Chapter 20 - spaghetti

Zack's POV:

Amelia sits beside me on the sofa, holding my hand. 

"Do you want something for tea? Hungry enough yet?" She asks me softly, as to not disturb the peaceful moment we just shared together.

I look at her and smile. "Yeah, just about. I can cook if you want?"

Amelia frowns. "You've had a busy day, i'm not sure i want you to be overloading yourself."

This annoys me. Because i am not a child. I am not someone who can't handle adulthood, or doing multiple things in one day just because i cut myself. I am not weak willed or pathetic. "No, i'm fine. I can cook," i say firmly, my anger rising slowly. I take deep breaths, reminding myself that Amelia is here for me, not to judge me; i am okay and sometimes i can take things to an extreme. 

Amelia nods, her eyes glinting in the low light of my flat. "Pasta? Something quick?"

I nod, "pasta sounds good."

I drop her hand, squeezing it reassuringly before i do though. Getting up i walk into the kitchen and pull out some dried spaghetti from the cupboard. Amelia walks in behind me, i feel her presence like a shadow on a wall. She picks up the kettle and begins to fill it from the sink while i get the pans out. 

While waiting for the kettle to boil, i move over to her, sliding my arms around her waist and pulling her into me. 

"Is this okay?" i ask, not wanting to make her anxious.

Amelia nods, tipping her head back so she's resting on my shoulder and chest. She smiles, closing her eyes. Her hands go to where mine rest on her stomach, and she caresses her fingers over mine softly. I begin to sway softly, and Amelia chuckles, loosening herself into my body's rhythm. I smell her hair, sniffing her hair deeply. 

"How do you get your hair to smell so fucking nice all the time, Amelia?" 

Amelia giggles, the noise making my smile even wider. "I think it must be pheromones because i haven't washed my hair in two days, baby. I wouldn't smell too hard."

I chuckle and kiss her head. "It smells amazing, trust me. You are amazing."

Amelia just smiles in response, almost like she doesn't believe me but doesn't have the energy to debate me on this topic. Probably because she knows i'd win. 

The kettle clicks, bubbling away. I take it off and pour it onto the pasta, salting it heavily. I feel Amelia moving from behind me, and sliding herself onto the counter. I feel her eyes watching me as i move about the kitchen. 

"Garlic, good or bad for today?" I ask, hoping my question isn't interpreted how she could interpret it. 

"Good, garlic is always good. Apart from werewolves, obviously."

I turn to her, my smile huge. "Vampires."

Amelia frowns, "i swear i thought it was werewolves! You're sure?"

I nod, "yeah, pretty sure." We burst into laughing, i move forward so her legs are either side of my body but i don't lean in, because i don't want her to feel like i'm pressuring her into anything. "Can i kiss you?" I ask, looking at her beautiful smile. 

Amelia nods, "yes please." She leans forward, smiling still. I move forward, meeting her in the middle. She looks into my eyes, daring me to make the first move. Her lips glint with lipgloss, making her irresistible. My body is hot, screaming at me to kiss her already. Amelia giggles and kisses me first. It's soft and gentle at first, sweet like a first love; delicate and sentimental. We break apart and Amelia looks at me like she's going to cry. 

"I've never been kissed like that before," she whispers. 

"Like what?" i whisper back. I take her hands into mine, lacing her fingers through mine.

"Like i am something to be treasured, something to take your time with. Not something that can be kissed and put away," she says, her voice breaking. 

I blink, frowning slightly. "I will never make you feel like that. You are not "something" to be tossed aside. You are a person, you are amazing and lovely with so many things that drive me mad with lust and admiration for you. No one should be treated the way you were, and i hope you will never feel like that again. Amelia, you are to be treasured, because you are rare and precious."

Amelia smiles, her eyes shining with tears. Without another word, she leans forward again and kisses me with such intensity it makes my breath catch in my throat. Amelia and i breathe heavily into eachother, making the kiss deeper and quicker. We kiss with need this time, and i feel my cheeks flushing from restraint from keeping myself calm. Amelia's hands travel to my shoulders, into my hair and i feel myself losing that morsel of control i had two seconds ago. I pull away from her, needing to contain myself. 

"Give me a minute, love," i say, turning away from her.

"Margaret Thatcher on a cold winter's day," she says, her voice a silent laugh.

"I'm sorry?"

"That's who you're supposed to think about, you know, so you can-" She gestures vaguely to below my waist. 

I nod, "thank you." I do a minute of visual imagery of bloody Margaret Thatcher and then turn back round to a giggling Amelia. "Okay, that was so your fault," i say, sliding onto the counter next to her.

She rolls her eyes. "Not my fault that you can't resist my inevitable sexiness. It's a curse."

I nod gravely. "I have been victim to that curse one too many times."

She laughs lightly. The sound makes me smile, because i know she and i would not be this happy if i was still in that hospital. I know deep down that i will thank myself later for clocking out of there early, even if i still feel those familiar urges in the back of my brain. 

"Your pastas about to burn," she says, getting down off the counter in a hurry. I slip down too, running over to the hob and seeing black smoke billowing out of the pan.

"Fuck," we say in unison, causing us to laugh heavily. I turn off the hob and bring the pan over to the sink. Pouring it into a colander, the pasta comes out in one black lump. I pour cold water onto the pasta to stop the smoking and into the pan to try to stop it from charring. 

Amelia leans past me to open the kitchen window, letting the smoke out. I turn to her and she shrugs. "Don't really want pasta now," she says with a laugh.

I nod, going to the snack cupboard and pull out crisps, a bag of freeze dried strawberries, two snickers bars and off the counter i collect two satsumas. "Will this do?"

Amelia nods, taking the oranges and crisps off me, obviously what she views as the precious cargo. We make our way to the sofa and she sits down on the right while i sit on the left, folding my legs under myself. Amelia does the same and laughs when i look surprised. 

"I've done gymnastics and yoga since i was a small girl," she says with a smile.

"That checks out, your legs are insane."

"When have you looked at my legs?" She asks, shocked.

"At the wedding. First thing i saw about you was your perfect thighs, just the right size and you can tell that you could easily kill me if i gave you head the wrong way," i say this last comment without really thinking, and am relieved when she cackles. 

"Okay, Zack, tell me how you really feel!"

I open my snickers bar and say "what do you wanna watch, Miss perfect thighs?"

Amelia smiles, thinking for a moment. "The Office, but clearly the American version. From season 1."

I search, find it, and click on it. Taking Amelia's feet into my lap, we sit in comfortable silence and watch the Office well into the morning.