Page 149 of Grounded
"Damian, my old coworker, he texted. Said he heard a company similar to my old one will be posting an ad soon for a position I'd be perfect for. He's giving me the head's up because his friend works in HR there."
"Down here?" I ask.
"No, up in LA. This is amazing."
For once, Bruce and I are on the same page and experiencing the bittersweet taste of this complex moment. Neither of us wants her to leave, but this is still her dream, and she's not going to be a barista living at home forever.
"Holy shit, this is so exciting," she gushes.
My mom is the only one happy for her as she gets out of her chair to give her a hug. Like this tidbit of information has already sealed her fate and she's ready to pack her bags to leave us all behind for good.
The necessary energy to make small talk drains out of me when I realize what this means.
I'm sure I resemble the typical moody persona they are used to, but Amelia is on top of the world and unaware of how impacted I am by this news.
I'm happy for her, for this opportunity. But I also know my time is running out, and I'll have to tell her how I feel sooner or later. I don’t see her jumping at the opportunity to bring me along with her.
Amelia is so blissfully unaware of my change of attitude that on the car ride home, she's thanking me for being so talkative with her dad.
Sure, I gave him eye contact for the first time in weeks, and I answered any question he had for me, but I didn't go out of my way to connect with him like I had planned. The potential job opportunity threw me off my game.
"Your mom is so lovely. I mean it."
"Thanks, she really likes you."
"I meant to tell you," Amelia begins, and I hope it's not about the text I've been avoiding. "Scarlet came into Roasted today."
"My old classmate? Beckett's fiancée?"
"Yeah, I was certain she was there to admit she threw her ring back in his face. But no, she was there to make sure I didn't ruin their future together and come back asking for a second chance."
"Wow, they deserve each other. They sound unstable and scared to be alone."
"Maybe she wanted to see it on my face and not over the phone, but I'm still shocked this happened at all. I’m surprised how unbothered I am about it, but how is it fair a man like that is getting a perfect ending? It doesn't work like that."
I don't want to shatter her hopes and point out this isn't a movie. Happy endings aren't guaranteed for everyone, and sometimes, the villain gets his redemption.
"Why didn't you tell your dad? I didn't realize it was a secret."
"I don't know. Ever since I've been home, I feel like I've been keeping a lot from him."
"Hopefully he didn't sense something happening between us—I mean, that somethinghashappened between us."
My save is convincing enough that maybe she won't pick up on the fact I am slowly falling in love with her.
"He definitely didn't suspect anything. Think your mom did?"
"No way. I think we are in the clear."
Againstmybetterjudgment,Amelia and I have been sleeping in the same bed for nearly a week. Some nights all we do is sleep beside each other, but most times we can't keep our hands off each other.
It's become an unspoken routine that I fear she will break any day now.
She got her shift covered today because tomorrow she has an interview for that position her coworker told her about.
I've been helping her with questions because, despite my fears she will return to LA without a backward glance in my direction, I want her to achieve every dream, even if it doesn't include me.
We're floating in the pool as we finish up another round of the expected questions.
