Page 53 of Full Court Crush
Then the doorbell rang.
Intruders didn’t usually ring the doorbell.
She picked up her phone to check her doorbell camera and relaxed when she saw TJ’s goofy face pressed up against the lens. It hit her like a ton of bricks; she had been supposed to meet them for lunch in the hospital cafeteria. She swiped out of the doorbell camera and saw a huge list of notifications, many from TJ and Evie. She hadn’t noticed them in her rush to get out of the hospital at the end of her shift. Her phone was still on do not disturb.
She rushed to the front door and fumbled with the keys to open it quickly. Her anxiety told her that her friends were going to be mad at her.Don’t think so little of them, her rational voice said, as she practised the self-talk routine she’d developed with her therapist.They care about you, they won’t be mad at you.
“I’m so sorry,” she said as soon as she was able to open the door.
Evie didn’t respond, instead hurling herself at Amelia and wrapping her in a tight hug, despite her injured shoulder.
“Are you okay? What happened? We know you get tied up in work, but it’s not like you to not show up without a text at least.”
“This one’s been on pins for the last seven hours,” TJ said, giving Amelia a brief one-armed hug as he ushered them all into her house, shut the door, and kept out the cold.
“Excuse me. Weren’t you the one who suggested we drive by her house, to at least see if her car was there?” Evie stared him down.
“Mm-hmm, and weren’t you the one that jumped out the car before I’d even had a chance to park it, to basically bang her door down?”
“I don’t know what you mean.” Evie pointedly looked away from him.
Amelia led the pair into the living room and took a seat in one of the single chairs, leaving the bigger sofa for Evie and TJ. They sat close together, and Amelia immediately thought back to how she and Keira had sat on that sofa, and how tenderly Keira had massaged her feet.
“So, what happened?”
“Just…a manic day.” She tightly gripped her mug. “My mother has been hounding me about Christmas plans, and I couldn’t deal with that on top of everything else.”
“Everything else?”
“Oh, you know, work and stuff,” she said, not quite meeting Evie’s eyes. “I had a panic attack in work today for the first time in a while.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, man, that sucks.” TJ’s tone was very big-brotherly, and it soothed her, like sinking her tired body into a warm bath.
“Are you sure that’s all there is?” Evie asked suspiciously.
“Should there be something else?” she challenged. Evie didn’t respond.
She thought about telling her about Keira and their night together. About how conflicted she was about sleeping with a teammate, and how dating said teammate, while excruciatingly tempting, was probably a terrible idea. But also, about how it had been the most alive she’d felt in years. How Keira had made her feelseenin ways no one else had. But she didn’t think Evie, who had been desperate to get them together from the start, would hear all of that.
“I’m sorry if I’ve been too pushy with the Keira thing,” Evie said quietly. It was like she’d been reading Amelia’s mind. TJ put a reassuring hand on his wife’s thigh. “I’ve seen the way she looks at you,” Evie said, “and I think I just let my romantic heart get carried away. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”
“Thank you,” Amelia said, and the tension fully drained from her shoulders. She hadn’t known she’d needed to hear that, but she did.
“She just wants everyone to be as happy as I make her,” TJ joked.
“I wouldn’t want Amelia to have to deal with the smelly basketball shorts that you leave lying around everywhere.”
“I thought you found my scent alluring,” he said, waggling his eyebrows at Evie. He was quickly stopped by a flying pillow from Amelia, who couldn’t help but smile.
“Cut it out, you two. I’m right here,” she said half sternly, half jokingly. Her stomach rumbled loudly, reminding her that in all the chaos of the day, she hadn’t eaten since breakfast.
“Hungry much?” Evie asked with a laugh. “I’ve been really craving Indian, if you fancied ordering something?”
Amelia felt like she’d never heard a better suggestion. She got up to make drinks while TJ placed their order. She offered them both beers, but Evie declined because of her pain medication, and TJ declined because he was driving. She grabbed them a couple of cans of soft drink instead, and shouted her takeaway order through from the kitchen. She made herself another cup of tea and checked her phone again while the kettle boiled.
Another voicemail from her mother. She sighed. Time to rip the plaster off and listen. Her mother didn’t have anything new to say:What’s the point of you having a mobile phone if you don’t answer it. We barely see you anymore. I must be such a terrible mother for you to be avoiding me like this.
Dutifully, she listened to the whole thing while she poured hot water over the tea bag, then she deleted the voice mail. She read Keira’s texts next.