Arthur grumbled about slow drivers as he finally exited the city limits of Derby. He wasn't in a hurry, but he liked to actually go the speed limit. He could tell it was an older person in front of him who was taking their bloody time. He sighed and waited for an opportunity to pass.
"Bloody Sunday drivers," he said when he finally did.
He sped up to the speed limit, and he continued on his way into the countryside. He grinned, thinking about his grandparents' old summer home that he and his sister, Rosa, would go to every summer with their parents. He drove for about another 20 minutes before finally seeing the gravel driveway on the left side of the road. He grinned and turned onto it, admiring the forest the driveway gently cut through. He saw the pond that he and Rosa had spent hours every day in for many summers as he approached the house.
It was a decent sized old Victorian cottage made of brick. It was a two-story dream home and Arthur's source of peace for many years.
"Hello old friend," he said as he parked his car in front of the garage.
He got out and popped his trunk. He grabbed his duffel bag out of it and he slammed it shut. He looked up at the second story to see one of Rosa's friends, Elizaveta, waving furiously. She looked worried.
Arthur looked toward the door and he almost yelped when he saw his best friend, Alfred F. Jones, barreling toward him.
"ARTIE! YA MADE IT!" Alfred whooped with a leap.
Oh bugger. Arthur thought before the taller man plowed into him, knocking them both to the ground.
"You bloody plonker! Is that how you greet everyone?!" Arthur bellowed as he tried to move Alfred off of him.
"Nope, only you Artie!"
"Get! Off!"
Alfred laughed, got up, and held out his hand. Arthur gritched about American football players as he was helped to his feet, dusting his trousers off.
"Bloody WARN me next time," Arthur growled.
Alfred just laughed and adjusted his glasses. "Then it wouldn't be a surprise."
"That's the point!"
Alfred laughed and led Arthur to the door and Arthur sighed as he walked in. The place was just how his grandparents left it. He grinned as he made his way up the stairs to his room. He set his bag on the bed.
Alfred leaned on the doorframe. "Glad to be back?" he asked.
Arthur looked at him over his shoulder and grinned. "I am, actually."
Alfred grinned back and let out a bark of laughter. "Rosa said you would be. She really missed this place too. How long has it been?"
"Ten years," Arthur answered, turning to walk out of the room. Alfred stepped aside to let him pass as Arthur made his way down the stairs.
Arthur walked into the parlor and smiled. Pictures of himself and other members of his family were hung all over the walls and sat on the mantle of the fireplace. He looked at the old piano that sat in the corner and was surprised to find someone already sitting there.
The woman had shoulder length, wavy, golden hair; she was playing a little melody on the piano. Arthur recognized the melody, an old Irish tune his grandmother used to sing, and he started to hum along with the notes. The woman jumped when she heard him and turned and Arthur's breath caught in his throat.
The woman's blue grey eyes widened as stood up. "You must be Arthur. I'm Amelia," she said with a big smile.
Arthur suddenly put two and two together. This is Rosa's Maid of Honor, he thought.
Arthur grunted when Alfred's arm suddenly fell on his shoulders. "Artie, meet the girl you're going to be walking down the aisle."
Amelia's cheeks tinted pink and she laughed. "Crap Al! Think before you talk," she giggled.
Arthur felt his cheeks flush a little. He threw Alfred's arm off his shoulders. "Yes you git, you made it sound like we were getting married instead of you."
He stepped away before Alfred could put his arm back around his shoulders. Alfred scratched his cheek. "Yeah, that did come out wrong huh?"
"What came out wrong?"
I'm saved, Arthur thought, looking to see his twin sister, Rosa, walking into the parlor from the entertainment room.
She smiled when she saw him and rushed over to him. "Oh Arthur I missed you!" she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
Arthur hugged her back. "I missed you too."
Rosa let him go and adjusted her glasses. "I take you already met Amelia, my friend from college I told you about?"
"Ah, yes, we've just been introduced," he said, nodding to Amelia.
She blushed and nodded back. "Ah, well good. Alfred, you're coming with Lizzie and I to pick up Jeanne, Gilbert, and Matthew."
"Aw, why do I have to?!"
Rosa grabbed Alfred's earlobe. "Because Arthur just drove almost three hours to get her,e and I'm not making him go in a car again. And they're your friends!"
Thank God for Rosa, Arthur thought, knowing that he would have been stuck going if it wasn't for her.
Rosa looked at him. "Just stay here and make sure nothing disastrous happens."
Arthur nodded and crossed his arms, trying to not laugh at how his best friend, the famous football quarterback in the States, was being bullied by his much shorter sister.
Amelia covered her mouth with her hand.
She must be thinking the same thing, Arthur thought.
"Now get the car ready," Rosa bossed, shooing Alfred out.
Alfred pouted and stooped down to Rosa's level. She sighed and kissed his cheek. He perked up and saluted her. "Righto ma'am!" He strutted out of the house, and Amelia suddenly burst out laughing.
"I heard that Ame!" Alfred yelled from outside.
Rosa sighed and shook her head. "Honestly, he acts like he just won a huge prize whenever I do that."
"It's because you're mean to him 80 percent of the time," Amelia laughed.
Rosa shrugged and looked up at Arthur again. "Please help me control him this next week. I don't know if my nerves will be able to take it."
Arthur chuckled and patted his sister's back. "I understand Rose, more than you know."
She sighed and put a hand on his arm and squeezed gently before turning to Amelia. "Can you go to Derby and get some more food? Alfred already wiped out the snack cupboards."
Amelia looked at her in shock. "Crap! I knew he ate a lot more now that he does the NFL workouts but he seriously already wiped all the snacks out?"
Rosa nodded with a scowl.
Amelia sighed. "Make a list and I'll gladly do it."
Rosa nodded and left, muttering, "I know I had a pad of paper here somewhere…"
Arthur pinched the bridge of his nose. Trust Alfred to take out the food already.
"I'm so socking him in the arm when he gets back," Amelia grumbled.
Arthur chuckled. "I'll do it for you. I was actually kind of hungry, that git-face."
Amelia looked at him and she started to giggle. Arthur looked at her in confusion.
"I'm sorry, I just think that word is funny," she said.
"What? Face?"
She laughed and Arthur felt a little proud that he could talk to her easily. He usually wasn't good at meeting new people.
"No, 'git'. I just think it's funny," she chuckled.
Arthur smirked. "Well, you're going to hear it a lot with Alfred and Gilbert around. Those two are the definition of 'Git'."
She laughed again. Arthur decided that he liked her. She had a sense of humor and wanted to hit Alfred. Not to mention she was his sister's best friend and played the piano.
"Amelia! I have the list!" Rosa called from the kitchen.
Amelia grinned at him before walking out of the parlor toward his sister's voice.
Arthur sighed and plopped down in one of the plush armchairs, resting his head back and trying to relax.
He soon heard Lizzie's Hungarian accent and Rosa's chiding tone towards Alfred walking out the door, followed by Amelia's footsteps as she left.
Soon, it was just him.
Thank God.
Arthur took a quick power nap. Sitting up straight and stretching, he looked at the clock and saw that he was only out for an hour. He got up and inspected the pictures on the mantle of the fireplace. There was one of him and Rosa as children, hugging each other. There was one of his parents, hugging each other and laughing. Then there was one of the whole family together, Arthur and Rosa looked cross at each other, of course. A picture of his smiling grandparents sat next to that one.
Arthur suddenly heard a loud, German voice curse from upstairs. They must have just got back. And Gilbert must be in a tizzy about something.
Arthur turned to the piano, ignoring the sounds from upstairs, and grinned. He ran his hand across the top of it before opening it up. He played a chord and grinned wider when all the notes played true.
He sat down at the piano and he played another chord. He grinned and started to just play around with the notes. His fingers moved by themselves, and he found himself playing a version of "Greensleeves"' his mother had taught him. He grinned and closed his eyes as he just let the music flow through him.
Memories of his Irish grandmother singing the song while she sewed swirled in his brain as the melody took him to another world. He remembered his grandmother singing many Irish songs to him, but this one was of his favorites.
He played the last notes and let them hang in the air.
"That was beautiful."
Arthur jumped and looked to see Amelia leaning against the entryway to the parlor. He rubbed the back of his neck. His playing had been called good, talented, and other things, but never beautiful.
"T-thank you," Arthur stammered. I didn't hear her come in.
Amelia grinned. "Do you know how to play duets?"
Arthur nodded. Amelia grinned and walked over to the piano. Arthur scooted over, and Amelia took a seat beside him. She flicked her head, getting her wavy blond bangs out of her face before she placed her fingers on the keys. "Have you ever seen the movie Corpse Bride?" she asked, playing a few notes.
Arthur nodded. Rosa loved those bloody Tim Burton films when they were younger, and Arthur knew them all by heart because he overheard the movies so many times.
"You know the duet they play at that one part?"
He nodded again, seeing where she was going with this.
He started to play the little drabble of notes at the beginning, smirking. Amelia giggled and played her part. Arthur played another drabble of notes. They went back and forth for a little bit before Arthur started to play the light melody, trying to remember exactly how it went. Amelia then came in with the strong harmony.
They looked at each other and smiled as they went on. Amelia then reached across his forearms at the end and played the little trill. Arthur blushed at how she was almost leaning on him. She pulled back and grinned at him.
"Ya know," she said bashfully, "you're the first person who was able to do that with me. Thanks, even though it was kind of silly."
He saw a little blush rise up on her cheeks. Arthur felt his cheeks heating up too. "You're welcome and it wasn't silly."
Amelia's cheeks flushed and she bit her lip. Arthur felt his cheeks get redder as she grinned and got up. "Well, Rosa's fitting is in an hour. Gotta get ready to go make sure they got everything right."
She basically skipped over to the entry way and smiled over her shoulder at him as she left.
Arthur closed the piano and rested his elbow on it, leaning his head against his knuckles. Maybe walking down the aisle with the Maid of Honor won't be so bad, he thought.
He heard huge thumps, warning him that Alfred or Gilbert was coming down the stairs. Sure enough, both of them came into the parlor.
"Arthur! Still playing piano like a little girl I see," Gilbert laughed.
Arthur smirked. "So? I can still kick your arse at guitar," he retorted.
Gilbert just laughed and looked around. "Say Alfred, why aren't you getting married in the States again?" he asked, studying the family photos with no interest.
Alfred sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I wanted Rose to be closer to her family and all, my family can go anywhere they want, not to mention that we won't have ten different sports magazines and stuff following me around and bothering her here."
Arthur nodded in agreement. He was ecstatic when his sister and his friend decided to get married in the UK. He visited them once a couple years ago and he was bombarded by ten reporters through his whole visit, asking about Alfred and about their friendship.
"Danke Gott! I hated visiting you because of those verdammt reporters! It really wasn't awesome."
"Me too," a quiet voice said.
Arthur and Gilbert jumped. Alfred just looked at Matthew, who was standing beside him. I didn't even see him come in!
"Hey Matt," Alfred said with a grin.
Rosa suddenly stuck her head into the entryway to the parlor. "You have five minutes you plonkers. Arthur! Get them in the car!"
Arthur sighed. I should have taken my migraine pills before all of this.
If getting Alfred to the car was hard, getting him AND Gilbert to the car was a nightmare.
Arthur got in and wondered how he was friends with these bloody people.
"Rosa you look gorgeous!" Lizzy said, clapping her hands together in excitement.
Amelia smiled as she felt tears forming when she saw her best friend walk out of the dressing room. Jeanne gasped when Rosa twirled. The dress was a lacy piece of artwork. The skirt flowed out perfectly from Rosa's hips and the neckline looked beautiful on her. The lace sleeves were beautiful as well.
"Rose you're beautiful," Amelia said, trying not to cry.
Rosa looked at her and she smiled. "All right, now you girls go get changed. I want to see if you all liked my choice."
"Probably not, considering your sense of fashion," Jeanne teased.
Rosa threw the fake bouquet at her and all the girls burst out laughing. "Alright Frenchie, get in there," Amelia said, gently shoving the Frenchwoman into a fitting room.
Lizzy didn't need to be asked twice. Amelia nodded in satisfaction and walked in one herself. She changed into the dress and she studied herself in the tiny mirror. The dress was a strapless, floor-length gown with lace circling the midsection. Amelia smiled at the color. Rosa demanded to have "Ashes of Roses" dresses in her wedding, and with Amelia's help, she got them.
Amelia walked out of the dressing room, feeling like a million dollars. She looked in the bigger mirror and smiled.
"Rosie, I think we made a good decision with this," she said, twirling around.
Rosa stood next to her, and Amelia almost started crying again. Rosa looked close to tears too.
"I'm getting married in seven days," Rosa said as if in a daze.
"Rosa, you must tell me what designer you got this from," Jeanne said as she left her room.
The dress looked gorgeous on her like everything else the woman wore. Jeanne stood next to Amelia and smiled. "This dress was made for Miss America here," she chuckled, poking Amelia in the side.
Amelia rolled her eyes at the old nickname from college. "Okay Frenchie," she said, smirking at her own nickname for the French woman.
Jeanne laughed, and they all gasped when Elizaveta walked out of the dressing room.
"Well, how do I look?" she asked.
All of the women squealed and stood next to each other in front of the huge mirror. "Just like the good old days!" Lizzie squealed.
Amelia smiled and threw her arms around Rosa's and Jeanne's shoulders. "Guys, let's enjoy every moment of this week, 'kay?"
All the women nodded and they started to squeal over Rosa's dress more.
"So, Amelia, what did you think of Arthur?" Rosa asked as Amelia studied the zipper to make sure it was 100 percent perfect.
Amelia looked up at Rosa in surprise and shrugged. "He's funny. And he played the Corpse Bride duet with me."
Rosa looked down at him in surprise. "He hates those movies. How did he know it?"
Amelia shrugged. "He played Victor's part perfectly."
"Arthur is a natural. He could hear a melody once and master it. He must have heard you watching it one day at some point," Jeanne said, fixing her make-up in the mirror. Unlike Amelia and Lizzy, Jeanne was a childhood friend of Rosa's. Amelia and Lizzy met them both at college in the United States.
Amelia suddenly felt like a novice. She took piano lessons for years, and it always took her forever to learn how to play a song on the piano, even one as short as that. To hear that this guy could just play after hearing something once amazed her.
"And what do you mean he's funny? He has his witty moments but funny?" Rosa asked, turning so that the consultant could double check the zipper after Amelia's inspection.
"He made me laugh. That's what I mean," Amelia said with a smile, thinking about her conversation with him.
Rosa shrugged. "Well, he's usually not good at meeting new people so if he does act coarse, it's not your fault."
Amelia nodded and rolled her eyes. Rosa talked about her brother all the time in college and whenever they hung out. Amelia could probably write a biography on Arthur and get everything pretty darn close. "Well, let's get changed and head back to the house. I bet the boys are already changed."
Arthur sighed as he walked into the summer house. He covered his ears with his hands, trying to block out Alfred and Gilbert. He looked at Matthew, who was standing beside him. "Thank you for not being a gobshite."
Matthew nodded with a grin and then flinched when Alfred and Gilbert walked in.
"Horror movie man! That is the perfect way to end this night."
"Nein. I want to watch an action movie."
"Horror."
"Action!"
"We are watching The Woman in Black and there is nothing you two plonkers can do about it," Rosa snapped, walking in behind them, winning the argument.
Arthur wanted to take a picture of the surprise on Gilbert's and Alfred's faces. It was priceless.
"A-are you sure Rosa?" Amelia asked.
Rosa looked at Amelia over her shoulder. "I'm sure. I just want to get this over with so we can go to bed."
Amelia laughed nervously and looked away.
They all piled into the entertainment room and Amelia stuck the DVD into the player. Rosa looked around before she took her seat next to Alfred on the loveseat. "All right gits, sit with whoever you're paired up with. I don't want any fighting or anything on our wedding day," she ordered.
Arthur almost rolled his eyes. What got her in a tizzy?
Arthur sat down on floor in front of the loveseat and Amelia sat down next to him, handing the remote to Rosa. Amelia looked at Arthur. "Um, I'm not good with horror movies so if I grab you or something please don't get mad."
Arthur grinned. "I won't mind." He really wouldn't. It was the polite thing to do and Arthur wouldn't mind having a pretty woman cling to him, even if it was for a movie.
She smiled and sighed in relief. "Okay, I'm warning you, I'm really not good with them."
Arthur shrugged and paid attention as the movie started. Many times during the parts where Radcliffe's character was in the house, Amelia would cling to his arm. She actually squealed and hid her face in his shoulder at one part.
They finally got to the part when Radcliffe's character set the woman's dead son on the bed, and Amelia literally yelped and hugged Arthur. Everyone laughed and teased but Alfred.
Arthur looked over his shoulder, and he almost laughed. His friend's face was pale and had sweat running down his temples. He was gripping his knee so hard that his knuckles were white too. And he's the one who bloody wanted to watch the movie.
Amelia just closed her eyes and looked away at the end of the movie.
The screen went dark, and the credits started to play.
"Amelia, you're such a baby!" Gilbert laughed.
Lizzy smacked his arm. "Leave her alone. You hate Deep Water."
Gilbert frowned at his girlfriend. "That was really not awesome Liz."
Lizzy shrugged and grinned smugly.
"Alright everyone, I'm going to bed," Rosa announced, getting up off the loveseat.
"Me too," Amelia said weakly.
Arthur got up and held out his hand for her. Amelia grinned and took it.
"If it makes you feel better, I'm scared of clowns," Arthur said as he helped her up.
Amelia smiled and squeezed his hand before letting go and following Rosa up the stairs. Arthur yawned and decided to go to bed as well.
Arthur groaned as he tossed in his bed again. He sighed and looked at the clock sitting on his nightstand. "2 bloody 12," he growled.
He got up, pulled a shirt on, and slowly made his way down the stairs. He was surprised to already find the hall and kitchen lights on. Arthur slowly went down the stairs and he almost laughed when he saw Amelia sitting in a stool at the counter island in the kitchen. She was checking things off of a piece of paper and shuffling through others. "Amelia?" he said as he walked in.
She squeaked and jumped, sending papers flying everywhere. "Arthur! Oh jeez, you scared the crap out of me!" she laughed, putting a hand over her heart.
"Did the movie really scare you that bad?"
Amelia gave him a sheepish look. "Yeah. I'm a big baby when it comes to stuff like that," she admitted.
"The Woman in Black though?"
"It wasn't really the lady that scared me…it was that fact that children were involved. That creeped me out more than anything!"
Arthur nodded in fake amazement. "Ah, I see now."
Amelia nodded. "Yeah! And I was even imagining that her son was down here for a second because I thought I saw a shadow in the hallway so I just sat here like—" She paused, picked up a paper and gripped it tightly, holding it close to her mouth, looking around in fright for demonstration.
Arthur chuckled and sat in the stool across from her.
"It's not funny! I was really scared for a sec," she said with a laugh.
Arthur chuckled again, and then they sat in a comfortable silence.
"So, now that you know why I'm awake, why are you awake?" she asked.
"The woman in black was in my room."
"Eh?!"
"No," Arthur said with a laugh, "I couldn't sleep. So, I came down to make a cup of tea. It usually helps me go to sleep." He got up and walked over to the cabinet the kettle was kept in.
"A Brit getting the good ol' Earl Grey out and making tea, shocker," she said with a teasing wink.
"Hmph, it's Darjeerling for me, not Earl Grey," Arthur huffed.
Amelia softly laughed and got back to what she was doing. "You know," she said as he got the kettle out, "I was surprised that Al kept his cool like he did though. He's usually as bad as I am. Has been his whole life."
"Really?" Arthur asked, glancing at her over his shoulder. "He usually keeps his cool with stuff like that. Says he's the bloody hero or something."
Amelia barked out a laugh. "Ha. Yeah right! I saw him twitching and sweating. He was as scared as I was. I bet he didn't want to look stupid in front of everybody like I did."
"You didn't look stupid; you were just being yourself," Arthur chuckled.
Amelia smiled. "Thanks for saying that."
Arthur smiled back and filled up the kettle with water and stuck it on the burner on the stove, turning it on. Now to wait a half a century. Grandfather should really update his appliances, Arthur thought, looking at the ancient stove.
Another silence filled the room.
"So, how does a British police detective and a NFL quarterback become best friends?" she asked in amusement.
Arthur leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms. "Well, I was visiting Rosa in the States a few years ago for the holidays. I met him at a New Year's party and introduced him to Rosa. So, I guess you can say we've been friends ever since. I think I was still a patrol officer then."
"So, you wore the uniforms with the checkered patterns on them?"
Arthur looked at her before chuckling. "Yes, I had to wear those once. Not now though, thank the Lord."
"What's up with that anyway? Does the pattern have a specific purpose or something?" she asked, leaning her elbow on the counter.
Arthur shrugged. "No bloody clue."
Another silence, it was awkward this time.
Arthur suddenly realized something. "You said Alfred was like you with those movies his whole life. How would you know?" Arthur asked, curious.
Amelia grinned. "Well, we've known each other since we were in diapers. Best Friends Forever sort of thing, I guess."
She paused and then let out a small laugh. "We used to have sleepovers all the time, and he always insisted on watching horror movies, even though they scared the crap out of both of us. Before the movie was even partway in, we would already be hiding under a blanket together and screaming."
Arthur tried to imagine Alfred crying like a little girl under a blanket. The picture he conjured was hilarious.
"That's actually really funny," Arthur said with a chuckle.
Amelia laughed with him. "Yeah, but he stopped doing that in high school. But, he still is freaked out by them; I know it. He kept flinching and holding Rosa's hand and stuff," she said with a smug grin.
"Not to mention he kept his gob shut the whole time," Arthur stated.
They both laughed at that one.
"Yeah," Amelia agreed. "The movie he's most scared of is Paranormal Activity. I was okay with the first one, but the one that freaked me out the most was the third one because the kids were involved. He was a blubbering baby at the movie theater on that one. Rosa and I made fun of him for weeks."
"Well, if I had known that sooner I would have pranked him somehow as payback," Arthur stated. "He always gets me but I can never get him back."
"Oooh! I got an idea!" Amelia said, bouncing in her seat in excitement. "We should go up there around three and open their door; I know Al is either awake or barely asleep, and then one of us should wear an all-black outfit and slam the door. That would scare the daylights out of him."
Arthur brought his knuckle to his chin and he thought about it. "That would be hilarious." He studied Amelia. "You seem to be very good at pranking Alfred."
Amelia waved her hand. "We've been pranking each other our whole lives! The best one we did on each other was Homecoming though."
Arthur raised his eyebrows. Alfred told him how he was the homecoming king. Now I'll get the whole story. That and he wanted to just listen to Amelia talk.
"Well, Al and I were a king and queen candidates and-everyone was like 'Awww Jones and Jones'," she said. "We had the same last name, but we weren't related or anything. It's not our fault Jones is a common name—"
She waved the thought away. "Anyway, we were standing up on the stage as they were reading off who our parents were and what our future plans were and stuff and I decided to slime Al like they did on Nickelodeon, a kid's network. They slime people all the time on there. So, I hid a small water bottle full of some home-made slime in the front of my dress."
Amelia acted like she was pulling something out of her cleavage. "So, when they were finishing my montage thing, I took the water bottle out and I dumped it on Alfred's head. I could actually reach him for once because of my heels. But, Alfred got me back seconds after that because he had the same idea, and he slimed me! I had blue gunk in my hair for a week ,and Alfred had green."
"So, when we were crowned Homecoming King and Queen, the teachers and everyone else called us the Slime King and Queen." Amelia smiled at the memory. "I enjoyed being called the Slime Queen more than Homecoming Queen actually."
Arthur grinned and readjusted his arms. "So, you both were popular in school?"
"Al was. You know, the average football, basketball, and baseball star. Me? I just tried to get good grades and be nice to everyone."
Arthur grinned. "So, why do you hear a lot of stories about me and I don't hear stories about you? This is the first time I've heard about your and Alfred's friendship or anything." He was actually enjoying learning new things from Amelia. He liked talking to her.
Amelia looked sheepish again. "Well, I don't really get to hang out with everyone as much as I used to. I'm in nursing school right now—I was finally able to get enough money to pay for it—and I work at Barnes & Noble on weekdays when I'm not in class, and I teach dance lessons on weekends."
Arthur's eyebrows rose again. "Dance?" He tried to imagine her dancing like those outrageous girls from the music videos in America.
"Yeah," she replied, "Jazz, contemporary, basic ballet, you name it."
Oh. "So, you work those two jobs to…"
"Pay for nursing school. Which equals no time for friends," Amelia said with a sad smile.
"There's nothing wrong with that. It says something about your character," Arthur said, trying to make her feel better.
Her eyes widened in surprise and she smiled. "Thanks."
"But, I was worried when you said you taught dance," Arthur said with a sheepish look.
Amelia looked confused for a moment before she started laughing. "Oh. I'll bet you thought I meant the hoochie-mama hip-hop stuff?"
Arthur rubbed the back of his neck. "W-well…" Oh bugger, I just insulted her probably.
"Haha! Nope. This girl can't hip-hop to save her life," Amelia said, pointing her thumbs at herself.
"Sorry, I just thought it was an American thing," Arthur admitted, getting the tea out when the kettle started to whistle. He got the tea bags out, and he moved to get the creamer from the fridge, opening it.
"That's not stereotyping at all," Amelia teased.
Arthur looked at her from around the fridge door. "Earl Grey for Brits?"
Amelia grinned and pointed at him. "Touché."
Arthur smiled back and got the creamer out, setting it on the counter island in front of her and moved to get the sugar out.
"How much water did you boil?" she asked, peering over at the kettle on the counter.
Arthur grinned at her over his shoulder. "Enough for two."
Amelia smiled. "May I have a cup?"
Arthur turned and bowed slightly. "Yes, my Lady."
Amelia's cheeks flushed and she smiled bashfully. Arthur tried to not smile too much at his joke.
He turned back to the kettle, and he got two tea cups out of the cabinet above him. "I'm surprised you want any. Every American I have met likes coffee or those blasted energy drinks instead."
"I'm not every American," Amelia said with a wink.
Arthur felt his cheeks flush. She has a point. She's the first polite American I have ever met.
"Do you have a sweet tooth?" Arthur asked.
Amelia squirmed in her seat. "Yes. I don't indulge much, but I really don't like bitter stuff."
"Thought so," Arthur said, pulling the sugar and creamer closer to him.
"Oh really? How did you guess I was a sweet tooth?"
Arthur shrugged. "My mother and sister always needed sweets around. Not to mention that there is a box full of chocolates and sugar supplied for the women officers at the station 24/7," he said.
"Ah, so you've been around enough women to guess."
Arthur looked at her with a slight frown. She made it sound like he was a playboy.
She winked, showing that she was teasing. Arthur found himself grinning and turning back around to make the concoction for her.
He left his tea to sit, and he set the sugared up tea in front of Amelia. He grabbed his cup and sat in the stool next to her, accidentally brushing his arm against hers. "Sorry."
"It's all right."
She took a sip and Arthur couldn't help but feel pride at her look of surprise. "Wow! This is amazing! You're good," she said taking another sip, winking.
Arthur felt himself blush again. Bloody women.
Arthur heard the branches of a tree slap against the kitchen window and he didn't flinch. Amelia almost dropped her tea. "Ah crap, now I'll never sleep with my imagination fueled with sugar." She looked at the shadowy parlor and she shuddered.
Arthur grinned in amusement at her paranoia. "She won't get you."
Amelia looked at him, and Arthur suddenly realized how close he was actually sitting to her. Her face was about 20 centimeters from his and his arm brushed against hers again.
She grinned and winked. "Not while you're here, right?"
"Ghosts don't bother me," Arthur said with a deadpanned expression. "I'm scarier when they wake me up from my sleep."
Amelia laughed, and Arthur felt his stomach flip flop at the sound for once. Wait a tick; why am I reacting like this all of a sudden?
"Well, I'm glad you came down here," she said. "I was shaking because I was so freaked out." She gently nudged his arm with hers. "You saved me." She gave him a small smile and took another drink of her tea.
Arthur felt his heart pound and he looked away, rubbing the back of his head. "I won't let anything get you," he suddenly said. Where did that come from?! he yelped in his mind, suddenly feeling really protective toward the woman sitting next to him.
Amelia's cheeks flushed and she looked him in the eyes. Arthur studied the color of her eyes. They were beautiful. They looked like a dark blue ocean with little flecks of silver running through them. He suddenly found himself leaning toward her a little. She did the same. Arthur felt like he was in a daze and couldn't control himself.
The grandfather clock in the parlor suddenly started to chime, announcing that it was three o'clock in the morning.
Amelia backed away and yawned. "Wow, that tea does help make you sleepy, even with all that sugar added in." Amelia suddenly smirked and looked at him mischievously.
"What?" he asked.
"It's three o' clock."
"Yes? And?"
"That's when all that creepy stuff happened in Paranormal Activity."
Arthur suddenly realized what she was hinting at. "Should we do it?" he asked.
Amelia nodded vigorously. "This is the perfect opportunity. Let's do it!" she said, grabbing his sleeve and gently shaking it in excitement.
Arthur couldn't resist. Her face and the chance to scare the pants off of Alfred were too hard to fight against. "All right. Let me grab my jacket; it's a really dark color."
Amelia squealed in laughter and went to put their now empty cups of tea in the sink, throwing the tea bags away.
Arthur quickly grabbed his jacket from the coat rack and zipped it up, and then he threw the hood over his head. This is going to be rich, he thought in glee.
Amelia tugged on his hand, shutting off the hallway light. She squeaked in fear and took deep breaths.
"Ghosts don't like me, remember?" Arthur said, trying to reassure her.
She laughed breathlessly and shut off the kitchen light, putting them in darkness. She squeaked again and clung to his arm. Arthur was suddenly appreciating her fear for silly movies.
He led her up the stairs, using the light from the moonlight streaming through the windows as a guide and they tip toed down to Alfred and Rosa's room. Amelia looked at him and took a deep breath, slowly turning the knob. She gave it a gentle push, and the door opened beautifully. Amelia hid behind Arthur, out of the doorway, and she covered her mouth with her hand, all fear of the dark forgotten.
"Rose? Did you shut the door?" they heard Alfred mumble. Arthur knew the bed was a few meters away from the door, just like in the movie.
"Yes you git, now go to sleep," Rosa's irritated voice said.
"Uh, it's open."
"What?"
Arthur heard the rustle of the bedcovers as his sister shifted around. "Oh, did you forget to close it after going to the WC or something?"
"You know how I am after scary movies! I didn't leave the bed!" Alfred protested.
Arthur had to cover his own mouth to stop his own laughter. So, Amelia was right. He is a big pansy. He looked down at her, and she had tears leaking out of the corner of her eyes and was shaking in laughter.
"Stop worrying you gobshite. I probably didn't latch it all the way," Rose stated.
"Well, can you close it? I'm freaking out!"
"Fine you baby," Rosa growled.
Arthur and Amelia retreated away from the door, and they got away right as Rosa got close enough to close it.
They heard her muffled voice say, "There. It's latched; now go to sleep!"
Arthur and Amelia got closer to the door, and Amelia waited a few minutes before opening the door again.
"Rosa! It fricking opened! I saw it this time!" Alfred's panicked voice said.
"What?" Rosa grumbled. More rustling of sheets and a surprised squeak warned them of Rosa's alarm.
"Babe, I'm freaking out!" Alfred said.
"Relax you baby."
"No!"
Amelia motioned for Arthur to move. He tied his hood as tight as he could to hide his face, and he peeked around the doorway.
Alfred was facing his sister, away from the door and freaking out, and Rosa was looking at her fiancée, not paying attention to the door either.
Arthur took that chance to grab the doorknob and slam it shut as hard as he could.
"AAAAAAHHHHH!" Alfred shrieked.
"What the bloody hell?!" Rosa yelped.
Arthur and Amelia ran down the hallway and hid next to Arthur's room, covering their mouths, unsuccessfully blocking some of their laughs.
"Oh my God! That was perfect," Amelia whispered.
Arthur held up his finger as he took off his jacket. He turned on the hall light and raced down to the room. He opened the door and turned on the light.
"What happened?" he asked in fake worry. He looked around the room and acted like he didn't know what was going on.
Amelia was right behind him, and she ran over to Rosa's side of the bed. "What happened?"
Arthur had to give it to her, Amelia was a good actor.
"That effing demon from Paranormal Activity is here that's what happened!" Alfred yelped, getting out of the bed and inspecting the door. He had the bedcovers draped over his head, holding them around himself.
"I'm fine!" Rosa snapped, slapping away Amelia's hands. She got up and stood next to Arthur, watching Alfred inspect the door even more. She stood up on her tiptoes and whispered in his ear, "I know it was you two. I saw the name tag on your jacket. That was bloody hilarious, though, so I'll play along."
Arthur smirked and nodded.
Rosa sighed. "All right, all right. Alfred, quit fussing. I want to get some sleep. I'm sorry we woke you two."
"Rosa, I heard you scream, what was I supposed to do?" Arthur said in a brotherly tone.
"No kidding Rosie. I thought you were in real trouble," Amelia added.
"Hello? Is anyone worried about Alfred here?" Alfred asked waving his blanket-covered hand.
Arthur frowned at his friend. "Alfred, I honestly worry about and love my sister more than you. Sorry mate."
Alfred shrugged. "Understandable."
Arthur crossed his arms. "What happened to you saying that you weren't scared of anything?" This is rich, he thought in amusement.
"Dude! I can see an intruder or something," Alfred protested. "I can't see a flipping demon!"
Arthur pinched the bridge of his nose in fake irritation. Amelia just grinned and poked his arm.
"Well, at least you know it's a demon, right Al?" he asked.
Rosa hummed and hawed at that.
Amelia looked at her. "What?"
"I don't know about that. Grandmother did hate having couples sleep together," she said.
She looked up at Arthur. "Do you remember how she even made Mum and Dad sleep in different rooms?"
Arthur chuckled. "Yes I remember."
Alfred turned white.
"Well, I'm going back to bed. This girl needs her sleep," Amelia said, leaving the room.
Arthur agreed and he followed her out.
They paused outside the door after closing it to hear Alfred say, "We are sleeping with the lights on. I don't care what you say."
Arthur and Amelia walked away toward their rooms, and they started to silently laugh. Amelia leaned her back against the wall and covered her mouth with her hand, trying to calm down. Before Arthur knew what he was doing, he leaned his forearm on the wall above her as he laughed with her.
Amelia looked up at him and stopped laughing, removing her hand. Her mouth parted, and Arthur could hear her small breaths as they escaped. A deep blush appeared on her cheeks and that was when Arthur suddenly realized how close they were and what he was doing.
Why did I do that? he asked himself as he looked into her eyes.
Arthur suddenly realized how much shorter she was to him. He wasn't an impressive height, but he wasn't short either.
Amelia bit her lip and looked up at him through her eyelashes.
She's adorable when she does that, he thought. What are you doing?! You just met the woman today?! he shrieked at himself. "Sorry," he said, backing away, feeling a blush rise up on his cheeks.
Amelia brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "No, it's fine," she said quietly.
Their eyes met again, and Arthur felt himself wanting to get close to her again. It was as if an unseen force was pulling the two of them together.
He cleared his throat. "Which room is yours?"
Amelia pointed to the end of the hallway. Arthur nodded and walked down to it, hearing her follow him. He opened the door and turned on the light for her, thinking that she would like to not enter in the dark.
"Here you are," he said with a smile.
Amelia smiled up at him in appreciation and she walked in. He turned to walk back to his room and he heard a quiet, "Good night."
Arthur froze and turned to see her hiding behind her door, barely peeking out. "Good night," he said back.
She smiled and closed the door.
Arthur leaned against the wall and he ran his fingers through his bangs. This is going to be one interesting week.