Formally | Ambi

Part 6

Amber's POV

All of a sudden, our connection is broken when I hear the door slam closed downstairs. My parents are home, and it's likely about to get loud. Andi snaps out of our connection, pulling away, and I shoot a glance at my bedroom door before taking her hand and leading her in the opposite direction.

"Where are we going?" she wonders.

I let go of her to shove open the window open above my desk. I grab a purple fleece blanket from the end of my bed, then climb up onto my desk and extend my hand for Andi to take it. She does, and mounts the desk, following me out the window. I push it closed after us, and sit next to her on the ledge. To relieve her of her shivering, I throw one end of the blanket over her shoulders, keeping the other over mine.

"Why are we outside?" she asks.

"I like it out here," I say, lying down on my back. "The stars are pretty."

Andi lies down next to me to keep the blanket wrapped tight around herself. I pull my end of the blanket over my chest to fold myself completely inside it like a taco. Then I roll onto my side and notice Andi looking at me.

"So the opening door reminded you of the stars?" she says, not buying my excuse.

I inhale the cold air. I guess I can't keep it from her. She's going to find out anyway. It's literally happening on the other side of the wall. Then I release the breath.

"It's my parents. My dad lost his job, and my mom's mad because he hasn't found a new one yet."

"Well, that's not his fault," she says.

"It is when he leaves all day to God knows where, then comes home and drinks all night."

She doesn't respond right away, and I realize I must've made her uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry," I say, turning my face back to the stars. "You didn't need to know that."

"No," she says, her voice soft. "I'm glad you told me."

I feel her hand wind into mine, my heart beating faster at her touch. We lie there like that for a while, looking up at the sky. It feels nice to be away from everything for a moment—just her and I and nothing else.

_____________________________________

"You what?" Iris stares at me in disbelief.

I shush her. I'm not working right now, which I'm thankful for because The Spoon is packed with people. I don't want the entire diner to hear my story or her reaction to it.

I take a sip of my soda before giving an explanation. "We were this close." I show my thumb and index finger an inch apart. "I thought she was about to kiss me."

She practically explodes at that, waving her arms in shock.

"But she didn't," I say, then I sink down, leaning on the table. "Then she held my hand, but we've held hands before and it never meant anything, so I really don't know what to think. Like, is she flirting with me or is that just another thing straight girls do?" I put my face in my hands. "God, girls are confusing."

Iris rolls her eyes. "Amber, you should tell her you like her. From what you're saying happened, it seems like she could like you too."

"I don't know what happened!" I refute. "It's all just a big, complicated blur."

She sighs. "Every time we talk about this, you always have the same response. Your character development is really lacking. Maybe it's time to pick up the pace on that."

Right after she says that, the door chimes, and Andi walks in, followed by Buffy, Cyrus and Jonah. Andi gives me a small smile before going to the other side of the diner to sit with her friends. Jonah slides into the same side of the booth as her, sitting so close that their shoulders touch.

"That's why I can't tell her," I say. "She likes Jonah. Not me. If I tell her, it could completely wreck our friendship."

"Whatever you say," Iris responds.

She takes a sip from her mug, eyeing me with one eyebrow raised.

"What is that?" I ask, trying to see the contents of her cup.

"Tea," she replies.

_____________________________________

I untwist the mascara and hold it up to Andi's eye. She sits on my bed while I do her makeup for the dance, which is starting in about an hour. Her eyes flutter a little as I brush them one at a time. When I'm done, she smiles, and I forget what I'm doing for a second. Then it comes back to me, and I reach for the lipgloss. She wanted something more subtle than the bubblegum pink lipstick I chose to wear myself. I swipe the shimmer onto her lips as she tries to keep from smiling too wide.

"Done," I say, leaning back.

She stands up and walks over to the full-length mirror beside my closet. She turns back to me, beaming.

"You look amazing," I say.

"Thank you," she responds. She steps over to me, taking both of my hands in hers. "As do you."

Her touch makes my stomach flutter, but I try to remember the reality of the situation. "Jonah's not going to be able to take his eyes off you."

"Oh, yeah, thanks."

She lets me go and glides over to where her dress is draped over the chair by my desk.

"Now to finish the look," she says, picking up the dress.

She takes it out of the room to the washroom down the hall, and I close my bedroom door to change myself. The blue dress gleams as I examine it in the mirror. Then my attention is redirected when Andi reappears at my doorway. She steps in with a shy smile on her face, even more beautiful than I remember. The way she steals my breath and makes my heartbeat go wild reminds me of just how much I like her.

Then she spins around, showing the bare section of her back.

"Can you zip me up again?" she asks.

I step over to her and pinch the zipper, feeling my pulse race as I do up the dress. My fingers graze her skin as they move with the zipper. When I'm done, she twists back around to face me, reaching for my hand.

"How do I look?" she asks, her voice soft.

I try to steady my puttering heartbeat, but I fail.

"Stunning," I reply.

She smiles. "You too."

She keeps her eyes locked with mine, making me feel nervous all over again. Then I take a step closer to her, and she doesn't move away. Her eyes wander down to my lips, and I can hear her steady but quick breathing as I lock my free hand into hers.

"Andi," I whisper, "can I try something?"

She nods, and I succumb to the force in my head telling me to close the gap between us completely. Her lips are soft against mine. Suddenly, I have a moment of realization: I'm kissing Andi Mack—and she's kissing me back.

Then our moment is ruined by the sound of Andi's text tone, causing her to pull away and check her phone. She reads the message before turning back to me, eyes wide and face blank as though she doesn't know how to react.

"Jonah's here," she explains. "We're gonna walk to the dance together."

"Okay," I say with a nod, even though my spinning head is keeping me from being able to process her words clearly.

"I'll see you there," she says.

"Yeah."

She turns around and exits my room. As soon as she's out of sight I let gravity yank me down to my bed and just lie there, trying to understand everything that just happened. She kissed me. But she's still going to the dance with Jonah. I rub my forehead with my hands. My brain hurts.