Loved From Afar (COMPLETED)

Ideas Ideas

Eric's head was spinning. She had said he was missing out but what had she meant? Eric decided to call his friend Jack on his way home, to take his mind off of the suddenly very distracting picture of Amelia's face. Jack answered quickly
"Hey man what's up?" Eric sighed and ran a hand down his face.
"Jack have you ever had a girl tell you, you were missing out on something but not tell you what?"
Jack chuckled on the other end of the line
"Okay give me some context." Jack had plenty of times before helped his friend with girl problems. As Eric explained the days events jack hemmed and hawed at the details.
"Sounds like she likes you." Jack replied instantly as Eric's retelling came to an end. Eric sputtered and laughed harshly.
"Yeah right we've known each other since highschool She's never shown interest before." Eric pointed out. Jack chuckled.
"Are you sure you just haven't noticed until now?" Before Eric could reply with a no doubt sarcastic and snarky comment Jack continued.
"How about this, you and I invite her and Sheila out to dinner and we test that theory?"
Eric saw no harm in it, they had done group hang outs before and they did always have fun. "Sure, why not." Eric agreed.

The next day Sheila came running into Amelia's bedroom at full speed and jumped onto her bed.
"Guess who just asked me out on a double date?" Amelia sat up groggy and stretched
"Who?" She asked through a yawn.
"Jack Barrows, he wants to hang out with me and he said his friend needs a date for tonight."
"Okay so what does this have to do with me?" She asked warily.
"Well....I thought you might wanna come with me?" Sheila pleaded. Amelia groaned as She rubbed her eyes and tossed her comforter to the side.
"Can I answer you after breakfast?" Amelia grumbled as she climbed out of bed, she headed for the kitchen Sheila hot on her heels. Sheila scrolled through the text one more time and smiled.
"Okay but you're gonna regret it if you say no just give it a chance?"
Amelia gave her friend a straight faced look but after a minute of eye contact broke into a smile.
"Alright but this is all you get don't expect a second date to come of it."
Sheila pumped a fist in the air and whooped.
"Also don't say I never did anything for you."

As they entered the arcade Eric found himself nervously rubbing his neck. His mind kept yelling at him but he ignored it. The somewhat muffled voice in his head kept telling him things like "Amelia is really pretty" and "You have no reason to not like her" but he kept it under wraps she was a friend and it was going to stay that way. That was until he saw the two women approaching them. There she was her deep brown waves, usually in an updo, hanging loose around her shoulders. The turquoise tank top that graced said shoulders not hiding her curvey figure. Her legs were much longer than he had originally thought as she was wearing a very nice pair of jean shorts. Her smile however faltered as they made eyecontact. He knew automatically that something was wrong. He broke the eye contact and looked at Jack who was sporting his own slackjawed expression. "Jack?" Eric pushed his friends shoulder and grabbed his attention.
"Oh you're here!" Before Eric could interrogate his friend for the reason behind Amelia's suddenly worried expression Sheila was running up to them. She gave Jack a hug then Eric then backed away and stood beside her friend.
"Doesn't Amelia look great?" Sheila motioned to her now very red in the face friend. Eric went red from his neck to the tip of his ears. But he couldn't deny it now as he'd been staring at her since they'd arrived.
He swallowed the lump in his throat and gave her a lopsided smile.
"Yeah you look amazing Amelia." Eric sent her what he hoped looked like a reassuring smile. She quickly broke eyecontact and grabbed Sheila's arm.
"Can you guys excuse us for just one second?" She didn't however wait for excusal as she pulled Sheila away. Eric turned on Jack the moment they were out of earshot. "Why does she look terrified what did you tell her?" Jack chuckled and slowly backed away from his friend. "Nothing really just didn't include some details." Eric raised an eyebrow
"What details?"

"Yeah not telling me the double date was with Eric is a pretty big detail, Sheila!" Amelia had Sheila backed into a corner and she was fuming. Sheila however seemed to be just fine, in fact she had the audacity to grin while being verbally assaulted.
"What it's not like you don't like him, he's totally into you too." She defended herself. "Oh but you knew if you told me I wouldn't come is that it?" Amelia had her arms crossed her knuckles white from gripping her elbows. Sheila tested the waters and stepped closer
"They're waiting on us you know, they'll get suspicious." Amelia looked over her shoulder and her heart flipped. Eric smiled and gave a little half wave that had her gut in knots.

"I can't believe you convinced me to do this." Amelia was covering her eyes as they shot up zombies on a screen.
"They can't hurt you Amelia don't be such a baby." Sheila bumped her shoulder and Amelia opened her eyes again as she respawned.
"You know if I wasn't so squeamish I'd kill you next." Despite her squeamishness however Amelia was winning. Eric and Jack watched from the sides of the machine. Jack leaning on Sheila's side and Eric on Amelia's. Amelia became very focused on the cutscene now showing them entering a rundown windmill when she felt something touch her side. She shrieked and jumped to the side only to hear ruckus laughter from all three of her friends. She turned to the side from which she'd been assaulted and glared. She was met with a beautiful pair of laughing blue eyes.
"I'm sorry Diaz I had too." He wiped away a tear and scratched the back of his neck. Amelia felt a sudden urge to play back, to be forward, besides what was the harm in flirting? He hadn't been able to figure out she liked him this long there was no way he'd suddenly figure it out now. Amelia leaned forward almost touching noses and smirked "That's okay Corté I'll think of some way for you to make it up to me later."
She then did something she never thought she'd do...she winked.

Eric was fairly sure she was trying to kill him with that smirk, the wink. No the suggestion that he make it up to her later was the straw that broke the camels back. Eric practically found himself floundering as he stepped back. He chuckled and let out a few incoherent words then rubbed his neck. He made eyecontact with Jack; a desperate plea for help, then looked at Amelia who was laughing up a storm.
"Wha...what's so funny?" He managed to stutter out.
"Oh nothing just that you look like I was planning something devious." Amelia exited the zombie game machine and tapped him on the nose as she walked by.
"I wouldn't make you do anything too harsh."
There was that smirk again. Her full lips made it hard for him to look away but he was saved from further embarassment by Jack rushing to meet up with the girls who had efficiently made their way to the air hockey tables.