Welcome to my life:
Chapter 2
Friday morning found Amy running around her bedroom trying to pack the last few items that were still in her room. Her parents had already taken a lot of items over to her new house over the past few days, leaving her with just a sleeping bag, a pillow, her couch, and a bin full of clothes in her bedroom. She would be busy getting everything in order tonight. It was going to be a long night. She was excited about setting up her own house even though it would be tedious.
She was excited about seeing Spike again. He had shown up at the restaurant unexpectedly shortly before her shift ended. He had offered to give her a ride home. She had accepted and they had ended up driving all over the area. Amy had called her mom and let her know that she wouldn't be back for a while, which had been unnecessary as her boss had already done so. Amy suspected that her mother had already started hoping that Amy would fall for Spike.
Amy hadn't minded that Patrick had called her mother. She had already started to fall a little bit for Spike, but was really trying hard to not push the idea. She really wanted to be friends with him for a while before broaching the idea of going out on a date. She was still trying to heal from the breakup with James. At least someone knew about it besides her parents. She really didn't want Spike or anyone else to get hurt if James came after her again.
She paused in her running around her room long enough to get dressed and wake up enough to read her Bible and pray to God before getting to her feet and starting to pick up all of her stuff. While she picked up, she went through her mental shopping list of everything that she needed to still pick up to make her new house a home.
Amy pulled her long brown hair back into a bun, put her glasses on and walked downstairs where she heard voices. Lots of voices. She didn't recognize the voices so her protective nature kicked in. She thumped down the last few steps stopping when her mother looked up with the look that she knew so well from childhood. Stop running down the steps it said. She sat down on the stairs and focused on the men and one woman in her parent's dining room.
"Well, this is awkward. I only know four of you. Greg, Kevin, I think, Ed right? And Spike. You and you I do not know. I'm Amy. Pleased to meet you. What are you all doing here? Last I checked, I didn't break any laws. Unless moving is breaking a law, in which case, my parents might be upset about that." They shared a laugh over that. Spike stood up from where he had been engaged in a conversation with her father and waved.
"I am here to help you move in. The others just HAD to come and gawk. I tried to warn them off Amy, I really did, but they just don't scare off easily. The two that you don't know are Sam and Jules. They are Team One with me, Ed, Greg and Kevin, Also known as Wordy. Sam, Jules, this is Amy, She was our waitress at the coffee shop that we stopped at last week after that conference we went to." There were hellos and handshakes all around.
After a few minutes, Amy returned with her stuff rolled up and ready to go. She set her stuff down and it was immediately snatched up by Spike and carried off to his truck. She frowned for a moment and shrugged before setting a cat carrier on the floor. She put her shoes on and picked up two little kittens that were running around playing and pouncing on each other. After she put them in the carrier, She turned to her mom.
"Mom, I will be over all the time for dinner. It'll be like I have not left. You will get so tired of me that you will kick me out and tell me to go home. I will be back in a moment to get that couch upstairs. And No daddy, you are not going to lift the couch. Spike and I can get it. Your heart can't take it." Her father frowned and disappeared into his room. Amy knew that he wasn't really upset about her telling him not to touch the couch.
"Amy, if you tell us where we can find the couch Sam and I will get it and load it for you. We don't mind, we would like to help." Wordy said offering to take the heavy thing. Amy nodded and showed them where her room was. They grabbed it and brought it downstairs, with Amy and Jules spotting them on opposite ends of the staircase. When everything was in the truck, Amy put the cat carrier in the truck and came back to hug her parents.
"I will see you soon mom and dad. I love you both. I will call you later tonight when I am settled. You are welcome to come over anytime. Anytime at all. Even if I am not there. I will give you a key when I get an extra one made." She turned to walk out, when her father yanked her into a tight hug. She knew that he was trying to not cry, she was too. After a few minutes, he pushed her back a little and handed her a set of keys.
"You need a vehicle to get yourself back and forth to work, School and where you need to go. We were talking about getting something else anyway." Amy was excited because she really wanted a truck instead of a little car. She hugged him gently and put the keys in her purse. She would be back later for the truck. She would have to go grocery shopping later. She walked outside to join Spike for the drive over to her new home.
When they got there, Amy and Spike quickly brought all the rest of her stuff into the house before saying goodbye to the rest of the team. Spike helped her move the furniture around a little bit before she was satisfied. He wandered about the house while Amy started to unpack some of her things. She had brought the carrier in and unlocked it. The kittens had yet to come out to explore. She quickly abandoned the unpacking and took him on a tour through the house. It had two levels and as they walked through the house, she went on about how she wanted to furnish the whole upstairs at some point.
"That door leads to my bedroom; we won't go in there right now. It's a mess. It's not a bad little place. Perfect when I have friends come over to hang out for awhile. I can't wait for spring this year; I plan on planting a small flower garden and a small vegetable garden. I love Veggies straight out of the garden. So what are your plans for the rest of the evening?" Spike laughed and scratched his head in confusion. He had no plans.
"I actually don't have any plans right now. I am off this weekend and I do need to leave soon to get home for dinner. I have to only go next door though so I can stay here for a while; I was just going to leave my truck in your drive if it's ok with you, unless you want to kick me out because you have to unpack or something. Or I can stay awhile longer and keep you company. It is up to you though. I told my mom about you. She would love to meet you. She may be over sometime to meet you. She's Italian. It's what she does." Amy smiled.
"You can leave the truck for now. And you can keep me company a while longer. I just need to start unpacking. So I am starting with the kitchen. You can sit at the table." He followed her into the kitchen, which was pretty spacious and sat. As he sat there, he thought about the house as he had seen it so far. The kitchen was big, nice backyard. The rooms upstairs were big, and the living room was huge. She had a nice porch in the front and a cute little deck in back. The bathroom was huge and had a big tub. The Basement was finished and looked nice.
"Tell me more about yourself Amy." Spike said as she fiddled with the Coffee pot. She smiled and started putting pots and pans away while she remained silent. Spike was content to sit there and watch her flit about the kitchen. She looked very at home being domestic, in the kitchen and in her own space. After a couple minutes she turned to him and sat across from him.
"What would you like to know? I'm happy that I have my own place, but at the same time, I am terrified about living alone. I have never been on my own before, I have to find different ways to deal with the silence, but at the same time, I know that it was time that I moved out to my own place. I'm 27, time to move out, finish college, find people to hang out with, and establish a relationship with." Spike nodded while thinking to himself that he wanted to be the one that she established a relationship with. Just then there was a knock at the door. Amy excused herself to answer it.
When she opened the door after looking through the peephole just to be safe, there was an older woman standing on the porch, holding a dish of pasta and a plate of what looked like Garlic bread. Amy opened the screen door and invited the older woman in, taking the dishes from her and setting on the end table while closing the door after her visitor.
"Hello there dear, my name is Maria Scarlatti. My husband and I are your next door neighbors, along with our son Michelangelo. I decided to bring you something for dinner, as this is your first night here and I wasn't sure if you'd have a chance to cook dinner for yourself tonight." Amy smiled and took the dishes and took them to the kitchen.
"Spike, Your mother is here. You were supposed to leave like a half hour ago. Your mother is so sweet to bring me food. You better let her know you are here before she worries." Spike nodded and followed her out. He leaned down to give his mother a kiss on the cheek before sitting down in the armchair across from her.
"I am so sorry Mama. I was sitting in the kitchen talking to Amy and time just flew by. I am very sorry to have missed dinner, but Amy is a very interesting person to talk to." Maria nodded and patted Amy's hand. Amy blushed and wrinkled her nose at Spike. She turned to Maria, smiling as the kittens climbed up to investigate.
"Thank you so much for the food, it smells so good and I can't wait to try it. I will get the dishes back to you as soon as possible Mrs. Scarlatti. Is there a specific day you need them back?" Maria waved her off. Spike kept quiet, he knew what was coming. He'd seen his mother in action many times. This was no different. He knew just by looking at his mother that she approved of Amy.
"No. Bring them back when you are done with them, and none of this Mrs. Scarlatti nonsense. I am Momma Scarlatti, my husband is Poppa Scarlatti. Or you can call us Maria and Dominic. Whichever you are most comfortable with. You are our neighbor and already a part of the family. Michelangelo, I am going back to your father now. Be careful my son." Amy nodded and smiled. After she had left, Spike had walked back with her and said he would be right back.
While he was gone, Amy quickly finished putting her kitchen in order and served up some of the pasta and bread for herself and for Spike. She knew that he had to be hungry because she was famished. She heard a knock at the door before it opened and Spike called out announcing his presence. She heard him shut and lock the door. A moment later, he appeared in the kitchen doorway.
"She likes you Amy. I brought some grated Parmesan cheese. I noticed that your fridge happens to be very bare. You need to go food shopping. I can take you if you would like for me to." Amy shrugged then shook her head. They ate in silence for a few minutes before Amy put her fork down and explained to Spike her shrug.
"I want to be independent Spike. You have been great, staying here and giving me someone to talk to while I started unpacking and getting things in order. I can drive, and I need to go to my parent's house and retrieve the truck so I can go food shopping. I don't mind if you come along, but I need to drive and do this for myself. Can you understand that? I don't want to hurt your feelings." Spike smiled at her and nodded.
"I understand Amy. You are trying to be independent; you have your own place now. The last thing you want to do is have to depend on a guy to help you out every single time you need something. Unless that is what you want. I want to be the guy who is here to help you out when you need it. Strictly as friends you know. I get the feeling that you are really not looking for a boyfriend right now. A friend is what you want most." Amy nodded
They finished eating what was on their plates, and Amy put the food into bowls and in the fridge. She scrubbed up the dishes that Spike's mother had dropped off and left them in the sink to drip dry. She quickly made up a list of everything that she needed to get from the store before grabbing her purse and making sure that she had her key. She took Spike's hand and pulled him along behind her and walked out to his truck.
While Spike drove, He battled feelings that seemed to be going straight to his groin. Amy, taking his hand had really thrown his head for a loop. She was a sweet girl, and he really did like her, and he really didn't want to push himself on her. She had let go of his hand so he could drive, placing her hands in her lap. And her sitting there, looking innocent, really turned him on. Spike reached his hand and poked her in the leg with his finger. She giggled and scooted away.
"So, what all do you need to get tonight Amy?" Spike grabbed a cart and they started shopping. Amy got minimal food, as her mother was going to take her food shopping later in the week. She got a new bedspread for her bed, yellow and white. And curtains that were a light peach to hang downstairs. She got a couple throw rugs. An Orange one for beside her bed, and a white and red striped one for the downstairs. Three hours, Amy was finally finished shopping. She went through the line and Paid for her purchases, while Spike put the bags in the cart. He helped her put the things in the back of the truck and took the cart back while she got into the truck.
After they had gotten everything back to her house and inside, Amy was putting things away the groceries while Spike played with the kittens. They were interested in him and tolerated him, as long as he let them nip his fingers, which they did frequently. When she was finished, she came into the living room and together they quickly hung the curtains in the downstairs. Spike followed her upstairs and helped her hang the curtains in the bathroom and in her bedroom.
"Amy, your room is comfy looking and peaceful. I love the color scheme you have going on. It reflects your personality very well. For the record, your room isn't dirty." She smirked at the reminder of their earlier tour of the place. She hugged him impulsively drawing a cocked eyebrow from Spike. She shrugged and ushered him out of the room, pulling the door shut behind her.
When they were at the door saying good night, Amy really didn't want him to walk out the door. She really wanted him to kiss her. She picked up the kittens to avoid stepping on them and scratched them under the chin. She bit her lip as Spike turned to her. He gave her a quick hug and turned to open the door. He didn't want to go either, but the first move was hers to make.
"Spike? Can I ask you a question?" Amy looked at him. He turned and leaned against the doorframe, the breeze blowing in from outside. Amy shivered a little bit.
"Yes Amy?" She bit her lip and looked at him.
"Would you like to stay a while longer?" Spike nodded, turned and locked the door. He took Amy's hand and looked her in the eyes.
"Are you sure about this Amy? Because I can still leave. I can still walk out the door and go home, but I can't pretend that I don't find you attractive. Please don't ask me to not find you attractive, or to go home. I can't." Amy nodded and led him back upstairs.