It was early in the evening when Amy and Ephram stepped out of the movie
theater. After seeing more than one film and having quite an interesting
day, Amy was once again grateful for Ephram's friendship. Somehow his
presence always allowed her to open up and have fun.
"So, what do you want to do now?" she asked.
"As long as it doesn't involve a chick flick, whatever you want," assured Ephram, who had been dragged into seeing a couple of sappy love stories that day.
"Everwood doesn't have much more that can serve as entertainment for us," Amy admitted thoughtfully.
"Why doesn't that surprise me?"
She turned and met his green-gray gaze. "Do you remember your first day of school, when I took you up to the mountains so you could see the whole town?"
Ephram rolled his eyes. "Yeah. That was an eventful day. The first time Everwood saw purple hair."
"Let's go up there again."
"What for?"
"The view, the memories, for the hell of it."
He grinned, and with no sarcastic comment to reply, said, "Okay."
*** One excruciating hike later, they stood staring down at the charming, picturesque town. Ephram remembered the conversation he'd had in that very spot with the girl of his dreams, how she had pointed out various buildings in the quaint little hamlet and how he'd seen only her. Now, they sat next to each other on the nearby bench wordlessly.
"Oh, yeah," he said, breaking the silence, "there's something I want to give to you. I made it the other day, before Colin went into surgery." He handed her a thin, rectangular object wrapped in nondescript paper.
"Thanks. What is it?" she asked, taking it from him.
"You'll see. Open it later, after you go home."
She put it into her jacket pocket. The sun was setting, creating a beautiful painting of red and pink across the Colorado sky. Ephram realized Amy had been looking at him and noticed the misery on her countenance. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Nothing's wrong."
"Amy, if nothing's wrong, why are you crying?" As he spoke, the tears that had shone in her eyes grew more evident.
Amy tried to blink them back. "Out of happiness, I guess it must be. I mean, everything's perfect. Everything. My . . . my dad and my brother are speaking to me again, Colin's okay, and he said he loved me. . . ." As her quivering voice became louder, Amy knew that she was hardly talking to Ephram anymore, and that she was merely reassuring herself. "I have everything I wanted now. Everything's perfect. Everything's. . . ."
Long after that day, Ephram wondered what happened next. Amy had been torturing him, telling him that her life was perfect without him and that she didn't need him, when to his utmost shock she leaned over and kissed him.
He must have pulled away, for a moment later he found himself staring into the moist pair of brown eyes that looked as frightened as he felt. Amy said, "I have to go," and stood up hastily and started to walk off.
He wasn't going to let her get away so easily. He walked toward her and pleaded, "Amy. Please."
She spun around and faced him. "I'm sorry, Ephram. All right? I'm sorry. I don't know what got into me, but I can't--"
"I do," he told her confidently. "This seems strangely familiar to me, and I'm not going to let it happen again. I'm starting to see a pattern here. We kiss and then pretend it never happened. Well, let's just leave it out in the open, okay? You kissed me. There!" He stopped and listened to his raised voice echo through the mountains. He panted and stared at her, waiting.
"You know I can't do this, Ephram. You know this isn't--"
"Amy," he interrupted, with tears now filling his eyes, "I love you."
Say it back, say it back, he thought. Say something!
But there was nothing. Nothing but his pleading, tormented stare and the shock that resided on her face. She moved her lip once, twice, as though she was about to say something, but then held back. Ephram continued to wonder if the stunned expression she was bearing was good or bad. He wondered if he had been an idiot to tell her how he felt for so long now.
And when she ran off through the wilderness of the mountains, he started to believe it.
To be continued. . . .
[A/N--I'd like to tell you what my plans are for this fic. It seems like almost all of the Ephram/Amy writers have fics about Colin going nuts/trying to rape Amy/dying. No offense to those people in any way, of course! I'm just taking a different approach. I want this fic to be about Amy looking at both boys and making her final choice based on their characters without me stepping in. Ugh, I'm rambling. Just thought I'd share the overall goal with you. Thanks so much to everyone! Review if you haven't yet, and I'll post a new chapter by tomorrow.]
"So, what do you want to do now?" she asked.
"As long as it doesn't involve a chick flick, whatever you want," assured Ephram, who had been dragged into seeing a couple of sappy love stories that day.
"Everwood doesn't have much more that can serve as entertainment for us," Amy admitted thoughtfully.
"Why doesn't that surprise me?"
She turned and met his green-gray gaze. "Do you remember your first day of school, when I took you up to the mountains so you could see the whole town?"
Ephram rolled his eyes. "Yeah. That was an eventful day. The first time Everwood saw purple hair."
"Let's go up there again."
"What for?"
"The view, the memories, for the hell of it."
He grinned, and with no sarcastic comment to reply, said, "Okay."
*** One excruciating hike later, they stood staring down at the charming, picturesque town. Ephram remembered the conversation he'd had in that very spot with the girl of his dreams, how she had pointed out various buildings in the quaint little hamlet and how he'd seen only her. Now, they sat next to each other on the nearby bench wordlessly.
"Oh, yeah," he said, breaking the silence, "there's something I want to give to you. I made it the other day, before Colin went into surgery." He handed her a thin, rectangular object wrapped in nondescript paper.
"Thanks. What is it?" she asked, taking it from him.
"You'll see. Open it later, after you go home."
She put it into her jacket pocket. The sun was setting, creating a beautiful painting of red and pink across the Colorado sky. Ephram realized Amy had been looking at him and noticed the misery on her countenance. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Nothing's wrong."
"Amy, if nothing's wrong, why are you crying?" As he spoke, the tears that had shone in her eyes grew more evident.
Amy tried to blink them back. "Out of happiness, I guess it must be. I mean, everything's perfect. Everything. My . . . my dad and my brother are speaking to me again, Colin's okay, and he said he loved me. . . ." As her quivering voice became louder, Amy knew that she was hardly talking to Ephram anymore, and that she was merely reassuring herself. "I have everything I wanted now. Everything's perfect. Everything's. . . ."
Long after that day, Ephram wondered what happened next. Amy had been torturing him, telling him that her life was perfect without him and that she didn't need him, when to his utmost shock she leaned over and kissed him.
He must have pulled away, for a moment later he found himself staring into the moist pair of brown eyes that looked as frightened as he felt. Amy said, "I have to go," and stood up hastily and started to walk off.
He wasn't going to let her get away so easily. He walked toward her and pleaded, "Amy. Please."
She spun around and faced him. "I'm sorry, Ephram. All right? I'm sorry. I don't know what got into me, but I can't--"
"I do," he told her confidently. "This seems strangely familiar to me, and I'm not going to let it happen again. I'm starting to see a pattern here. We kiss and then pretend it never happened. Well, let's just leave it out in the open, okay? You kissed me. There!" He stopped and listened to his raised voice echo through the mountains. He panted and stared at her, waiting.
"You know I can't do this, Ephram. You know this isn't--"
"Amy," he interrupted, with tears now filling his eyes, "I love you."
Say it back, say it back, he thought. Say something!
But there was nothing. Nothing but his pleading, tormented stare and the shock that resided on her face. She moved her lip once, twice, as though she was about to say something, but then held back. Ephram continued to wonder if the stunned expression she was bearing was good or bad. He wondered if he had been an idiot to tell her how he felt for so long now.
And when she ran off through the wilderness of the mountains, he started to believe it.
To be continued. . . .
[A/N--I'd like to tell you what my plans are for this fic. It seems like almost all of the Ephram/Amy writers have fics about Colin going nuts/trying to rape Amy/dying. No offense to those people in any way, of course! I'm just taking a different approach. I want this fic to be about Amy looking at both boys and making her final choice based on their characters without me stepping in. Ugh, I'm rambling. Just thought I'd share the overall goal with you. Thanks so much to everyone! Review if you haven't yet, and I'll post a new chapter by tomorrow.]
