Disclaimer: I don't own Everwood, the town, or it's characters. I'm just a
college student.
Chapter 4 uses "Lost without you" by Jaci Velasquez.
A/N: It's a different one than I used in "Warm My Heart" and it's the PERFECT SONG for this chapter, so if you normally breeze through the lyrics parts of my songs, don't with this one. It adds to the chapter. Thanks!
Chapter 4: Lost Without You
Amy bit her lip nervously, as Bright asked her to help he and Delia bring back some of the things he'd borrowed from Ephram while he was away. "He's not home yet," Delia said. Being 14, it was a lot easier to understand why Amy might feel awkward than when she was 10, "He was supposed to be a few hours ago, but when I left he wasn't there,"
"I bet Dr. Brown would be really happy to see you," Dr. Abbott said smiling. It wasn't that Amy didn't want to see Ephram . . . she just didn't know what she would say, how she would act. Would she smile and fall into his arms like they had only been apart for 2 hours, or would she cry as he wrapped his arms around her and promised to hold her forever? Would he come home with another girl on his arm, another, different ring on his finger? The possibilities were endless; the anticipation unbearable.
"I'm really tired, guys," she said, "I DID just leave school today," she reminded them, pushing a medium length section of hair away from her cheek. Her hair was considerably shorter, and cut into layers that fell lightly near her cheekbone, chin, and mid-neck.
"You're back home now, Amy. That was a big step in itself, so if you aren't ready to go to Ephram's house yet, we understand," Bright said, patting his sister gently on the back. Surprisingly, her brother's concern and understanding for her feelings made it a lot simpler for her to decide what to do.
"You know what? I think I will help you guys. I mean, you're right," she said looking at Bright, "I AM back home, which means I'm ready for anything," she smiled and lifted a box. "What I don't understand, though, is why you had so much of Ephram's things . . ." she said giving her brother a confused look.
"That's my fault," Delia raised her hand, "Ephram couldn't take all his things to school with him and I wanted his bedroom as sort of an extra bedroom . . ."
Amy's knowledge of Ephram was the same as when she left; nothing more. She didn't know which school he ended up going to, hadn't seen any pictures of him or heard stories of new friends. She was too embarrassed to ask Delia about any of these things because she knew Delia assumed she'd stayed in contact with Ephram; she hadn't. So Amy nodded, and somehow managed to dispel the creeping rosy color in her cheeks. "So he's due home tonight, then?"
"Yes," Delia nodded, "Like I said, he was supposed to be home a little while ago. I hope everything's okay," she had no idea how powerful these words were to Amy, whose heart had nearly stopped. Nothing could've happened to Ephram, not when they were so close to seeing one another again. If she was trying to conceal her worry, she did a really horrible job, because Bright came over to her,
"Don't worry, I'm sure he's fine, he just doesn't have a cell phone to call,"
"Yeah, would someone please get him a cell phone already," Delia said rolling her eyes, "Everytime we try to call him his roommate always says he's practicing piano,"
*Piano?* Amy thought, *so he does still play his piano* she smiled. "Well, let's go then," she said, wondering if by some coincidence she'd NOT run into him.
`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
"I know I can be a little stubborn sometimes
You might say a little righteous and too proud
I was looking for a way to compromise
Thinking maybe I could work things out
I thought I had all the answers
Never givin' in
But You loved me all along
And I admit that I was wrong"
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
"So THIS," Ephram said excitedly, and using his hands to gesture, "Is Everwood," he smiled.
Todd looked out the window but laughed, "I know you're excited, man, but I really can't see anything - it's pitch black outside,"
"Sorry, sorry," Ephram was beaming, "I'll show you around tomorrow, I swear,"
"Sounds good," Todd said as he noticed that the car behind them was driving quite inconderably, "What the hell's their problem?"
"Hey, I said the town was small, I didn't say everyone was a good driver," if Ephram only knew who was in that rampageous car behind them. The Abbott's had gotten a minivan since last time he'd been home, and his eyes were focused on his goal - getting to Amy - so he didn't concentrate very hard at the faces he could see in his rearview mirror. Even if he had he wouldn't have seen Amy because she was stuffed in the backseat holding a box.
"ARE they FOLLOWING us?" Todd asked, becoming worried.
"Listen, if they're following us it's probably because they live on the same street. It's not like Everwood's a giant city you know," but Todd's worries didn't go away until the van had been held back at a stoplight, letting them 'get away.'
"You've got A LOT to learn, my friend," Ephram laughed and pulled into his driveway a few minutes later.
"DAD, DELIA, I'M . . ." he yelled entering the house, not even taking his things out of the car, ". . . home" his voice quieted down as he saw his Dad approaching him. A smile stretched across his lips.
"Eph," he pulled him into a brief hug, "I'm glad you're okay. Did you get a late start?"
"No, we ran out of gas, then Ephram got sick . . ." Todd explained in jest. Dr. Brown knew Todd from the day they'd moved Ephram into the dorms. He smiled, understanding the friendship that existed between them.
"None of that matters now, though," he smiled, "Now where's Delia?"
"She's at the Abbott's, helping Bright take care of bringing your stuff back. I'm sure they'll be back soon. You could always just go over there too,"
"No," he said quickly without giving an answer.
"Dude, you've driven this whole way and now that you know where she is you're not going?" Todd was thoroughly confused.
"Who?" Dr. Brown was equally confused, "Delia? Ephram I knew you missed your sister but . . ."
"Amy," he said slowly, as if even saying her name made him spin in circles.
"She's back?" Dr. Brown asked happily, then hit his son's upper left arm in jest, "Alright, buddy, I knew she'd come back," he smiled.
"I'll be right back, I've got to go to the bathroom," Impeccable timing, Ephram had.
Just then the doorbell rang; just then . . .
````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
"All I know is I'm lost without You
I'm not gonna lie
I could never be strong without You
I need You by my side
If I ever thought we'd never be together
'Cause of all my foolish pride
Don't know what I'd do
I'm lost without You"
`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
"Why the heck are Delia and Bright ringing the doorbell?" Andy asked opening it to see the two of them with boxes stacked high, "You'd think he was living at your house the amount of stuff you have," he laughed.
"Yeah, good thing he's not here . . . he doesn't know I borrowed this much," he said loudly.
Amy was walking up the porch with boxes stacked so high you couldn't see her face.
"Geez, go around to the back or something," Bright said because there was already too many boxes blocking the front. That, and he was happy he was able to give her crap again after it'd been so long. She turned around and began finding her way to the back, hoping nothing would fall out.
"Damn it, Bright," she said laughing, "why do you have to be such a freeloader,"
Ephram needed some fresh air, needed a place away from everyone, where he could be alone for a few minutes to figure out what he'd say to Amy. Too bad there wasn't time . . . she'd made her entrance through the back door just as he was walking past it. He turned his head when he saw the door opening. Because the boxes were in the way, he just assumed it was Delia, she'd gotten taller the last few years,
"Delia," he said only inches away from the person. Amy's heart spun out of control, she could feel her pulse in her temples, her hands so sweaty she nearly dropped the boxes. "Aren't you gonna say anything or come in more or anything? I haven't seen my baby sister in 5 months," he laughed, but Amy still stood motionless behind the boxes, hoping something would give, anyone would interrupt . . .
But no.
Ephram began taking the boxes off the top and worked his way down, "How've you been, kiddo?" he wondered why she wasn't talking. He got down to the last box that was in the way of Amy's face. He was looking at the box on the floor, he still hadn't looked up to see that it wasn't Delia at all, "You'll never know how much I . . ." he looked up and his face turned pale, his throat dry as if it were stuffed with a million cotton balls. . . "missed you." He swallowed hard. Indeed he had missed her.
````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
"I keep tryin' to find my way
But all I know is I'm lost without You
I keep tryin' to face the day
But I'm lost without You
You're the only one who gets rid of these blues
When I fall, You'll catch me every time
The way You give me clarity when I'm confused
Just to hear Your voice can ease my mind
Oh, my world's so cold at night
When I wonder far away
Only You can make it right
No, I'm not too proud to say"
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
"Ephram," she said nearly out of breath. She set the rest of the boxes down and folded her arms across her chest nervously. He looked different, incredibly different. Her eyes glided along the edges of his perfectly structured face. They'd broke the mold when they'd made Ephram . . .
And his hair, his beautiful brown hair with just the right amount of gel to make it stand up perfectly. Her eyes scanned his shoulders, they had gotten wider, just as he had gotten taller . . .
But his eyes, they were the same. No one had eyes like his, no one. Brilliant in color and in deepness, it was only his eyes that could look at her and make her completely lose herself.
"I can't believe it," he said, his eyes locked with hers; so afraid that if he looked away she'd disappear again. He touched his face nervously, unsure of what to do or say. He was usually so confident with his body language; they'd always told him so at Juilliard.
A well-deserved awkward silence lasted for a few moments.
She'd changed too. The Amy he remembered, the only Amy he'd ever known had long hair; she'd had a permanent look of worry and confusion in her eyes, never showing confidence, always putting up a wall to block her soul, her heart. Although they'd been happy and in love at the end, he'd always known she never completely let him in.
But now her eyes showed confidence, despite the uncomfortable circumstances they found themselves in. Her hair was considerably shorter, maybe she'd even gotten taller, he thought. Whatever it was, the difference in her appearance was remarkable. He'd thought she was beautiful before, now she was breathtaking; even with extremely red cheeks from what Ephram assumed was carrying heavy boxes.
"Why are you carrying all those boxes?" he asked, trying to make things more comfortable. She pointed toward the front of the house,
"Bright and Delia already had too many," she was breathing heavily from exhaustion and nervousness and panic, and . . .
"How are you?" they asked at the very same moment, then broke into small laugher in embarrassment. "You first," Ephram said, motioning toward her and smiling, "How are you?" he repeated.
"I'm really well," she said smiling and nodding, "I'm finally really well," she saw that this made him happy as his smile widened. "Ephram, I . . ." she began but stopped as he started walking toward her clumsily. There were boxes right in front of her so he could only get so close. Her heart sped up, wondering what he was about to do. "Um, how are you?" she asked quickly. She'd waited forever for this moment and it wasn't turning out even remotely like she planned. She'd wanted to be so confident and sure of what she would say to him when she saw him again for the first time. It didn't work out that way, but Ephram wouldn't have done it any other,
"I'm great," he looked at her with more intent. There was no question, they both could still feel the intensity that floated around them only when they were together. Nothing else came close.
"Good," she smiled and looked down, giving him a chance to breathe again; he needed it, "I know it's been awhile," she began but he interrupted,
"Is it okay if," he began and she closed her eyes tightly, trying to figure out what he was going to say next, "I mean, would it be okay if I gave you a hug?" she smiled at his chivalry. Only Ephram would ask something as sweet as this. He was looking away now, afraid she'd say no and he'd have to face rejection. Maybe he was going too fast, or maybe she didn't want to hug him, or maybe . . .
"Of course it is," she said bending down to look into his eyes, which were fixed on her shoe. His eyes smiled when she did that. She stepped over the box in front of her and was inches away from him. They moved with equally awkward motions, as if they hadn't even hugged, as if they didn't know what the other person felt like . . .
`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
"All I know is I'm lost without You
I'm not gonna lie (I will not lie)
I could never be strong without You
I need You by my side
If I ever thought we'd never be together
'Cause of all my foolish pride
Don't know what I'd do
I'm lost without You"
````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Ephram pressed his right hand gently between her shoulder blades. Amy noticed it was considerably stronger than the last time they'd touched. Moving in toward him more, she was in a state of slow motion. She touched his left shoulder, much as she had done so long ago, until she finally brought her other arm up to wrap both around his neck loosely. He swung his left arm around her now, as they stood in a position much like they had when dancing at Reverend Keyes' wedding. For the first time in four years, warmth once again hovered over Amy's heart. Both with closed eyes, neither knowing a hug more enchanting than this . . .
Ephram finally pulled back. And although the hug had seemed to last an eternity, what with all its emotion stirring power, it had only been a few seconds. He smiled as he backed up; she looked away. What could they say after that? A hug so powerful, four years in the making spoke louder than any words could've.
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` ``
"I keep tryin' to find my way
But all I know is I'm lost without You
I keep tryin' to face the day
But I'm lost without You
I know that You can hear me now
You make the pain just go away
Stop all the tears from running down my face"
``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Amy opened her mouth to speak, but was silenced as Delia finally came into the room. She stopped when she saw them and began turning around,
"Delia," Ephram scolded, "come back here," he smiled and she walked back toward him, "Well look at you, make up now?" he asked as she beamed.
"Maggie said it'll bring in the boys," she said, making Amy slightly laugh.
"And Maggie would be . . .?" Ephram laughed, realizing that Delia had friends he didn't even know about. He remembered when she only wanted to hang out with he and Madison.
"The girl that's been living in your room almost every night," Andy said, walking in. Ephram's race was overtaken with confusion,
"Excuse me?"
"I made your bedroom a spare bedroom for me and my friends," she smiled as he frowned in jest, "What? You weren't here, you were off at Juilliard . . ."
Amy swallowed slowly and roughly. Juilliard - Ephram went to Juilliard - SHE was going to Juilliard next fall . . . "You're at Juilliard?" Amy chimed in, her voice noticeably shaky.
"Yeah, I made it," he smiled, "I still can't even believe it and I've been there for two years,"
Bright started toward the room, Todd shortly after. "What? Is there a party in here or something?" Todd asked sarcastically and Bright laughed, but Todd stopped as he saw WHY everyone was in there. Amy . . .
"Todd," Ephram said smiling, "This," Ephram said looking from him to Amy, "Is Amy Abbott," she smiled and waved. "Amy, this is Todd Umbricker, my roommate up at Juilliard,"
"Its nice to meet you," she said extending a hand.
"Yeah, you too," he said smiling at Ephram. He hadn't ever seen his best friend look more at peace. "Hey Eph, is okay if I go take a nap or something?" he pointed upwards.
"Yeah, go ahead, it's the second door of the left,"
"Awesome," he said and waved at everyone as he left.
"Todd's bunking here for the summer," Ephram explained to Amy, as everyone quietly left the room, figuring they'd need time to talk, "He's on the phone with his girlfriend like 24-7, they're like married or something," he joked. Amy's eyes shined, it was good to talk casually with him again.
"I should probably get back home," she said frowning, "Dad said he wanted a family dinner tonight . . . even thought its like 11 right now, and WAY too late for dinner," she laughed.
"It's okay," he laughed, "I'm glad you came over, Amy, I know you'll be going back up to Denver soon,"
"No," she said turning the doorknob, "I'm not going back there," she shook her head. "I'm staying home for the summer," she didn't tell him she'd be going to Juilliard for ballet just yet, she wanted to think of a clever way to ATLEAST tell him that, since their first meeting wasn't exactly graceful.
He smiled and nodded, putting his hands in his pockets and lifting himself up and down with his toes, "I'll see you again then," he took his right hand out of his pocket and waved quickly, putting his hand right back in his pocket.
"Yeah, again," she smiled and closed the door behind her.
"Damn," he said happily, not able to stop smiling, he spun around in a quick circle then put his hand down on the kitchen counter, leaning his weight on it. All he could think of was the soft glow in her eyes and the familiar scent of her hair as she'd hugged him. He didn't fight his feelings; for that was a battle he could never win.
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
"All I know is I'm lost without You
I'm not gonna lie
I could never be strong without You
I need You by my side
If I ever thought we'd never be together
'Cause of all my foolish pride
Don't know what I'd do
I'm lost without You
I keep tryin' to find my way
But all I know is I'm lost without You
I keep tryin' to face the day
But I'm lost without You"
``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
A/N: This has been the SINGLE most fun chapter to write in any of my fanfics, so I hope you guys liked it. I'm really happy with how it turned out, but reviews would be awesome, because I actually want to know if you like it or if you think it could've been done better. Thanks again, you guys are my inspiration!
Chapter 4 uses "Lost without you" by Jaci Velasquez.
A/N: It's a different one than I used in "Warm My Heart" and it's the PERFECT SONG for this chapter, so if you normally breeze through the lyrics parts of my songs, don't with this one. It adds to the chapter. Thanks!
Chapter 4: Lost Without You
Amy bit her lip nervously, as Bright asked her to help he and Delia bring back some of the things he'd borrowed from Ephram while he was away. "He's not home yet," Delia said. Being 14, it was a lot easier to understand why Amy might feel awkward than when she was 10, "He was supposed to be a few hours ago, but when I left he wasn't there,"
"I bet Dr. Brown would be really happy to see you," Dr. Abbott said smiling. It wasn't that Amy didn't want to see Ephram . . . she just didn't know what she would say, how she would act. Would she smile and fall into his arms like they had only been apart for 2 hours, or would she cry as he wrapped his arms around her and promised to hold her forever? Would he come home with another girl on his arm, another, different ring on his finger? The possibilities were endless; the anticipation unbearable.
"I'm really tired, guys," she said, "I DID just leave school today," she reminded them, pushing a medium length section of hair away from her cheek. Her hair was considerably shorter, and cut into layers that fell lightly near her cheekbone, chin, and mid-neck.
"You're back home now, Amy. That was a big step in itself, so if you aren't ready to go to Ephram's house yet, we understand," Bright said, patting his sister gently on the back. Surprisingly, her brother's concern and understanding for her feelings made it a lot simpler for her to decide what to do.
"You know what? I think I will help you guys. I mean, you're right," she said looking at Bright, "I AM back home, which means I'm ready for anything," she smiled and lifted a box. "What I don't understand, though, is why you had so much of Ephram's things . . ." she said giving her brother a confused look.
"That's my fault," Delia raised her hand, "Ephram couldn't take all his things to school with him and I wanted his bedroom as sort of an extra bedroom . . ."
Amy's knowledge of Ephram was the same as when she left; nothing more. She didn't know which school he ended up going to, hadn't seen any pictures of him or heard stories of new friends. She was too embarrassed to ask Delia about any of these things because she knew Delia assumed she'd stayed in contact with Ephram; she hadn't. So Amy nodded, and somehow managed to dispel the creeping rosy color in her cheeks. "So he's due home tonight, then?"
"Yes," Delia nodded, "Like I said, he was supposed to be home a little while ago. I hope everything's okay," she had no idea how powerful these words were to Amy, whose heart had nearly stopped. Nothing could've happened to Ephram, not when they were so close to seeing one another again. If she was trying to conceal her worry, she did a really horrible job, because Bright came over to her,
"Don't worry, I'm sure he's fine, he just doesn't have a cell phone to call,"
"Yeah, would someone please get him a cell phone already," Delia said rolling her eyes, "Everytime we try to call him his roommate always says he's practicing piano,"
*Piano?* Amy thought, *so he does still play his piano* she smiled. "Well, let's go then," she said, wondering if by some coincidence she'd NOT run into him.
`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
"I know I can be a little stubborn sometimes
You might say a little righteous and too proud
I was looking for a way to compromise
Thinking maybe I could work things out
I thought I had all the answers
Never givin' in
But You loved me all along
And I admit that I was wrong"
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
"So THIS," Ephram said excitedly, and using his hands to gesture, "Is Everwood," he smiled.
Todd looked out the window but laughed, "I know you're excited, man, but I really can't see anything - it's pitch black outside,"
"Sorry, sorry," Ephram was beaming, "I'll show you around tomorrow, I swear,"
"Sounds good," Todd said as he noticed that the car behind them was driving quite inconderably, "What the hell's their problem?"
"Hey, I said the town was small, I didn't say everyone was a good driver," if Ephram only knew who was in that rampageous car behind them. The Abbott's had gotten a minivan since last time he'd been home, and his eyes were focused on his goal - getting to Amy - so he didn't concentrate very hard at the faces he could see in his rearview mirror. Even if he had he wouldn't have seen Amy because she was stuffed in the backseat holding a box.
"ARE they FOLLOWING us?" Todd asked, becoming worried.
"Listen, if they're following us it's probably because they live on the same street. It's not like Everwood's a giant city you know," but Todd's worries didn't go away until the van had been held back at a stoplight, letting them 'get away.'
"You've got A LOT to learn, my friend," Ephram laughed and pulled into his driveway a few minutes later.
"DAD, DELIA, I'M . . ." he yelled entering the house, not even taking his things out of the car, ". . . home" his voice quieted down as he saw his Dad approaching him. A smile stretched across his lips.
"Eph," he pulled him into a brief hug, "I'm glad you're okay. Did you get a late start?"
"No, we ran out of gas, then Ephram got sick . . ." Todd explained in jest. Dr. Brown knew Todd from the day they'd moved Ephram into the dorms. He smiled, understanding the friendship that existed between them.
"None of that matters now, though," he smiled, "Now where's Delia?"
"She's at the Abbott's, helping Bright take care of bringing your stuff back. I'm sure they'll be back soon. You could always just go over there too,"
"No," he said quickly without giving an answer.
"Dude, you've driven this whole way and now that you know where she is you're not going?" Todd was thoroughly confused.
"Who?" Dr. Brown was equally confused, "Delia? Ephram I knew you missed your sister but . . ."
"Amy," he said slowly, as if even saying her name made him spin in circles.
"She's back?" Dr. Brown asked happily, then hit his son's upper left arm in jest, "Alright, buddy, I knew she'd come back," he smiled.
"I'll be right back, I've got to go to the bathroom," Impeccable timing, Ephram had.
Just then the doorbell rang; just then . . .
````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
"All I know is I'm lost without You
I'm not gonna lie
I could never be strong without You
I need You by my side
If I ever thought we'd never be together
'Cause of all my foolish pride
Don't know what I'd do
I'm lost without You"
`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
"Why the heck are Delia and Bright ringing the doorbell?" Andy asked opening it to see the two of them with boxes stacked high, "You'd think he was living at your house the amount of stuff you have," he laughed.
"Yeah, good thing he's not here . . . he doesn't know I borrowed this much," he said loudly.
Amy was walking up the porch with boxes stacked so high you couldn't see her face.
"Geez, go around to the back or something," Bright said because there was already too many boxes blocking the front. That, and he was happy he was able to give her crap again after it'd been so long. She turned around and began finding her way to the back, hoping nothing would fall out.
"Damn it, Bright," she said laughing, "why do you have to be such a freeloader,"
Ephram needed some fresh air, needed a place away from everyone, where he could be alone for a few minutes to figure out what he'd say to Amy. Too bad there wasn't time . . . she'd made her entrance through the back door just as he was walking past it. He turned his head when he saw the door opening. Because the boxes were in the way, he just assumed it was Delia, she'd gotten taller the last few years,
"Delia," he said only inches away from the person. Amy's heart spun out of control, she could feel her pulse in her temples, her hands so sweaty she nearly dropped the boxes. "Aren't you gonna say anything or come in more or anything? I haven't seen my baby sister in 5 months," he laughed, but Amy still stood motionless behind the boxes, hoping something would give, anyone would interrupt . . .
But no.
Ephram began taking the boxes off the top and worked his way down, "How've you been, kiddo?" he wondered why she wasn't talking. He got down to the last box that was in the way of Amy's face. He was looking at the box on the floor, he still hadn't looked up to see that it wasn't Delia at all, "You'll never know how much I . . ." he looked up and his face turned pale, his throat dry as if it were stuffed with a million cotton balls. . . "missed you." He swallowed hard. Indeed he had missed her.
````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
"I keep tryin' to find my way
But all I know is I'm lost without You
I keep tryin' to face the day
But I'm lost without You
You're the only one who gets rid of these blues
When I fall, You'll catch me every time
The way You give me clarity when I'm confused
Just to hear Your voice can ease my mind
Oh, my world's so cold at night
When I wonder far away
Only You can make it right
No, I'm not too proud to say"
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
"Ephram," she said nearly out of breath. She set the rest of the boxes down and folded her arms across her chest nervously. He looked different, incredibly different. Her eyes glided along the edges of his perfectly structured face. They'd broke the mold when they'd made Ephram . . .
And his hair, his beautiful brown hair with just the right amount of gel to make it stand up perfectly. Her eyes scanned his shoulders, they had gotten wider, just as he had gotten taller . . .
But his eyes, they were the same. No one had eyes like his, no one. Brilliant in color and in deepness, it was only his eyes that could look at her and make her completely lose herself.
"I can't believe it," he said, his eyes locked with hers; so afraid that if he looked away she'd disappear again. He touched his face nervously, unsure of what to do or say. He was usually so confident with his body language; they'd always told him so at Juilliard.
A well-deserved awkward silence lasted for a few moments.
She'd changed too. The Amy he remembered, the only Amy he'd ever known had long hair; she'd had a permanent look of worry and confusion in her eyes, never showing confidence, always putting up a wall to block her soul, her heart. Although they'd been happy and in love at the end, he'd always known she never completely let him in.
But now her eyes showed confidence, despite the uncomfortable circumstances they found themselves in. Her hair was considerably shorter, maybe she'd even gotten taller, he thought. Whatever it was, the difference in her appearance was remarkable. He'd thought she was beautiful before, now she was breathtaking; even with extremely red cheeks from what Ephram assumed was carrying heavy boxes.
"Why are you carrying all those boxes?" he asked, trying to make things more comfortable. She pointed toward the front of the house,
"Bright and Delia already had too many," she was breathing heavily from exhaustion and nervousness and panic, and . . .
"How are you?" they asked at the very same moment, then broke into small laugher in embarrassment. "You first," Ephram said, motioning toward her and smiling, "How are you?" he repeated.
"I'm really well," she said smiling and nodding, "I'm finally really well," she saw that this made him happy as his smile widened. "Ephram, I . . ." she began but stopped as he started walking toward her clumsily. There were boxes right in front of her so he could only get so close. Her heart sped up, wondering what he was about to do. "Um, how are you?" she asked quickly. She'd waited forever for this moment and it wasn't turning out even remotely like she planned. She'd wanted to be so confident and sure of what she would say to him when she saw him again for the first time. It didn't work out that way, but Ephram wouldn't have done it any other,
"I'm great," he looked at her with more intent. There was no question, they both could still feel the intensity that floated around them only when they were together. Nothing else came close.
"Good," she smiled and looked down, giving him a chance to breathe again; he needed it, "I know it's been awhile," she began but he interrupted,
"Is it okay if," he began and she closed her eyes tightly, trying to figure out what he was going to say next, "I mean, would it be okay if I gave you a hug?" she smiled at his chivalry. Only Ephram would ask something as sweet as this. He was looking away now, afraid she'd say no and he'd have to face rejection. Maybe he was going too fast, or maybe she didn't want to hug him, or maybe . . .
"Of course it is," she said bending down to look into his eyes, which were fixed on her shoe. His eyes smiled when she did that. She stepped over the box in front of her and was inches away from him. They moved with equally awkward motions, as if they hadn't even hugged, as if they didn't know what the other person felt like . . .
`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
"All I know is I'm lost without You
I'm not gonna lie (I will not lie)
I could never be strong without You
I need You by my side
If I ever thought we'd never be together
'Cause of all my foolish pride
Don't know what I'd do
I'm lost without You"
````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Ephram pressed his right hand gently between her shoulder blades. Amy noticed it was considerably stronger than the last time they'd touched. Moving in toward him more, she was in a state of slow motion. She touched his left shoulder, much as she had done so long ago, until she finally brought her other arm up to wrap both around his neck loosely. He swung his left arm around her now, as they stood in a position much like they had when dancing at Reverend Keyes' wedding. For the first time in four years, warmth once again hovered over Amy's heart. Both with closed eyes, neither knowing a hug more enchanting than this . . .
Ephram finally pulled back. And although the hug had seemed to last an eternity, what with all its emotion stirring power, it had only been a few seconds. He smiled as he backed up; she looked away. What could they say after that? A hug so powerful, four years in the making spoke louder than any words could've.
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` ``
"I keep tryin' to find my way
But all I know is I'm lost without You
I keep tryin' to face the day
But I'm lost without You
I know that You can hear me now
You make the pain just go away
Stop all the tears from running down my face"
``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Amy opened her mouth to speak, but was silenced as Delia finally came into the room. She stopped when she saw them and began turning around,
"Delia," Ephram scolded, "come back here," he smiled and she walked back toward him, "Well look at you, make up now?" he asked as she beamed.
"Maggie said it'll bring in the boys," she said, making Amy slightly laugh.
"And Maggie would be . . .?" Ephram laughed, realizing that Delia had friends he didn't even know about. He remembered when she only wanted to hang out with he and Madison.
"The girl that's been living in your room almost every night," Andy said, walking in. Ephram's race was overtaken with confusion,
"Excuse me?"
"I made your bedroom a spare bedroom for me and my friends," she smiled as he frowned in jest, "What? You weren't here, you were off at Juilliard . . ."
Amy swallowed slowly and roughly. Juilliard - Ephram went to Juilliard - SHE was going to Juilliard next fall . . . "You're at Juilliard?" Amy chimed in, her voice noticeably shaky.
"Yeah, I made it," he smiled, "I still can't even believe it and I've been there for two years,"
Bright started toward the room, Todd shortly after. "What? Is there a party in here or something?" Todd asked sarcastically and Bright laughed, but Todd stopped as he saw WHY everyone was in there. Amy . . .
"Todd," Ephram said smiling, "This," Ephram said looking from him to Amy, "Is Amy Abbott," she smiled and waved. "Amy, this is Todd Umbricker, my roommate up at Juilliard,"
"Its nice to meet you," she said extending a hand.
"Yeah, you too," he said smiling at Ephram. He hadn't ever seen his best friend look more at peace. "Hey Eph, is okay if I go take a nap or something?" he pointed upwards.
"Yeah, go ahead, it's the second door of the left,"
"Awesome," he said and waved at everyone as he left.
"Todd's bunking here for the summer," Ephram explained to Amy, as everyone quietly left the room, figuring they'd need time to talk, "He's on the phone with his girlfriend like 24-7, they're like married or something," he joked. Amy's eyes shined, it was good to talk casually with him again.
"I should probably get back home," she said frowning, "Dad said he wanted a family dinner tonight . . . even thought its like 11 right now, and WAY too late for dinner," she laughed.
"It's okay," he laughed, "I'm glad you came over, Amy, I know you'll be going back up to Denver soon,"
"No," she said turning the doorknob, "I'm not going back there," she shook her head. "I'm staying home for the summer," she didn't tell him she'd be going to Juilliard for ballet just yet, she wanted to think of a clever way to ATLEAST tell him that, since their first meeting wasn't exactly graceful.
He smiled and nodded, putting his hands in his pockets and lifting himself up and down with his toes, "I'll see you again then," he took his right hand out of his pocket and waved quickly, putting his hand right back in his pocket.
"Yeah, again," she smiled and closed the door behind her.
"Damn," he said happily, not able to stop smiling, he spun around in a quick circle then put his hand down on the kitchen counter, leaning his weight on it. All he could think of was the soft glow in her eyes and the familiar scent of her hair as she'd hugged him. He didn't fight his feelings; for that was a battle he could never win.
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
"All I know is I'm lost without You
I'm not gonna lie
I could never be strong without You
I need You by my side
If I ever thought we'd never be together
'Cause of all my foolish pride
Don't know what I'd do
I'm lost without You
I keep tryin' to find my way
But all I know is I'm lost without You
I keep tryin' to face the day
But I'm lost without You"
``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
A/N: This has been the SINGLE most fun chapter to write in any of my fanfics, so I hope you guys liked it. I'm really happy with how it turned out, but reviews would be awesome, because I actually want to know if you like it or if you think it could've been done better. Thanks again, you guys are my inspiration!