Open mind for a different View

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Amelia was curled up against Anthony’s chest when Eric stepped into the room. “What the hell?” he asked with hazel eyes full of outrage.

Anthony expected her to pull back embarrassed or out of surprise but she didn’t. She didn’t seem fazed at all. “Hi, Eric.” She greeted, sitting upright.

Anthony threw a can of deodorant at his brother to take his eyes off Mel. “Hey, Rude. Give us a minute.” He waited until his angry brother turned around and left before he looked at her. “You okay?” he cupped his hand to her face and searched her eyes.

“Yeah sure.”

He grinned, “I don’t believe you.” His thumb gently caressed her cheek; her skin was smooth and intoxicating he couldn’t drop his hand.

“Ok, I feel better but not great.” She clarified with an eye roll. “I should go before he calls my sister and she has a mega-bitchfest.”

“That’s already bound to happen. I don’t want you to go but it’s not like this is the end.” He leaned forward, his lips close to her ear. “I’ll see you around soon Amelia.” As he pulled back he laid a kiss over her cheek.  He saw the heat rise to her cheeks before she grabbed her jacket and left the room.

~*~

Mel stepped off the staircase and found Eric in the living room. “What were you doing with him?” he demanded.

“You’re not the only one who needs help with school work. Why are you making this such a big deal?”

He blinked; he had never heard her say so many words at once outside of tutoring. “Lena will kill me if she finds out you were alone with Tony.”

“Then don’t tell her.” she shrugged, for her it was that simple.

“She’s one of my best friends and that means I should try and honor her wishes.”

“Just because she hates your brother doesn’t mean I have to.”

Eric squinted as he noticed something was different about Mel; she didn’t have her hat on, he stepped closer. “Your eyes are green.”

“Wow you are smart.” She dished with her vastly becoming classic sarcastic monotone.

Eric bit back his own comment it wouldn’t help his football career to be rude to her. “I’ve never seen your eyes before, you always have that hat on. I don’t need Lena on my case about Tony, what are we going to tell her?”

“Tell her I showed up after you got home and I’ll tell her I came early because I had some free time and went for a walk.” She shrugged again, still unsure why he was making it such a big deal by overacting.

Eric questioned it himself; Tony had been hugging her it could’ve been worse and knowing his brother that had been on his mind. For some reason it bugged him to see them together, there were tons of other girls his own age Tony could use. From what Lena told him Mel was already fragile, she didn’t need to be taken advantage of. “You want to study now?”

“Sure, you need it.”

“Are you calling me stupid?”

“Your word, not mine.”

He stared at her for a moment; he wasn’t used to someone, namely girls, being so ballsy. Girls normally wanted to impress him but Mel wasn’t most girls. “I’ll get my books.”

~*~

Amelia sat on the sofa and waited for Eric to come back down. A large part of her wanted to run back to Anthony’s room and have him wrap his arms around her again. Before she could consider it any longer or remember the moment Lena came barging through the front door.

“I’ve been looking all over for you.” She closed the door. “Mom told me about your fight.”

“I left and walked here instead of waiting for you, she got on me about Zander again.”

Lena opened her mouth then did a double take toward the stairs. “Hey perv, eavesdropping now?”

“You’re not that important Lena.”  Anthony walked round the staircase and sat next to Mel, slipping her a piece of paper. “Where’s your secret crush?” he asked Lena, caressing Mel’s hand out of sight.

“You’re not funny.” Lena snared then turned to Mel. “Where is Eric?”

“Grabbing his books.” She answered, giving no indication her blood was pulsating. “Go find him and tell him I don’t have all day.”  When Lena was safely gone she faced Anthony. “What are you doing?”

“I couldn’t get any work done knowing you were down here.” He smiled, white teeth peaking through his full lips.

Mel opened the piece of paper. “What’s this?”

“The address to my studio, meet me there tomorrow.” He looked toward the stairs.

“Ok.” Mel promised. Anthony kissed her cheek again before leaving the sofa, passing Eric and Lena on the way back upstairs. Eric gave her a knowing look, anger ablaze in his hazel eyes. She mentally groaned, he was as dramatic as Lena.

It was a good thing she knew school work like the back of her hand because most of her focus was on Anthony and not being able to forget he was upstairs. His smile kept flashing in her mind.

Mel and Eric sat around the coffee table where his books were spread out while Lena lounged on the sofa texting any number of dumbasses she knew. Mel never felt she was being hard on her sister’s friends because they had proven to be everything she thought ill about them. After twenty minutes of silence and clicking from Lena’s phone, Lena got up and stepped outside.

Mel jumped out of her head and noticed Eric was staring at her. “What?”

“You like my brother, don’t you? From what Lena says about you, you don’t like people easily.” There was a sharp edge to his question.

“You and Lena need another conversational piece. And stop dancing around it, what’s so bad about Anthony?” she went from being annoyed about the warnings to angry. Her mother’s disapproval about her life was enough; she didn’t need it from Eric and Lena.

“He can be an ass but I love my brother, I just don’t think he’s the right fit for you.” It was his turn to shrug.

“It doesn’t matter what you think. I’m helping you but that doesn’t make us friends. Let’s focus on the books, you don’t ask me anything personal and vice versa.” Mel made clear and vowed not to address the subject of her and Anthony anymore, it was no one’s business. Her anger got the best of her. “I don’t know why you and Lena are acting like you care.”

“Your sister loves you.” Eric jumped at the chance to defend his friend.

“She loves me like you love Anthony; because you have to not because you like him. Are you done with those homework questions?”