More Than This

6 - Amber

Rewind: Amber made dinner as a thank you for the whole crew, including Garrett's mom. As they were leaving, Amber see's a picture and Garrett confirms that it's he and Lisa, his older sister.

Song of the chapter - Spaces by One Direction

My heart was racing the entire drive back to my house. I could hardly swallow, my mouth was so dry. I kept hearing Garrett's words repeat in my head, over and over, "that's my sister...Lisa."

His sister...his sister...I had so many questions, some that had been stewing in my mind for a month, and now new ones that were overwhelming me. But I also kept hearing April's warning about asking him anything regarding Lisa. Don't do it.

My thoughts were at war with one another. One part of me wanted to ask every question running through my increasingly curious mind in a rapid fire succession, most likely faster than Garett could even answer them. Not that he would. But a stronger and much more rational part of me wanted to heed April's warning, as I had for a month, and say nothing. Me, being one to always err on the side of caution, and let's be honest, total fear, went ahead and remained silent the entire ride home.

The problem was, so did Garrett. I had typically allowed him to talk when he felt like it, not asking tons of awkward or trivial questions just to keep conversation going. Sometimes he would engage me, but more often than not, he left us in a comfortable silence. It wasn't always comfortable. Those first few times he brought me home were pretty bad. Awful, actually. The silence had gotten easier, however, as we spent more time just casually hanging out at Nico's place. So recently, it had become a pleasant break from April and Nico's high energy. Relaxing.

This silence was anything but relaxing. It was thick, filled with anxiety and confusion. I felt it radiating off of Garrett, so I knew it wasn't just me. He was equally as uncomfortable as I was. The ride felt ten times longer with that vibe filling the car.

I glanced his way a few times and noticed his jaw clenching and unclenching, giving his face a chiseled appearance. If I wasn't so miserable sitting next to him, I might have been able to appreciate his profile, which was incredibly appealing. His facial features were quite attractive, even with his prominent scar. I had noticed that he never wore the hood around me anymore. I thought that was a sign that he felt comfortable with me, or even that he wanted me to feel comfortable around him.

This ride pretty much shattered any thoughts of comfort.

It was all I could do to not run all the way to my door and slam it shut behind me, keeping the horrible tension out of my house. I kept my composure, waved goodbye because saying anything would have made the awkward silence more...awkward, and then walked as calmly as I could into my house.

As soon as the door closed, I took in a huge breath, finally feeling like I could breathe. The kitchen light was on, and my mom called to me from somewhere in the house, "Home already?"

"Um, yeah" I struggled to find my voice after being subjected to such oppressive silence, "I'm in for the night."

"Okay. Did you have a nice time at dinner with your friends?" She asked as her voice drew closer to me. She was making her way towards where I was standing in the hallway.

"It was nice, yes." until the ride home, that was. I stepped over to the front closet to put my purse and jacket away.

"Good. I just made brownies, would you like one?" She offered as she was finally standing in front of me, heading into the kitchen.