Trading Heartbeats
Chapter 2 - Crossed Roads
Amelia stared into the face of a blue-eyed, unmasked Cody Rhodes (Runnels). With her mouth gaping open and her eyes wide, Cody chuckled a bit and broke eye contact looking at the coffee stain on Amelia's shirt. Amelia followed his gaze and released his hand picking up the end of her blouse and surveying the stain for herself. "I'm so sorry," he said once more. Amelia shook her head as she had done before. "It was my fault; don't worry about it," Amelia said quickly while turning her gaze from her stained shirt to the coins on the floor.
"Here, let me make it up to you," Cody said once more as he touched Amelia's hand allowing her to break her gaze from the coins and stare at the crisp 20 dollar bill Cody held. Amelia shook her head once more looking up at Cody. "I'm sorry; I can't take that from you. It's okay; we weren't that hungry, anyways," she said before looking over at her friends. Khaila and Brittany seemed to nod, neither murmuring a word. As for Sonelle, she had been whispering and giggling with one of the other men that had seemed to accompany Cody - Kofi Kingston (Sarkodie-Mensah). Amelia looked back at Cody and continued, "If you'll excuse me, I - I should try and take this stain out." She gave one last gesture - a courteous nod - before attempting to depart to the ladies' room. However, before she'd even made one step towards the door, a hand had seized hers. Amelia gazed back into the face of Cody, watching the smirk play on his lips, "Please, I insist." Amelia could do nothing else but nod. She quickly thanked him and ran off to the lavatory nearly tripping on her feet.
In there, she glanced under the stalls making sure no one else had been there. Once her inspection was complete, confirming that she was all alone, she locked the bathroom's door and pulled her shirt over her head. Amelia pulled brown paper after brown paper from the dispenser, running it under the water and attempting to wash the stain out of her light blue blouse. As she did so, however, her mind wandered. What were the chances of meeting Cody Runnels here, she thought to herself. Well, very good considering that this was the only coffee store that was closest to the arena, she thought once more to herself. She then began to wonder about her friends; she remembered glancing over only to see Sonelle and Kofi already 'clicking'. Amelia smirked to herself thinking of the perfect ways in which to tease her friend about this.
After a few minutes of pondering this surreal situation, Amelia glanced at her shirt; the stain was still there only faded. Sighing, Amelia threw back on her blouse and exited the bathroom. Once outside, Amelia gave a slight jump noticing that both the superstars and friends hadn't been standing around as they once had. Instead, they'd been sitting and conversing rather fondly with each other. On one booth, Khaila and Sonelle sat on one side opposite to Kofi and one of the four others that once sat undisturbed at a table - CM Punk (Philip Brooks). On the booth right behind that, Brittany and three others sat. As Amelia began to notice, however, these 'others' were superstars as well; in fact, sitting at that table was none other than Justin Gabriel (Paul Lloyd Jr.), The Miz (Mike Mizanin), who left a second after Amelia had stepped out of the bathroom, and Heath Slater (Miller).
Amelia continued to gaze at the booths stupefied and in a word … awed at how easily and grandly her friends and the superstars seemed to have gotten along. She had barely even noticed that she'd made her way to the counter where Cody had been standing ordering two cups of warm coffee, until … "Hello," Cody said breaking Amelia's focus and inducing her to face him. Amelia merely smiled and blushed lightly as Cody handed her a cup of coffee. "Would you like to sit over there," he asked indicating the first booth and one furthest away from the others. Amelia nodded and proceeded over to the booth sliding in and sitting in the middle. Cody sat opposite from her and sipped his coffee. Amelia mimicked him hoping that the time spent drinking her coffee would either allow one of two things to happen - Cody to say something to break the awkward silence or give Amelia time to think up something. She was glad, however, when it had been the first.
"Sorry, again," Cody apologized. Amelia smiled and shook her head.
"It's fine. Thank you, by the way," she said raising her coffee cup a bit off the table to indicate exactly what she'd been grateful for.
Cody shrugged, "It was my pleasure." Amelia met Cody's gaze once more as he uttered the last word of the sentence and blushed, quickly directing her eyes outside at the passing cars. "So, uh, what's your name? I'm Cody -" he began before Amelia cut him off in a swift response, turning to face him once more.
"Runnels," she finished, smiling. "I know who you are. I watch you on my T.V. every Friday night. I'm Amelia, by the way, Amelia Rose," she finished. Cody smirked a charming smirk.
"That's a nice name," he commented. Amelia merely smiled as her cheeks reddened once more. "So, do you live here," he asked again.
"I do, actually. My friends and I share apartments uptown," she answered while taking another sip of her coffee. Cody nodded looking down into his cup of coffee. As Amelia watched him, she realized that maybe it had been her turn now to offer some small talk. "Do you guys leave tonight," she asked. Cody looked up brightly gazing directly into her green/grey eyes.
"Not all of us," he paused, taking a sip of coffee and then continuing once more, "most of them do, though. People like Heath, Paul and I don't have to fly in till Monday afternoon, the latest." It was now Amelia's turn to nod and stare down into her cup of coffee. Suddenly, something beeped. Amelia looked up only to see Cody check his phone. Cody, turning his eyes back to her and shifting in his seat so that he leaned forward a bit, continued in a hushed tone, "Listen. I've only just met you, but I would really like to see you again tomorrow. Would it be okay if we grabbed breakfast together," he asked. Amelia could not stop the smile from protruding onto her face while she gave a quick nod. "That sounds very nice," she relayed. Just as she had relayed this, a smile had grown on Cody's face as well.
"Where should we meet," Amelia asked. Cody held up one hand and gave a small smirk before speaking.
"Please, Ms. Amelia," he set down his hand, "it's my way of making it up to you. Allow me to pick you up." Amelia smiled a bit and nodded 'okay'. She excused herself from the booth and went over to the counter. There, she politely asked for a pen, and after being handed one, scribbled the address of her apartment down on a napkin. Amelia set down the pen, thanking the kind employee and headed back to the booth.
As she retook her seat, she slipped the piece of paper to Cody who took it and gazed down at it nodding. "150 West Almond Street, room 4 on the 3rd floor," he read aloud before looking up at Amelia to check if it'd been correct. Amelia, now setting her cup of coffee aside and propping her elbow up on the table, resting her chin in the palm of her hand, smiled and nodded once. And with that, Cody rose with a smile. As Amelia looked around, the other superstars and her friends had indeed risen from their seats too. Imitating their actions, she rose to her feet as Cody put a hand on her back leading her outside to the small parking lot.
Amelia grew nervous with every step hoping she wouldn't trip over her feet. (If it was unclear before, Amelia is a bit of a klutz - just a bit - and has a knack of showing this trait at the wrong sorts of moments.) "Where's your car," a man who stood the same height of Cody, but was of a darker complexion and had short dreads tied back into a ponytail asked. As Amelia looked around, Sonelle pointed it out while Kofi had had his arm completely around her and had been talking and chuckling with her every step of the way. A smirk played on Amelia's face, and trusting that her clumsiness wouldn't kick in, she braved a look back at the rest of her friends. Directly across from Kofi and Sonelle, Brittany, Justin and Heath walked, however, Brittany and Justin seemed to be striking up more of a conversation by themselves leaving Heath to be sort-of a third-wheel. Although Amelia stretched and craned her neck to see where Khaila was, she couldn't see her.
All seven had reached the car. As Amelia unlocked it and reached for the door handle, however, a hand stopped her, opening it for her. Amelia looked up Cody once more and smiled, thanking him. Around them, Heath and Justin had hugged Brittany (Justin giving her a second hug as she was about to step in); likewise, Sonelle and Kofi had hugged; as they pulled away, Kofi seemed to have slipped a piece of paper to Sonelle. Taking it with a grin on her face, Sonelle thanked him and entered the car. Then finally from out of the café, 'the missing two' strolled to the car.
Upon opening the car door for Khaila, he picked her up by placing his hands on either of her sides and placed her in the car before hugging her tightly. Withdrawing from the hug, with smiles plastered on both of their faces, Punk closed the car door. Amelia's cheeks reddened considerably as she looked around at her friends and the superstars' embraces. Amelia, for a long time, had not known what it was like to like a man or to be liked back. The only time I was hugged by a man was by my brother, she thought to herself before looking at Cody. Cody leaned in for a hug, and in a move of panic, Amelia stuck her hand out. Cody left his hands to lower themselves back to his sides before looking curiously at her hand. A handshake, really, he must have thought to himself; nevertheless, Cody's hand met hers and they shook. "I'll see you tomorrow at 9:00am," Cody stated as they released each others' hands.
Amelia looked back and nodded. "Definitely," she said with a smile hoping to comfort the sting of not hugging him. Cody answered back with a slight smile before closing Amelia's car door as she'd gotten in. Amelia waited for the five of them to leave to their vehicle before pulling out of the parking lot and heading back onto the streets. After 25 minutes of utter silence on the car drive to their apartment, the girls' voices rang out in shrieks and squeals just as they'd entered Brittany and Sonelle's apartment.
The girls, having changed into pyjamas and gathered in Brittany's bedroom, immediately began to talk about their day. "Who knew they'd actually be there," Brittany exclaimed as she flopped herself onto the bed. Sonelle, with a toothbrush in her mouth, excitedly said … or mumbled, "Mhm! Ah wha'abou' the way 'ustin 'ooked ah you." Brittany's cheeks flushed a deep red as Khaila and Amelia giggled on the floor at Sonelle's muffled talk and Brittany's reddening cheeks.
"Me," Brittany asked shrugging off the question, "what about the way Kofi and Sonelle were all giggly-giggly." Sonelle opened her mouth and raised her hand as if to say something, but merely made a 'humph' sound and stormed into the bathroom with a slight grin on her face. "And what about you, hmm, Khaila," Brittany persisted throwing a pillow in Khaila's direction. Khaila looked up at Brittany innocently, but Brittany glared back. "You know what I'm talking about," Brittany continued, "you … and Punk … the last ones out of the café." Amelia laughed poking Khaila's rib while Khaila blushed.
"He forgot his wallet, ok," Khaila said hugging the pillow to her chest.
"So, what? You were helping him find his wallet? Is that what you kids call it nowadays," Amelia teased. Khaila glared at her then shoved the pillow towards her. Amelia giggled and threw it back to Khaila. Just then, Sonelle walked out of the bathroom taking a seat on the bed next to Brittany. After her encounter with Kofi today, Sonelle's smile never seemed to fade. "And you, Amelia," Brittany asked.
Amelia merely blushed and hugged her knees into her chest. She didn't wish to discuss Cody; the thought of her merely sticking her hand out for a handshake as if it were some formal meeting made her cringe with embarrassment. The girls went on and on about their day which ended in Sonelle finally relaying that the little piece of paper Kofi had slipped her had quite in fact been his cell phone number. As the girls showered Sonelle in pillows, those of which she threw back at each of them, they each agreed to proceed into their respective bedrooms to catch some sleep. With one last goodbye, Khaila and Amelia made their way into their apartment. Khaila flopped onto her bed and in an instant, fell into a deep sleep. Amelia, however, lay there in bed with her hands resting behind her head still grinning from ear to ear.
She hadn't known what would become of her and Cody nor did she know what would become of her friends and the superstars they seemed to care for. All she did know, however, was that she was very grateful to have crossed roads with Rhodes.