Shutter ❋ Joe Sugg AU

23 ❋ Joe

The air was still and quiet as I sat beside her. The only sound that broke it was the occasional sip of tea.

"I should go home. I don't want to be a burden." She whispered, and I noticed a few silent tears trickling down her cheeks.

"You're not a burden, don't ever say that again." I said, pressing her closer to my side. Our constant contact was making my pulse thrum and clouding my thoughts but I tried to remain composed.

She sighed and nodded, taking one last sip of her tea and placing the cup on the coffee table. She wiped away the tears on her cheeks and forced her pink lips into a smile.

"Well there's no point sitting around being sad, that doesn't solve anything." She said, staring at me with a wicked glint in her eyes. I felt my heart race because of how close she was to me.

"What would you rather be doing?" I breathed, trying to stop my gaze from flicking to her lips.

"I think... I think you should help me get revenge."

"What?" I said, slightly taken aback. I was expecting something entirely different to come from her mouth.

"Yeah. I want to play a prank on him or something." She said, seemingly generating this idea on the spot. Watching her eyes light up and cheeks heat up after seeing her sad made my heart swell.

"This is starting to sound like the Paper Towns movie..." I said, as it was dark outside and Amelia was my very own Margo.

"That gives me an idea... Let's leave him a little present at his front door. Like one of those blow up sex toys. That way he can bonk her whenever he likes, she cant ever say no!" She said, collapsing into giggles. I chuckled along with her, thinking the idea wasn't half bad.

"I think I'm seeing a new side of you Lia."

She grinned deviously. "Do you like it?"

"I like every side of you."

She snorted and nudged me gently. I felt almost floaty, like I was above the rest of the world in some cosmic plane where the only emotion possible was happiness. It was the effect she had.

"Enough with the corny remarks. Let's go shopping."

***

And so it came to be that myself and Amelia were walking down some seedy street in London, following directions given to us on the internet. It was probably the most bizarre thing I had ever done, walking into that dirty shop and buying the required item. The shop was called 'Habits' and everywhere you looked there was something violating. Needless to say the most innocent thing in the shop was a pair of fluffy handcuffs.

"You know, this seemed like a much better idea at the apartment." Amelia mused as we stood at the checkout. I could tell she was trying not to look at the row of 'toys' spread out in front of her.

"That'll be 17 pounds." The guy said, showing a row of stained teeth as he smiled. He was giving Amelia the creepiest look and I felt disgust well up inside me.

She paid quickly and we were out of there in seconds. She clutched the bag tightly, and the look on her face was less excited than it was half an hour ago.

"What are we even doing Joe?" She asked as we walked back to the nearest tube station. It was a windy night, and it was the kind of wind that was unforgiving and relentless. We were walking separately, with a few inches of space between us. I threw my arm around her shoulder and clung her to me for a few seconds. She blushed, smiling at the pavement.