Aaron looked at her with his big eyes expecting an answer. Amber hesitated. It's true. They have been dating a long time now and he was treating her not like a princess but like an equal and she loved that. Loved it a lot. "Aaron. I'm not sure. That's a big step." He took her hands. "Look, I know that this is all very complicated for you. So i spoke to Carl first." Amber furrowed her brows in anger. "You spoke to my Boss about this? Why?" He smiled at her little outburst. "I told him about it and asked him if it was okay with him if he would not get a new resident for your room for the time beeing. So that you could move back in whenever you want." Amber was silent in surprise. He had thought of everything to make moving in with him as easy for her as possible. Aaron continued. "And he said that that would be no problem at all." he casted his eyes down "So what do you say? Would you move in with me?"
Amber was at a lost. Why? "Why, Aaron? Why would you ask something so stupid of me? I'm nothing but trouble for you. I'm inconveninant. A burden. We haven't even had sex yet and you're asking me to build a life with you? Nobody would do such a stupid thing." She had tears in her eyes. He laughed. "I'm not asking you to build a life with me. I want you to be my roommate. My new job isn't as good payed as the last one and it would be nice to split the rent." She laughed, still crying due to her panic attack. She wasn't good at being attached to someone. She wasn't good at liking someone. That's the first step to be seriously hurt again. "You're just trying to make it seem not like a big step so that I say yes." "Is it working?" She wanted to say yes. She wanted to hug and kiss him and murmur "thank you" a thousand times in his hear for taking her like she is, damaged good. But she couldn't. There was this pain in her chest. Like someone poked her with a white hot poker. She could barely breath. "Let me think about it, okay?" Aarons smile froze and Amber felt even more bad. "I appreciate what you did. I really do. but that's such a huge step." She looked at the ceiling of Carl's Diner. "And I have to talk to Amy. She..well she somehow has a say about this too, you know?" She smiled at him warmly and Aaron was a bit relieved. Amy would definitely tell her to move in with him. He sighed. "All right." as he stood up and fumbled in his pockets for his key. It was early morning, the sun just dawned and he had to get to work. He leaned down to his girlfriend an kissed her forehead just where her hairline began. Amber smiled as he said "I trust your decision and either way nothing will change between us." "Thanks Aaron."
An hour later Amy came down from upstairs and started her shift. She picked up her apron from the hook at the door and laced the cords behind her back. "Was Aaron here again this morning?" Amber started the coffee machine and smiled. "Sure" she answered. He came by at least 4 times a week. This was a good timing to talk to Amy about Aaron and his request. "Amy, listen." She started as the Mexican girl interrupted her immediately. "No! No Amber! you're not gonna break up with him!" She looked at her puzzled. "Why would I do that?" Amy furrowed her brows in thought. "Usually, when someone starts a sentence with this they're gonna break up." Her eyes widened "Are you gonna break up with me?" Amber sighed at the jumpy thought progress of her best friend. "Amy! Could you just shut up for a moment? He asked me to move in with him." Amy just looked at her waiting for her to continue. "And...?" "Nothing. That's it." "You didn't answer him?" Amber took a deep breath. "No I'm not sure what my answer will be." Amy laughed. "Why? You're almost dating for a year now. That's how a relationship progresses, isn't it?" The red-haired girl didn't know what to say. Of course was Amy right. There were two outcomes to this. They stayed together, moving together, marrying, kids. Or they parted ways. Somehow this frightened her. "I'm thinking about it." She went for the stairs as Amber said silently. "He is too good for you, maybe that's the problem." She smiled sadly at her words. "Not -maybe-. That's definitely one of my problems." Amber went upstairs.
Rust didn't came that often to the diner anymore. As he found out about the relationship he stopped coming for almost three months. But why he had started coming again Amy didn't know. As always he came an hour before Ambers shift started. And like a ritual, Amy shouted in the kitchen that she was going outside for a break. With a white mug of coffee she walked towards the red pick-up who, like always parked out of sight. she opened the door and sat on the passenger seat. "Here you go" she handed him the mug and he nodded a thanks. The usually don't talk. She usually didn't get in the car with him. Mostly just handing him the coffee and going back in. One time, Amber found in the middle of the night an empty mug in the middle of the parking lot. It stood neatly on the asphalt. She registered that someone must have rinsed it with water so that the coffee traces wouldn't harden in the mug. She was so riddled by this she talked to Amy for a long time about this event. Never did the black haired girl forget to take the mug inside again. That was the only condition Rust imposed as he returned after the three months. His left arm hang out of the window, hand holding his looked better, Amy noticed. His skin had still a grayish tone, but the deep blue circles under his eyes had vanished. His hands didn't shake anymore. Maybe he got off the drugs for now. "What is it?" he asked her, starring in his rear view mirror. "Aaron asked her to move in with him." His face still blank. "Who is Aaron?" Amy rolled her eyes. "Her boyfriend." He nodded as if he remembered. "What did she say?" Amy sighed. "Nothing yet. She is thinking about it." He flipped the cigarette bud out of the window after taking a deep drag. "She should say yes." The girl laughed. "That's what I told her. But are you sure that you want her to say that?" He went silent again before he continued in a hushed tone. "I should stop coming." Amy groaned in agony. "Fuck it. I'm gonna tell you something. You two need to get your act together. Why do you still come here at all? You clearly have feelings for her! And she? Aaron is the sweetest man on earth. And she still hesitates. Why do you think that is?" She threw her arms up after Rust remained silent. "I'm sure, deep down, you know why that is! And that's why you're still coming here. You've got hope." He emptied his mug and passed it to Amy. "You may go now." She was furious. "Sure, someone finally tells you the truth and you send them away. Fuck off Mr. Policeman."
Someone knocked on her door. No, wait, she realized. That was wrong. Someone tried to kick her door in. She stood up and opened it to a very mad Amy. "I'm sick of you two! Rust is in the parking lot and is waiting for you." Amber left her mouth open. "What?" "Just go to him." She did.
He saw her as it was too late to drive away. Damn she must have sneaked out the back door, he thought. She stood outside with some space between her and the pick-up and waited for him to get out of the car. Slowly he opened the car door, closed it again behind him and leaned against it, lighting a cigarette. "You're being rude." she told him. "I never had good manners." he answered. She smiled a crooked smile and got a few steps closer to him. "What do you want?" she asked him. "Depends." he exhaled. "Depends on what?" she asked him again, this time a bit annoyed. "Depends on your answer to him." She thought abut this before she responded "What if I say yes?" He finally looked her in the eye. "I would invite you to a drink." she nodded. "And what if I say no to him?" He almost smiled. "I would invite you to a drink." She looked back to the diner where Amy stood in the door way. She would take her shift for sure. "Alright, let's go." He crushed his cigarette under his boot. "Go where?" "You just invited me to a drink, didn't you?" They both got inside of the pick-up and Rust started the engine. "What will your answer be?" she brushed her hair out of her face as the air wind blow through the open car window."Does it matter? Either way I get to spend some time with you."
She got drunk easily. He didn't. He never did. She talked too much. About things that doesn't matter. Doesn't she realize that this is his good bye? He interrupted her "you should move in with him". Amber almost choked on her beer and Rust lightly pat on her back as she coughed. She might be a bit buzzed but she still felt special at his gesture. Stupid girl she scolded herself. "Can we please not talk about this?" The bartender placed a new beer in front of her and she immediately took it in her white hands. He loved those hands. soft. white. with a million freckles. some so pale he could barely see them. some almost dark brown. The thought had shot trough his brain too fast for his liking. Maybe he should better slow down with the alcohol. "No. We can't not talk about it." She giggled uncontrollably. "Why? are you going to make a move on me? After all this time? Don't make a fool out of you." she gulped down her beer. "Oh wait, you already have by coming week after week after week after week to the diner" She chanted almost. "You knew." It was more a statement of him rather than a question. "'course I knew. I was half of my life on the run. I would be dead by now if I didn't even found out that." He turned on his stool to face her. "You would be dead by now if I hadn't rescued you. Twice." she pouted. "I thanked you for it." he grinned wide, showing all of his teeth. He looked like a predator. "You left my house without saying goodbye. That's not a thank you." He leaned closer to her, one of his arm resting on the bar-top. "you behaved like an asshole. I didn't felt welcome." his eyebrow flew up in a mocking state of shock. "You didn't felt welcome? we're talking about feelings now?" She could feel the heat radiating from his body. What the hell, she thought. It ain't even cold in here. "Don't try to distract me." she poked him just under his collarbone. Amber wasn't sure if she meant by this his radiating body heat or his respond about feelings. "You will never talk about feelings, so why the hell should I?" He smiled an honest smile. It looked good on him. The constant crease between his eyebrows seemed to soften. "You still owe me a -thank you-." she lifted her hand and traced the place where usually the wrinkle between his eyebrows where. He closed his eyes. "Maybe i should pay the next round as a thank you." he exhaled deeply. "Maybe you should." he answered. Her hand moved through his messy hair to the back of his neck. His skin prickled. "Maybe I will" Amber said as she pulled him closer an kissed him.