Someone Like Hugh -Draft Complete And EDITING-

Chapter Thirteen

Amelia's POV:

I slid off of the fountain wall. "Thank you though, the company was a nice change of pace," I smiled sadly as I lifted the skirt to my dress and took off. 

I made it back to the house in record time, dropping my skirt and taking a breath to compose myself before putting my apron on and walking into the dining room to begin clearing the table. Someone had deliberately poured wine over the leftovers, destroying everything that was left. 

It was most likely in an effort to keep me from enjoying any leftovers.  I shook my head at the ridiculousness of it all. I still had a hard time understanding how an adult could act this way. I gathered as many plates as I could carry and made my way into the kitchen. I set everything down on the large counter and returned to the dining room for more. Before long I had the table cleared. 

As I started to dump the food into the composting bin, Hugh made his way into the kitchen. "Hey, why are you tossing all of those leftovers?" he smiled, reaching out to take a small piece of turkey before I could dump it. 

"Because it's coated in Blanche Trou," I spoke. 

"Ugh, I regret buying that now," he chuckled. "Did she really dump it all over the food?"

"Punishment, for excusing myself and not staying for more abuse," I explained sadly. "I can make you something to eat if you want though."

"Fine, but then let me help with the dishes at least," he insisted.

"As long as you drop everything and pretend you aren't if someone walks in," I smiled.

"Deal," he smiled walking over to the sink. He rolled up his sleeves revealing his tattoos once more.

Just then, an alarm went off on my phone. I quickly took the pill container from the pocket in my dressed and downed the medication in the slot marked "night".

"If you don't mind me asking, what are those for?" He asked as he scrubbed.

I pulled out a bit of chopped peppers and onions from earlier I dropped them into a small bowl. Next I gathered a small pot and put about a cup of Frank's  Red Hot sauce in it. Then I added some diced chicken and half a cup of water. I mixed in various spices and set it on the stove on medium heat.

"That is a story for another time," I spoke softly as I turned back towards Hugh and began drying the dishes and putting them away.

"Alright. If you need to talk, I'm here though," he whispered.

"How are you holding up?" I asked nervously.

"Alot better now that I spoke to Joanna. I told her to be happy with him. And not in a snarky way. She deserves to be happy. We shouldn't give up on finding what makes us happy because our parents wanted to push us into marriage," he smiled. " I told her to take the honeymoon with him. It was nonrefundable."

"You're sweet," I whispered, stepping up on my tip toes and pecking his cheek. "I have no doubt that you'll find a woman that makes you happy, who celebrates the great moments and mourns over the sad. Someone who helps you stay grounded when you feel ready to burst, but is always willing to fight for you and be at your side. Someone who helps you stop to smell the roses on your toughest days, but needs you as much as you need her," I smiled as I danced between the stove, stirring the food, and the dishes.

"What if I already have, but I'm still getting to know her?" He smiled and my feelings squeezed at my heart in my chest. I'd never know what that was like. "I'm not really sure I'm on her radar beyond being a friend."

"Sometimes being more is overrated," I spoke softly, thinking about Justin and Courtney.