes, since you think you’re so good.” Turning around in a huff, her mom left her with the pile of clothes in the basket and the few pieces still on the floor of her bedroom.

“Smooth move, Edan.”

She heard Amelia’s muffled voice from under the bed and rolled her eyes. Picking up the last few things, she threw them in the basket and slumped back on her bed.

“If you have anything needing washing, this would be the best time to do it. I won’t question the added pieces as she would.”

Upon hearing this, Amelia grabbed her bag and dumped out the dirty laundry waiting inside of it. Tossing pieces over the bed, she made all the points by getting them each in the basket from the floor where she was still laying.

“How are you good at every sport?” Phoebe whined.

“Natural talent, good genetics, and nothing else better to do at home,” Amelia explained with a smile. Keeping herself low on the ground, she propped her arms on the side of Phoebe’s bed and watched her flip through a history book. After a long moment of silence, Amelia tried to bring up what she told her moments ago, though it seemed like hours, she couldn’t find the voice to do it. She wanted to stay in her little protected bubble and not mention a word again about it, especially since Phoebe didn’t say anything.

“When is your next test in chemistry?” Phoebe asked, breaking the silence.

“The week before winter break, I think. Should be the final for the semester,” Amelia told her, casually, as if she wasn’t telling her about the test that would determine her levels for the last semester of high school. “You’ve got a lot of work to do, if you don’t pass that test then you will probably be held back. Won’t graduate, won’t have much of a future.” Feeling the heat turn to her cheeks, Amelia stood up from her spot on the floor with her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face.

“Just because we are on better terms, and because you’re letting me sleep at your house, so I don’t freeze to death in the locker rooms, doesn’t mean you can talk to me like that,” Amelia told her with her fists pressing harder into her hips with every second Phoebe didn’t look up or answer her. “What else will make you see that you need to buckle down and start studying this stuff?” Phoebe asked her calmly without looking up from her textbook. Knowing she couldn’t yell at her without alerting Phoebe’s mother, she took to stealing a few textbooks from Phoebe’s bed, including the one she was currently reading, and taking them down to the blankets with her.

“Hey!” Phoebe shouted but closed her mouth quickly and watched her bedroom door for signs of movement from her mom. Once she knew the coast was clear, she swung her head back to meet Amelia sitting on the blanket nest she made for her.

“You’re the one that wants me to study, let me read in peace, Edan.” Phoebe noticed the only time she’s said her first name was when she couldn’t get her attention earlier. She didn’t hate her calling her by Edan, but she knew she liked hearing Phoebe come from her lips. Shaking her head of the ridiculous thoughts, she grabbed the last of the books and joined Amelia on the floor, forgetting about the laundry on the other side of the bed. She made a mental note to start it before she went to sleep.

Amelia flipped through the books but didn’t look like she was reading to Phoebe. She knew why too. For one, it was an AP history book that would be different from her history class altogether, and two, she had it upside down. She was just trying to get a rise out of her.

“Are you done being mean about it?” Phoebe asked through clenched teeth.

“Not quite, have you gotten over the surprise news I told you an hour ago?” Amelia asked with a raised brown just before looking at Phoebe. They held steady eye contact, similar to what she doesn’t with James when she wants to start a fight about something but is trying to calm herself down, this was different though. It felt different.

Phoebe noticed it that night at the sleepover, but they’ve changed since then. Amelia’s eyes, Mia’s eyes, were much greener than they had been six years ago. The center, around the black pupil that bore into her own eyes, was surrounded by a moss green, making the outer blue look that much deeper. Like an ocean, she wanted to drown in.

When Phoebe finally found herself back to reality, she realized she’d been staring at Amelia for longer than what was polite. Quickly looking down, she cleared her throat and started to find a few questions to ask Amelia for the study session. It didn’t help her concentrate when she could feel Amelia’s eyes still staring at her, but she wouldn’t dare look up. Taking a brave, possibly stupid move, she whipped her head up to meet Amelia’s eyes.

“What are you staring at?” She forced the words out of her mouth but wanted to eat them when Amelia’s head tilted to the side slightly, almost drawing her in. Seconds passed. Several agonizing seconds until Phoebe couldn’t take it anymore. In a rushed attempt to get Amelia to stop staring at her and from the adrenaline pulsing through her veins, she closed the distance between them with her lips on Amelia’s.

Too stunned to focus, Phoebe broke contact almost as soon as she initiated it. Amelia, on the other hand, was still leaning in at her, wanting to reconnect and start back again. The brief, sweet, kiss didn’t last more than a few seconds. Amelia wanted more. Phoebe sat back with her legs crossed in front of her and her fingers tracing the bottom line of her lip.

“When did you know?” Her voice was rough like it was trying to hide something.

“I think…I was about even, maybe twelve. I knew for sure at my birthday, the sleepover to end all sleepovers,” she explained and sunk back against the wall, further from Phoebe than she’d like.

“I remember that night, vividly. I thought of it the moment you told me. I can remember the butterflies dancing in my stomach when we hugged. The moment I didn’t want you to let me go, the calm that came over me when we fell asleep next to each other. All before that stupid incident in the hallway. I wonder what would have happened if that never had…” Phoebe trailed off as her fingers stayed on her lips, still vastly unaware of what she just did.

“Why did you kiss me, Phoebe?” Her name fell from her lips softly, making Phoebe’s heart flutter. Did she know the answer to her question? Probably, but she wasn’t sure about speaking the truth out loud. Not yet, anyway.

With a shrug of her shoulders, she looked down again, not meeting Amelia’s eyes. It wasn’t until her finger and thumb gasped her chin that she was aware of her surroundings again.

“You know why, don’t you,” Amelia told her while her soft voice fell on ears that only wanted to hear more of it.

This time, when Amelia drew Phoebe’s lips upon her own, the kiss was sweeter, deeper, and the fear Phoebe had felt before melted away as their hands interlocked and Amelia brought her free one into Phoebe’s hair pushing them further together. They were so enthralled with one another, neither one of them heard the bedroom door open. But they heard the voice that spoke, breaking them apart.

“This is not what I expected when I opened that door,” Phoebe’s mom spoke sternly, trying to hide her shock at the scene before her eyes. Breaking apart, a red-hot blush, colored both of their faces in embarrassment. Looking down, Phoebe tried to not gain her mother’s attention further.

Mrs. Edan looked between her and a girl she never thought she’d see at her house again. Amelia Manning.

“I think it would do all of us well if we spoke in the living room. I will wait for both of you down there.” Mrs. Edan departed the room leaving the two hormone ridden teenagers alone in the room again. Not sharing another word, Phoebe quickly scrambled to her feet and headed for the door. Looking back for a second, she saw Amelia’s face go from the soft blush covered girl to the harden bully she’s come to loathe the last few years. Feeling her heart burst and cover the butterflies in her stomach, she headed for the hall.

Did she want to stay in that room forever, kissing her archenemy, leaving the world around them behind? Yes. She was absolutely sure of that. But her mom walked in at the wrong time and now she had to explain what she walked in on. The only problem is that Phoebe didn’t quite know what she walked in on. She didn’t have the right words to describe what’s really been going on. She only hoped the walk to the living room would somehow give her the clarity she didn’t have right now.