Amelie's POV
Our plane lands in L.A., and Jim and I carefully walk out of it, and then to the baggage claim area. Once we are out, we are surprised to see the guys here for us, and we immediately let go of our hands. I hope they didn't notice.
"AHHHH!" shout the girls, running towards me to give me a group hug. Nope...they didn't.
"GIRLS! I missed you," I say. I see that Jim is walking over to the guys, and talking to them.
"Hi, Jim," says Kaley, embracing him in a hug.
"You've been with Amelie for a month, so we will steal her now," says Melissa, pulling me by the arm.
"You won't have her again in like a week, okay?" says Mayim.
"HAH," laughs Jim. "In your dreams, Mayim. I'll see you tonight, Ams."
"What?!" says Kaley. "She is for us tonight, Parsons."
"Na-a," he says, shaking his head.
The girls stare at Jim with a confused look, but somehow showing a little of suspicion.
"Yes, see you tonight, Jim," I say, winking at him without anyone else noticing. He smiles a small smile at me, and blows a tiny kiss in the air, hiding his face from everyone else. I wink at him again and bite my lip, finally turning my attention to Mayim, who's telling me to come on.
I say goodbye to Simon, Johnny, and Kunal, and walk with the girls at my side.
"We missed you, Ams!" says Mayim.
"Yes!" starts Kaley.
"We will not give you permission to leave us this long again," speaks Melissa.
I laugh, and then get into the car. "Where are we going?" I ask.
"Hmm, just to take a cup of coffee and sit on a table at Starbucks because you lady need to tell us EVERYTHING that happened on the trip," says Kaley.
"HAHAH okay I will."
Kaley drives to the Starbucks, and finally arrives. We get out of the car and order our coffee.
"May I have an Iced Vanilla Latte, please," says Mayim.
"I would like a Caramel Macchiato, please," says Melissa.
"For me an American decaf coffee please," I say.
"And for me an Iced Caffe Mocha, please," says Kaley.
The man takes our names and asks us to wait at the side for our coffee. Several names are called, then a red head man called Jim goes for his Tall Iced Coffee, reminding me of my Jim. I can't wait to see him tonight. I love him so much and can't believe he is my boyfriend now, after thinking it would just happen in my dreams. I won't tell the girls now, though I am anxious to let them know.
"Iced Vanilla Latte for Mayim," says the man.
"Oh that's me."
Mayim takes her coffee and immediately, Melissa's coffee is ready, then followed by mine, and then Kaley's.
We take a seat at a table and they immediately want me to start talking.
"Soooooooo...." starts Mayim. "Spill the beans."
"Okay," I start. "It was a lot a lot of fun!!! We got to Paris and we did so many awesome things. Jim is so funny, I just couldn't. We would laugh and laugh and laugh, fool around, we were like little kids. Then London was awesome, too. When we got to the ship it was the best. We would be together all the time, sleep at like 3:00 or 4:00 am, then wake up like at 8:00 am when there were city days. Then—
"Nah nah, wait," says Melissa, interrupting me. "We want to know what happened with Jim, did you tell him anything? Did something happen?"
I start getting nervous at this point. I want to tell them, but I am still a little confused why they didn't let us know what they knew a long time ago. "No no, that would be crazy," I lie. "Nothing happened, neither did I tell him a thing, but...I can say that right now I love him more than ever. I am...crazily in love."
"DAMN IT!" says Kaley. "If you are crazily in love why don't you tell him?!"
"Because—
"You NEED to tell him," interrupts Mayim.
"Wait girls," I say. Now that I know what they know, lets see what happens if I ask. "Why are you always pushing me so much to tell him...Do you know something?"
I can see nervous expressions showing on their faces.
"No-no," lies Kaley.
"We just know that you love him, that's it," says Melissa.
"Exactly," says Mayim.
"Well then...why are you pushing me so much?" I ask.
"Because—
"Because you are getting hurt," interrupts Kaley to Mayim. "Because you want to be with him, but can't just because you think your friendship will become awkward, when you don't really know..." Kaley stops, and looks a little worried.
"Know...what, Kaley?" I ask, trying to hold my smile.
"Know what could really happen," she continues.
"But how are you girls so sure?" I ask.
"We are sure because we know that even though Jim doesn't love you back he won't leave you," says Mayim.
"Why?" I ask.
"Because you are his best friend and he won't afford losing you," says Melissa. "No matter what."
I think about it for a second. "Hmmmm," I say, thinking. "Nope won't happen," I say.
"Crap," says Kaley. "So close."
I turn to look at my watch and realize that I should start getting ready to meet Jim for dinner. "Oooo, girls, gotta go," I say, standing up.
"What?!" says Melissa. "But you barely talked about the trip!"
"I am sorry, I promise I'll tell you everything in detail tomorrow, but I just really have to go right now."
"But why?" asks Kaley.
"Because I am tired and because I need to take a shower to meet Jim later on," I say.
"Why are you meeting Jim if you saw him for almost a month 24/7?" asks Mayim.
"We will transfer some pictures of the trip, to my laptop and to his, and like that. Nothing important, just some last trip stuff," I say.
"Ohhh...okay," says Mayim.
"Then we are looking forward to seeing you tomorrow, Amelie Isabel Jones, if not...you are dead," says Melissa.
I laugh, and then start. "Yeah yeah, I promise."
I walk out of the Starbucks, and start to my house, it isn't far away. I get to my house and slowly open the door.
"Home sweet home," I whisper. Jim took my suitcase, so I won't have to unpack anything until he gives it back, thank God.
I run upstairs and turn my shower on, waiting for the warm water to start running.
I start thinking about what I could wear for a fancy dinner tonight. I choose a nice beige dress, and black high heels, since the dress has a black belt.
I see vapor coming out of the shower, the water is now warm. I get in, feeling the hot water touching my face.
Jim's POV
"Simon, do you have pretzels?" asks Kunal, as we take a seat in Simon's living room.
"No, Kunal. You finished the entire bag yesterday don't you remember?"
Kunal makes a complaining sound. "Ugh...you're right. What else do you have?" he asks. "I'm hungry."
Simon stares at Kunal for a few seconds. "Let me check," he says, standing up. A few minutes later, he comes with two bowls, one of chips and the other of popcorn. "There," he says. "Happy?"
Kunal rubs his hands. "Oooo yes. Read my mind. I wanted popcorn." He takes a handful of popcorn and puts it in his mouth.
"So," says Johnny. "Tell us!"
"What?" I ask.
"The trip," he says.
"Oh oh," I say with a laugh. "It was amazing, we had so much fun."
"Really?" says Kunal. "I'm glad to hear."
"And what else?" asks Simon. "How did it go with Amelie?"
"Oh it went great. We had a wonderful time as always, laugh, laugh, laugh, fool around like little kids, she's just hilarious," I say.
"Aaandd..."starts Johnny, hesitating to ask the question. "Did you tell her anything?"
Oh Jesus. Time to use some acting skills. "Oh no no no," I say. "I didn't, no it would've totally ruined the trip. I tried once when we were in Paris, but...the words never came out."
"Damn it, Jim," says Simon.
"I think the best thing you can do is tell her," says Kunal, taking a chip into his mouth.
"No," I say. "I don't want to ruin what we have. It is beautiful. I mean, I won't deny that...after this trip I love her like I never thought I could love anyone...there are no words to describe."
"Sooo," says Johnny. "Why don't you tell her?"
"Do I really have to repeat?" I say.
"No no you've made it very clear why you don't want to tell her after all these years, but...maybe you should give it a chance," says Simon.
"No way," I say, shaking my head. "You know...what don't we watch some football?" I turn on the TV and put a repetition of Sunday Night Football in NFL Network.
"Who won?" I ask.
"Packers," says Johnny.
"Oh of course," I say, taking some chips on my hand. I am so distracted, I can't concentrate on the game, the happiness that Amelie is now a bigger part in my life has me thrilled, complete. I can't help but smile, hoping that the guys don't notice, as they are watching the game. I can't wait to see her tonight.
Kaley's POV
I look at Amelie going out from Starbucks and can't help but notice the smile she has on her face. I am sure there is something she isn't telling us.
Mayim and Melissa are just talking and laughing, while my mind is trying to search for conclusions.
"Hey girls," I start, catching their attention. "I think that Amelie is hiding something."
"What?" says Mayim, a confused look on her face.
"Hmmm...Kaley?" starts Melissa. "I think maybe you drank too much coffee."
"What?" I ask in confusion. "No! Didn't you see her? I am sure there is something she isn't telling us."
"Doesn't sound reasonable," says Mayim.
"But why would she do that?" asks Melissa.
"I don't know," I say. "But I think it involves Jim."
"Jim?" asks Mayim. "I don't think so. She would've told us of course."
"I don't know, I don't know," I say, closing my eyes. "But I think it might...I was thinking...following them tonight."
"Are you crazy?!" says Melissa, hitting the table. "No! I honestly don't think there is something going on between them, and we would be invading their privacy."
"It is just to make sure," I say. "They don't need to know."
"Honestly, I don't think you're right, Kaley, but...okay, lets follow them, just to see," says Mayim.
Melissa turns to look at Mayim horrified. "Mayim, have you lost your mind?" she says. "I'm not going."
"Melissa," I start, begging. "Come on! Aren't you curious?"
"Curious of what? I don't think she is hiding anything."
"But what if she is?" I ask.
Melissa just stares at me with her arms crossed, as if thinking. "Then..." she says. Melissa stops for another few seconds and then continues. "Ugh," she sighs, giving up. "Alright, I'll go, but if she isn't hiding anything...you owe me a dinner."
"Sounds good," we say, finally standing up from the table.
Amelie's POV
I put on my dress and high heels, after finishing my hair and makeup. I read that the clock says 8:01. Jim is supposed to be here for me at 8:00 pm, so he should get here in any second.
I walk down the stairs, and the doorbell rings. Right on time. I check my hair once more in the mirror before opening the door. Oh how ridiculous I am. Jim has even seen me on my pajamas, and now I am worrying about how my hair looks? Ridiculous Amelie, absolutely ridiculous.
I open the door of my house to find the most handsome man, Jim, wearing a suit.
"Hi," I say.
"Hello, beautiful" he says, taking my hand.
I get closer to him, and we gently kiss on the lips, making me feel like I must be dreaming again.
"Ready to go?" he says.
"Absolutely."
We walk to his car, and he opens the door for me.
"Thank you," I say.
"You look stunning."
"Aww, Jim," I start, as he gets in the car. "You are so sweet. You look so handsome I have to say."
He laughs a little, but I can see he is blushing. "Wow, I never really thought I would listen to you say that someday," he says.
"Well, I always thought about it."
We laugh, and he takes my hand, while he drives with the other to the restaurant.
Kaley's POV
The girls and I are sitting in my car, some meters away from Amelie's house. I see that Jim parks his car in front of Amelie's door.
"There he is girls," I say. "You can find two other sets of binoculars at the back."
Melissa hands one to Mayim, who is sitting on the co-pilot seat, and takes one herself.
"There's Amelie," says Melissa.
"Why is she wearing a dress...and Jim a suit?" asks Mayim. "A date?"
"Nahhh," says Melissa. "Remember Jim and Amelie sometimes go to Fogo de Chão and some other fancy restaurants."
"She's right," I say, not pulling away from my binoculars.
"Ugh I can't see what's going on," says Mayim. "Jim is blocking Amelie and I can't see if they're talking or what is happening."
"Move, Jim," says Melissa.
Amelie and Jim start walking to the car, and Jim opens the door for her. "Did you see that?" I ask.
"Yes, but Jim always does that with her. Remember he's always trying to be his best when they are together," says Melissa.
"Damn it," I say. "Why do you have to be right?"
Melissa laughs a small laugh and then continues talking. "Well, I told you she wasn't hiding anything."
"Go down!" says Mayim, as Jim's car passes by us. "That was close," she says. "Now follow."
I turn on the car, and start it...secretively following Jim through the streets.
Jim's POV
We arrive at the restaurant in Beverly Hills, and I pass through the valet parking.
"Thank you," says Amelie, as the man opens her door.
I hand the keys to the man and thank him, as he takes the car away. I hold Amelie's hand and walk with her to the entrance opening the door for her.
"Good evening," says the man. "Reservation?"
"Yes," I start. "Jim Parsons."
He quickly types something in his computer and turns to us. "Right this way, Mr. Parsons."
We follow him to a nice table for two in one corner of the restaurant, perfect for privacy.
"Thank you," we say, as the man hands us the menus.
"You will be attended shortly. Have a good night."
He walks away, and a man comes to take our drinks. I order a glass of water and Amelie does too. Once he comes with our drinks, I order some Sirloin and Amelie, Filet Mignon.
"Thank you," we say, as the waiter brings our food. It smells delicious, everything in this restaurant is delicious.
"Bon Appétite," says Amelie.
I smile at her, and try saying it, but fail. We start laughing. Overwhelmed by her beauty, I just stop and look at her.
"What?" she asks with a beautiful smile.
"Nothing, you're just...beautiful that's all."
She smiles and looks down at the ground. "Jim, thank you," she says.
"Oh no need to thank me when it's true."
She looks up, directly to my eyes, making me weak in the knees. I take her hand and stroke it with my finger, our eyes never leaving each others'.
Kaley's POV
"Damn it," I say, as I look at Jim's car entering the valet parking. "Why did they have to choose a place in which there are no windows we can look through?!"
"I guess we'll just have to wait," says Mayim, a complaining sound coming from Melissa in the back.
"Look look!" I say, pointing at Jim, as he walks by Amelie. "Is he holding her hand?" I can't see clearly, but then Jim turns around, and I realize that he probably wasn't. "Oh no...never mind," I say.
Jim opens the door for Amelie, and they finally disappear inside, giving us no clue.
"Kaley, I don't really think they're hiding anything," says Melissa. "I think we should go."
"No!" says Mayim immediately. "I am curious. We should wait until they come out of the restaurant."
"I'm with Mayim," I say.
Melissa sighs and sits back. "Okay."
Amelie's POV
"Wow, this is delicious," I say, as I take a spoonful of Molten Lava Cake into my mouth.
"Yeah, tastes like the one of the cruise...Wouldn't it have been awesome if we would've known during the entire cruise?" asks Jim.
"Oh definitely," I say, taking another spoonful. "But it was still incredibly awesome and so much fun."
"Of course of course." Jim stops and thinks about something for a second. "I was going to tell you in Paris, you know? When we were on top of the Eiffel Tower, but...the words didn't come out."
I drop my spoon on the plate. "Jiiiimmmm," I say.
"What?! I didn't know how you felt, so I couldn't take the risk of ruining the entire trip, or worse...the friendship. If I would've known that you love me too, then...I would've spilled the beans there."
I laugh for a moment. "You're right. I was also scared to tell you."
"Of course, we both were," says Jim. "Look...I was thinking if...maybe..."
"Yes?" I ask.
"You would like to fly to Houston tomorrow afternoon to give the news to our parents. Or have you told them already?"
"Oh no no," I say. "My mom doesn't know, I just told her I was here already, and that I would call her another day to tell her how it went."
"So?" asks Jim.
"Sounds like the best idea ever."
"Really?" he says.
"A-h-a," I nod.
"Perfect." Jim claps his hands once in excitement. "I'll look for the plane tickets and hotel."
"Great!" I say with a huge smile on my face. "It is done. Should it be a surprise?"
"What?" asks Jim.
"That we are visiting Houston I mean."
"Oh oh," says Jim laughing. "Yeah sounds like something we could do."
"Wonderful," I say.
Jim stares at me for a few moments. "I love how you say that word."
"Oh I got it from you," I say, speaking a small laugh. "I love how you say it."
Jim laughs a little, and after paying the check, takes my hand to walk towards the entrance.
"Thank you," we say, as we exit.
"Have a nice night," says the man.
We wait for Jim's car, his arm wrapped around me.
"What do you say if..." starts Jim.
"If?" I ask, placing a hand in his chest and looking up at him.
"If we walk in the park we always walk in."
"Yes!" I say. "I would love to."
Jim places a small kiss on my forehead and then caresses my cheek. The car arrives, and Jim, as usual, opens my door. I thank him and he gets into the car, smiling at me before starting to drive to our park.
Kaley's POV
Mayim is snoring, as she is soundlessly asleep, while Melissa and I are talking and laughing.
"HAHAHAHAHA," laughs Melissa.
Mayim's head turns, an angry expression showing on her face. "Can you shut up?" she says. "I'm trying to sleep."
"No, Mayim," I say. "What if Jim and Amelie come out? You'll miss it."
She sighs and sits up.
"Girls girls," says Melissa. "Here they come."
Jim and Amelie exit the restaurant. Now I can see that they are indeed holding hands.
"Looookkk!" says Mayim. "They are holding hands."
I gasp. "And now...Jim is hugging her."
I stare in unbelief and try to draw conclusions in my mind of what could be happening. Jim and Amelie sometimes hug, that's true, but...I don't know this looks different.
"But Jim and Amelie hug constantly," says Melissa.
"Yes," I start. "But don't you think this looks a little bit different?"
Melissa stays silent for a second, but Mayim speaks first.
"Girls?" she says, catching out attention. I see that Amelie is looking up at Jim, her hand on his chest and then...
There is a harmonious gasp, as we are all surprised when Jim kisses Amelie's forehead.
"What just happened?" I ask.
"Doesn't Jim kiss Amelie's head sometimes?" asks Melissa.
"Yes, but not in public, unless she is crying or something" says Mayim.
"You just want a free dinner, Melissa," I say.
Jim and Amelie get into the car.
"Follow them," says Mayim, making me start the car quickly.
Jim's POV
I park my car close to the park, where Amelie and I start walking. We never get tired of holding hands. I guess maybe this is something we always wanted to do with each other.
"So how will we tell our parents?" asks Amelie.
"Good question," I say. "Maybe we could surprise them with our appearance in Houston as you said, and...I think we could go to your parents' house first, and invite your mother to dinner not telling her why, then go to my mom's house and invite her to dinner not telling her why, then...we'll spill the beans there."
"I love your idea," says Amelie.
"Really? Do you want to do that?" I ask.
"Yes, definitely. I love your brain."
I laugh a huge laugh, and bring my arm around her, holding her tightly. "And I...love yours."
She turns to me, our bodies now forward to each other. She wraps her arms around my neck, making me shiver. We stare at each other for a few seconds. Then...
"AHHHH JIM, NO STOP IT!!!!" I start tickling Amelie, making her laugh insanely. Amelie HATES it when people tickle her.
"JIM I AM GOING TO KILL YOU," she says, still laughing. She turns her body away from me, and I hug her waist from behind to avoid her falling. She keeps laughing, and I place a soft kiss on her cheek, then she turns around and delicately kisses me on the lips.
"You are dead," she says between a kiss, our eyes still closed and our faces just centimeters away.
I laugh a tiny laugh, and kiss her again. "Don't even try because you are gonna end up losing," I whisper.
She laughs looking up at the sky, her arms still wrapped around me. "I know I'll lose, so I won't try."
I peck her nose, while she strokes my neck with her thumb.
"Come on," I say, taking her hand. "Lets keep walking."
Kaley's POV
I start driving by the edge of the park, following Jim and Amelie's walking, of course, in a very cautious way.
"Yep," starts Mayim. "They are holding hands. Now doubt about that now."
I continue driving, the girls observing every move, I looking forward to make sure I don't crash with something. Suddenly, Melissa gasps.
"What?" I ask, turning to look at them again. I gasp, too, as I see them looking at each other in the eyes, Amelie's arms wrapped around Jim's neck, and Jim's arms around Amelie's waist.
"Oh my," says Mayim.
Suddenly, Jim starts tickling Amelie, and she starts laughing like crazy.
"AHHHH JIM, NO STOP IT!!!!" we listen to her say.
The girls and I watch carefully, everything is starting to get clear now. Amelie shouts something else, and then Jim kisses her on the cheek.
I turn to look at Mayim, and her mouth is wide open, then...out of nowhere...she shouts.
"LOOK LOOK!!!"
I immediately turn to look at them, and...they are...kissing. "OH MY GOOOODDD!!!!" I shout with a huge smile on my face.
Melissa hits the seat in excitement.
"AHHHH!" we shout together, looking at each other, all wearing enormous smiles on our faces.
"Oh my god, Oh my god!" says Mayim.
"It's happening!!!" says Melissa. "They are indeed together!!"
"I know, I know," I say with a smile. "But...but...why didn't she tell us?!" I ask, suddenly feeling anger and confusion running through me.
"I don't know!" says Mayim, suddenly looking upset too.
"I don't get it," speaks Melissa in confusion.
I see that Jim places a small kiss in her nose, and then they start walking again, holding hands.
"Ohhohoh no," I start. "I want a clear explanation."
I take my phone out and start dialing.
"What are you doing?" asks Mayim.
"Calling Simon," I reply.
"Wait!" starts Melissa. "You'll wake him up."
"So?" I ask. "He needs to— Hey Simon," I say, as he picks up.
"Kaley, what's up? Why are you calling me right now?"
"Simon..." I start. "Meet me at the entrance of Amelie's house now."
"Why?" he asks in confusion.
"I'll tell you when you get there, and tell Johnny and Kunal to come, too."
Amelie's POV
Jim and I finally get into the car, after talking and walking for almost an hour and a half.
"Ready to go home?" asks Jim.
"Well...not really. I don't want to leave you," I say. "But some sleep could do me well."
Jim laughs a little and starts driving. "I don't want to leave you either, but...you need to sleep, darling," he says, turning to me in a red light.
I smile at him and the light turns green. He carefully continues driving, not exceeding the speed limit. A few minutes later, he stops in front of my house.
"Bye, Jimmy," I say kissing him on the lips.
"Bye? No, I'll walk you to your door. Wait here."
I smile at him and see him getting out of the car, then walking to my side and opening my door. He holds my hand and helps me out the car.
"Thank you, dear," I say, as he holds my hand tightly. We start walking towards the entrance of my house, when I turn my head up. Surprise fills me, and Jim stops at my side, with me, as we see the guys and girls standing in front of my door, angry and confused expressions showing on their faces.