Ian and Amy - Meant To Be

Chapter 1

Amy woke in the middle of the night.

As she lay awake in bed, woozy from fatigue, she wondered what had awakened her. Usually she tended to sleep like the dead after such an action-packed day. This was very unusual.

Then she remembered. A strangled scream, drawn out and abruptly cut off.

It had come from next door.

She bolted off her bed, reaching the hotel room door in three steps and flinging it open, ready to fight whoever had attacked one of her friends in the dead of night.

Only to crash into Dan.

"Ow!" they both yelled.

"Dan?" Amy asked in disbelief, rubbing her forehead. "What were you doing out here? What's going on? Who screamed?"

"It's nothing," Dan said, cradling his head. "At least, that's what Kabra said. So I've sent everyone back to bed and was about to open the door to my room to go back to sleep when all of a sudden someone comes barging out the door and smashing into me."

Amy winced. "Sorry. I was in a panic. But who screamed?"

Dan shrugged. "Beats me. The sound came from Kabra's room, so maybe it was him. Or maybe he has some poor sod imprisoned in his room and that's who screamed. It sort of sounded like Saladin being tortured with red snapper, so I knocked and asked if he had an Egyptian Mau in his room. He was really snappy and slammed the door in my face. Oh, and he denied everything."

"Ian is next door?" Amy asked.

"Yeah. Alone. It was kinda fishy, but I decided to let it pass. As for now, I need some sleep. Good night." He brushed past her and went into the room, letting out a huge yawn. She heard him crash onto the bed, and in a moment, she could hear soft snores. "Good night," she whispered.

So Ian was the one who had screamed. And he used a room all by himself? She frowned in suspicion, then realized he just didn't have anyone to share it with (plus the fact that he was probably unused to sharing). He didn't have any close friend to bunk with (ex: Jonah and Hamilton, both snoring away in their room), or any siblings (ex: Jake and Atticus, or Amy and Dan). He was alone, even among supposed friends.

Amy was wide awake now, and she didn't feel like going back to sleep just yet. She decided to check on Ian.

Quietly, she padded over to his door and tentatively knocked.

The door was flung open. "For God's sake, I don't have a stupid cat in my..." Ian faltered. "Oh. I thought you were-"

"Dan?" Amy finished, giving him a small smile. His agitated expression softened just a little.

"Well, as a matter of fact, yes," he said. "But I assure you there is nothing wrong. So..." He began to close the door.

"Actually," Amy spoke up. She cleared her throat. "Actually, I was wondering if I could come in?"

"What?" The door opened up again. "Why?"

"Well, I had a bad dream, and I need to be around someone. I keep getting uneasy about it."

"What about Dan? Or Jake?" he asked, smiling wryly.

"I'm afraid that Dan will make fun of me, and Jake is, um, he's sleeping now, so I didn't want to wake him up."

"Oh."

Amy could tell he wasn't buying it. Of course he wasn't. He was a Lucian, he could look right through lies, and she was a really bad liar. She began to feel embarassed, her cheeks flaming, and had just decided to come clean and go back to her room when Ian stepped back from the door and said, "Fine, then. Come in."

Her face still burning, she gratefully stepped into the relatively dark room. It seemed to be exactly the same with her room next door, with a single bed, some chairs, a table, and a curtained window.

Ian had closed the door and was striding back to the bed. "Unfortunately, I can't stay awake for you. I'm going to go to sleep and you can go back to your room after you've gotten over that nightmare of yours."

"Okay," Amy said. "Thanks, Ian." She decided not to push him too much about that screaming thing. Not now. Maybe she could ask questions later. Right now, he seemed flustered and insecure, not so smooth as he usually was. He was shutting her out and trying to act normal.

So she lowered herself into a chair next to the bed and watched him fall asleep.