Well, it's Complicated...

Chapter 2 - Amber

Chapter 2 – Amber

 

I lagged behind as we walked towards Dan and Phil’s flat, and not just because the high heels I was wearing were killing my feet. I felt guilty for letting Dan leave his arm around me for the entire Tube ride home, and for the little flutter my heart gave when Dan winked at me; the guilt was weighing me down. I tried to avoid eye contact with Emily at all costs; I figured she’d either be mad at me or Dan, or possibly both. I wasn’t gonna take the chance of looking at her and realizing she was mad at me.

And, of course, right as we walked in the door, my guilt grew exponentially as Dan said, “Hey guys, do you mind if I talk to Amber alone for a minute?”

Emily looked skeptical, but she shrugged and said, “Yeah, sure. I suppose.”

I followed Dan down the hall, a knot of guilt in the pit of my stomach. He opened the door to his room, let me in, and closed the door behind him.

“Go ahead, sit down.” Dan said, gesturing to his bed. I sat down on the edge of the bed, and he sat down next to me at a comfortable distance.

“Umm…what did you want to talk to me about?” I asked.

“Well, umm…” Dan cleared his throat, took a deep breath, and continued. “I didn’t know how to tell you this, but I really like you, Amber.” Against my wishes, my heart fluttered when he said that.

“Dan, I—” I stopped, realizing Dan was leaning in to kiss me. I stood up quickly, leaving him to fall face-first onto his bed. “DANIEL JAMES HOWELL, HOW DARE YOU!?” I yelled. Emily and Phil probably heard me, but right then I didn’t care.

“I—I’m sorry, Amber.” Dan replied.

“Dan, how dare you make a move on your best friend’s girlfriend, and cheat on your own girlfriend with her best friend? They’re bad enough separately, but together they’re inexcus—mmph.” Dan had stood up while I was talking, and cut me off with a strong, passionate kiss. I kissed back, momentarily forgetting what had just happened. He was kissing me in a way that Phil never had—Oh shit, I was kissing Dan, not Phil!

I pulled away quickly and tried to catch my breath. I tried to think of something to say, but my head was spinning out of control. After a minute or two, my head finally stopped spinning. “Do you know how Emily will react to this‽” I half-whispered, half-yelled.

He looked straight into my eyes, and an understanding passed between us. Neither Phil nor Emily could find out about this, at least not now.

“Not sure how I can keep this a secret from my best friend, but I’ll give it a shot.” I said, praying that Emily hadn’t heard my little outburst earlier.

“Same here,” he replied. “but we can do this.”

I nodded. “We can do this. But let’s get out of here, before Emily and Phil get the wrong idea…”

Dan nodded and led me to the door. “Whatever you do, just don’t tell Emily.” Dan opened the door and took a half a step back in shock.

“Don’t tell me what?”