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Chapter 44
"Stop. You're distracting me."
"Mmmm good." Reid set his chin on Amelie's shoulder.
The library was full with student studying for finals. People were so focused on their studies that they weren't paying attention to his theatrical antics. His hand skimmed over her thigh, teasing her. Tyler and Kate sat across the table. Tyler copied notes from Amelie's notebook. His writing sounded like he was carving into the table, he pressed his pen down so hard into his notebook. She was going over some composition for her thesis class. For the project she was creating an album from scratch. The artwork, songs, music, lyrics, all of it would be done by her. The hard part was the lyrics. She'd been spending most of her time in the music building's basement where the practice rooms were.
"Alright," Amelie closed her notebook and put it in her bag along with her pencil and other books. "I am going to go. The music building should be open for a few more hours. Just get me my notebook tomorrow." She nodded at Tyler and then turned to Reid and kissed him.
"You'll have to sleep sometime," he said, worry furrowing his forehead.
"When I'm dead," she said jokingly with a scowl.
"Seriously…" he whined.
"Finals will be over-"
"Eventually," Kate cut in. Dark circles hung under her eyes and her concealer succeeding in concealing it. "I need more coffee. Anybody else?"
Both Reid and Tyler gave a nod. Tyler held up his travel mug; the Felix the Cat sticker on the side was missing an arm. She took it and walked off to the mini café set-up at the front counter.
Reid grabbed Amelie's wrist before she walked off. She looked down at him, hoping he wouldn't start up again about being absent so much. Lord help him when we get our own place and I have to travel for work.
He smiled, warm and sweet.
"I'll see you later," he said, his lips curling with a sleepy smile. They were all exhausted.
She kissed him one more time before heading out.
The night air was cool on her skin. A delicious chill shuttered down her body as she walked down a couple blocks. The lights of the music building were still on. A good sign. She went around to the side door. The door jiggled, but didn't open. Locked. Not good.
The bells of the church rang, signaling the hour and a lightbulb went off in Amelie's head. The Chapel. They had a piano. And an organ. The doors were open when she got there. Nobody was inside.
Looking up at the large cross, inlaid with gold, she felt uncomfortable, like this was a place she wasn't allowed to be. Her heart hammered in her chest as she went up the aisle. The feeling of judgment pressed in on her from every angle, which was strange. She wasn't a god fearing woman. Never once. But, she wasn't the god believing type either.
There was nobody around. Even the second floor balcony was empty for what she could see. Half of the lights were out, leaving the place in a perfect balance of light and shadow. The gleaming grand piano at the front was beautiful.
For one of her songs, she was using the piano. The rest of the album would consist of an alternative feel. There was definitely going to be a cover or two as well. Stevie Nicks was an idea. So was a cover of one of Savage Garden's songs. They desperately needed a new rendition. She was going to use a few musicians and a studio at the label when she was ready to fully record her songs. Hopefully that'd be soon. This weekend kind of soon. Tate was very sure it would be. She was helping out, enjoying this little side project. The mischievous twinkle in her eye made Amelie nervous, though. The girl had something going on in that crazy head of hers and she wasn't sharing.
Amelie ran her fingers along the white keys, letting the sound echo in the wide open room. She smiled as that feeling came over her. The one where she loses herself.
Reid looked at the clock. It was past one o'clock. Amelie hadn't texted him. He wasn't worried. For the last week she'd been out until nearly two-thirty, which was when she'd text him goodnight.
Tyler was still hunched over his desk. The spotlight of his desk lamp hung over the chaos of his studying. Looking at it made Reid even more exhausted.
"I swear, this class is destroying my life," Tyler mumbled.
"I've caught you mumbling about stats in your sleep," Reid commented. He chuckled.
"Shut up."
"Just saying," Reid said with a shrug, "I get a really good recap at four in the morning."
Tyler sneered, rearing his nose up, and threw his pencil at him.
"You're a dick," he grumbled, though he laughed.
Reid's phone vibrated over on the dresser. Hopping up, he sauntered across the room. The smile on his face fell and his entire body went cold like stone as he looked at the screen. It wasn't a text from Amelie. The number was unknown. It was a photo. The photo made him stop breathing altogether. It was Ellie. She was in the chapel on the piano. A text popped below.
You think I'm stupid?
Reid's jaw clenched. No. No. Shit!
Reid darted out the door and down the stairs. Tyler shouted after him, but it was faint. He didn't care. Not about anything. Not the door. Not the pain shooting up his ankles as he jumped down the stairs three at a time and tumbled out the door past two freshman girls, scaring them. Not that he probably looked completely crazed as he ran. He had to get to her. Another text.
It's over.
Reid called Kate. His breathing grew ragged, but he didn't stop.
"Hello?" she answered with a sleepy sigh. She squeaked with a yawn. Reid was darting across the dewy grass toward the chapel.
"Is she there?" Reid panted.
"Who? Amelie?"
"Yes!"
"Uh…." Kate's voice was bleary.
"KATE!"
"Reid, what's going on?" Her voice broke seriously now.
"IS SHE THERE!?"
"No! Reid, tell me!"
Reid hung up, and ran faster, turning the block. The wind whip his cheeks and burned his lungs. He had to get to her.
The chapel was completely dark and the doors were locked. Wheezing, he turned and looked out over the campus. He was here. He was here and he was going to hurt her. The thought, imagining it, see it in his head—tears blurred his eyesight.
Reid held his chest, burying his nails into the fabric and his skin. His heart beat loudly in his ears. This isn't happening. Not right now. It can't be. It was over. He hadn't messaged. This can't be. He's in prison. He can't be doing this.
He wanted to scream. He wanted to punch something. Rage and fear were a nasty combination and he was feeling a lot of both.
His phone vibrated in his hand. It was Kate. He sucked in a deep breath and wiped his wet nose.
"Hello?" He answered the phone, struggling to keep his voice even.
"She just walked through the door. She's here, Reid."
"Oh, thank god," he breathed. "Lock your damn door. Don't answer for anyone except me. I'm coming over."
"Reid. What's happening? Was it—" she stopped. Her voice lowered. "Was it him?"
"I'm coming over," Reid replied. He ended the call.
He looked around. The orange glow over the campus from the lamps revealed no one and nothing. The knot in his stomach only twisted tighter. There was somebody out there though. They were watching them. Her. They were watching her.
Once he was within range of the apartment he slowed to a walk, catching his breath. His lungs and chest burned. There hadn't been another text. He kept looking at it and the picture, going over how Kyle could find them. Who did he have working for him? Paranoia stretched its net over his brain.
He knocked on the girls' apartment door and texted Kate. The door opened up to Kate who was wide awake in her large t-shirt, shorts and fuzzy frog slippers with a cup in her hand. Panic glinted in her eyes. Reid stepped past her into the house, his head craning to look down the short hall to the bedrooms.
"She went to bed twenty minutes ago," Kate said. She wandered to the kitchen. The lights over the island counter were all that lit the room. Reid followed her and poured himself a cup of coffee, not bothering with milk or sugar. "What the hell?"
Reid didn't say anything. He was still gathering his wits and wanted to spew everything at once. He inhaled through his nose and took a drink. The dark liquid scalded his throat. Reid pulled out his cell phone and opened up the message for her to see. She knew everything. There was no reason to hide it.
Kate's eyes widened and her lips parted in horror.
"Oh my god," she muttered. "Who the hell took this picture?"
"I don't know. It's been years since I've received any messages and now this. Whoever it is works for Kyle, and he officially knows Ellie and I are back together." Reid's voice quivered. He was beyond terrified. "I don't know what he's going to do."
Something happened before he could control it. Something Reid never imagined happening. Ever. Kate set down her coffee cup and hugged him. He stiffened, waiting for her to do something violent. But, nothing happened. She shook and he realized that she was crying.
"I'm scared." She whispered under her sob.
Reid hadn't thought, not one bit, about Kate. That even though she knew and was in possible danger, that she would feel frightened. She never gave off that kind of vibe. She and him certainly weren't huggers. Yet, here they were.
He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, giving her a light squeeze. This was incredibly weird. After she calmed down she sat on one of the bar stools.
"So what are you going to do?" she asked.
"I'm not breaking her heart again," Reid said quickly.
"Good. I'd kill you if you did." She wasn't kidding. "I do think she has a right to know."
"I can't. You don't understand—"
"I don't understand? This man is threatening your lives!"
"You don't even know the full story about him," Reid hissed. "I do. If she knew, who knows what would happen. She'd either crumple or she'd rage. Odds are she'd rage and end up murdering him."
"Not like it isn't the first time she's killed someone," Kate said offhandedly. "And nobody would miss him."
"Contrary to belief, she's not a murderer." Reid said. He couldn't believe the merit that rumor had.
"Huh." That was all Kate could get out.
"We're not saying a damn word. I'll handle it," Reid said. "I'm going to spend the night."
Kate rolled her eyes and waved him off.
"Fine. Whatever. If you get me or any of us killed, I'm coming back from the grave and killing you."
"Joy." Reid replied flatly. Tyler texted him in a heat of worry, but Reid just brushed off with an 'I'm fine'.
He left the kitchen, stopping to take his shoes off by the front door, and then made his way down the hall. Ellie was snug under her blankets. Her leg poked out over the top. He never had the heart to tell her, but she looked like a human in the wild when she slept. There was nothing Sleeping Beauty about her. Well, except for the fact that she didn't snore and she smelled amazing.
Reid shed his T-shirt and jeans then crawled under the covers next to her. She did that airy sigh thing she did in her sleep and melted as he put his arm around her. He didn't fall asleep for a long time. He couldn't. How scared he felt tonight; he didn't want to feel that for the rest of their lives. He had to think of something to end all of this.
The sun was starting to lighten the sky when he fell asleep. Ellie had turned over and rested her cheek against his chest. He didn't want to let her go. He didn't even want to let her out of his sight.
When he opened his eyes, the morning sun was already at the end of the bed and Ellie was gone.
"Ellie." Reid sat up.
"Hey, sleepy head," she said, coming in with a cup of coffee in one hand and a stack of toasted waffles in the other. One waffle had a bite taken out of it. "I was surprised you snuck in last night."
"Tyler wouldn't shut up. He started talking about stats in his sleep again," he lied.
She giggled, setting her cup down. She flipped her hair to the one shoulder and leaned forward, kissing him chastely. And he couldn't help it. He leaned in even more and deepened it. She tasted so damn good. She pulled back and scowled playfully.
"I have to head to the label this weekend," she said. "Want to make a vacation of it? Get away from studying for a little?"
"I would if I didn't have so much research to do. I'm still behind on resources," he said. It wasn't a total lie, but he also wanted find out if he could track the messages from last night.
He saw the corner of her lips fall and quickly took her chin and tilted it so that she looked at him.
"I'll make it up to you?" He'd never seen her pout much, especially at him.
"You'll do more than that." He froze, suddenly stunned. He'd walked right into a trap by the look of her instant, evil grin. "You'll pay for it."
Each word dripped with sultry venom. Paying for it wasn't sounding too bad, but then again this was her. She made bad things sound really good. Really good.
The drive up to the label was long, but didn't feel like it with the new playlist she put together. Kate agreed to go with her, too. A girl's weekend was the next best thing. Kate was excited about getting away and…relieved? Amelie wasn't worried. Finals were encroaching in on everyone and causing anxiety.
Amelie didn't come to escape finals, though. She came to hopefully get some of it done. She could cut and work on it more after getting it all recorded. Tonight she wasn't working. That would be tomorrow. Tonight she and Kate were going out. Where to, she hadn't figured that out yet.
Once they arrived at Tate's she'd already cooked up plans. Food-Mexican. Dancing-also Mexican, actually referred to as Latino. The place was a serious hideaway that you'd never find except by accident. Tate met her latest girlfriend, Belle, there. The place was packed.
Under and open sky with strung lights across the wooden frame of where a ceiling would typically be, the floor was alive with people dancing. The bar and tables were done in mosaic ceramic. The walls were covered in graffiti and other art of Havana. Kate and Amelie were instantly on the floor, swaying and spinning to the music.
It was a hot night. Both women wore shorts. Kate had on an olive green, knit halter while Amelie had gone with a navy crop top. The shoulders were crisscrossing strings that showed off the skin there. Their skin glistened from moving so much and the hot air. Amelie's hair stuck her neck and shoulders, but she didn't care.
This was the break she needed. She let her head fall back as the music consumed her. Occasionally there was the guy who thought he could sneak up behind one of them and pull them into a dance, but they grabbed out for each other like a rescue lifebuoy.
"I wish Sarah was here," Kate said.
Amelie nodded in agreement. Sarah would love this place. The girls held up their shot glasses that were murky with tequila.
"Sarah," Amelie said, shrugging.
Kate laughed and Amelie downed her drink. She slammed the glass down. A waiter dropped two more off with a side of lemon slices.
"After my freak out the other day I totally needed this," Kate said.
"Freak out? And I didn't get to witness it?" Amelie narrowed her eyes at her.
"It was ugly. Reid was no help. He just rambled on unhelpfully. I don't know what you see I him," she said and then down a shot, immediately suck a slice after. Her face puckered.
"Reid? Why would—" Amelie shook her head. "What did you freak out over and why was Reid there?"
Kate froze. And then burst out laughing. Amelie's eyes widened. She's completely deranged.
"It's stupid. Trust me," she said.
"Oh, I know you're dumb," Amelie said, shaking her head. That wasn't news.
"Hey!" Kate exclaimed. She wasn't too offended since she burst out in a bubble of laughter.
Amelie flexed her eyebrows up, knowing she wasn't far off.
"What are you two doing?" Tate stared down at the two of them.
"I'm getting drunk." She pointed at Kate. "She's having a conipt-conotp-"
Kate laughed harder. Her face turned a deep shade of red as she tried to breathe but, only managing to wheeze. Slapping her hand on the table she shook her head.
"There's no getting drunk. You are drunk," A twang tipped Kate's words.
Amelie flipped her off and then took another shot.
"Conniption," she finished with a curt nod and biting her bottom lip hard.
Tate snorted.
"How long has it been since you two have gone out?" Tate asked.
Kate looked at Amelie, her face completely blank. She couldn't remember and neither could Amelie since she didn't go out much to begin with.
At the lack of response, Tate shouted,
"Let's go!" She pulled them up from their seats. Amelie wobbled, her head rushing with a wave of dizziness at moving too fast. She followed Kate and Back out on to the dancefloor.
Amelie finally got to the label around noon after having to deal with a hungover Kate. She was still dealing with after effects. Her large, round glasses hid the glassy eyes underneath that were still swimming in alcohol. Tate showed them to an empty studio. They had it for the next few hours.
"…And you're good with the controls. The guys will be here in a few minutes." Tate finished up saying before wandering off.
Kate lounged back on the couch. Amelie knew her eyes were closed under those dark lenses, which was fine. She hooked her laptop up the control deck. Fiddling with the knobs, she waved as a few of the guys walked in. She'd met a few of them already. They'd been given the music a couple weeks ago so that they could get familiar with it. She'd gathered a drummer, guitarist, bassist, violinist and even a cellist, caving in to the thought that instruments shouldn't be left out of music. Hopefully this wouldn't be a complete shit-show.
"Okay, so we're not putting together a platinum album, but I would so appreciate it if you guys could help me get a good grade here. My professor is a dick," Amelie chuckled, lightening the mood. The guys laughed, Kate snorted. One of the guys gave a thumbs-up. "Alright, let's get started."
Kate sat up and turned so that she could lean back and watch.
The recording session was pretty basic. The hard part was going to be cutting and placing all of it together. Halfway through Brian walked in and watched. Then he hit on Kate. Her face contorted with disgust and she tried to scoot as far away as possible.
"Brian?" He stopped and turned. "What the fuck are you doing?"
"I was just seeing I your friend was interested in a drink later?" His gaze slinked over her and made Amelie gag. Jesus, he was gross.
"A little unprofessional, don't you think?"
Brian ignored her. Amelie rolled her eyes.
"Hey hun!" Tate exclaimed, walking in. She glanced at Amelie real quick and winked. "I came to see how the session was going?"
Amelie smirked. This was about to get interesting. The guys shifted a little, both uneasy and intrigued to see what would happened next.
"It's going. We could get more done if there weren't any distractions," Amelie commented.
Tate looked at Brian. Her head tilted to the side.
"Can you stop flirting with my girlfriends? It's pathetic," she said.
Kate's eyes widened and her jaw dropped.
"What?" Brian groaned. He got up and walked out of the room, saying as he went, "Stop turning all of the hot gay. Leave some for the rest of us."
"You know, it's not my fault that you get your sleaze all over them and turn them gay. Nobody like a pervert," Tate retorted.
She crinkled her nose.
"God, I don't know why he works here. It's obvious he'd rather be out on a yacht," she said. "You okay?"
Kate nodded, finally closing her mouth. She let out a breath of relief and sagged back into the couch.
"Yeah."
"You just survived Brian, the king of sexual harassment."
"I'm waiting for him to flirt with the girl who'll stab him," Amelie said from the recording box. "Or taze him."
"I tazed him once," Tate said. "He's never spoken of it, but that may because I put in for a raise because of his advances. I was not going to work for the asshole for crap pay. Also it could be that I tazed him in the balls. Men are sensitive when it comes to those."
Kate rolled with laughter. Amelie grinned, completely impressed. No wonder Brian didn't fuck with Tate like he did his other employees. She really didn't put up with it. Amelie grinned to herself. That gave her an idea. He can't harass me if he the one getting harassed.
She caught Kate staring at her and grinned wider. Kate grinned, her eyes narrowing. Her head cocked, implying that she was really curious. She didn't ask about what Amelie might be thinking. That was good and well. Most things should never be asked about. But, Amelie had an idea. Ideas were always fun and she hadn't had fun in a very long time. She missed it.
The session ended, but Amelie didn't get everything she needed. She returned the next day while Kate went down to the beach. After the session, Amelie met up with her for dinner. They'd be heading back to campus the next morning.
"This weekend was good," Kate said.
"Mhm, yes." Amelie agreed.
"So what's the plan this summer? It's the last one before we are officially in the real world," Kate said. She grumbled out the last bit like a grumpy child.
Amelie almost snorted and rolled her eyes. She'd been in the real world for a while now. But when she thought about it, and she had more than once, it seemed that people entered the real world at different times from every one else. They did it when they were ready. She entered the real world just like she entered high school. Early. She'd been ready for it. Sometimes she wished that she hadn't been. She wanted to be like normal, not ahead of the game. But, then she thought about what she had right now and couldn't imagine it any other way. You entered the real world when you were ready and when it was ready for you.
"Reid wants to stay in Ipswich," Amelie said.
"God, he's weird. He used to talk about getting out so much that it was really annoying." Kate said. "And you?"
"He really wants me to stay, too." Reid had brought it up a few times. There was something about the way he danced about talking about it.
"Again. And you?" Kate chuckled.
"I'll be staying, too." Sure, she'd gone home for a bit last summer. Mom and Dad would probably like to see her the whole summer. Well, nearly the whole summer. There were going to be a few trips that she'd have to make due to work, but nothing that couldn't be done for a week here or a weekend there since she had only one artist that she was working with.
Amelie nodded while taking a sip of her drink. They didn't go out drinking again. No, tonight they went with something more homey. A movie night.
"God, we're getting old," Kate said as she grabbed for another hand full of popcorn out of the bowl that sat between them.
Amelie smirked. Old. Maybe she'd passed by the whole being young and party type but old wasn't a word she'd use. Mature. That would be the word. Amelie still thought about what she'd overheard Mom and say last year about her growing up too fast.
She'd accepted that they were right. But they were also wrong. They didn't know everything and she wasn't going to tell them how she didn't grow up as fast as they thought. Those secrets would stay just that. She didn't want to scar them with her stories of adventure.
"You're old. I'm still 20," Amelie said with a sideways glare at her.
Kate threw popcorn at her. On more than one occasion they'd gone on about this and Kate complained about how she never got caught for anything like drinking. It was easy really. She just knew better than to get caught. Why did she always have to repeat that part.
Amelie looked down at her phone as the two main characters on the screen started kissing. Reid had texted her.
This weekend is boring.
Amelie scoffed. She could hear the groan in the words as if he were right next to her. She replied.
But after finals we get to leave.
I. Can't. Wait.
Me either.
Then Kate said something. And every once in a while, like Sarah, when she said something, it hit with the force of a shit ton of C4.
"We're going to be seniors again next year."
Amelie's heart skipped and she forgot to breathe. She remained completely still and unmoved on the outside. It was like coming around a full circle. Senior to senior. The last four years had been hard. Getting her heart broken. Working through it. Her career moving faster than she expected. It was all flashing before her eyes in scenes. The pictures were mixed with so many waves of emotions. Where she was now—it was good.
She closed her eyes for a breath. Time moved so fast. So fast. . Her life certainly wasn't what it was four years ago. She wasn't who she was four years ago. Her chest felt tight thinking about it all. It was so much at once. So fast.
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