In the dollhouse, Eddy got up from the books they had been surrounded with.
"I'm going for water, anyone wants some?"
Both shook their heads, but Ella responded and gave him the instructions to find the kitchen. As he passed by the living room, he heard the adults talking but paid no attention to it. After he had had his drink, he coincidentally heard his name as he passed by again so he hid just behind the door to eavesdrop on the conversation. A satisfied smile passed on his face when he heard the plans that his adopted father had for him.
"Succeed him, huh?!", he said to himself.
But, upon hearing the words of Mitch Menas, a complicated look crossed his face, but he quickly masked it and returned to the girls.
Soon, the three kids returned from the dollhouse and Ella climbed onto her mother's lap, hugging her tightly. Amanda stuck closely to her new friend, Eddy and they became almost inseparable since.
From then, on every school vacation, Amanda would visit her dad and so did Eddy. They spent almost all vacations playing in Ella's dollhouse. The three were close and the envy of most children as very few were allowed into their circle.
Over the years, through both middle and high schools, Eddy acted as their brother and friend. He successfully warded off all 'boys' so that his two friends remained innocent and chaste. Amanda had turned into an avid reader and had had her share of romance novels, so she was very much aware of what Eddy was doing when he found interesting ways to make the other boys stay away from them.
It was during their university days that they somewhat separated. Amanda got closer to Eddy and Ella found some other friends to call her own. Amanda visited him a lot and sometimes even slept over at his place when he finally settled into his place out of his adoptive parent's home.
"I know I look handsome, but can you stop staring?", he would usually say when he caught Amanda staring at him which was almost every other day if she counted. It almost became an inner joke for them to laugh over.
When she had visited his place the first time, which also happened to be her first semester at the university. She wore a simple off-white A-shaped dress with a simple flip-flop. Her hair was held in a high ponytail and she did not have any jewellery on. This was just how Amanda liked to present herself; plain. When Amanda knocked on the door, no one answered but it swung open a bit so she entered.
"Eddy?"
"Eddy, are you here?"
She looked around the room, but she found no presence of him.
"Where would he go when he has invited me over? And why is his door ajar? Eddy needs to be more security conscious", she murmured to herself and shook her head.
It was a studio apartment so there wasn't much to look at. She took some steps forward to take a seat and wait for him.
Amanda suddenly shrieked out in surprise as she felt cold arms sneak around her waist and swing her right off her feet. She screamed in laughter as Eddy swung her around the room.
"Eddy! put me down!"
"That's not going to happen", he said in a teasing voice and continued swinging her around amidst her shrieks.
"Eddy?!, I'm getting dizzy".
"Dizzy?", he placed her gently back down with evident worry on his face.
Her face was red as she had felt his hands squishing her breasts. Amanda quickly stepped away from him when her feet touched the floor and tried to shake off her thoughts. He looked at her with a knowing smile and asked, "why do you look that way? Are you sick, or just dizzy?" But then he changed his tune abruptly startling her out of her thoughts.
"What are you wearing? Are you trying to seduce all the males out there?"
"Hahahaha…", he exaggeratedly pointed at her while he held his tummy. He wiped fake tears from the corner of his eyes but then again… he approached her and hugged her rather tightly.
"Thanks for coming." He whispered in her ears, and she became vividly aware of his body. His cologne wafted into her nostrils and her eyes dilated and her breath got hitched in her throat. "Errhhhmmmm," she cleared her throat and tried to wiggle herself out of his embrace. "I want to use the bathroom first."
He let her go and smirked at her reaction when she rushed to the bathroom.
She tapped her cheeks and stared into the mirror at her own still very flushed face. "Get a hold of yourself! You are just friends and nothing else! You can't let him know!" She reprimanded herself in an undertone and continually splashed cold water on her face.
"Sigh, his reaction back there was really confusing though", she bemused to herself.
She finally came out after she managed to put her emotions in check.
He teased her relentlessly that day as they rearranged his place for his stay, and she further blushed and tried unsuccessfully to brush him aside.
That day they had cooked together and conversed deep into the night as they had to clean the mess, they had made from the cooking.
She remembered feeling blissful and reasoned with herself that it was only because they had been together for a long time ... as best friends. She cherished their friendship and did not want anything to tear them apart, so she had tried very hard to curb her budding feelings in the darkest corner of her heart. Notwithstanding this, she had tried to test the waters from time to time and was met with disappointment each time.
"When will you get a girlfriend? Don't you fancy anyone? Come to think of it, I have never seen you with a girl or talk about one." She had asked that day with a thoughtful expression. "You are more than old enough…. In fact, too old to not have thought of this yet. So, tell me…"
"Why do you ask that question when you will be my future wife?" He asked teasingly, "or, have you changed your mind?"
She was temporarily stunned and for a while, just stared at him. But remembered that he liked to joke around. The jovial expression on his face had said it all so she played along with him. "Well, I don't remember you asking me to be your wife, and I don't think you can afford me". She had laughed to cover her nervousness.
"Which part of you can I not afford? I really love you, my dear…", he added exaggeratedly.
"Asshole!" She said and flanked a pillow at him. Of course, the night had turned into a pillow fight.
She kept her feelings bottled up tightly. She had realized her feelings for him when she entered adolescence but never mustered the courage to tell him anything. She ... she just appreciated that he was always close.
[A/N: flashback ends]
Amanda had a sad smile on her face as she thought of these. "What do I do now?"