I Could Never Pretend

In a normal situation, Amelia would have considered two in the afternoon to be too early to start drinking, but coffee was just not going to do the trick today. What Amelia really needed was an ice cold, extremely alcoholic beverage to take the edge off her confrontation with Bam. Before she knew it, her sister and Ryan had arrived at Ape and Phil’s, and Phil had bundled the four of them into his van and dropped them off at a bar in town. Ryan reliably informed them that Bam was not likely make an appearance so they could relax and catch up, undisturbed. Johnny and Ryan went straight ahead to the bar and ordered in the first round of drinks while Amelia and Rose found a table.

Johnny had been a little apprehensive of seeing Ryan, unsure if he was still one hundred percent loyal to Bam, but as it turned out he had nothing to worry about. Ryan had greeted him like the old friends they were and Johnny could tell that it was not going to be awkward. Ryan had a wonderful ability to see the positive side in all circumstances and it was difficult to feel unhappy around him.

“So are you going to tell me what’s going on Amelia?” Rose asked in exasperation. Her sister had been tight lipped up until now and it was driving her sister crazy. She was never one to turn down a drink but she couldn’t relax until she knew what was wrong with Amelia.

Amelia glanced over at the bar where Johnny and Ryan were being served. “Bam’s filed for sole custody.”

“What!?” Rose exclaimed in horror, slamming her bag down on the table. “No way. That’s impossible. What the fuck does he think he’s doing? That fucking arsehole!”

Amelia had expected Rose to react like this. She could always trust her sister to provide a suitably dramatic outburst. Once Rose had finished her onslaught of expletives, Amelia continued to fill her sister in on the situation before the men returned from the bar. She hoped Johnny would subtly explain the situation to Ryan so she didn’t have to go through it again.

“I can’t believe that no one knew what he was up to.” Rose sighed in frustration as she thought about her brother in law. “I’ve hardly seen him all summer but it’s not like him to keep anything quiet. I wish we’d known. Maybe we could have stopped him before he took it this far.”

Amelia reached over and touched her sister’s arm gently. She knew what Rose was like. She hated not being in control. “Stop it Rose. It’s not your fault. Even if you had known, you wouldn’t be able to change his mind. I didn’t even get as far as trying because he pissed me off so much.”

Rose frowned. “Does Ryan know about it?” She wondered as she watched Johnny and Ryan make their way over.

“Of course not.” Amelia shook her head. “Not even April knew until the other day.”

“I guess I’m stupid for even asking. I know he would never keep anything like that from me.” Rose sighed and smiled as the guys sat down beside them.

“Amelia, I am so sorry...” Ryan started to apologise as soon as he had sat down, but Amelia cut him off, thankful that Johnny had done the honours.

“There’s no need Ryan. I’ve already been through this with Rose. There’s nothing you could have done. I just want to forget about it until I can see Johnny’s solicitor.” Amelia smiled at him as convincingly as she could.

Johnny slid a large glass of JD and coke towards her and put a comforting hand on her knee under the table. She took a refreshing sip and with her free hand, squeezed Johnny’s back. She couldn’t wait to get back to LA and collect Brandon so that they could sort this mess out and then concentrate on their relationship, but for now she was intent on enjoying her time with her sister.

“So if I remember, you called me to tell me something?” Amelia prompted Rose, keen to change the subject.

“Oh yeah, how could I forget.” Rose laughed and took Ryan’s hand on top of the table. “We’ve got some news.”

Amelia’s face turned pale as she thought the worst, making Rose and Ryan laugh. “Don’t worry sis, I’m not pregnant if that’s what you were thinking!” Rose giggled and Amelia breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t think she would be able to cope if her little sister had gone and got herself into the same situation that Amelia had. “We’re moving in together.” Rose grinned proudly and started to describe the house to Amelia and Johnny.

After their conversation with Dico that morning, Amelia had seen this coming but not necessarily so soon. As the older sister, Amelia was highly protective of Rose and in her opinion no man was good enough. Still, she had always liked Ryan and when she had first moved into Castle Bam she had considered him to be Bam’s voice of reason. Maybe Ryan was the guy for Rose, she thought as they toasted the happy news.

“Congratulations.” Johnny smiled, shaking Ryan’s hand across the table and leaning over to kiss Rose on the cheek. “Make sure we’re invited for the house warming party.”

Ryan and Rose glanced at one another and smirked. “We?” Rose raised an eyebrow at Jonny. They knew that Johnny had gone to England with Amelia, but they still didn’t know what was going on between them. To Rose and Ryan’s amusement, Amelia and Johnny looked liked rabbits caught in car headlights and it told them all they needed to know.

“I’ll let you handle this one.” Johnny nudged Amelia. There was no point in trying to hide it from Amelia’s sister, but he didn’t want to upset her by letting his mouth run away with him. He had learnt from previous experiences that it was better to keep your mouth shut when women were involved.

“Well there’s no point in trying to fool you.” Amelia looked pointedly at her sister who could always read her like a book. Rose laughed but was still staring expectantly at the pair of them. “Yes, Johnny and I are ‘together’, whatever that means. But for obvious reasons we’re keeping it quiet and we’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t tell anyone.”

Johnny smiled and put an arm around Amelia, squeezing her reassuringly and she smiled back. It felt good to be able to tell people that they were a couple. She couldn’t for the day when she could shout it from the rooftops.

“Well it’s about bloody time!” Rose remarked and Ryan agreed. “Who cares what anyone thinks. As long as you’re happy that’s all that matters.”

“Thanks.” Amelia smiled, glad that she had the support of her sister.

“Yeah this is great news.” Ryan grinned. “I could have told you four years ago that the two of you were supposed to be together, but past loyalties and such...” he trailed off.

“Thanks bro.” Johnny nodded at Ryan sincerely.

Now that one more obstacle was out of the way, Amelia felt herself beginning to relax and as the drinks continued to flow she was able to put Bam to the back of her mind. Why shouldn’t she be happy after all? She was in love with an amazing guy and her sister was settling down with Ryan. On Monday she would meet with the solicitor and put an end to this ridiculous custody situation.

Johnny smiled at Amelia. He could see that her brain was still working on over drive and he wished he could do something to make her feel better. The desire to kiss her was overwhelming and he had been waiting for the perfect moment to make his move without Amelia feeling awkward. After what seemed like a lifetime, Ryan and Rose made their way to the bar to get the next round of drinks and Johnny seized the opportunity.

“You’ve got something on your cheek.” Johnny pointed to Amelia’s face casually and pretended to wipe the imaginary mark away. Instead however, he leant in close, putting a hand on her cheek and he pressed his lips delicately on the side of her face.

“Smooth Knoxville.” She laughed, turning her head so that their lips were practically touching. “You’re going to have to do better than that.” She teased.

“Is that a proposition?” Johnny smiled mischievously, keeping his hand in place. He tried to kiss her again but she kept moving her head slightly so that he missed.

“I’d call it more of a challenge.” She smirked and leant closer so that she could whisper into his ear. “Are you up to it?”

“I’m always up for a challenge.” He laughed as he felt her hot breath on his neck. Damn that girl could drive him wild. He brought his hand down to her waist. “You’ve got the word ‘challenge’ written all over you.”

“Boy you sure know how to make a girl feel special.” Amelia giggled into his ear, placing her hand on the back of his neck and stroking her fingers through his unruly hair.

“And you sure know how to drive a guy crazy.” He whispered, kissing Amelia’s ear gently.

***

To both Amelia and Johnny’s relief, April and Phil had gone out by the time they returned to the house. Ape had left a note to say that they had gone for a meal with friends and wouldn’t be back til very late. Not only did this mean that Amelia could avoid having to tell April how the confrontation with Bam had gone, it also meant that they could have some privacy.
As Amelia put April’s note to one side on the kitchen counter, Johnny came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. “Are you ok?” he whispered and she shivered as she felt his warm breath on her skin.

“I will be.” She smiled and twisted round so that she was facing him. “Thank you for coming with me today.”

Johnny cut her off by planting his lips firmly against hers. There was no need to dwell on what had happened, he thought and he was determined to take her mind of the morning’s events. Amelia smiled into the kiss, prompting him to kiss her back more passionately and run his fingers through her hair. She moaned softly in response and brought her hands up around his neck to pull herself closer to him. Before they knew it, Johnny had backed Amelia up against the counter and their hips were in contact.

“So about that challenge.” He grinned, pulling away from her slightly.

Amelia let her arms drop to her side and her hands found their way to the waist line of Johnny’s trousers. “Catch me if you can.” She smirked and in the blink of an eye she had side stepped Johnny and sprinted out of the kitchen. Johnny remained rooted to the spot, frozen by a mixture of surprise and awe at the speed with which Amelia had disappeared from the room. Well, had said it himself, she was a challenge, he thought, laughing to himself. He should have known better than to think he could have her so easily.

After searching for Amelia outside and in all of the downstairs rooms Johnny thought he could hear the sound of running water so he made his way upstairs with as little noise as possible, not wanting to alert her to his presence. The guest bedroom that they had been staying in was shut, but he was sure that this was the source of the sound. Ever so gently he pushed the door open, fully aware that this could be a prank, after all, Amelia had learnt from the best. There was no sign of her in the bedroom but the running water was definitely coming from the ensuite bathroom and Johnny treaded softly across the carpet, wondering what he was going to find.

He peered around the door and sure enough, the shower was running. The bathroom had steamed up, but through the glass he could make out the silhouette of Amelia standing in the bath and as he came closer he was surprised to find that she had taken off all of her clothes.

“What are you waiting for?” she called to him over the sound of the water. Not wanting to waste any time, Johnny climbed into the shower fully clothed and took Amelia into his arms.

“This is a pleasant surprise.” He grinned and she giggled pulling him closer to her wet body. Her long hair clung to her back and her makeup had smudged but she looked more beautiful than ever, Johnny thought.

“Were the clothes really necessary?” she looked him up and down. Although most of the water was cascading off her body, Johnny was getting increasingly soaked by the spray.

“I thought this was a game of catch and I didn’t want to let my prey get away.” He replied, allowing her to pull the damp t-shirt over his head and discard it on the bathroom floor.

“You did very well to find me.” Amelia joked, placing her hands on his chest. “Even if it did take you a while.”

“I’d better not waste any more time then.” He grinned, placing his hands on her bare hips and pulling her into him. “You’re very sexy when you’re wet you know.”

Amelia laughed and kissed him roughly, biting his bottom lip before breaking away. “You’re not too bad yourself.” She manoeuvred slightly so that Johnny was under the water too. “But I think you could do with ditching the trousers.”

***

After possibly the longest shower ever, Amelia and Johnny cuddled up in bed for the rest of the evening. As Amelia rested her head on Johnny’s shoulder she sighed in content. It was nice to be able to spend all this time together again. Since returning from England they’d had to make do with stealing intimate moments in the office when no one was around and Johnny would come round to Amelia’s in the evening. They lay quietly for some time, simply enjoying the company and listening to sound of each other’s heart beating. Johnny had taken his contact lenses out and was now wearing his thick rimmed glasses, much to Amelia’s delight. She always thought he looked incredibly cute in his glasses. If he wasn’t wearing his glasses he would be wearing his aviators, even in doors, which sometimes frustrated her. As sexy as he looked in shades Amelia preferred to be able to see his beautiful brown eyes.

After a while, Amelia propped herself up one elbow so that she could lean over and look at Johnny clearly. “Why do you always wear your shades indoors?” she asked thoughtfully, gently tracing the skin beneath his eyes with her finger. “You have such gorgeous eyes.”

“Well gee thanks ma’am.” Johnny laughed, fluttering his eyelashes dramatically.

“No seriously. I want to know.” She smiled, continuing to stroke his face. “I’m curious.”

Johnny pulled off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “I don’t like these crow’s feet around my eyes. They make me look old. Well, they make me look my age.” He pointed at the skin at the side of his eyes and pulled a face. As an actor Johnny thought his face was his most important asset and the fact that he was starting to age made him feel insecure, although he had never let anyone know it. Until now, that is.

Amelia shook her head. “Don’t be silly. You’re not old. You’re perfect.”

“You’re just saying that to make me feel better.” He pouted and slipped his glasses back on. “And look, I’m grey!” he pointed to his head. “I’ve been grey for years but I always dye it when we’re doing a movie.” He knew this was already obvious to Amelia but it made him feel better for getting it off his chest.

“I like it.” Amelia shrugged and ruffled his hair. “It makes you look defined.”

“Pah!” Johnny exclaimed, swatting her hand away. “Defined is just a nice way of saying I’m old.”

“Boy someone’s got a complex.” Amelia teased leaning forward to press her lips against his cheek.

Johnny kissed her back but his mind was preoccupied. “Don’t you think I’m too old though? I’m ten years older than you. Doesn’t it bother you?” He stared at her expectantly.

Amelia rolled her eyes but she was worried about his insecurity. “I don’t care about the age difference Johnny. You know you’re absolutely perfect to me. I love you just the way you are, warts and all. Not that you have any.” She quickly added. “Please don’t ever change.”

“Well seeing as you asked so nicely.” Johnny laughed and cuddled Amelia tightly, feeling significantly better. Every now and then his ego just needed a little stroking. He was not the over confident jerk that he used to be. Sure he was still a jerk, but somewhere along the line he had developed a conscious and an inferiority complex. Perhaps it was a side effect of becoming a parent. “I love you too by the way.” He smiled as he pulled Amelia back down into his arms and they returned to a comfortable silence.

Eventually Johnny broke the silence. “So er... There’s actually something I’ve wanted to ask you but I wasn’t sure when would be the right time...” Johnny mumbled and Amelia detected a nervous tone to his voice.

“What’s that?” she asked curiously, propping herself up again. Johnny remained on his back and closed his eyes briefly as he worked up the courage to respond. “Well, I know we’ve not really been together all that long and everything’s up in the air at the moment but...when things have settled...maybe you’d move in with me?”

Amelia stared at Johnny in surprise as she thought about what he had just said. “I mean, I’ll understand if you don’t want to. I don’t want you to rush into anything it’s just...It kinda gets a bit lonely in that house and I miss you when you’re not around. I’m really serious about us Amelia. I don’t want to mess this up.”

“Relax PJ.” Amelia smiled, putting a hand to his cheek. “You don’t have to explain yourself. I’d love to move in with you. I wish we could do it sooner but it will be worth the wait.” She kissed his forehead tenderly. “I’m really serious about us too. For now I guess you’ll just have to keep sneaking over to mine in the middle of the night if you get lonely.”

Johnny laughed. “I’ll hold you to that.” He pulled her free arm across his chest and Amelia burrowed her head in the crook of his neck.