The Arrangement

Part 17

T.W. language, drug use, violence, drinking, in general fuck around & find out

London POV:

Amelia's call last night automatically sent me into a panic. I hadn't heard from her much since she told me about her first encounter with the guys, we've both been keeping busy. It's just a part of our lives as adults but now it's almost midnight and I'm still sitting here waiting for her flight to arrive. I swear I'm half-asleep in one of the uncomfortable chairs in the waiting area when I hear an announcement overhead:

"Flight number 825A from New York City to Dallas arriving at Gate 23G."

I sigh a breath of relief and follow a crowd to the terminal and wait again. I feel like that's all my day has been: waiting on a train wreck to get here. It's not long before I finally catch sight of her in the sea of people before me.

Her long platinum hair with red tips had long faded out to a dishwater blonde that she recently had cut shoulder length. I could tell she was tired from her drooping eyes, but there was something different about her - a glow of something that I just couldn't place. She looked the absolute same but totally different at the same time.

I laughed when she leaned against a wall and stood up on her tip-toes to try and see over everyone. Her eyes eventually landing on me and both of us broke out in a huge grin. "Uh-oh, it's a wrecking ball!" I laugh, rushing to hug her. "I've missed you!"

"Fuck, I missed you too!" She laughed, squeezing me tighter before breaking away. "You changed your hair again, it's purple now."

"Yeah, I didn't like the green anymore. It was too stereotypical in my line of work." We broke out smiling and erupting into a fit of giggles before hugging again, both of us obviously avoiding the elephant in the room. I still had no idea why the sudden trip home, even if I was overjoyed to see her. "Alright, let's go get your bag and get out of here before one of those damn dogs sniff me."

Amelia held up her backpack and shook her head. "No need, I packed light. Wait, don't tell me you were dumb enough to bring pot to an airport?" She finished in a hushed tone as she leaned in close to my face.

"No, I just smoked before I got here... Then again in the car when you had a layover."

She laughs and shakes her head. "Idiot. You're gonna get the TSA on our asses."

"Oh, chill out. You're screwing Captain America. If we get in trouble you can just call one of your guys to bail us out." I chuckle, dying down after a moment when I see a pang of sadness in her eyes. "What happened?"

"Nothing, I'll tell you about it later, let's just go." I eye her suspiciously for a moment before nodding my head and leading her to the car. I wasn't going to press the issue here; it's not the time or the place. If Amelia is anything like I remember she needs a joint and a shot of tequila before she'll actually tell me the problem. As much as I want the truth, it'll have to wait until tomorrow night, I spent most of the day at the airport waiting for her. We were both exhausted and in desperate need of a shower and sleep.

I'm doing my best to race through the city before tiredness takes over since Amelia can't drive; she's never really been able to. She always speeds, which when I think back, helped save our asses at least once in the past. Speeding down back roads to avoid getting pulled over was a common occurrence in college since we usually had alcohol or pot hidden in the trunk or under the backseat. I look at her in the passenger seat and notice again that she's not acting like herself. Normally, Amelia was a bubbly chatter-box but not tonight. Tonight she's silent as a mouse aside from a few sniffles. I have to break this silence. "Lexi is excited to see you. She's been talking about it all day apparently."