• AMALIA •
I wake up in Archers bed. He's laying on top of me again, hiding me with his body. I grumble as I try to push him off to no avail.
"Archer." I mumble. "Get off."
His hand encircles my waist.
"Ugh." I mumble, trying to shimmy out from beneath him. It doesn't work. "Archer."
"Mhm?" He mumbles.
"You're crushing me." I say.
He smiles but doesn't move. I roll my eyes and make my body turn so I'm looking up at him and he's laying over me, like I'm a pillow. Is this how my brothers felt when I did this to them?
"Hi." He says.
"Hi, you elephant."
He smiles, then closes his eyes again. I scowl. "Archer!"
He brings a hand up and covers my mouth, snuggling his head into my shoulder. My heart softens as I turn my head to look at him. He's not leaning all his weight on me, but he is leaning some, as though being careful.
I rest my head against his chest and fall back asleep. I think I feel him kiss my cheek before sleep drags me under.
•
I wake up again. Archers arms are wrapped around my waist and his head is in the crook of my neck, his face smushed into the pillow.
I shuffle a little bit, and he holds onto me tighter, shaking his head a little as his lips tilt downwards into a baby frown.
"Stay." He whispers.
"I will." I reply.
He's stiff for a moment before he relaxes back into me. "Thank you." He mumbles.
I set a hand on the back of his head, running a hand through his brown hair. "For what?"
"Staying." He says.
I furrow my eyebrows, but close my eyes again. His arms wrap tighter around my waist, and he snuggles his head into my shoulder.
"Archer." I say after another minute. "I have to get up."
He shakes his head again.
I smile. "I have to teach Ally's class."
He huffs out a breath. "Ally will live." He whispers. "A few more minutes, please?"
"Okay." I say.
He leans up and kisses my cheek before laying back down. He rolls away, then pulls me toward him, laying my head on his chest and cuddling me.
I smile again.
•
I climb out of Archers bed. It's nine, and I have to be ready by half past.
I walk downstairs first. My grandparents are in the kitchen, along with my father, who's sitting at the counter, his eyes narrowed on his phone. He glances up at me, but barely registers me before looking back down. I frown.
"Hi, honey." My grandmother says.
My grandfather follows her gaze, and I instantly know from the look in his eyes that he read the note. I glance away from him quickly.
"Did you just wake up, sweetie?" My grandma asks. I nod. "Do you want breakfast?"
"No." I say. "Thanks. I need to get ready to go to dance."
"You can have something before then." She says. "You'll need it for energy. I'll bring it up to you."
"Okay, thanks."
I turn around and quickly walk up, biting my bottom lip between my teeth. I pull a shower cap on and rinse myself under the water, scrubbing my body, then get out of the shower. I dry myself, change into leggings and my dance jumper, then grab my bag.
"Amalia!" Ally exclaims from down the hall. She runs up to me and hugs me. I smile and hug her back.
"Hey." I reply.
"Can we go? Archer said he can take us!"
"Yeah, okay. Is he awake?"
"Yep!" She exclaims. She begins to jump up and down as she latches onto my hand, pulling me over to Archers bedroom.
She opens the door without knocking, and when we walk in my eyes widen. Archer is getting changed. He has pants on, but he has yet to put on a shirt. His chest is packed with muscle, lacking even a single drop of fat. He turns around when we walk in, exposing a toned back. "Jesus, Ally!"
She closes the door and pulls me out. I blink, then blush. Heat trails up my neck and to my cheeks, likely turning my entire face red. I look down at her. "That's why we need to knock before we go into somebody's bedroom."
She grimaces. "He's gross!"
I smile again.
"Come on, we can wait downstairs!"
She tugs me toward the stairs, and I follow her. She leads me into the living room, where my dad is sitting alone.
He looks over at us, and he tilts his head when he sees Alexandra. The next word to come out of his mouth makes me want to cry.
"Amalia?" He questions, his eyes still on Archer's little sister.
My eyes still water, and I dig my nails into my palms as a distraction from the sudden ache in my throat, because I know I'll sob if I don't.
But Ally smiles, giggling. "No, silly! This is Amalia!" She drags me forward, and I make myself smile.
He looks at me, and the confusion in his eyes makes my eyes water even more. I want my dad back. I want it to be just like before. I never got to tell him how much he means to me before he lost his memory, and what if he never understands it again?
"Oh." He whispers. "Right."
"We have to go. Bye, Amalia's dad!"
She pulls me out, then into the kitchen. My grandma is there, but her husband is nowhere to be seen. She frowns. "You're going? Your breakfast isn't ready—"
"I'll take an apple." I say.
"Okay." She replies. "I'll put some food in your bag, pass me it."
I do, setting it on the table. I stiffen when my grandad sets a hand on my shoulder. "Can I talk to you, baby?"
"I—I have to go."
"We don't have to go for another five minutes, that's what Archer said!" Ally exclaims.
I scrunch my mouth to the side, and my grandfather urges me out. He leads me into my fathers office, then closes the door behind us. Then he wraps me up in a hug.
I'm still for a second, but then I lean into him. He kisses my cheek, and that's all it takes to get my eyes watering again and a sob wracking my body.
"It's okay." He whispers.
"I'm sorry." I choke out.
"You don't have to be sorry for anything, Amalia." He says. "It wasn't your fault."
I let out another horrifyingly loud sob. He wraps his arms tighter around me, supporting me with his strong arms because I feel like I'm about to collapse.
"I t-tried to t-tell him to s-stop." I sob again. "B-but he just kept—kept—"
I don't finish the sentence, hiding my head in his chest. He kisses my cheek, beginning to run his fingers through my hair. "I'm gonna take you to the doctors after your dance practice." He says. "To make sure you're okay."
I nod. "Y-you can't tell anybody th—though."
"Okay." He replies. "Thank you for telling me, baby."
I lean my head on his shoulder. I snap my head toward the door when there's a knock on it. "Amalia! We're gonna be late!" Ally exclaims.
He wipes my tears for me, then kisses my temple. "Go, baby. I'll pick you up."
I nod, wiping my tears a second time before walking out. I smile at Alexandra. "Let's go."
My grandma rushes out and passes me my bag. I smile at her in thanks before following Archer and Ally out of the house, then toward the formers car.
He doesn't say anything for a few moments until Alexandra becomes distracted by what she's watching on her iPad. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah." I reply, swallowing the lump stuck in my throat.
"Were you crying?" He asks. "Your eyelashes look wet."
I laugh, but the sound is strange. "I didn't realise you were an eyelash expert."
He smiles. "I never said I was. I'm an Amalia expert."
I furrow my eyebrows, amusement bubbling within me. "An Amalia expert?"
"Yep." He says. Then, quieter: "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." I reply. I trust Archer, but I don't want to tell anyone else what I shared with my grandfather. Maybe if my dad didn't lose his memory, then I'd tell him. But he doesn't remember me, and would this version of him even care? "There's a party tonight." I whisper. "I wanna go."
He glances at me, but keeps his attention on the road. "After what happened last time?"
"Yeah." I reply. "I wanna get out of the house."
"I don't think that's a good idea." He says.
"You don't have to come," I tell him, "I was just saying that I might go, if I'm allowed."
"If you go, I will." He says.
"Mia's going." I mumble. "So I'll have someone there that I know anyway." I look down at the brace on my lower arm. "I don't want to pressure you into coming."
He shakes his head. "You're not. I like being around you."
Butterflies flutter in my stomach, but I still feel bad. He might not want to go, and I don't want him to feel like he has to because I want to.
I won't be allowed to go anyway, probably, considering what happened at the last party I went to. I just.. I need to be away from my life at home for a little while. Maybe a party isn't the best place, but where else is there?
"It's supposed to be a casual thing." I whisper.
"Okay." He replies. "You should ask your family first, though."
"Who am I even supposed to ask?" I question quietly.
"Your grandparents? Xander, maybe? He's the oldest." Archer replies.
"Xander will say no, then ask me if I have brain problems. I'll ask my grandma. She'll say yes." I say.
"Your grandma keeps trying to stuff me with food." He says.
I smile. "She likes feeding people. It's how she shows she cares."
"Ally loves it." He murmurs. He glances back at his little sister in the rear view mirror, and his expression softens. "She got cookie crumbs all over her bed and made me clean them off."
I laugh, and a few minutes of talking later passes until we get to the dance studio. I'm here to teach Alexandra's class, as well as attend my own private for my solo. I'm excited for it. To Build A Home is one of my favourite songs, and it reminds me of when everything was alright—of when my dad had his memory and he would hug and talk and laugh with me.
Maybe this will help me get away for a while.
"You staying to watch?" I question as we walk inside.
"Course' I am." He replies. He sets a hand on Ally's shoulder as his fingers interlock with mine. He squeezes them, and I squeeze back.
"Come on, Ally." I say, walking into the studio and breaking our connection. He smiles at me, and as Alexandra runs into the studio excitedly, he tugs me forwards and kisses me. It's a small peck on the lips, but it's enough to make my heart beat a little faster.
I lean forward and kiss him back. He smiles, and it's a grin that transforms his entire face. His eyes even crinkle a little at the corners.
"Bye." He whispers as kids begin to swarm into the building.
"Bye." I respond.
Still, I don't move.
"I think your students are waiting for you." He says, but by the way his fingers squeeze mine again and he pulls me a bit more forward, I wonder wether he wants me to move.
"Right." I say. "I should probably go."
"You probably should." He murmurs.
I don't. Instead, I rise onto my tippy toes and kiss him again, this time for a few moments. Then I smile and pull away. "Have fun watching."
"I will." He says, still smiling as I walk into the studio. When I look through the glass, his lips haven't moved from the grin they're in.
I grin too.