You Are My Sunshine

Chapter 26 - The Illusion of Freedom

"Her heart was wild, but I didn't want to catch it, I wanted to run with it to set mine free." - Atticus

--

"Yeah, Meels," Opie smiled at Mae as they arrived at the hotel. "I stopped by before I left, she was happy and Jax said he was taking her home with him tonight so you don't have to worry."

"Thank you so much. Do you want to meet up with us?"

"Nah, I'm good you guys have fun."

"We will, Ope." Mae could hear Amelia's voice through the phone. "Enjoy your mini bar induced coma tonight."

Rolling his eyes, Opie flipped his phone shut and, lifting his hips off the seat, jammed it in his back pocket. "Free and clear," he winked.

"Really?" She looked relieved. "Thank God!"

Climbing out of her car Opie chuckled and grabbed her suitcase. "I really can't get you to stay in tonight?"

"Nope." Skipping into the lobby as the valet parked her car, Mae looked back at Opie with a cheesy grin. "Come on, I have to get ready!"

"Jesus," he groaned dragging his feet as he headed in after her.

They checked in and as much of a sour face and unenthused act as he put on, it didn't convince Mae. She could tell he was excited, they never did normal things, meeting up secretly was fun and the sex was amazing but they wanted to be a real couple. Vegas allowed them that opportunity if only for the weekend.

"Two queen beds?" She joked as he checked in.

"Two queen beds over my dead body," Opie grumbled as he kissed the top of her head. "What did you want to do tonight?"

Images of fancy dinners and shows, an expensive night in the town, filled his head and flooded him with panic. Opie did charm women, he didn't do romance and not because he didn't want to he didn't know how to. Everything he attempted when he dated Donna was a failure and ended awkwardly with an embarrassed Opie and a barely impressed Donna.

Mae shrugged, reaching for the keycard, and hurried ahead to the elevator. "I've never been here. I thought you'd have some ideas."

Forcing a chuckle, Opie thought about calling Juice for an idea but quickly scrapped the idea out of pride. "Guess we'll figure it out."

--

Strutting out into the living area of the suite, Amelia posed in her dress, hair done up and makeup, albeit light, applied flawlessly, and waited for Juice's approval. "So, what do you think?"

"Whoa," it was a breathy whisper. "Amelia, you don't have get so dressed up."

She shrugged with a timid smile. "It was for Jax; I wanted to look nice for our date night." The way her eyes fell to her hands and she began picking nervously at her cuticles told Juice it was more than Jax wanting to show her off and more Amelia wanting to keep his attention. She knew what he was attracted to and not because he made it known or forced her to adhere but because she had been in love with him her entire life. Amelia had realized when she hit high school what he liked physically in a woman; beautiful but natural, sexy, classy and confident. He loved a strong confident woman, and usually that was Amelia Winston, spoiled terribly as a child, but raised with the strength SAMCRO breed in its members, but that was not who stood there front of Juice.

"Well, you look great, I think you succeeded."

"Can you stop looking at me like that?" She crossed her arms over her body.

"I'm sorry," he turned his head. "I wasn't checking you out, or anything."

"No, I know," she chuckled, "You were like, staring into my soul, it was weird." It wasn't, Amelia felt a jolt, a shiver run down her spine when she walked out of the room and Juice smiled at her, it was that strange sudden flash that made her so uncomfortable. It was the very beginning of a crush.