• AMALIA •
I stare at the bonfire. The flames bounce up and down, swirling around each other like a dance. Like a chase.
I pull my phone out of my pocket as Frankie talks to a friend I don't know. I have a message from my dad.
DAD: Everything going okay?
Sent ten minutes ago.
ME: Yep.
Frankie's friend walks away, and he turns to me. "You can at least try talk to my friends."
I did before, I want to say, but you cut me off.
"Okay." I mumble. "I'll try."
"Can I ask you something?"
I smile. "Sure."
"Did you tell your family to grill me?" He asks.
My smile drops immediately. "What? No. I told them to be nice to you."
He rolls his eyes. "Well, they weren't. Don't do shit like that, it's annoying."
"I didn't tell them to—"
"I don't like liars, Amalia." He says.
"I'm not lying."
He sighs. "Whatever. Sure you're not."
"Frankie—"
He nudges me, and I stand. He does, too. "I'm gonna go talk to my friend."
"I—"
He walks away, leaving me there. I sigh and sit down on the chair, crossing my legs.
"Amalia?"
I turn around at the sound of Archers voice, a smile immediately blooming onto my lips. "Hey."
"I didn't know you came here." He says.
"Yeah. I came with Frankie but," I look in the direction he wandered off. I can't see him. "I'm not sure where he went."
"You hungry?" He asks.
"A little." I respond honestly.
"There's a diner, like, down the road once you get to the car park." He says. "Do you wanna go get food?"
Do I wanna leave Frankie here and go with Archer? Yes. The former has hardly spoken to me all night. I'm bored out of my mind, and now that he's mentioned food, starving.
"Okay." I say. "Let me just send Frankie a text to tell him."
I pull my phone out, my fingers moving quicker than I thought they could as I type.
ME: I'm gonna go get food with Archer. I'm hungry. I'll catch up with you later.
I stand and smile at him. "Let's go."
He begins walking across the sand. "I like your dress." He mumbles.
My heart flutters as my smile widens into a grin. "Thank you."
Frankie didn't even notice.
"You're not cold, though?" He questions.
I laugh for the first time tonight. "Yeah. A little."
He shrugs his leather jacket off, and I furrow my eyebrows when he hands it to me. "Here."
"You'll be cold." I say. "It's fine, really."
"I'll be fine." He holds it out to me again. "Take it."
I smile again. "Okay. Thanks."
I take the jacket and put my arms into it, immediately relieved with the warmth. I inhale a small breath, realising that it smells like him.
Happiness flutters in me.
"What type of food do they have?" I ask.
"Everything. Their milkshakes are the best, though. I've been there a few times."
I grab my phone from the white jacket under his and send a text to my dad.
ME: I'm going to a diner with Archer.
His reply is immediate.
DAD: Okay.
I put my phone back in my jacket pocket.
I turn to Archer. "Do you like my dad?"
He furrows his eyebrows. "I've spoken to him once, when I came to your house a week or two ago for the project. He was nice." He glances at me. "Why?"
Frankie didn't like him.
"What about my brothers?"
"I only talked to one, when he came into the kitchen." He says. "His name was Grayson, right?"
I smile. "Yeah."
"He didn't really talk to me, but he seemed nice as well. Protective."
"Do you think that's a bad thing?" I ask quietly, unsure of why the words even leave my lips.
He frowns. "No." He says. "I'll probably be the same with Ally when she's older. Well, not probably. I will be."
I laugh, an invisible weight feeling like it's been lifted off my shoulders.
His lips tilt up.
We get off the beach and begin to walk toward the car park and past it, talking the whole time. Conversation is easy with him. Everything he says, my words bounce back until we're laughing.
By the time we get to the diner, I'm smiling still. We sit in a booth and look at the menus already there.
When the waiter comes over, we order our food—along with his recommended milkshake.
In the middle to a conversation, my phone starts to ring. I frown as I lift it up, seeing Frankie's name.
"One second." I tell Archer, who nods.
I answer and put the phone up to my ear. "Hey."
"Who did you go with?" He asks.
"Archer."
I hear him inhale a sharp breath. "Are you fucking kidding me?"
I slide out of the booth, hold a finger out to Archer and walk out of the diner. "What do you mean?"
"You went to get food with someone who obviously likes you?" He spits. "Without even asking me first? We're supposed to be here together."
"You went off with one of your friends." I say.
"For a minute because you were pissing me off!" He shouts. I wince and pull the phone away from my ear. "Come back."
"My food is about to get here." I say, watching through the window as a waiter sets two plates of food onto the table, and another puts two milkshakes beside them. I catch Archers gaze in the window, and he frowns at my watery eyes.
I turn away and blink the tears threatening to fall away.
"I don't care. Come back."
"Frankie—"
"So you'd rather be with Archie than me? Are you trying to make me hate you? Or are you just naturally fucking good at that?" He exclaims.
A tear drops down my cheek. "I'm sorry—"
"Fucking save it. Find your own way home."
He ends the call. I click on his contact name again, but he declines the call as soon as it begins to ring.
I sigh and lean against the wall for a moment. I wipe my tears, check myself in my camera, and walk back into the diner, a fake smile plastered onto my face.
"Everything okay?"
I nod, sitting down. "This food looks great."
"What's wrong?" He asks, his voice suddenly softer and lovely and calming.
"Nothing." I say. I pick up my strawberry milkshake and take a sip, groaning in satisfaction. "This tastes amazing."
"Amalia." He says quietly. "Who was that?"
"Frankie. He just asked me if I was okay." I respond. "Come on, eat before your food gets cold."
"It took him that much time to ask if you're okay?" Archer questions.
I nod and eat a chip. "Oh, before I forget." I say. "Would you be able to take me home?"
"Sure." He says. "If you want."
I smile. "Thanks."
•
An hour later my mind is completely off Frankie as Archer and I walk back to the beach.
He stops in front of a motorcycle, and I laugh. "There's no way I'm getting on that."
"Why not?"
"Because it's dangerous, and my dad will kill me." I say.
"You'll be fine." He assures me. A smile plays on his lips, and I think I swoon. "I promise."
I tilt my head.
"What, you don't trust me?" He asks. "After I bought you a second milkshake?" He shakes his head. "Wow."
I laugh. "Okay, fine. Do you have a helmet?"
"Yep." He grabs it off the back and plops it down on my head, an amused smile on his face.
"What will you wear?" I ask.
"I'll be fine." He assures me, like he did when he gave me his jacket. He slides onto the seat and turns it on, revving the engine once before looking up at me. He laughs. "Sit behind me."
I obey, sliding into the space behind him. Slowly, he grabs either one of my arms and wraps them around his waist.
His stomach is completely solid, packed with muscle. I squeeze onto it a little tighter, hoping he plays it up to nerves and not admiration and, honestly, a little excitement.
"You ready?"
I nod.
He speeds off, and I think I squeal. His body rumbles with laughter, but I don't think I'm scared. As he drives on deserted streets, I lean back a little and relish in the feeling of the wind on my face. It makes me feel.. free. Unconquerable.
I tilt my face up to the moon and laugh.
•
The ride home feels longer than it is, but when we stop outside of my house I feel disappointed. Archer makes his motorbike stop by the mailbox.
He turns around as I click the helmet off. I smile at him as I shrug his jacket off, too, missing the warmth as soon as I pass it to him.
"Thanks." I say. "I'll see you on Monday?"
He nods and clips the helmet onto himself. "Yeah. But if you wanna work on the project before then, message me."
"Okay." I respond. "Bye."
"Bye."
I stay rooted in place.
"Amalia." He says.
"Yeah?"
"You're not moving."
"Oh, right." I laugh. "Bye."
"Bye." He repeats.
But this time I actually turn around and begin walking to the front door. I glance over my shoulder to find that he's still there, and only when I step inside does he speed away.
"I'm back!" I announce as I close the front door behind me.
My dad walks out of his study and smiles at me. "Hi, baby. Did you have fun?"
I nod. He wraps his strong arms around me and completely cocoons me in a hug. I lay my head against his chest.
The living room door slams open. I snap my head toward Mason, who glares at me. "What were you doing on a motorcycle?"
I groan, annoyed, as my dad looks at me expectantly. I shove my older brothers shoulder, but it doesn't do much. "God, you're such a snitch. Were you just waiting for me to get back or something?"
"Mhm." He mumbles honestly.
I roll my eyes.
"Amalia, that's dangerous." My dad says. "And I thought Frankie was driving you home?"
"Well, he didn't." I say. I walk away and go over to the stairs, rushing up them,
"Amalia." My dad says, shouting after me. "Come back down."
"I'm going to change." I respond, quickly making my way to my room and locking the door.
"Amalia!" I hear my father yell. I frown and pull this stupid dress off, replacing it with a Friends t-shirt and black joggers.
I debate wether to shower or not, but decide not to. I can tomorrow. I just wanna go to bed.
There's a knock on my door as I'm about to climb in. "Amalia!"
I walk over to the door and unlock it before pulling it open. My dad stands there, and when he sees me his expression softens. He holds Petal in one hand.
"How come Frankie didn't bring you back?" He asks.
"He had to go early." I lie.
He sighs. "You shouldn't ride someone's motorcycle, Amalia. It's dangerous."
"He gave me his helmet."
"Who was it? That Archer boy?"
"Yes."
He sighs again. "You have to be careful. You should've called and asked one of us to come get you."
"He rides his motorcycle every day and he's fine."
"That doesn't matter. One day it might not be. I don't want something bad to happen to you, Amalia."
"Nothing bad is gonna happen." I mumble.
"You don't know that, sweetheart." He says, his voice softer.
"Whatever." I mumble. He frowns. "I'm going to bed."
"Don't you wanna come say hi to the rest of your brothers first?" He asks me as I shuffle to the top of my bed, Petal walking up to meet me by the pillow.
"I just wanna go to sleep." I say.
An emotion I can't name passes across his face before he nods. I climb under the duvet, and he stands over me to tuck it into my sides.
"I'm not a baby, dad." I say. "I can do it myself."
He leans down to kiss my forehead, "you're my baby. Goodnight. I love you."
My eyes water as I say: "I love you too."