Ch. 4
Please don't take your love away from me
Please don't take your love from me
Please don't take your love from me
Friday December 19th:
Ben waited for Amy as she continued to get ready. After about fifteen minutes, Amy came down stairs from her room.
"Wow," Ben said silently. "You look amazing."
"No I don't," Amy said still a little uncomfortable and embarrassed by her growing figure.
Ben took Amy's hand, "Yes you do. Someone just wants to share the spotlight. We don't have to go to this you know."
"Ben I want to go. And you don't have to worry; we're not just going to be with Ricky. Grace will be there too."
"You're right, how bad can this night possibly be?"
Amy smiled at Ben, "You still feel threatened by him don't you?"
"Threatened? No way; jealous maybe but not threatened. I guess because he's seen a part of you that I haven't."
"I have offered," Amy said with a smile.
Ben couldn't help smile back, "I know but the thought of it right now- I just don't feel ready and besides, I kind of feel that the honorable thing to do is to wait until we're married as old school as that may seem."
"It's not old school, it's sweet," Amy said pulling him in to kiss him. Just as their kiss was getting deeper, the door bell rang. The two of them pulled apart. "We can continue this later," Amy said to him.
"Sure," Ben replied.
Amy went to the door. She had expected to see Grace but instead it had been Ricky who was standing there.
"Hey," Ricky said to them. Ricky stared at Amy for a couple of seconds before saying, "You look nice."
Amy was taken aback by his compliment so she simply said, "Thanks."
"So are you two ready to go?"
"I think so," Amy replied. She looked to Ben, "Ben, you ready?"
"Yeah," Ben said taking Amy's hand as the three of them walked to Ricky's car.
As planned the four of them found a restaurant near Main Street and had dinner together. The parade didn't start until seven so the four of them had some time to kill so they walked around for a while.
Ricky and Amy were walking up ahead of Grace and Ben. Ben saw Amy laugh and seeing that tormented him. The only reason he had come was because he wanted to be with Amy and this way she wouldn't have to be alone with Ricky. So much for that plan Ben thought to himself. Things were turning out the complete opposite. And what bugged him most was that Amy and Ricky were actually having a civil conversation without any of the weird hatred and weird tension between them.
"You okay, Ben," Grace asked him.
Ben looked at Grace, "Let me ask you something, does it bother you that Ricky has been spending more time with Amy tonight than he has with you?"
"Not really, why, does it bother you?"
"More than you know," Ben admitted.
"Ricky's just trying to be a good friend. I don't see what's wrong with that and given their situation they should try to work things out between them."
"I guess."
"Really Ben, you shouldn't worry about it. You two are lucky, Amy loves you."
"You're right, and that I'm positive on," Ben said more as insurance to himself rather than to Grace.
Was she in love with him? Ben liked to believe so. Since the start of high school the two had been through a lot together but out of all nights and all moments it was this one in particular that made him question whether the love he and Amy shared was ever real at all. Ben really wanted to know what the two were talking about and what made Amy keep laughing. Ben tried to tell him that maybe the baby was kicking but he knew that wasn't really a valid reason. Ricky was being funny and it wasn't the funny façade he used because of his child abuse. This was a real and normal kind of funny. Deep down Ben had wished that things hadn't changed between Amy and Ricky. Amy hated the guy and now she was acting as if he were her new best friend. Ben didn't want to admit it but the fact of the matter was Ricky was the father of Amy's baby as much as he tried to deny it and the two of them were bound to be close on some kind of level. He didn't like the fact but the fact remained that he was the boyfriend of the baby's mother and not the actual father.
Ben sighed and did the only thing he wanted to do all night.
"Do you mind," Ben said to Grace not wanting to be rude.
Grace smiled, "Go right ahead. I'll catch up to you guys."
"Thanks."
Ben caught up with Ricky and Amy.
"Hey," Ben said to them, "Everything okay here?"
"Never better," Ricky replied.
Ben secretly wanted to punch the guy. He had asked Amy not him.
"Great," Ben said taking Amy's hand causing her to get a little uncomfortable at the gesture which didn't go unnoticed by Ricky.
As the group continued to walk, they came across the last people they had secretly hoped not to have run into. Amy couldn't help tighten her grip on Ben's hand at that moment. He smiled to himself for that.
"Mom, dad," said Grace spotting her parents and brother a little further ahead.
"Hi sweetie," said Kathleen Bowman.
"You kids having fun?" asked Marshall Bowman.
"Yeah we are," replied Grace. "Oh I'm sorry, how rude of me: Tom, mom, dad, this is Amy and her boyfriend Ben. I don't think you all have met yet."
"Not officially," replied Kathleen trying her best not stare at Amy's figure.
"Oh right," said Grace, "I sometimes forget."
"How is your dad doing, Amy?" asked Kathleen.
"F-fine," Amy said immediately recognizing her stutter. It seemed to have gone unnoticed by everyone except Ricky. Curse him for knowing her as well as he did.
"And your mom," asked Kathleen.
"Sweetheart," Marshall said trying to be a little firm.
"What, I'm just being friendly."
"My mom is fine too," Amy replied trying not to give Mrs. Bowman the upper hand.
"That's good," was Mrs. Bowman's reply.
"Well," said Marshall, "I guess we'll let you kids go. Be home by ten, okay Gracie?"
"Yeah," Tom said finally speaking up and pointing a finger at Grace and Ricky, "And no later."
After the Bowman's left, Amy let go of Ben's hand. No one really had to say anything at this point. The four of them knew how awkward things had just been. Things were awkward for Amy because she had just met her father's ex-wife who couldn't stop staring at her. Things were awkward for Ricky because not only had he not been fully acknowledged by Grace's parents but because he was here with Grace who was his girlfriend as well as with the girl he had gotten pregnant. Things were awkward for Ben because the feeling he had earlier had resurfaced, the one about him being the boyfriend of the baby's mother. Grace herself hadn't felt as awkward as everyone else. All Grace had, which wasn't even something to feel guilty about, was that she was spending a Friday night out with her boyfriend and her two friends. There was nothing really wrong with that.
"Come on," said Ricky, "We should probably find some seats. I think I saw a couple of benches further down so we don't have to sit along the curb."
The group did manage to find some benches which made things easier for Amy as she was starting to have some trouble bending down so for her sitting on the curb was not a likely option. Right at 7 pm, the lights on the whole street and even further back went off and the light show parade started. It was fun to see so many different floats with Christmas lights on them. This was certainly a night neither of the group would forget. There was no arguing, no hatred, none of the stuff that had gone on at school before they had all become friends. Tonight was certainly a night of peace on earth.
After the parade ended, Ricky took Grace home first since her parents told her to be exactly home by ten. Ricky wasn't going to be the reason she was late. He walked her to the door leaving Amy and Ben in the back seat. What the two didn't know was the conversation that Ricky and Grace were having, a conversation that wasn't pleasant for Grace's part. In a few minutes he returned. Ben was the next to drop off and this time Amy did the polite thing of walking him to the door.
"Shouldn't I be doing this to you instead," Ben joked.
"Probably but it's safer this way. Who knows what would happen if you and Ricky were alone together."
"I think I should be more worried about you and him."
"Me and him," Amy said giving him a look.
"Amy, you spent the entire night with him, leaving me in the dark."
"I know, and I'm sorry. Ricky and I are just-," Amy started.
"Friends," Ben finished for her, "I know but there was a time when you couldn't stand the guy. Can't we go back to that?"
"I'm not sure I want to," Amy replied.
"Why not," asked Ben.
"Because he's my baby's father," Amy flat out told him.
"Yeah, thanks for reminding me."
"I'm not saying it to hurt you, Ben. I told you I was pregnant by some other guy and you wanted to stay."
"Is this your way of telling me you want to end this? I can't have this end Amy, I just can't. I love you too much to let you go."
"Then if you can't," Amy said taking a deep breath, "Then I will. Maybe its best if we take some time apart from each other for a while."
"You don't mean that."
"Yes I do," Amy said knowing full well she meant it. If she didn't she would have stuttered but that didn't happen.
"This is because of Ricky."
"It has nothing to do with him."
"Sure it does. It's obvious you have feelings for that guy."
"I don't- I don't have feelings for him."
Ben smiled, "Sure you do."
Amy then did something Ben had hoped would never have happened, she took off the engagement ring and gave it back to him.
"I'm sorry Ben."
All Ben could do was nod as Amy walked to Ricky's car. The look on Amy's face didn't go unnoticed by Ricky it had been the same look that he had just come out with minutes earlier after dropping Grace off. The two of them drove in silence to Amy's house. Instead of letting Amy go on her own, Ricky parked his car in the driveway and got down with Amy.
"You didn't have to walk me, I would have been fine," Amy said to him.
"I know I didn't. I wanted to. Tonight was fun wasn't it?"
"Yeah it was. Thanks for inviting us."
"Not a problem."
The two of them were unsure of what to do next. They were use to uncomfortable silences but tonight felt different somehow. Almost as if something should be said or done.
Amy was about to walk inside when Ricky gently grabbed her arm. He pulled her in and the two of them gently kissed. Their kiss continued to get deeper. It hadn't been since their time spent at band camp that they had felt this way. Amy knowing this wasn't logical despite her recent break up with Ben, pulled apart.
"We said no games remember," she said to him.
"I'm not playing any," Ricky said with a smile. "I know we're moving fast but I broke up with Grace tonight."
"Because of me," said Amy.
"More because of us," was Ricky's reply. "I know you still feel something for me, something deeper."
"You don't, you don't know that."
"Yes I do because you felt it too. I know you did. You haven't taken your love away from me completely. It's always been there just like my love has been there for you."
Amy couldn't help but start laughing. "I'm sorry," she said to him. "This is just a little weird. I haven't seen this side of you since-," but before Amy could finish Ricky finished for her.
"Since band camp, I know but it's like I told you, I want to go back to being that guy if you'll let me. Those three weeks with you were some of the best days of my life. I don't think I ever told you that."
Amy looked up at Ricky and smiled, "They were some of my best days too."
"I'm sorry Amy, about the way I acted when we got back to reality."
"It's not your fault, I pushed you away."
"And you had a good reason," Ricky said placing his hand gently on Amy's stomach. "I'm not going anywhere, Amy, I promise. And I'm not going to make the same mistakes my father made with me. Our daughter deserves better than that and I'm gonna give it to her."
"I don't doubt that. Not anymore anyways."
Ricky smiled at her. He again went in to kiss her, "Well, goodnight." Ricky then leaned down and placed a kiss on Amy's stomach, "and good night to you little one."
Amy smiled at Ricky and he smiled back and then he got in his car and drove off. Amy took a deep breath and walked inside the house.
"So are you and Ricky together now?" her sister Ashley asked.
"You were watching?"
"Don't worry I stopped when the two of you started kissing. What happened to Ben?"
"Nothing it just wasn't working out."
"Really but I thought he was your knight in shining armor."
"Well you thought wrong."
"Just what exactly happened between you and the drummer at band camp anyways? It's obvious that there was more than just sex."
"I love him alright, is that what you want to hear?"
Ashley smiled, "I was wondering how long it would take you to admit it."
"Goodnight, Ashley."
" 'Night Amy."