"So school was horrible?" Kevin asked when he sat down on the sofa in Mabel's living room.
"It was awful," Mabel replied dramatically. "I mean, that woman literally talked for four hours straight about things I already knew."
Amelie sighed and laid down on the couch. "She was working on my nerves. Amelie this, Amelie that, Amelie listen. Like mate, I have sorted this out, and I know how it works. I am terribly sorry I am still at your stupid information day after two hours of sleep on my bloody day off."
Kevin snorted. "The aggressive Amelie is rising."
"I will not miss her at all," she emotionlessly replied.
Mabel giggled. "But for real, what was she trying to achieve? Waste of my day. Didn't mind not being at the office, but I could have done other things."
"Didn't particularly wait to see all those faces today."
Kevin looked impressed at Mabel en then Amelie. "I am so glad I don't have to school anymore. But just a few more weeks and it is over, keep pushing," he gave them the positive spirit.
Mabel sat down next to her boyfriend, making herself comfortable by crawling against him. "I know, it's just... I want it to be finished." She looked at him. "Last week at the company, then the finals and then free to go."
"Be glad this is your last week," Amelie blurted. "I like my internship, but I am just too tired to continue it, and study, and have a social life."
"For how long do you have to stay then? You already have made more than enough hours."
Amelie looked up at Mabel. "Till France, but I wouldn't be surprised if they want me till Hungary." She watched how Mabel got curled up against Kevin, it looked adorable. They were a happy couple, something she grated them so much. "Look at you, how cute," she smiled.
Kevin and Mabel looked at each other and giggled. Amelie was the only person who stood with them since the beginning of their relationship, and also the only person they felt comfortable with when it came to hugging and just being a couple. At other friends, Mabel and Kevin were just a couple, but acted more like friends. Around Amelie, they were a couple and acted like a couple. And Amelie didn't mind, well, sometimes she got jealous, but she could switch that mode off.
"Well, Mil, tell me, do you have a boyfriend or someone you fancy?" Kevin returned the question.
Mabel heavily nodded. "She has a date Friday."
Amelie looked deadly at Mabel. "Mate, where are you talking about? I don't have a date."
"You're lying, my dude. I was there when Lando asked you it."
Kevin's eyes grew. "Lando as in Lando Norris?"
"Yup, the one and only Lando Norris. They spend awfully a lot of time together," she continued and looked at Amelie who was blushing now. "It's a date."
"Fuck off, Mabel. It isn't a date, we both know that. We just hang out, like friends do," Amelie said to defend herself.
Mabel smirked. "Try to convince me."
"So you and Lando?" Kevin grinned. "Adorable."
Amelie sighed and shook her head. "Hopeless, you guys are hopeless. It is not a date, alright?"
"Cute how you try to convince yourself on saying it isn't a date, while it is. You just 'hang out' or whatever you call it, but this is the other term of a date," Mabel said teasingly.
Kevin smirked. "We have reached stage two: denial."
A sigh rolled over Amelie's lips, and she let her head fall on the pillow behind her. Her eyes closed, and she yawned. Lando and Amelie were just friends, nothing more..? At least, that was what they both were trying to convince each other. They liked each other and had the same interests, but this wasn't what you could call romance. "Are there special flavours today at the store?"
"At the ice cream store?" Mabel asked.
Amelie nodded. "Yup. I will do a detour if there are special flavours."
"Ice cream for life," Kevin said. "Great way to get through your life."
"Erm, we have just the basics today, it's Monday, not many people will be at the store today. But we have yoghurt, walnut and honey ice cream in the freezer, you can have it," Mabel answered after reading the list of ice cream flavours at the store. "Saturday workday?"
Amelie nodded. "Yes, let's work on Saturday. Thanks by the way."
★
Amelie hummed along with the song she was listening. She closed the front door behind her and walked with the bag next to her to the living room. It was Thursday, Amelie just finished the last day at her internship before the weekend and going to Canada for the next race. There was a small dinner at the office since one of the crew members turned 50 years old today, so it was a late evening. Her eyes glided over the lights, was there someone home? Or was she stupid enough to keep the lights on when she left this morning? Amelie paused the music and removed the earphones from her ears. She heard people talk. A thin line appeared between her eyebrows, that was odd. I didn't spot any cars outside, or I am blind?
"Calm down, Nathaniel, there's nothing to worry about." It was her father, William.
"How can you tell me to calm down? Do you know where she is then?" Nathaniel was yelling.
"She's probably at friends," her older sister Caroline said. "Like normal teenage girls do."
"Why do you care anyway?" It was the voice of Margaret, her mother.
"I'm sure she will call you back as soon as she sees it. She's a grown woman, I already moved out when I was her age," Harrison said, her other older brother.
This house is filled with all the members of the Deacon-Heisenberg family for the first time since Christmas. What a milestone. To what do I owe this one? Now Amelie was curious; her family was here and was there someone missing? Did they show feelings, like actual emotions? She let go of her bag and entered the living room. She checked her phone and indeed, Nathaniel called her a few times.
"She is gone! Don't you get that?!" Nathaniel was yelling. "She is my daughter, for fuck's sake. Of course, do I care. Amelie has been gone for a few days now, and I don't know where she is." He was walking around in the living room, facing his family, who sat on the sofa.
"When was the last time you saw her? At Christmas? You are barely here, and you have no idea to what she's up to," William said and took a sip from his scotch. Amelie's eyes shot from her father to Nathaniel, waiting for him to say something. Her lips were parted, something deep was going on, and she was somehow involved. "Since when do you care? You have never looked after her, you have never been her father."
Nathaniel turned to him. "Don't you dare to say that," he sneered. "You know, I got to play her dad for fifteen minutes at her school because you couldn't be there, that shows who the real parent is. You have never been there for her as father person. You have let het multiple times down and I tried to be here for her, but... Amelie is my daughter, and will always be!"
Amelie gasped for air, but when she did that, she almost choked in her own spit. She coughed a few times, what made her getting her the attention. Eyes grew. "I...what?"
It became silent in the living room. Eyes shot to Amelie. Nathaniel turned around and looked at Amelie, who looked like she had just seen a ghost. "Amelie..."
'Amelie is my daughter and will always be...' Amelie swallowed hard and looked around the room. Everyone in the room was perplexed, this wasn't how it was supposed to go. Tears filled Amelie's eyes, and she tried to understand what was going on. Her mind stopped working, nothing was making sense to her anymore. She was disorientated.
"Great, the secret is out," Margaret sighed annoyed and shook her head.
"What..." Amelie cleared her throat. "What does this mean? What do you mean?" Her sight became blurry, but she had to be strong. This can't be true, I must have misheard something, or this is about another Amelie. She walked over to a stool and grabbed it to keep balance.
Nathaniel froze, he wanted to speak, but he couldn't say anything. It was breaking his heart to see his daughter. A thin line was keeping her together, but it was almost breaking.
"What is going on?" Amelie asked again while her voice cracked.
"Amelie," he pressed her name over his lips. "Don't get mad, please."
"Are you my father?" It was silence. "Are you my biological father, Nathaniel?! Say something! Are you my father?!" She was yelling now while the tears were violently leaving her eyes. There was no answer to her question, meaning it was true. "Jesus Christ," she blurted and shook her head. This couldn't be true. She was waiting for Nathaniel to answer, but he was in shock and wasn't able to give Amelie an answer. Amelie didn't have the patience anymore and couldn't find any reasons to stay.