love came calling, twice // olly murs

26.

"Oh, Adam Kirk!" Amelia sang an hour later, knocking on the door of Adam's office. "I saw your lady caller this morning!"

Stepping into the room, she saw an aggravated Adam sitting at his desk. "If you're here for either details or to mock me, please leave. Olly has done both and I am not interested in either."

"I'm not," Amelia said, smiling as she took a seat in the chair across from him. "I'm here to ask you if you wanted to go out for lunch. I feel like we need to do some catching up."

Adam glanced away from his computer screen and eyed her carefully. "I just talked to you yesterday," he said warily.

"I know," Amelia said with a roll of her eyes. "But that was before Taylor spent the night, and as her friend, I need to screen test you to make sure I approve."

"You already know me," Adam said, sounding even more annoyed.

Amelia sighed. "I know you as Adam, my friend. I need to get to know you as Taylor's boyfriend." She bit her lip. "Really, though, Adam, I think we need to talk some things over regarding my living arrangements."

Adam blinked. That got his attention. "Why? Are you thinking of moving out?"

"Honestly?" Amelia looked down. "A little bit, yeah. I mean, I should, shouldn't I? I've overstayed my welcome hugely. But I figured you and I should discuss it anyways."

Adam didn't say anything for a moment, narrowing his eyes. It would suck so much if she were to leave now, especially with everything that had happened and that should happen within the next few days, the next week. He narrowed his eyes. "Have you talked to Olly about this?"

Scrunching her nose, she nodded. "Yes, briefly. He told me to give it some thought. Why?"

Adam rose from his desk, turning off his laptop. "I'm just wondering, that's all," he smiled weakly. "Let's go, though, for lunch. It sounds like a good idea."

Amelia furrowed her eyebrow, confused. "I don't get it Adam, why does it matter if I talk to Olly about it?" Truth be told, he hadn't seemed thrilled with the idea, but that didn't mean anything.

Did it?

As she followed Adam into the hallway, she tried to wrap her head around this. "Seriously, though, what does it-" her train of thought was cut off when she saw Olly walking down the hall with a toolbox in his hand. She glanced between it and his face several times before addressing it.

"Why do you have a toolbox?" she asked carefully and he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Just doing some work in Tom's room," he said just as carefully and she felt her heart skip a beat.

"Why?"

"The floorboards are kind of shit," he said, scurrying past her to get upstairs. "It's not a big deal."

She frowned. What the hell was he still doing in Tom's room? As far as she knew, after they had finished painting, the men were just planning to fill it with junk and call it a day. What did it matter if the floorboards were out of shape, too?

"Did you want some help?" she offered, "You know how much I love home renovations."

"Hey!" Adam said beside her. "I thought we were going to lunch!"

Amelia smacked her forehead, embarrassed. "Oh, yes! Sorry! I know, just figured I'd offer," she paused mid-ramble, feeling her cheeks heat up. "Did you want to come with us, Olly? To lunch, I mean?"

"Nah," Olly shook his head, taking the stairs two by two. "I have a lot I want to finish in the room before the shoot this afternoon, so go on without me."

She frowned yet again, slightly disappointed by his rejection. "Are you sure?"

"Amelia," Olly said, stopping on the top step, "It's fine. Go with Adam. I have some stuff to set up for the shoot, too, so really, it's a good idea if you go and I get it done so we don't run this thing till midnight." With a smile and a wave, he walked down the hall.

Adam and Amelia walked to the car in silence, but once she slid in the passenger seat, she cut into him. "What is he really doing in Tom's room?" she asked pointedly and Adam rolled his eyes.

"Just what he said he was doing," Adam explained, "Fixing the floorboards."

"But you guys are turning it into a storage room," she said confused, "What does it matter?"

"Oh," Adam said, putting the car in reverse and pulling out of the driveway. "Olly just refuses to do anything half-assed, even if it is just a storage room. If he's going to do something, he's going to do it right. You know how he is."

Amelia stared out the window at this. "I don't, really, but I'm learning."

Adam glanced at her as he switched lanes. "That's true. You guys have been so...friendly with each other, that I kind forget that you used to be at odds all of the time. Not entirely, but it's no longer lingering at the surface."

She sighed, leaning her head against the window pane. "He's nothing like I thought he was," she admitted softly. "He's completely different."

"A good different?" Adam asked. "Or a bad different?"

"An amazing different," she said with another sigh. "I never in a million years thought he'd dedicate so much time to what he does. To photography. And I had no idea he taught those kids..."

"Ha, him and those kids," Adam said with a smile. "He does love teaching them."

"And he's so kind and he's funny and smart," she turned to Adam. "Did you know he was smart? Cause I never knew he was smart."

Laughing, he nodded. "I had a hunch."

"He's just so...so good," she finished. "I'm so glad that I stopped being so narrowed mined and took a chance to get to know him."

"I think he's more than glad that you did, too, Amelia," Adam said, "Pizza sound good, by the way."

"Yeah," she nodded, biting her lip. "Do you really think he's glad that he and I are friends now, Adam?"

"Are you kidding?" Adam asked, sounding mildly astounded. "Amelia, between you and I...I haven't seen Olly this comfortable or happy in nearly three years."

Amelia's breath caught in her throat. Three years? But that was when.

"Yes, that's when you started dating Tom," Adam said, as if reading her mind. "It wasn't easy for him, for any of us to have you guys always fighting, but it was how it was. Now that you guys have made amends and are spending all this time together, it's like...it's like he's a new person."

Adam let out a deep breath as he pulled into the parking lot of a local pizzeria. "Which is why I have to ask to please really think about moving out. You may not realize it, Amelia, but you mean more to him than anyone has in a long time."

Feeling her legs go numb at his words, she stared back at him, nodding slowly. "What are you saying?"

Adam looked her straight in the eye. "I'm saying that you moving out wouldn't make him happy, that's all. Now let's go eat, I'm starving."

Stepping out of the car, Amelia felt almost dizzy. She knew Olly cared about her, but to say that she meant more to him than anyone had in a long time? Wasn't that going a little too far? Closing the car door behind her, she looked at Adam. "Hey, Adam?"

"Look, Mils, I know what I said was kind of heavy and you probably have a million questions," he chuckled when she nodded, "but for now it's probably best to drop it. I know I sound like an ass for it, but it's probably for the best if you just let things play out on their own for a while. Can you just postpone the thinking of moving out for at least another week?"

She nodded, swallowing thickly. "Sure."

Adam grinned. "Great. Now how about you tell me some of Taylor's favourite things so I can surprise her with a present, okay?"

Shoving the thoughts of Olly and her pounding heart aside, she laughed as he held the door open for her and began to list off things about her best friend, eager for the distraction.

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