I pull away from the kiss eventually, so I can get a better look at Amelia. She looks me up and down, obviously doing the same. She is truly beautiful. When I look closer, I notice the flare in her eyes, a certain spark of excitement. I love the way her light-colored hair twists and bends into soft curls. Her smile is incredibly gorgeous as well. Her magnificent eyes widen and her mouth twists into a grin that is too bright to be false.
I snap out of my trance at the sound of her laughter. It's loud and free, as if she couldn't care less who hears. I laugh with her. I laugh because my soulmate just kissed me. And I laugh because I've barely even met her and I don't know anything about her but I kissed her back anyway. This is most certainly not how I expected this exchange to play out. But I don't mind at all, seeing as how it was much better than anything I'd planned.
"Arthur." I stifle my laughter long enough to reach my hand out for a handshake. Amelia grips my hand, tighter than I expected, and gives it a firm shake.
"Amelia. It's great to meet you." She giggles, still maintaining her grin, as she curtsies. She pulls me into a quick kiss as she stands up. I'm not expecting it, but it's much appreciated nonetheless. She drops my hand. "So… what now?"
I ponder the question for a moment. "I guess I hadn't really thought about it. Perhaps we can get to know each other over coffee?" She laughs.
"Sounds like a plan, Mr. Kirkland." I smile at the formality. She takes my hand and leads me down a few streets. She seems to know where she's going, so I can assume she lives nearby. That's good. I wasn't sure how well a long-distance relationship would work.
After a while we arrive at a little hole-in-the-wall café. The smell of pastries and ground-up coffee beans wafts from behind the counter. We quickly order our drinks, and I take note of what Amelia asks for. It's a super-chocolaty-something-or-other with extra whip. And yes, that is exactly what it says on the menu. I get a simple black coffee with cream. I'm not really big on fancy drinks.
We sit across from each other at a corner table. It doesn't take long for Amelia to start a conversation.
"So your accent. It's British, right?" I nod. "Awesome, I've always wanted to go there!" I laugh.
"I'm sure you'll get the chance eventually. That's where my family lives. What about you?" She grins, apparently pleased I'm interested enough to ask.
"I grew up in Colorado; I'm here for college. Originally I was just going to stay for a semester, but I fell in love with the city." She smiles and looks out the window. I know what she means. New York is a quite beautiful, albeit expensive place to live.
"What's your major?" I'm interested in what she wants to do with her life.
"I'm majoring in psychology, but I think I might change to music or writing. I'm better with artsy stuff than scientific stuff, you know? Anyways, what about you? I don't actually know how old you are, so…" I hadn't realized that. I just always knew that she was three years younger because of the tattoo color. But I guess her colors never specified my age, only that I was older.
"I'm twenty-three. I'm finishing up my graphic design major this semester. I minored in advertising. I'm thinking of running my own business someday, or maybe doing some freelance work." She laughs.
"Sounds like you've got it figured out. I suck at making decisions." I join in her laughter. She seems like such a happy person. Her laughter is really contagious.
When we stop laughing we fall into a comfortable silence. We take in each other's presence and finish our coffees. I decide to ask a little more about her life.
"So Miss Jones, what's your family like?" I lean toward her.
"Well, I was raised by my dad, cuz my mom died when I was three." I start to offer my condolences but she cuts me off. "No worries, it doesn't bug me to talk about it. I didn't really know her and it's always just been part of my life. I've learned to deal with it."
She smiles, and I catch just a small hint of sadness before she returns to her usual enthusiastic self. "Oh, and I have an older brother, Matthew. He was born in Canada; that's where my family lived before I was born. They moved here just before my mom found out she was pregnant with me." Her eyes widen. "Oh! Remind me to text him later! I promised I'd tell him about you. Anyways, tell me about your family, Artie!"
I chuckle at the nickname. "I'm from London. I lived there with my mum, bless her heart, and my older brothers until I turned 17. Then I moved here for college. I'm a year ahead in school, so I'm finishing up this semester." I thought that would be satisfactory, but apparently not.
"Impressive! What are your brothers like?" Ugh. I hate this question.
"Annoying as hell. I hope you never have the misfortune of meeting either of them." We laugh, and I'm amazed by her all over again.
Our 'date' lasts several hours before I realize it's dark out. I check my watch. 10:22 pm.
"I have class tomorrow. I should probably get going." She nods.
"Same. I still need to finish up a couple assignments. Hey, hand me your phone." I pull it out of my pocket and switch with her. Once I've entered my number I hand it back. We quickly snap pictures of each other before standing. I go in for a hug but she pulls me in for a kiss. I should probably be able to expect that by now, but I'm still surprised. Nonetheless I return it, elated that we seem to be getting along so well. She grins when we pull away.
"Same time tomorrow, Artie?" I nod.
"Absolutely. I look forward to it." We exit the coffee shop and head our separate ways.
Wow. This has quite possibly been the greatest day of my life. But I'm betting tomorrow will be better.
A/N: As promised, here's the next chapter! My laptop is currently dead. Like, shattered-screen-dead. So my writing arrangement is…interesting. Meaning, updates will be spotty until I get a replacement. Sorry!
As always, enjoy, favorite, follow, review, and the like! And if you like this then check out some of my other stuff!
