Amelia and I were walking down the street together.

“So, Janis mentioned you girls met, the other day.”

“Oh, did she?” I was suddenly filled with dread. I had openly spoken of liking Amelia, that day. “What else did she tell you?”

“Just that much,” said Amelia. “But I suppose that’s how you got the address of my workplace, right?” I nodded. “Which reminds me,” she continued, “I should probably apologize for the way Sarah treated you, just now.”

I furrowed my brow. “Umm... I’m sorry, who?”

“The girl from the pub,” she explained. “The one with the clipboard and the pixie cut. She said you were a stalker, and I think that was uncalled for.”

“Oh...” I thought about that for a moment. “Well, she was right, though, I am kind of a stalker.”

Amelia laughed. “I don’t mind a little stalking,” she told me, “if you’re the one doing it.”

There we go. She was flirting with me again. It was making me feel queasy. Say something, Hannah!

“Umm... what did that girl... Sarah... what did she mean by ‘not another one of Janis’ friends’?”

Amelia winced. “It’s kind of a long story,” she said. “You see... Sarah is my ex.”

I gaped at her. “What? Really?”

“Yes, really,” said Amelia, chuckling. “So anyway, we dated for... something like two or three months, and then she dumped me. Janis didn’t like that. They ran into each other, one day, and Janis picked a fight with Sarah, saying that she was a horrible person, and that she had used me for fun. And of course, Sarah bit back. They actually started throwing punches at each other. The three of us ended up at the police station.”

I laughed. “I can’t believe that happened. Then what?”

“Well, then nothing. I managed to convince Sarah not to press charges, so we were all let go with a warning.”

“Wild,” I told her, giggling. Then I cleared my throat. “So, anyway, what sort of adventure do you have planned for us tonight?”

“I’ll tell you when we get there,” she said.

We stopped walking in front of a bus stop, and it was only a couple of minutes before a bus came down that street. Amelia signaled for it to stop, and the two of us boarded it.

“You’re being rather secretive about this,” I said, at some point, as we traveled together. “I hope you’re not leading me to a cabin in the woods where I’ll be brutally murdered and nobody will ever hear of me again.”

“Sadly, there are no woods around these parts,” she joked. I punched her ribs, annoyed, and she burst out laughing. “Sorry, sorry. I promise you that you’re perfectly safe.”

“Can I trust you?”

“Hey, I come with recommendations!” she joked. “Janis can vouch for me, she knows I always treat my dates well.”

I felt myself blush, and averted my eyes. So this really was a date, huh?

“No murderous intents, then?” I joked.

“None.”

“And I won’t end up at the police station tonight?”

Amelia smirked. “Well, that I can’t guarantee.” I looked at her face, mildly outraged. “We’re probably gonna be okay, though,” she said, grinning.

I shook my head. “What have I gotten myself into?” But I was smiling as well.

“There’s still time to turn back,” Amelia teased.

“Never,” I said, haughtily, and we laughed together. We stared into each other’s eyes. I just loved when Amelia smiled like that. I was so lost in her smile that I instinctively laid my hand on top of hers, surprising us both. She looked at our hands, and then at me, but didn’t pull away. She just smiled. We stayed like that in silence, for a little while, then Amelia glanced out the window, and stood up, hastily.

“Whoops, that’s our stop!” she said. Then she went to talk to the driver. “Hey, mister, can you drop us here?”

“Are you sure about that?” he asked.

“Yeah, here’s fine,” said Amelia. Then she walked back to where I was sitting, and offered me her hand. “Shall we?”

I took her hand, and stood up. “Lead the way,” I told her.

We got off the bus in the middle of a rural area, with only a few houses here and there, and not much light except for the streetlamps. It didn’t look like a particularly scary place, but I could still understand why the driver had asked Amelia if she was sure she wanted to get off here. There was... not much around.

“Well, now I’m curious,” I told her. We still hadn’t let go of each other’s hand. “Are we going to visit someone?”

“Better than that,” said Amelia, still secretive.

We started walking together, down that street, and then another, until we passed by a large plot of land with a few cows and an honest-to-goodness windmill. Amelia jumped the fence.

“Wait, what?!” I protested.

“Come on,” she said, motioning for me to jump in as well. “It’s an adventure.”

I grinned, shook my head, and followed her into the pasture.

“Y’know, when you said that I might end up at the police station, earlier, I really thought you were joking.”

Amelia chortled. “Nah, don’t worry. My family owns this plot. I’ve been coming here since I was a child. I may not be in the best of terms with dad, currently, but it’s not like we’re trespassing or anything.”

“And you’re not going to murder me and sell my organs online, right?”

“I already promised not to,” she said. “Now, come on, I really want to show you this.”

Amelia led me down the path to the windmill. When we got there, she looked under a few empty flowerpots until she found a rusty old key, which she used to open the small door on the back of the mill. It was pitch black inside. We both turned our cellphone lanterns on, and I followed her inside the building.

There was a spiraling staircase inside, with a handrail to prevent any accidents. Amelia led the way, with me following close behind, until we got to another door, the key to which was in the keyhole already. She opened the door, offered me her hand, and, together, we walked outside into a small balcony that circled the rooftop. I looked around, at the houses, streets, fields, and pastures. There was a river a little further north. But what delighted me most was the sky. Out here, far from the crowded city streets, the sky was riddled with stars, and this was the perfect spot to watch them from.

There was a wooden bench nearby. I sat down, and kept looking up at the night sky.

“You know, this place is actually pretty cool,” I said. “Sorry for suggesting you were a murderer.”

Amelia laughed, then she came to sit by my side. “I used to come here all the time, when I needed to be alone with my thoughts,” she told me. “It’s a good place to clear your head when life puts you in a rough spot.”

I nodded. “I can see why.”

I looked at Amelia’s face. She had a small, carefree smile on her lips.

“Does this mean you’re always in a rough spot?” I asked, somewhat concerned.

“Not anymore,” she said. “But a few years ago... it was hell.” She looked at me sideways, but she wasn’t smiling anymore. “Do you mind if we talk about this some other time?”

I promptly nodded, a bit nervous that I might have said something wrong. “Ah, sure, okay. That’s okay. We don’t have to talk about this if you don’t want to.” Amelia showed me a smile of gratitude, and that helped soothe my heart. “All right, so what do you want to talk about?”

“You,” she said.

I raised my eyebrows, and stuttered. “M– me?”

“Uh-uh. The other night, when we met, I told you all sorts of stories about myself. And even today, on the way here, I told you about Sarah and everything... but I don’t really know much about you. In fact, all I know about you is that your name is Hannah, you’re beautiful, you’re Lydia’s friend and you had a shitty ex. Did I forget something?”

I giggled, a little embarrassed. “No, that was all. I’m not sure about the ‘beautiful’ part, though, but I’ll take your word for it. Now, let’s see... what can I tell you... Hmm, got any ideas?”

“How did you meet Lydia?” she asked.

“That’s an easy one,” I said. “We’re childhood friends. We lived in the same street, and went to school together, all the way up to the last year of high-school. Then Ly started saying that she wanted to study astronomy, and I was like, ‘whoa, that’s out of the blue’.”

“But you still ended up going to the same university as her.”

I furrowed my brow, confused. “Yeah. But how do you know about that?”

Amelia smirked. “Okay, I lied. I’ve heard a few things about you from Janis. And I’ve seen you in campus a couple of times. But I still don’t know what you’re majoring in.”

“Political science,” I declared. “Though I’m probably going to shift to a different program. Literature, or journalism, maybe. I’m still a little undecided... And what about you? You said you’ve seen me in campus, so I assume you study there too, right?”

The redhead nodded. “Pharmaceutics. Last year.”

“Impressive,” I admitted. “Also, I didn’t realize you were older than me. Do you mind if I ask?”

Amelia chuckled. “I’ll turn twenty-two in a couple of months. But enough questions about me. I said I wanted to know more about you, Hannah, and I think you might be trying to dodge that.”

I laughed. “I might be, sorry.”

“So, next question: Have you ever had any nicknames?”

“Just one. Annie. My grandmother used to call me that.”

“What?! No Nana? Or Honey?”

I smirked. “Nope.”

“In that case,” Amelia leaned closer to me, just the tiniest bit. “Can I call you Honey?”

I stared at her, surprised. She had that smile again, the one that made me giddy and awkward.

“You’re flirting with me, aren’t you?” I asked, calmly.

“I might be,” said the girl, a little shyly. “Are you okay with that?”

“I might be,” I told her, whispering back to Amelia the same words she had just said to me. Our faces were a bit too close to each other, again, but this time, I didn’t pull back. I placed my hands on the sides of her face, and leaned in to kiss her.

At first, I felt my heart race. Oh my god, I’m kissing her! I’m kissing Amelia! I thought. But as I felt Amelia kiss me back, and as we wrapped our arms around each other’s body, the rush subdued, and I was flooded with a blissful feeling of peace. This was right, I realized. This was how love was supposed to feel. Not that strange restrictive thing I had with Michael, but this! The hippies had it right all along. Real love tasted of freedom, joy, and, most of all, peace.

When our first kiss eventually ended, we touched our foreheads together. And when we spoke, it was in soft whispers as we smiled.

“I still can’t believe this is happening,” she said.

“Right back at ya,” I replied. “I’ve dreamed of kissing you.”

“Oh, you too?” said Amelia, and we both giggled.

Amelia and I remained on that windmill for a while, exchanging kisses, caresses, and soft words. And at that moment, I felt the happiest I’ve ever been.

---

It was already close to midnight by the time I got home. Amelia had decided on seeing me there. “I might not be strong enough to protect you,” she had said, “but at least you won’t be alone, and I get to spend some more time with you.”

Now we were at my doorstep, holding hands and staring into each other’s eyes, both wishing the night wouldn’t have to end.

“Thanks for today,” I told her. “It was...”

“An adventure?” Amelia finished, making me laugh.

“Yeah, it was. An amazing adventure. And also...” I leaned in, and gave her a peck on the lips. “I loved our time together. I really wish this night could go on forever.”

Amelia chuckled. “You’d get tired of me;”

“Never,” I told her, smiling.

“So...” Amelia tilted her head, and smiled at me in that way that always melted my heart. “...do I get a second date?”

A second date? I thought. Sweetheart, you can get as many dates as you want.

But I obviously didn’t say that. Even if what I was thinking pretty much showed on my face.

“Only... if the second date is also an adventure,” I told her, making her laugh.

“Of course, Honey.”

I felt my cheeks grow hot. I was still not used to that nickname.

This time, it was Amelia who kissed me. It was a short kiss, and left me feeling that I wanted more. She took a step back. “Good night, Hannah,” said the redhead, smiling. Then she let go of my hands, turned around, and started walking down the street.

“Good night, Amelia,” I whispered into the night.