Chapter 2- It Was Bare

The perspective for chapter two is through Amelia. For future notice, perspectives will alternate and the first few chapters will be going in reverse.

Chapter 2

It Was Bare

 

  

          Amelia walked across the main street she had been staring at a few minutes ago, knowing her home was just down the street from the busy traffic. The rain was getting stronger by the moment now and by the time she opened the door to her apartment building, the storm was full blown. For a second she thought of Seth. She thought if he had found a place until the storm ended. But the closest place of shelter he had to get to was her place. And she knew he wouldn't come. Once upstairs, she walked past the foyer and put the keys gently on the dinner table. Amelia took of the drenched coat and hung it on the back of one of the dining chairs. She left her hand linger on the fabric, sliding her hand off of it as slowly as she could.

    

        There were no lights on, but the light from the thunder glowing through her wall of windows in the living room. It was enough to help her find her way out of the dinning room and kitchen to her bathroom at the far end of the apartment. She went inside, took off all her clothes and peed. While she washed her hands, she would glance at her face in the reflection of the mirror. Amelia's skin was  pink and looked cold. A far cry from the olive tone usually found in her face. When she stepped outside, she put her dripping clothes into a hamper and pulled out her favorite white towel from the linen closet. Wrapping it around herself, she went in to her room, which is across from the guest bedroom that no one has ever slept in. Amelia turned on the small lamp on her vanity and combed her hair, facing away from the small mirror.

           

         With the last stroke of her hair, she cradled the combin her lap and stared at her hardwood floors. The lightning grew louder but she didn't seem to be moved by it. In fact, at this point, I don't think the little lady even knew it was raining. Her mind was racing, racing back to the moment she walked down the street and saw Joey and Danny running with bats in their hands. A second later Michael and Sully ran out in the other direction, Her direction. All she saw was the neighborhood boys she grew up with, bloody and frantic. They had run out of the alley so she ran there. She knew she would find two people in that alley. Jordan with a gun and Seth dead on the ground. I really don't know why she wanted to run to see that scene.

          

         When she turned to look inside the alley, she realized she wasn't breathing, so she breathed out and then in. Then, she saw Jordan O'Shea with his lucky 45 in his hand, passed out on the ground. It was Seth who stood over him. She had never seen a person more in pain. There were cuts and scrapes all over him and bruises had formed on his arms and chest. Even though she was 15 feet away, she could see them. That's how big they were. That's what usually happens when you get 4 bats coming your way. Seth looked up and saw Amelia. Before he could get a word in, blood filled in his mouth again and he had to spit. After that, Amelia ran. Sitting in her chair, all she could think of was leaving Jordan laying there like that. How could she? Instead of running to him, seeing if he was even alive, she ran. She remembered staring more at Seth than at her fiance.

       

            For a few moments, Amelia didn't think of anything. Not one thing came to her mind. She sat there, comb still in her lap. The only thing that was altered was her hand going up to her face. Caressing her cheek and then the side of her lips the way Seth had done that morning. The resting place for her hand ended up on her neck. The grip tightening every few moments as if it would trigger something.

        

         The light from the lamp was illuminating the side of her face, slighlty warming it. Her hair slicked back away from her face. You could see her face now, even in the dim lit room. It was still. The light of the storm was coming in from the window across from her and behind her. But everything else was dark. Amelia hated sleeping in the dark but, she did it. Everynight. She stood up and walked straight ahead to her door and shut it. But as soon as she stood up, Jordan came into her mind. Images of them making love in his apartment, the walks on the harbour. A crash of thunder brought her back to focus. She had stood there for a few moments again holding on to the door as if it would fly open without her holding it shut.

       

             The steps she took towards her bed were slow and heavy. Maybe her body was telling her not to sleep, not to dream. Perhaps even to go back out in to the storm and find Seth. With each hollowed breath she took she could breathe his breath. She could remember what happened that morning. Memories suddenly became very lucid and she had to stand still and hold on to her self. She let the images fill her mind, though. Hearing his voice and feeling him kiss her. That morning she had awoken before Seth and tried to leave his arms as delicately as she could so as not to wake him. Seth had caught up with her just as she had her hand ont he door knob to leave his apartment. 

 

            "Where are you going?"  Amelia let out a small gasp and it crashed against the door. 

          "Home. I have to go home now, Seth." She faced him quickly and then tried to unlock the door. But, she had started to panic a bit. 

        

        "Let me take you then." The words were barely able to make it out of Seth's mouth because they were not words he wanted to say. His shirt was on and he grabbed his keys off of the kitchen counter and went towards the door to where his sneakers were, his eyes still puffy. 

       

        "No, no. There's no need for that. Really." She was clutching her purse, switching it from one hand to the other. Every step gained towards her made her heart sink in a way that Jordan never could.  Her eyes began to glisten as they filled with water. The sunlight shining from Seth's kitchen window would occansionally catch her eyes and they would shine. They were dark brown but soft like a birds' feathers. 

      

       "You should go back to sleep, I should really go home... alone." Amelia turned slightly to try her luck with the door again but Seth had reached her now and he took her arm and pulled her away from the door a few inches. He looked at her for a second. A quick glance that lasted forever for him. It was then he thought he saw her see him. See him they way he'd always seen her. Taking a breath, his voice dropped almost to a whisper and he told her what he wanted to say before,

      

        "Stay." The words washed over her like a soft breeze and she felt herself about to smile. But she looked away, hoping he did not see. He did. Seth's hand went from her hand and slid gently, sparatically touching her, arm, to her face and cupped it in his hand. His thumb was caressing her cheek and inched its way to her lips. Amelia's mouth opened in surprise and closed just as quickly.

   

     Seth's other hand began to hold her waist, tight, and pulled her closer to him slightly. The tears in Amelia's eyes seeped out. First one eye and then the other, but the tears reached the bottom of her chin at the same time. Seth's forehead made a home on Amelia's and he closed his eyes and said, almost pleadingly,

 

        "Just...stay with me. I know you care, Amelia. I can feel it." It was true. She did care. She cared too much and she was afraid it would make their lives impossible. "I feel it...I feel you." Seth's mouth came closer to Amelia with each word until finally, they could breathe each others breath. Lingering for just a second, Seth kissed her and would not let go. His hands never leaving their place on her body. She dropped her kiss from the shock of the kiss and she didn't kiss him back. Seth is not one to give though so he kept kissing her. Gently when he could contain himself, but passionately when he could not, opening her mouth and waiting for her to kiss him back. And she did. Amelia rested both of her hands on his chest felt his heart racing, pounding, matching her own. That fact scared her, scared her enough to stop kissing this man.

 

        His lips brushed against hers as they left, slowly and she dropped down to pick up her purse. "I-I'm leaving." Amelia went to the door as if it were the only fire escape in a burning building full of people. But, the god damned locks would not open. If she opened one, she ended locking another instead of opening it. Something brushed up against her sweater and she stopped the fight with the locks. It was Seth's coat. She had not brought hers with her the night prior and, despite the sunshine, it was pretty damn cold out.

 

    Without looking at him, she took the coat, but her hand went over his and she felt his fingers taking in as mouch touch as they could as her hand faded from his. Amelia walked down the corridor and down the three flights of stairs, all the while murmuring to herself, " What have you done?"

 

          The visions stopped with another crash of thunder and she went to her bed. Now under the covers, she realized her towel was still on her. At this point, she wasn't about to get up and change. What's the point anyway? It's not like she would feel anything against her body. She layed down on her right side, facing the checker-board like windows at the end of the wall across from her. She had no sense of time but it was a little after 12 a.m. when she came to the alley. Amelia closed her eyes a few times but they would not stay that way. Each time she closed them, she saw Seth. She saw Seth when she should be seeing Jordan. In that moment she felt her ring finger. It was bare. Come to think of it, she took it off the day Seth came to Boston. The same day Jordan proposed to Amelia.

        

              An hour or so passed, she wasn't sure. With thoughts of that morning flooding her eyes now, she was feeling tired. Her brown eyes looked like dried lumber, only sending out a glimmer when the lightning hit. I'm sure she fell asleep at some point, even though her eyes would not close.

 

 

 

 

Copyright ©2008 Anorin Arssinous