They had been right to rush downstairs. The dance was coming to a close. Streamers were being torn down and the DJ was packing up.
Mr. Williams had been waiting in the car with Mels. "What'd you do to your hair?" Mels laughs at their bed heads as they entered the car.
"Haha, Mels. Good evening, Brian" Amy greets Rory's father. She always referred to him on a first name basis even when she was a little girl. Mr. Williams didn't mind it. He'd seen Amy grow up and considered her a daughter to him. He drops off Amy and Mels at Amy's house and he and Rory headed back to their place.
"So this party turned out better than last year?" Brian asked as he put the kettle on for the two of them.
"I danced. That's more than I did last year." Rory smiled.
"Anything else?" Brian asks feeling that details were being left out on purpose.
"Umm.. no?" Rory didn't know exactly the best way to answer. He could feel this conversation slipping into an 'uncomfortable father and son moment' territory and wanted to steer clear of that if at all possible.
"There's nothing you want to talk about?" Brian tried asking but all he got out of his son was a confused shrug. "I get it. I'm just your dad, you're 16. You don't want to talk to me about it." he wasn't 100 % sure what 'it' was exactly but Brian had his suspicions.
Rory rolls his eyes and bites his lip looking slightly guilty and a little flushed with embarrassment. "Amy kissed me." he finally let out with no further incriminating details.
"Are you kidding?!" Brian looks pretty happy to hear the news. "So how did it happen?" Brian saw his son's lips tighten together as he looked down and his feet. "Ok, so you don't have to give me all the embarrassing details if you don't want to. I understand but you have to give me something." Brian tried to loosen his son's lips.
"Well, we were dancing and I looked at her and everything just...it was a slow song and she rested her head on my shoulder... and I kissed her" Rory never looked his father in the eye when he said it. He was still a bit embarrassed to talk about it.
"Wait, so who kissed who first?" Brian realized Rory had said it differently before
"I kissed her first and she kissed me back later." Rory looked at his dad and saw he was still waiting for more details so he added an embarrassing bit to satisfy his father's curiosity. "I kissed her in the moment without thinking and I got so scared afterwards that I ran away from her and tried to hide from her for the rest of the dance. But she found me and yelled 'How dare you' and then she hit me... and then she kissed me back"
Brian laughed at his son's story as he poured the tea. "So, I don't mean to pry any further but I need you to clarify. Are you two... dating now or ...?"
"I don't know." Rory suddenly realized that he actually didn't know and he looked a little scared. "I asked her... I asked 'Can I be your boyfriend?' and she said 'I dunno, can you?'" he spoke her bit in a Scottish accent.
"I don't know, can you?" Brian laughed. "Oh, that is so very Amy" Brian tries to stop laughing noticing the worried look on his son's face. "I'm sorry." he tries to keep a serious face.
"So what do I do now?" Rory seeks advice from his father.
"Well, she wants you to prove you're boyfriend material." Brian sips his tea.
"And how do I do that exactly?" Rory drops some sugar in his tea and stirs a little nervously.
"Ask her out on a date. Make sure you let her know it's a date and not just two friends hanging out. You have to tell her it's a date and tell her what it is you want. You want to be her boyfriend, right?" Brian waits for his son to nod his head yes. "Then tell her so. I know you asked if you could and she gave you an indirect answer so just tell her. Don't ask 'Can I' just say it. Say 'I'm going to be your boyfriend!'"
"Don't you think that's a little forceful?" Rory asked sipping his tea.
"It does a little but think about it. We're talking about Amelia Pond. She yelled at you, slapped you, kissed you and then challenged you to prove yourself. I think she's asking you to be a little more forceful." Brian finished his tea and went to the sink. "I'm not saying 'Don't be a gentleman'. You know I would never say that." Brian wanted to clarify.
"Yeah, I know." Rory felt a smile creep up on his face realizing that his father was trying to give him dating advice. Advice to date Amy Pond no less. Rory promised himself first thing tomorrow he's march up to the Pond residence and ask... no... demand he go out on a date with Amy.
It started raining as Rory went to bed and he kept looking at the rain hitting the window unable to quiet his mind and sleep. His mind raced as he thought of all the childhood memories he shared with Amy and how they could all become nightmarish regrets if he ever did something to drive Amy away. But his time spent with her could just as easily become regret if he kept silent all his life in fear of what might go wrong. If things don't work out between them as boyfriend and girlfriend he wouldn't just lose a 'girlfriend'; he'd lose his best friend. He'll lose the one person he can't imagine his life without and what scares him most of all is how easily she can go from one boyfriend to another without even thinking twice about it. His fears of being replaced grow into a terrible feeling at the pit of his stomach. He feels that she doesn't need him nearly as much as he needs her.
