Nothing Is Ever Simple

AMELIA

Having Johnny back in LA was not actually turning out to be much different from when he was away. For the first week he had been back, Amelia had hardly seen him when she was in the office. The only sign that he was back came from the steady flow of yelps of pain and frustration coming from Jeff’s general direction. Amelia tried not to let this bother her. They would have plenty of time to talk and hang out in the future now that they were colleagues. In fact, Amelia thought to herself, she would probably see him tonight. It was Saturday and seeing as everyone would be off the next day, Jeff had organised another office night out.

Amelia heard the buzzer to her apartment ring and she realised that Jeff must be early picking her up. He had offered to drive her to the bar where they were meeting so that she could have a drink. She quickly finished applying her lipstick and checked her appearance in the mirror. At the back of her mind she was aware that Johnny would be there tonight and even if there was nothing going on between them she wanted to look nice. She had chosen the same black body con dress she had worn for New Year as it brought back happy memories.

She reached the door and smoothed her dress down before opening it. She was taken aback by the sight of Johnny standing in front of her with a big smile on his face. He was wearing a white button down shirt underneath a black blazer and jeans. She grinned as she spotted his familiar converse.

“Hi.” She exclaimed. “I wasn’t expecting you.” She laughed as Johnny pulled her into a friendly hug. Amelia couldn’t help but notice that he smelt amazing.

“Yeah, sorry about that.” Johnny said, pulling away. “Jeff rang to say he was running late and asked if I’d pick you up.” Johnny explained as Amelia stood back to let him in. “Nice place you’ve got here.”

“Oh thanks.” She smiled, putting her phone and purse into a handbag while Johnny looked around. “And thank you for picking me up.”

Johnny’s eyes twinkled. “It’s my pleasure. You can’t rely on Tremaine for anything.” Amelia followed Johnny out of her apartment and they climbed into his car. “Where’s Brandon tonight?”

“He’s staying at Jeff’s tonight actually. Laura’s babysitting.” She smiled, thinking gratefully of Jeff’s girlfriend. She had been a great help since Amelia had moved to LA.

Johnny nodded. “What’s the name of this bar?” he asked as he pulled on to the main road.

“Erm, I can’t even pronounce it.” Amelia laughed, pulling out her phone and showing Johnny the text that Jeff had sent her earlier. She was still not completely familiar with the city and was only just getting the hang of finding her way around without getting lost.

“That’s weird.” Johnny frowned at the message before turning his attention back to the road.

“What is?” Amelia wondered curiously, staring at Johnny.

“Well, as far as I know that’s a really posh Thai restaurant, not a bar.” he told her, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel to a song that had just come on the radio.

“Really? I’m sure Jeff said we were just going for a few drinks.” Amelia stared at the text.

“That’s what I thought.” Johnny agreed.

They chatted for the duration of the short drive and when they arrived at their destination it turned out that Johnny had been correct. ‘Chaophraya’ was indeed a very posh and expensive looking Thai restaurant. Amelia and Johnny climbed out of the car and exchanged suspicious glances. What was Jeff thinking?

“After you.” Amelia laughed, gesturing for Johnny to lead the way inside. She was glad she had dressed up for the occasion as they entered the restaurant and she took in the dimly lit hall, complete with authentic Thai decor, right down to the indoor waterfall at the back of the room. It was beautiful. Amelia looked around trying to spot any familiar faces, leaving Johnny to do the talking. “Hi, do you have a table for Tremaine?” Johnny asked the maître d.

“No, there’s no Tremaine here.” The man informed him, double checking his booking list. Amelia stepped closer to Johnny, wondering what was going on. Johnny shrugged his shoulders at her. He was equally as confused.

“What about Dickhouse or Knoxville?” Johnny suggested. It was worth a shot but the man shook his head again. Amelia stifled a laugh as Johnny ran through a list of his friends’ names, earning him a suspicious look from the maître d. It was quite funny, she thought. Perhaps Jeff was playing a prank on them. It wouldn’t be the first time and Johnny definitely deserved it.

“Clapp?” Amelia asked suddenly, thinking of Johnny’s real surname.

“Ah yes, Clapp.” The man nodded. “Follow me please.”

“Good thinking!” Johnny exclaimed, high fiving Amelia as they followed the man.

They came to a stop by a small candlelit table at the back of the room but both Amelia and Johnny frowned when they saw that it was a table for two. It seemed Jeff had been pranking them after all. Amelia glanced at Johnny. “Did you know about this?”

Johnny shook his head and laughed. “Not a clue.” He told her. “It would seem that Jeff fancies himself as a bit of a matchmaker.”

Amelia tried not to blush as they took a seat opposite one another, secretly cursing Jeff in her head. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be here with Johnny, but it would have been nice to have the heads up and maybe have been asked by Johnny himself. As it stood, she had no idea if he really wanted to be here with her. It was highly possible that Johnny would just go along with this out of politeness.

Johnny seemed to be taking the set up in good spirit however and wasted no time in ordering a bottle of wine. “Well, I have to confess that the company is infinitely better than I had expected.” He winked across the table at her.

“Likewise.” She smiled as they waited for their wine.

“You look beautiful tonight Amelia.”

“Thank you Johnny.” She blushed again. It was going to one of those nights. Before he could say anything else a waiter appeared with a bottle of red wine and took their order.

“It’s nice to finally spend some time alone.” Johnny smiled gently when the waiter had left. “Do you remember that time we went out for a meal in Westchester?”

Amelia nodded, unable to find her voice. What was happening to her? She had never been shy or nervous around Johnny before, not even from day one. As she remembered the time in question, she wondered how different things would have been if they had realised their feelings for one another right from the start. “Yeah and I hope you don’t intend to get me as drunk as you did that time.” She laughed, surprising herself.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Johnny grinned devilishly, pouring Amelia a suspiciously large glass of wine. Amelia raised her eyebrow but took a sip anyway and started to relax as they settled into comfortable conversation, reminiscing about the old times and carefully leaving out any mention of Bam. The food was lovely and Johnny was acting like a perfect gentleman. Amelia decided she would have to find some way of thanking Jeff. She was having such a nice evening.

“How’s about we get the hell out of here?” Johnny suggested with a glint in his eye once they had finished eating and their bottle of wine was empty. “I know just the place.”

Amelia nodded. She was not ready for the night to end just yet and after paying the bill Johnny led the way out of the restaurant. The wine had gone to her head a little and she regretted wearing high heels. She could tell that Johnny was also feeling the effects of the wine as he was laughing loudly. They made their way into a crowded bar a little way down the street. There was a band playing and Amelia and Johnny had to shout to make themselves heard over the sound of country music. Amelia felt slightly out of place in the rowdy atmosphere, especially in her little black dress but Johnny kept a protective arm around her lower back as they stood at the bar waiting to get served.

Johnny passed her a glass. “What’s this?” she asked, eyeing the drink suspiciously and turning towards Johnny so that she could talk into his ear. She was aware of the fact that his arm remained on her back but she didn’t mind. She hoped he would keep it there.

“Jack and coke of course.” Johnny laughed back at her, shaking his head. Amelia grinned in approval and took a sip.

“Now you’re really trying to get me drunk.” She giggled into his ear and put a hand on his chest to steady herself.

Johnny nodded proudly, sipping his own drink with a grin on his face. The bar was so busy that there was nowhere to sit down so they remained standing at the bar and huddled closer to one another as people continued to crowd around them, waiting for drinks. Johnny’s arm was still around her and before she knew it, he had finished his glass and was getting in another round. Amelia finished her first drink quickly in a bid to keep up with Johnny, even though she realised she would probably regret it in the morning.

“Let’s dance.” Johnny grinned once Amelia had finished her second drink.

Amelia shook her head. “Oh no Johnny. No way!” There were a few other couples on the dance floor but Amelia was not prepared to go and make a fool of herself. She could not dance to save her life. Johnny however, had other ideas.

“Come on!” he took her by the arm and dragged her towards the floor. Amelia stumbled after him in her less than sensible choice of footwear and found herself being pulled into his arms.

“I can’t dance!” she shouted into his ear as he put his hands on her hips and they started to move.

“Neither can I!” he shouted back, grinning. “Just follow me.” He started wiggling his hips.

Amelia shook her head and laughed, putting her own arms around Johnny’s neck and letting him lead. She was painfully aware of the fact that the whole bar was probably watching them. Johnny was a celebrity after all.

“You look so cute when you’re embarrassed.” Johnny leant towards her and whispered, his hot breath tickling her neck. Right on cue Amelia’s cheeks flushed but she was not sure whether it was due to what Johnny had said or just as a result of how close their bodies were to one another.

“I’ll get you back for this Knoxville.” She warned him.