she subtly watches them from her spot, while her parents talk to another person, and while the boys stop to talk to someone joe's introducing to them. she takes her phone to pretend she's doing something, and decides to text will.
amelia (!!!): yo
amelia (!!!): will i'm bored cause 1 parents being parents 2 no friends whatsoever and 3 the only 4 people i know in here besides my parents are busy :/
amelia (!!!): please tell me you're available to talk cause i'm just standing here all alone while everyone has someone to talk to except me
she looks up at brad's direction again and sees that they're all still talking to the man. brad seems a bit distracted though, and she watches as he takes his phone out of his pocket, smiles at the screen and starts to type.
she moves her eyes away from him now, cause she feels as if she's being invasive. when she turns her head left, she sees a blonde, familiar looking girl walking to her.
"amelia! hi!" the girl says, hugging amelia. "i've been actually looking for you since i got here!"
"oh, wow, hi!" what was her name again?! amelia remembers she's the intern girl that works for the receptionist from the h.r. department. they met during amelia's working week, but she can't remember her name. "how are you?"
"ah, you know!" she gestures. "busy as always. i've been working non stop the whole week!"
"oh yeah, i feel you, same here." amelia grimaces. "busy week for everyone at the label, i guess." she shrugs. she glances back at brad, who's now focused on the man, a frown on his face. who's that man anyway and why is he talking so much?!
"yeah, i think so." amelia looks back at the girl, forcing her brain to remember the name. sam? or maybe something with an e... elise? no, that feels wrong. she looks down at her phone and sees new messages. but she can't be that rude to the poor girl in front of her.
"so! what did you think about the band? they're great, aren't they?!" amelia asks, quickly checking brad again. still there. she's trying to make conversation cause she doesn't know what to say and talking to someone is better than talking to no one. even if she doesn't remember her name.
"oh... eh, they're okay, i guess." the blonde shrugs, not looking very impressed. amelia's eyebrows rise up.
"you didn't like them?" she sounds genuinely surprised. what's wrong with this person?! and what the fuck is her name?!
"no, it's not that, it's just, you know..." she looks down, blushing. "that lead singer reminds me too much of my ex-boyfriend." she rolls her eyes. "but whatever!" she laughs, a fake laugh. "i should get going, actually, amelia, cause you know, the interns are always the ones who have to do everything for everyone."
"are they making you work extra hard today?" amelia asks, a bit concerned.
asking that question was a bad idea, amelia. cause that makes the girl start really talking, and she doesn't stop. she's a nice girl, very helpful and kind, but amelia is simply not interested in hearing about her job right now. so she just nods and agrees with everything, while switching her eyes between brad, her phone, and the girl.
"it's exhausting, you know." the girl finishes, sighing. amelia doesn't remember anything of what she just said.
"well, good luck to you. but you can do it, i have faith in you. you're a strong girl, you can manage anything." amelia smiles at her, reassuringly. she glances at brad one more time and sees that the man has left, and they're finally walking in her direction.
"oh, you're too kind, amelia." the girl says, holding amelia's hand. "i really have to go now though." she hugs amelia and turns around, starting to walk away.
"emma!" amelia exclaims, finally remembering her name. she looks back, frowning quizzically. oh no, what am i gonna say? she didn't mean to say that out loud. "uh... it was nice talking to you again." she smiles, glad she quickly thought of something.
"me too." emma nods, leaving.
that place is so huge that it feels like they're taking forever to cross the floor to where amelia and peter are standing. she feels like they're walking in slow motion. so she quickly reads will's messages.
coffee guy: yo hi there babe
coffee guy: 1 what are your parents doing? 2 i'm sure you know lots of people? and 3 who are those 4 people who dare to be too busy to talk to you??????
coffee guy: aaaand i'm kiiinda busy here but i'm always available to talk to you, love ;)
amelia smiles at his messages, until she realises, then she frowns. love? but she doesn't have much time to think about it now, cause the boys are getting closer. finally.
brad and the band approach them at last, all anxious - peter loveless was the one who asked them to come and talk to him. poor boys.
but brad? oh, he's excessively nervous. he has to go through talking to peter loveless and amelia at the same time. plus, he's gonna find out if he won or lost their bet - he knows he won. he feels it. but that insecurity is there yet again - what if she really doesn't like them? that possibility is bothering him much more than the prospect of losing for itself. who actually cares about losing or winning?
"oh! my! god! guys! that was incredible! mind-blowing! insanely good! much better than what i expected!" peter loveless practically shouts when they arrive. "excuse me, bill." he says to the man he was just talking to. "boys! congratulations! it was a-ma-zing! honestly! i'm just - woah. really!" he's smiling so much and he's so genuinely excited and happy. he hugs the boys, who now are smiling just as much as him, and steps back. "i knew you wouldn't disappoint me."
"we told you we wouldn't let you down, sir." tristan says.
brad and amelia are caught up in each other's eyes, obviously. nothing new here. amelia's holding her hands together strongly and biting her bottom lip, aware that she's blushing. brad has his hands inside the pockets of his trousers and he's trying to hold back a smirk that dares to sneak in in his face.
"and i never doubted you. not even for a second! oh, let me introduce you to my beautiful wife! this is andrea, everyone." peter loveless says.
andrea introduces herself to the boys and brad's stomach drops significantly when he moves his eyes from amelia to her mum, shaking her hand and talking to her. he realises he's meeting all of amelia's family - at once. too much for one night.
brad watches as james steals all his confidence and owns the conversation with peter loveless and andrea, making him feel scared and vulnerable, as if naked in front of them. he's too nervous again, his body freezing over, and he can't look amelia in the eyes, for some reason. so he just stands there trying to take control over his feelings and movements again. i was doing so good. james and tristan share the stolen confidence, talking and laughing and being so charming - that is usually his role. well, at least they're making sure to leave a good impression, even though brad's body is auto sabotaging him.
amelia doesn't say anything either, she just lets her father lead the conversation, her mum making small comments here and there. she's tense, now that she's standing near brad. she tries not to stare, but she's failing. she notices he's restless too - the way his hands don't stop in one place, moving through his hair, then back to his pockets, then crossing in front of his chest.
when will i get over him? i mean, it's not that i want to get over him. it's just that - look at him? he's so gorgeous. i can't even say anything to his face! that's what i need to get over. this overwhelming feeling. i need to start acting like a normal person - i was doing so good. oh great, look at him now! running his hand through his hair! so absentmindedly making me want him. making me want him so damn much. stop it, right now.
brad's not looking at her. he's looking at peter loveless, pretending he's paying attention to the conversation. there's a minor discussion going on about which song is better: somebody to you or wake up. but brad still can't bring himself to join the chat. he turns his head to face amelia and sees that she swiftly switches her eyes away from him, blushing adorably as she tries to pretend she wasn't staring this whole time. he chuckles lightly and keeps looking at her, who's now nodding at something her dad's saying. she's so gorgeous it actually hurts.
everyone starts shaking peter and andrea loveless' hands all of a sudden, so brad copies them in automatic mode, but doesn't really understand what's going on. the couple hugs amelia and then walks away, holding hands.
"it's time for dinner." tristan snaps his fingers in front of brad's face, making him click out of his trance. he nods and follows them to one of the tables, noticing that amelia's coming along. they sit down on the chairs, and there's a small white plaque with 'the vamps' written in golden letters in the middle of the table.
"so, amelia..." tristan sips from his champagne glass as they all get comfortable in their seats. "i didn't get a chance to ask you back there... but i couldn't help but wonder what was your favourite song from our set?"
she looks at him, frowning slightly, looking taken aback by his question. "oh." she says, moving in her seat. "umm... i don't know, i like them all, i guess." she shrugs, trying to dodge the question. she knows tristan is teasing her.
"ah, c'mon!" he exclaims. "there must be a fave one. one that speaks deeply to your heart." he smirks, winking. amelia stares at him, her eyes popping a bit. brad looks at him too, sighing. tristan is tireless.
"ummm... alright then, if you want me to choose... i'd say maybe... high hopes?" she regrets saying that immediately. oh my god you silly girl! should've just lied and said wake up! her cheeks flush, and she can't stand staring any of them in the eyes, so she starts to find the decoration flowers really interesting suddenly.
tristan laughs out loud and claps his hands, amused. james and connor join him, giggling softly. brad just glares at him, a disapproving look on his face.
"i knew it. this is amazing." tristan responds then, but neither amelia nor brad say anything. "you two are in love." he clarifies.
amelia arches an eyebrow, her mouth dropping to the shape of an 'o', as brad frowns.
"you're being annoying, tristan." brad replies.
"i'm simply stating the facts." he shrugs, unconcerned.
"you really need something to do with your life." amelia chuckles. "are you seeing someone?"
tristan's face, once enlightened with joy, now sinks into a cranky frown. "no." he simply says, dismissively.
"ah!" amelia exclaims, raising her hands up. "that's it then. but worry not, tris - i have just the perfect match for you." amelia smirks, as he looks at her, confused. "let's just eat first." she declares, as the waiters approach their table with the food.
...
"yeah, so that was it." connor concludes the story he was telling, about this girl that chased him on the street the week before. "it was a bit scary but at the end, she took off after i finally stopped for a picture." he laughed.
they finished eating and now they're just talking, wasting time. amelia and brad are having a rough time trying to hold back their feelings - they're sitting next to each other and brad's leg often touches amelia's, making her shiver every time. the tension that's being built around them since they first saw each other in that empty room earlier is now so high and strong you could touch it. they keep exchanging looks and shy smirks, and brad once almost got carried away by the instinct of holding her hand and touching her hair. their obsessive minds can only think about being alone, but they're waiting for the perfect moment, impatiently.
"must be rather crazy having fans, huh?!" amelia says and drinks from her glass - only water. she's trying to focus on trivial and superficial subjects to trick her mind and divert her thoughts from the warmth that brad's body exhales towards her.
"we're still getting used to it, to be honest." james says. "but it's fun most of the time."
"do you get lots of those crazy, sobbing ones?" she asks.
"a fair share of them, yeah." james replies.
"they're cute." tristan says.
"d'you know what, i've always been afraid to be that person." amelia tells them. "i mean, i've met a lot of artists because of my dad, naturally, so i guess i always felt like i'd embarrass myself and my dad if i ever cried in front of someone. and, believe me, it was really tough not to freak out sometimes."
"i don't see it as being embarrassing." brad says. "i think it's just hard to control your emotions sometimes. it's understandable." he shrugs.
"oh, yeah, tell me about it!" amelia waves her hand. "i almost fainted when i found out i was gonna meet alex turner! i mean, i literally almost fainted. before i actually met him."
brad's hand that's holding his glass stops midway to his mouth. he looks at her and his jaw drops. alex turner? he's shocked. it takes him a minute to let that information sink in completely. alex turner?!
"alex turner?!" he voices his thoughts, maybe a bit too loud. "you've met alex turner?! as in the-arctic-monkeys-vocalist alex turner?"
amelia giggles at his silliness. "yes, alex-vocalist-of-arctic-monkeys-turner." she answers, smiling. "is there any other alex turner i'm not aware of?" she jokes tenderly.
"oh my god." brad simply says, putting his glass back on the table and running his right hand through his hair. i can't believe this girl. she can't be real.
"what?" she asks. "you like them?"
"are you kidding?!" tristan flaps his hands onto the table. "brad loves them! it's his favourite band of all time!"
"he's actually a fanboy over them." connor adds.
"oh." amelia looks at brad, who's just agreeing silently. "they're my favourite band of all time too." she declares. i can't believe this boy. he can't be real.
"of course you love the same band." tristan mumbles, so low that amelia and brad don't hear, rolling his eyes. "how did i not see that coming?!"
"they're great." brad says. they're falling into some sort of awkwardness, inexplicably. it was too unexpected, this connection. actually, it is explainable. they just reached their limits - they've been holding back themselves the whole night, but that's it now. they can't stand it anymore.
"yeah..." amelia replies, being dragged deeply into his eyes, absorbed in thoughts. she's trying to quickly plan a way of leaving with brad to somewhere more isolated, or completely isolated, as soon as possible. now would be preferable.
brad's mind is working pretty much the same way, even though he's still a bit distracted by the fact that amelia loves arctic monkeys too. he looks at tristan, widens his eyes and nods discreetly at amelia's direction, praying that his friend will read through his codes. but tristan remains oblivious. too dumb for someone who keeps annoying us all the time. he gives up on him and decides that james is the best choice for that task. bingo! james winks at him and nods, understanding what he needs to do.
a sudden loud noise coming from behind makes them all jump in their chairs, breaking amelia's line of thought. they all look at that direction, seeing a man standing on the stage, headphones in his ears and a microphone in his hand.
"timeless records, i declare the dance floor officially open!" the dj shouts into the mic, and a few cheers are heard when the music starts playing. suddenly, the centre of the room is being filled with people and the tables are being left empty.
"ugh, i don't feel like dancing." amelia protests, sadly, seeing that james is already getting up.
"hey, c'mon, it's gonna be fun!" he tries to cheer her up, while poking connor, but she just shakes her head.
"sorry, james, but imma pass this time. maybe later."
"alright, see you later then." he shrugs, and walks off with no further questions, along with connor.
amelia's little improvised plan backfires, cause she thought tristan would like to go dancing too, but that clearly didn't happen. she huffs lowly and looks around, her mind running a marathon against itself to try and come up with another idea to be left alone with brad. but she can't think of anything.
so they fall into dead silence and boredom. amelia keeps looking around, with an annoyed grimace on her face, while brad looks down at his no-notifications phone and tristan taps his hands on the table in the rhythm of the music.
until amelia sees her. yes! my saviour. i almost forgot. she smiles and suddenly gets up from her chair, already running towards the girl, with enough time to only tell them she'll be right back.
"emma! hey!" amelia says, grabbing her by the arm gently. "i was just looking for you!"
"oh, hi, amelia. do you need anything?" she frowns, now turning completely to face amelia.
"um, not really. i just want you to meet my friends, come on." amelia says, taking her hand and dragging her to where the boys are sitting. "boys." she announces. "please meet emma."
they both look up at her and smile, brad putting his cellphone back into his pocket.
"hey there, emma." he says, waving. she smiles shyly but doesn't really look at him directly, and amelia remembers what she told her earlier. poor emma.
"this is brad." amelia says. "and this one is tristan. please, have a seat, emma." she pulls a chair between tris and brad for the girl to sit down. emma looks at amelia, uncertain, and furrows her eyebrows.
"amelia, i don't think-"
"please, sit down." amelia repeats, hurriedly. emma nods and does so, still unsure. "look." amelia starts saying, standing beside brad's chair. "i just remembered i need to show you something, brad." he frowns and looks at her, but he immediately understands what she's doing as soon as he sees her face, so he gets up quickly.
"what?" tristan asks.
"emma will make you company, tris, won't you emma?" amelia smiles, as kindly as she can, knowing that emma won't say no. she feels a bit bad for doing that to the girl, but at the same time, she has a strong feeling they both will thank her later.
"um... yeah, sure..." emma responds.
"good. c'mon, brad, this way." she points, and brad starts walking in front of her. she stands a bit behind and bends down beside tristan. "tremma is real." she whispers in his ear. he scrunches his face up in confusion. "it's your ship name. i've made it up." she adds, grinning, then stands up again and pats him in the back, as the realization hits him. "have fun." she waves at them, sighing in relief as she finally walks away.
...
amelia opens the curtains when they enter the room, then throws herself on the couch, sighing. she takes a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. now that they're alone, she doesn't want to look too desperate - even though she is, a bit.
"i honestly didn't think we'd manage to get rid of tristan." she says, feeling the furniture move as brad sits beside her. "he's quite a pain in the arse sometimes, if i'm being honest."
brad sits right at the very end of the sofa, the furthest away from her. he knows he can't control himself much longer, and if they touch, it will just make everything even worse. he's a bit desperate, but he doesn't wanna let it show, so he just keeps a safe distance.
"oh, trust me, you have no idea." brad replies, rolling his eyes. "he owns the prize for having invented inconvenience."
"yeah, i can believe that."
"but..." brad turns his head to look at her. "we still haven't discussed the most important subject ever." he raises his eyebrows.
"what, world peace?!" she asks, a fake innocent tone in her voice, her lips quirking up in a smirk.
"yes, world peace." brad answers sarcastically. "and the only way we can achieve that is by me winning the bet." he shrugs, resting his back on the sofa.
"ohhh, the bet, i see." amelia nods. "guess we're gonna be stuck in a war zone, then."
"well, i think we're gonna win a nobel peace prize, actually."
amelia giggles. "always full of yourself, aren't you, bradley simpson?"
"it must be hard to admit the loss, i get it." brad says. "but i won, and i need you to say the words." he gets closer to her, carefully flicking her hair off of her shoulder. he's tired of waiting.
"i'm sorry if i made you think this way but... it's not gonna be that easy." she whispers.
he rests his hand back on his knee, moving just a centimetre away from her, teasing. "you're telling me you didn't like us, then?" he raises his eyebrows.
"that's not what i'm saying at all."
"then what are you saying, love?" he gets closer again, making their legs touch through the fabric of their clothes. "all you have to do..." he raises his hand, brushing his index finger along her left cheek. "...is say that we're so awesome we left you completely dazzled."
amelia closes her eyes softly as he caresses her skin, numbing her face with the contact. "i'm not gonna say that." she whispers, opening her eyelids and glaring at him. "not yet, i mean." she smirks.
"when?"
"i still need more evidence. remember, you set the stakes very high. it's your own fault." she shrugs.
"you're cheating the rules of the bet." he states, taken aback by her boldness.
"oh, you see, love..." amelia moves forward, lifting her arm up to his face, gently brushing his hair with her fingers. "there were no rules established, that's the thing."
"such a smartass, aren't you, amelia loveless?" brad smirks, as amelia removes her hand from his hair, placing it on her lap. "alright, i'll give you more evidence, then. proof is what i have the most."
amelia lets out a satisfied grin, nodding her head in agreement. that wasn't exactly the bet - they said she needed to be impressed by the band, and she was. but she hates losing and having to admit she lost, so that was her (successful) attempt at prolonging the inevitable. but if brad's playing along, there's nothing wrong.
"good." she says, softly.
brad nods and smiles, sweetly, the moment becoming so pure. no "bad" intentions, no maliciousness, no lust. just the two of them, the universe being silenced by the beat of their hearts, the only sound audible in that muted world. (okay, i'm not gonna mention the bubble. i realise that it might be getting a bit tiring but be aware that it is there, alright?) the room is dark, even if the moonlight is creeping in, and the only thing they can see is the eyes. amelia's green eyes, brad's brown ones. he was right, after all - world peace.
then a movement happens, unconscious and automatic, the flesh speaking for itself. when brad's fingers touch amelia's hand, all the asleep senses come back alive at once, tingling up their skins and making them shiver.
amelia gasps, and it's gone - the moment is gone, the purity is gone, the silence is gone. the world is speaking again. her body is speaking again. her body is feeling again.
"you should really think about the consequence of you touching my hand in this darkened room." she forces her voice out. it's only a whisper, but it's loud enough for him to hear.
he chuckles lightly, looking at their hands. when his gaze meets her face again, he's back at being the sassy, thirsty boy. alright this feels good and stuff but we need to move forward.
"oh, love, the consequence is all i'm thinking about."
i can't really tell you which of them moves first. it's too quick, too avid, too desperate. but it finally happens. they both lean forward, never breaking eye contact, until they're too close to keep staring. their eyelids close, their heads tilt, their breaths become uneven. their lips touch. sparks fly, fireworks explode, butterflies go insane in their stomachs, etc etc. it's a strong, sloppy, lustful kiss. amelia's hands instantly rush to brad's hair, while his cup around her face, his fingers gently caressing her skin.
brad detaches their lips, making a soft grunt go up amelia's throat in objection. he pants, begging for air, but amelia moves her hands down brad's head, holding it in between her palms, not giving him enough time to think before crashing her mouth against him again. brad's right hand holds the back of her neck, bringing her even closer to him, shortening their distance. the kiss becomes passionate and heated, and the sloppiness is gone, their tongues adjusting to one another and learning each other's way.
as the temperature rises, amelia places her arms around brad's neck, her fingernails scratching his back over his suit, and brad's left hand goes down her waist, holding it strongly. their bodies are operating in synchrony, and it doesn't feel at all like their first kiss. it's like they were built for each other, as if they're pieces of a puzzle that completes when put together.
brad then brings his other hand down to amelia's waist, and he moves her up to his lap, making her position her legs on each side of his body, struggling a bit due to her dress. they separate as she moves, using that time to recover their breaths, opening their eyes and staring at each other. the place is mostly dark, but they're still able to see the redness on their faces and the need in their looks. now that they finally started, they can't get enough of each other.
they collapse together again, hungry for the taste of their lips, and they only stop when they literally cannot breathe anymore. amelia opens her eyes and grins at brad, feeling him even through the thick fabric of her dress, and he looks away, a bit embarrassed. she runs her hands down his shoulders, through the inside of his suit, removing it from his arms, leaving him in just his white button-up shirt, making him let out a low groan.
"not fair." he mutters, as she throws the black clothes to the other side of the room.
"we're both still fully dressed." she responds, leaning down again, pecking him on the lips. "even though i'm still in advantage." she shrugs, nodding to his crotch. he lets out a soft scoff, unable to hold himself back from laughing.
"well... yeah." he simply says, shrugging.
amelia gets off him, sitting beside him. "i'll let you recompose yourself, then." she says, leaning her head back on the sofa, panting. "i think we should leave this room."
"i think we should leave this party." he replies. amelia giggles, shaking her head.
"too soon, love."
he huffs, manifesting his dissatisfaction. he gets up and collects his jacket from the floor. "let's leave the room, then." he stretches his arm, amelia holding his hand as she lifts herself up.
...
hello!
yayyy early update for you guys, this time especially for stooormtroooper!!! (it's actually a biiiit late sorry about that btw!) it's another huge ass chapter, in fact, i think this one is the biggest one so far! (don't worry, the next ones are not gonna be thiiiis long, i swear!)
thank you guys so so much for reading, we're almost reaching 1k views and i couldn't be happier! honestly, thank you for your support, i love everyone who reads, votes and/or comments here, y'all make me super happy.
okay, i hope you enjoy this chapter as much as i enjoyed writing it, and please! don't forget to vote and leave your lovely comment! i appreciate them deeply.
thank you!
xx
love always.