Amber's feet hit hard the narrow steps-- they'd felt wider before puberty-- as she thundered down the stairs, worried about where Eric had ended up. She found him in seconds, though, the proverbial worm on her aunt's hook of an arm. She slowed down, catching his gaze. There was something... quasi-tragic about his quiet panic, only somewhat hidden behind a stretched smile. Tragic and hilarious.
Amber choked back a laugh. Oh, now he understood her pain.
"Hey, come on," Geoffrey cajoled from behind.
"I'm going, I'm going," Amber said, striding towards the front door again. If Eric had managed to get into the house, he'd survive another few minutes alone with her relatives. Outside, she and Geoffrey fought over the last of the items; she let him carry the lighter of Eric's two bags. That didn't count, right?
Her mom was waiting by the door, an eyebrow raised. "Still too busy to properly greet your mother?"
"I said hi," Amber protested, but was already lowering her loads to the ground in order to hug her mom; this was a much quicker business than with her father, with them leaning in towards each other only just long enough for Amber to pick up the scent of her mom's perfume.
"Look at you," her mom said, pulling back and yet holding Amber's wrists, as if to hold her in place. "Are you using a new blush?"
Amber would've touched her face self-consciously, but she couldn't. "No, same as before."
Her mom smiled in a way Amber didn't quite understand until she said, "Well, then I suppose this glow is thanks to your new boyfriend, then." And then Amber really must have been glowing. "You look lovely, dear."
At this point her mom's hold loosened enough for Amber to let go, and she did so. "So's the house--" she hadn't noticed in her initial rush, but it might as well have been a new first floor. The furniture was certainly all newly acquired, and Amber felt a pang for the worn, tired sofas with their outdated prints. They hadn't been elegant, but they’d been a part of home. "You guys went all out with the reforms, didn't you."
There was no mistaking the pride in her mom's soft, assured voice. "Oh, this, I had enough time to plan it. I've been imagining these reforms for the past twenty years, after all."
That Amber could attest to; she'd been hearing her mom go on about that exact shade of robin blue for the living room walls for as long as she could remember. "It looks great."
"I know. Come, let's get you a drink, and you can introduce me to Eric." And there was no saying no, not when her mom took her hand and led, not even with the bags she'd left by the entrance. Oh well. She could get them later, they weren't going anywhere. Amber followed towards the center of attention Eric had become.
no subject
Amber choked back a laugh. Oh, now he understood her pain.
"Hey, come on," Geoffrey cajoled from behind.
"I'm going, I'm going," Amber said, striding towards the front door again. If Eric had managed to get into the house, he'd survive another few minutes alone with her relatives. Outside, she and Geoffrey fought over the last of the items; she let him carry the lighter of Eric's two bags. That didn't count, right?
Her mom was waiting by the door, an eyebrow raised. "Still too busy to properly greet your mother?"
"I said hi," Amber protested, but was already lowering her loads to the ground in order to hug her mom; this was a much quicker business than with her father, with them leaning in towards each other only just long enough for Amber to pick up the scent of her mom's perfume.
"Look at you," her mom said, pulling back and yet holding Amber's wrists, as if to hold her in place. "Are you using a new blush?"
Amber would've touched her face self-consciously, but she couldn't. "No, same as before."
Her mom smiled in a way Amber didn't quite understand until she said, "Well, then I suppose this glow is thanks to your new boyfriend, then." And then Amber really must have been glowing. "You look lovely, dear."
At this point her mom's hold loosened enough for Amber to let go, and she did so. "So's the house--" she hadn't noticed in her initial rush, but it might as well have been a new first floor. The furniture was certainly all newly acquired, and Amber felt a pang for the worn, tired sofas with their outdated prints. They hadn't been elegant, but they’d been a part of home. "You guys went all out with the reforms, didn't you."
There was no mistaking the pride in her mom's soft, assured voice. "Oh, this, I had enough time to plan it. I've been imagining these reforms for the past twenty years, after all."
That Amber could attest to; she'd been hearing her mom go on about that exact shade of robin blue for the living room walls for as long as she could remember. "It looks great."
"I know. Come, let's get you a drink, and you can introduce me to Eric." And there was no saying no, not when her mom took her hand and led, not even with the bags she'd left by the entrance. Oh well. She could get them later, they weren't going anywhere. Amber followed towards the center of attention Eric had become.