Chapter 717: Side Chapter: A Reason Infuriating

Frustratingly... strenuously... this little nightly affair persisting was getting as insipid as it was moronic. Just how long has it been now? How many tries has he fruitlessly attempted already?

Unequivocally, one too many...

Amelia had only intended to teach him a wise lesson, scare him, deter him from desiring anymore interactions with her. She had believed perhaps extorting him to petty thievery would have been a sufficient teacher to demonstrate just how grave of an omen she was in his daily life.

Utterly foolproof, a spark of ingenuity on her part... because surely no sentient, thinking being would be so moronic as to commit a brazen offense over a meager chance to find even a semblance of common interest between each other.

But when he spectacularly failed on his first attempt, he went for a second. And when he returned empty-handed twice, undaunted and dauntless he proclaimed haughtily the third time was surely the charm.

It has been an hour since. Amelia had given up keeping count. And all remaining respect she still held for the human race had dried and eternally would remain barren.

On the glossy hood of his car sitting idly in a desolate corner of the street, she sat impatiently awaiting his return from his umpteenth venture. The deep infinity above her loomed a starless sight, the moonlight murky behind the gray veil of clouds, and the wind blew a dry chill that wouldn’t subside.

.....

Seems snow will be falling quite soon.

The faintest scrunch of gravel reached her ears, and Amelia whirled her eyes towards the more bustling streets, and emerging from the crowded decadence of neon-filled reverly, she spotted him amongst it all, strutting as opposed to shambling, smiling instead of frowning.

He’s actually got something.

“This is the furthest you’ve stretched my patience,” She said as he neared her position. “Assure me that it wasn’t all for nothing, otherwise I’m leaving now.”

“Oh, I got me some assurance for you alright,” Tyler beamed, patting a protruding bulge on the side of his jacket. “Got it here all safe, tucked and sound right here.”

Then eager to please, keen for praises, Tyler tossed it out towards her, flipping, sloshing, before landing gently in the many soft folds of her dress.

“Check it, baby...”

Amelia reached her hand forward, and felt a hard clink against the tip of her nails. She scrunched her lips, restraining the tempting urge to shout as she looked back again at his stupid proud expression.

“Alcohol.”

“Expensive-as-shit alcohol,” He corrected, hastening forward and propping the glass bottle up by the neck in a show of value. “Look at the brand, the year! Shit’s easily five hundred and above. Asked the barman myself!”

“And no doubt paid the entirety in full,” She stared at him dully. “Proof of purchase is still hanging out of your pocket.”

Tyler’s smile flickered, subtly but-not-so-subtly stuffing the wrinkly piece of paper deeper into his jeans.

“Alright, I’ll give you that, but here’s one you didn’t see! Five-fifty hundred for the whole bottle, right? Well...” He leaned in, a smile spread from ear to ear, cackling the cackle of the purely wicked. “I actually took back the fifty.”

Ever the nefarious devil he was, truly.

“Return it,”Amelia tossed the bottle back to him, nearly tripping and missing from her throw too flippant. “I have indulged your incompetence for long enough, more than I’ve tolerated for most. But no longer, I suppose.”

As usual, Tyler reacted in blissful, bemused ignorance.

“So Is that a ‘no’ on sharing this definitely delish bottle then?”

Then there it was, just as she had predicted – the little white flakes pouring down onto the ground. Amelia hopped down silently onto the concrete of the sidewalk, turning away and leaving him, leaving the entire state of affairs just as she had predicted – pointless.

Shafts of lights of fogged headlights mildly strained her eyes with each passing roar of an engine, the buzzing hum of lamplights above her head always teetering close on the verge of her annoyance, now there was the snow... cold, plentiful, and a blemishing detraction weaving itself within her raven-black hair.

Merely three out of an infinity she found herself detesting throughout this lengthy ordeal. But now there was another to add, another more recent, and perhaps more vexing than any other... faintly, steadily, the sound of footsteps kept close right behind her.

Amelia felt her lips tightening again. “Do not follow me.”

She heard him chuckle, another recent addition to the pile.

“C’mon, can’t seriously expect me to leave a girl all on her own this late into the night, do ya?”

“I’ve done as asked of me, fulfilled your desire as you’ve requested. Now it is your turn to oblige me and leave me well alone.”

“So I messed up, alright my bad!” Tyler continued to speak, keeping pace from behind. “But you can’t see I didn’t try, can ya! Did my damn best out there.”

She scoffed. “The lady in pink?”

historical

“She just broke up with her BF, dude!” He defended himself. “Not gonna add stress to that heartbreak, damn...”

“The group of young drunkards?”

“Bachelor party. Best night of his life – not gonna ruin it for him. In fact, all the best for him. Mazel Tov!”

“What about the man in the bar you were just in prior?”

“Yikes. Poor guy’s having family troubles, you know? Poured his damn heart to me. Says his daughter hates him, pretty much banned him from her cafe or something earlier today, he told me. Nope, not touching that one.”

“Your best...” Amelia scoffed again. “Honestly, I should never have bothered in the first place.”

“Alright, so I guess Robin Hood’s not in my DNA, but hey, don’t let it die here! We got a good thing going, don’t we? C’mon, isn’t there anything else you’d like to do?”

“No.”

“I still have the bottle, you know?” swishing and sloshing, she heard him firmly rattle the contents. “We can chill, just talk... I know you definitely like to talk, right?”

“Not with you.”

“See, you say that... but it’s kinda hard to believe you.”

“Oh?” Amelia heard a challenge, spinning backward, sharp, wide eyes immediately halting him in place a few feet away. “Care to explain why it is you think that?”

To her surprise, unlike most anyone else, he stood unfazed to the edge in her expression. Tyler just smiled... he was always just smiling.

And every time... it was always as infuriating.

“You ain’t running out on me, are you?” He remarked. “There’s my proof right there.”

Amelia attempted to blink back her bewilderment. “Are you blink or daft? Or perhaps even both? Haven’t I’ve been trying to – ”

“Not really, though,” He interjected, taking a step closer. “If you really wanna be gone, you’d be gone. You can do your vanishing ninja trick anytime. But you didn’t. You haven’t. Weird, ain’t it?”

She kept a blank expression.

“I don’t deem it necessary here.”

“Why not?” He asked.

And for once, Amelia truthfully couldn’t find an answer.

Indeed, why didn’t she think of just doing that? Why did she wait for him? Why did she see through so many failed attempts from him when she could have just so easily left him stranded?

Even now, she could just disappear, within a blink, before he could breathe again, she could leave...

But she didn’t.

Amelia stared at him, scowled at him, her breath flaring with indignation... and inversely, Tyler gazed back, beamed back, taking delight in every second of her company no matter the situation.

Maybe that’s the reason, maybe that’s why she didn’t leave.

Because despite her hostility, her demands, her clear and brazen spite toward him, their lack of common interests... he still desired her.

“You mystify me,” She muttered quietly without thinking. “Your actions, your intentions, your thoughts, they do not fall in line with reason. You’re clinging to me, infatuated by me... why is that?”

“You’re beautiful,” Tyler answered straightaway. “No other reason needed.”

“At first glance, I understand. But surely after knowing how I truly am, you’d – ”

“Stop finding you beautiful?” Tyler smirked at her. “Nah – still beautiful.”

“Can you please elaborate?” She demanded, growing more frustrated by the second. “You humans have motives, reasons at a dozen! Complex! Convoluted! So what are yours for insisting on clinging onto me?”

“Really sorry, but I got nothing. I just think you’re beautiful, that’s all,” Tyler said apologetically. “Kinda like a sunset you know? Or like a view from a mountain? You don’t wonder why it’s beautiful – it just is – and to me, that’s you. The setting sun, the breathtaking view. Just something you can enjoy and never get tired of.”

A pause, the blowing wind and snow of pondering silence. The beam of headlights flickered past them, and above the buzz of lamplights gave a flicker. Tyler lightly shook the bottle again, giving another precarious hopeful smile.

“I still technically stole fifty bucks, didn’t I?” He said. “Think that’s good enough to warrant a celebration at least?”

Again, any moment she desired, she could remove herself from this position. Like wind, like snow, so easily to come and go.

But it seems it wasn’t just his actions alone that mystified her to no end.

Amelia sighed.

“Lead the way, then...”