Cast is up!!! (2023 note: don't think casts are a thing anymore are they...?)

FIRST OFFICIAL CHAPTER FOLKS

Hope it's all good :D!! SONG FOR THIS CHAPTER IS Taper Jean Girl - Kings of Leon!

__________________________________________

As Amy stepped off the plane, she almost fell to the ground and kissed the floor. She'd endured five hours of a thirteen year old girl talking non-stop beside her about how she wanted to be a model one day and how she was going to go on America's Next Top Model to show Tyra Banks what she was made of. What has society done to the younger generation?

Getting the Visa a few months ago had been easier than she thought. It was packing all of her stuff and getting it shipped out to her cousin's house which was hard. She didn't know what she needed and what she wanted. And what prolonged the packing was the three week holiday to Florida her parents sprung on her for a goodbye present which she technically got back from forty-eight hours ago. So packing was manic. But she'd managed to pack her dorm room, her room and almost Chelsea if she didn't see the blonde hair sticking out of one of her large boxes.

And here she was, at Vancouver airport tanned, the freckles on her nose even more prominent than ever now, her glasses tucked in the V of her white t-shirt underneath her burgundy zip up hoodie and her black backpack slinging from one shoulder as she went through immigration. She ran a hand through her hair completely exhausted from the journey. It was barely six-thirty in the morning. All she needed was a long hot bath and sleep. And hopefully, the ride from the airport to Matty's house wasn't too long; she couldn't stand another long journey sitting down.

A nice man, the single father to the thirteen year old that sat beside her, helped Amy with the three large suitcases filled with only half of her wardrobe onto a cart and wished her well. She appreciated the help because she would have died if she tried to lift those heavy things. 

As she walked into arrivals the warm air brushed through the electric doors across the large airport. Evie had warned her, the weather was warm this time of year so she dressed lightly. Which reminded her; she needed to text her best friend she was here. 

But that left her mind when she spotted her twenty-three year old cousin grinning at her. He was a tall, muscled guy, which he had to be if he was a trainer for the famous hockey team. His ruffled short brown hair shot out from all directions when the breeze hit it.

"Come give your big old cousin a hug."

She grinned crookedly like it was Christmas day and wrapped her arms around his broad waist. "I've missed you so much, Matty."

"I've missed you too! You look tanned; the trip to Florida was good for you."

"Yes, it was. I was surprised but it was a great goodbye." She pulled back to give him a kiss on his stubble cheek. "How are you anyway, I haven't seen you since last Christmas."

"I'm fine," He said as he took the cart from her. "I haven't been doing much since the hockey season ended. The athletes are taking a bit of a break until training in a few weeks. So I'm all yours until the end of August." 

"And then what, do I not see you at all after that?"

"Aw, are you sad you won't see me?" His arm rested on her shoulders and pulled her into his side. "When the season starts up again it'll be hectic but I'll be around."

"Oh, Matty, I'm sorry if I've interrupted your routine."

"Nonsense! I've been missing someone to come home to! And now I have you for half a year."

"Where's Jen?"

"She's in Seattle, one other reason why you staying here for a while is fine. Jen's back and forth at the moment so you might see her from time to time."

"How is she anyway?"

Matt started unloading Amy's bags into the back of his blackberry coloured Chrysler. "She's great. She sends her love."

They settled in the front seats together and Amy took the time to really look at her cousin. He used to look after her when they were younger. She loved him to pieces and couldn't ever change such an opinion.

"I have a surprise for you later. The moving vans dropped most of your boxes yesterday evening."

"Excellent. I'm so excited to unpack." She murmured sarcastically before resting her head back for a nap. 

Just over an hour later, she was walking into her cousin's house dead on her feet wheeling two of her bags into the house. From the outside his house looked simple, homely. And the inside confirmed it. The hallway was beautifully decorated with family photo's some of which she featured in. 

The wooden stairs sat on the right of the hallway and immediately she asked, "Matty? Is it alright if I unpack later? I'd really like to bathe and sleep."

"Sure sweetie, come on I'll show you." He dropped her bags by the door and started upstairs. "Alright, so straight ahead is the main bathroom, my room is the first right, your room is the second left which also has an ensuite bathroom which is the first left. I'll show you downstairs later. Want one of your bags?"

She opened the door to her room and smiled. Double bed pushed up against the wall on her right, a window that overlooked a beautiful garden. 

She kicked off her shoes, put her glasses on the table beside the bed and collapsed onto the side with a groan. "Sure."

"Just make sure you're awake by three." He chuckled.

"Sure." She repeated already closing her eyes and falling asleep.

She didn't even bother trying to get up to run a bath. She was too exhausted. But why did she need to be up by three? Was it the surprise or was he being a jerk and making her unpack before the day was out. Sure, when they were younger he was sometimes a tiny bit OCD about cluttered things, runs in the family it seems, but come on. Tired was an understatement to how she was feeling.

**

"Amy,"

Her eyes opened and she sat up feeling slightly disoriented. "Um..."

"I said be up by three you nerd, your surprise is in fifteen minutes. Get showered and changed you probably smell like a plane."

She picked up the closest thing to her, which was of course a pillow, and threw it. "Go away."

"Fine."

Suddenly, he'd picked her up and threw her over his shoulder.

"What are you doing? Let me go!" She squealed.

"I said get showered, so..." Before she could even begin to fight him she was placed in the bath and his hand hovered over the shower switch. "Get showered."

"Alright!!" She waved her hands in the air. "For goodness sake."

Matty walked out laughing. She'd make sure to get the a-hole back later. But right now, she was honestly curious as to what the surprise could be. As she washed away the plane journey and the nice long sleep, she remembered she had to text Evie. Damn, she was going to kill her. And her parents, oh dear she shouldn't have fallen asleep. But maybe, hopefully, Matty called them.

She jumped out of the shower and blow-dried her hair. She'll be starting work in a few weeks. She was nervous and yet she was so excited. She won't be the only new lecturer thank god. The man she'll be working with, Lewis Benedict is his name, is also new. They hadn't told her much about him so she'd have to do that when she got there. 

She blow dried her hair quickly after rummaging through her luggage to find it and dressed in a pair of denim jeans, a grey crop top that regrettably, in her eyes, showed her midriff, shrugged on her black zip jersey and her jeans jacket. 

"Matty! Did you call my parents?" 

"Yeah, they said call them when you're home."

She frowned as she finished brushing her hair and stood from the seat in front of the dresser. "What do you mean?"

"Come downstairs."

When I got home? What did he think I was doing this evening?

Amy grabbed her adidas sneakers and slipped them on before running down the stairs. Her bags were still cluttered beside the door as she passed them to walk through a door to the left. It opened out into a large living room. A coffee table sitting in between a large dark brown couch and a TV screwed to the wall. On the right was an archway that led into what she assumed was the kitchen where two voices were laughing and conversing. One obviously a woman. 

She cautiously stepped into the kitchen and couldn't help the large smile spread across her face. 

Evangeline O'Shea turned around and she gasped. "Oh, my god, give me a hug! Now!!"

She grabbed Evie up in a hug and squeezed. "I've missed you so much."

"Amy, I swear if you cry."

"I'm not going to cry!" She pulled back to look at her beautiful red headed friend. "Just because I did last time doesn't mean I will now."

Evie's crystal blue eyes widened. "Wow, what happened to you? Is this a new Amy Butler? A confident one? Now that you have to go up in front of a hall of people, have you finally gained confidence?"

"Shh, you! I'm not that confident."

"She sure isn't. Just last month Morgan sent me a DVD of her latest study. She stuttered like four times and was permanently pink." Matty interjected.

Amy slapped his arm. "Shut up." 

"The truth hurts."

"Either way, it doesn't matter." Evie resumed. "You look wonderful, and oh lord is that a bit of your stomach showing? What has Chelsea done to you?"

"Ha, ha." She smirked crookedly. 

"Anyway, are you ready? I'm taking you out."

Amy whipped out her phone and frowned at the time. "Its three forty-five and you want to go out?"

"Not that kind of out, come on. Let's go. Bye Matthew."

"See you soon, Evie. Not too late, Amy or I'll ground you."

Amy sent her cousin a sneer before being dragged out of the house and into the Vancouver heat. 

On their way to... Wherever Evie was taking her, both of them explained what they'd been doing in the year and a half they hadn't seen each other and talked about their first spring breaks last year. Evie told her about her twentieth birthday this year and the fact she was moving in with Michael by the end of September. Amy couldn't be happier for her. She'd found her soul mate and she bet her life savings her and Michael will spend the rest of their lives together. 

"Where are we going?" Amy asked as they drove down a long road surrounded by trees.

"You'll see."

The parked outside of a nice private house with two other parked cars.

She followed Evie into the house, noting the other voices from inside and whispered, "Evie-"

"Stop being a worry wart." She replied before she could finish. "Walk in."

She sent her friend a worried look before hesitantly stepping into the living room. 

Oh. Michael stood up from the couch with a happy grin and stepped toward her. From the few photo's scattered about the tables and walls, she had a feeling it was Michael's house. There were two more bodies on the couch, one Amy recognised from when she was last here and the other she remembered being her brother. The name escaped her though...

She was suddenly enveloped into a warm bear hug and she couldn't control the blush that swept across her cheeks. "Hello, Amy."

"Hi, Michael." She smiled after a squeeze to his waist.

"How are you? It's wonderful to have you here." His unusually green eyes sparkled with happiness. The first time she met this man, her jaw almost dropped to the ground. His beauty was beyond indescribable and to this day she'll never get over how he looked. He ran a hand over his, what appeared to be, velvet looking dark hair and grinned at her.

"Pass her to me." A voice said behind him.

Michael pulled away from Amy after a peck to the cheek which only caused her face to turn a brighter red. 

When she was handed off to the pretty caramel skinned female, the name popped into her mind. "K-Katherine right?"

"You remembered. But you can call me Kate." She winked at her and gave her a brief hug. "And you met my brother at the park, Samuel."

The handsome boy smiled but didn't offer his hand. Amy smiled back, in a way grateful he didn't make a big deal out of it.

"Wow," Amy turned back to Katherine. "You look good, did you go on vacation?"

"Katherine." Evie warned as she disappeared into the kitchen. Amy raised a brow at the tone. 

"It's small talk." Kate snapped with a smile. "Did you?"

"Yes, I went to Florida for a few weeks."

"Did you have fun?"

"Yes, it was great."

"That's good. Are you excited about starting at our college?"

Evie walked in with two glasses of red wine and handed one to her. Amy went to protest but Evie gave her a look of her own.

"Yes, I am excited." She took the glass. "It'll be a new experience."

Katherine had a look in her eyes that had Amy narrowing her own through her glasses. "It sure will be."

Two glasses of wine and a nice meal later, Amy was finally relaxing into this sort of new group of people and smiling and laughing with them.

Her worries about fitting in suddenly disappeared as she giggled at something Katherine had said. The woman said what she thought and didn't care about the consequences. It sort of reminded her of Chelsea. Maybe that's how Evie easily befriended her. 

Amy stood from the living room couch and excused herself to the kitchen to put her dessert plate on the side. It was a wonderful welcome and she'd have to thank Evie and Michael for this later. 

There was a sudden burst of laughter from the living room which also followed up with a bit of silence. A deep male voice Amy didn't recognise at all sounded throughout the room and she paused her busy hands.

It was probably nine o'clock now who could that...

Unless...

Oh, no.

She spun around in time to watch him walk into the kitchen with shocked hazel eyes. Well, shocked is an understatement. He looked like Amy had grown a third eye and another head. 

She picked up her glass from the side making sure to keep her gaze as casual as possible as she stared at the infamous John Harris. 

He didn't look any different to when she saw him two years ago. His dark blonde hair looked like locks of gold. His smile as he finally regained some sense of sanity made her insides warm and an inaudible feminine sigh of appreciation escape her parted lips. It was boyishly cute and almost too mischievous. His face, oh, his face couldn't even be compared to model perfect because it was more than that. Perfect high cheekbones, perfect jaw, and the perfect shaped full pink lips. 

He was in a simple black polo shirt and a pair of leg hugging navy blue jeans.

And then his eyes. The hazel eyes that widened and then narrowed the slightest were knee trembling. They had that intensity about them. The same intensity she saw when she glanced up from her book that day she caught him staring at her in the park.

"Hello again." 

And of course, his voice. He had that slight Canadian twang to his voice. Reminded her of... Who was it... Ryan Gosling, yeah his voice but a hell of a lot sexier. Almost like music to her ears. My lord, she thought. He was born to seduce nun's, I'm sure of it. 

Evie walked in from behind him and she snapped out of it almost immediately. Too perfect, a voice reminded her in her mind.

"Hello... Jonathan?" She tried to act like she didn't have a clue. But the small smile that curved the corner of her lip as she took a sip of wine said different. She was unusually confident... Then she glanced at the wine in her hand and almost snorted with realisation.

He caught on and chuckled as he walked around the island to stand in front of her. "John sounds better." He offered her his hand. "It's good to see you again, Amy."

So he did remember her name.

How could he not? I'm sure Evie and Michael have been talking about me since they suggested I come here?

She glanced at Evie's curious gaze from the side and carefully placed her hand within his large one. 

"You too." She replied noting never to touch him voluntarily ever again. Her thoughts were clouds of dust right now. Rationality oddly disappearing as he looked her dead in the eye. 

Amy wasn't one for challenges, but with the wine in her system, her body said different.

"It's funny," He said suddenly gaining Evie's attention. "Nobody mentioned you were coming here for six months to work in the university until well, forty-five seconds ago."

Amy stopped the stare down to turn her confused gaze to Evie. Of course, she wasn't exactly expecting her to tell John but in the past few months no one in this house had mentioned it in front of him?

That's... Weird.

"It was none of your business John," Evie walked back out with a satisfied smirk.

Amy looked down at her hand still enveloped within his and removed it as politely as possible. 

And now, there was silence. He was watching her with those eyes once again and she was trying her best not to look him in the eye. She cleared her throat awkwardly and went to leave but he stopped her when he said, "So who are you staying with?"

"My cousin." She answered.

"Oh. Last I heard you were living in New York. I wasn't aware the prodigy, 'Amy Butler' coming to SFU was you."

"You knew about that?"

"The whole campus heard about it. But never would I have guessed it was you." He crossed his arms over his chest and she couldn't help but watch the way his muscles tensed and his shoulders relax as he talked. "Six months... That's a long time."

She put her wine glass on the island and ran a hand through her hair. John watched the movement almost as if hypnotised. "Too long."

She had to leave the kitchen. She wasn't used to being around all of this testosterone at once... Her father's PR Company doesn't count because this situation wasn't the same! 

She went to step back but he followed. "It was nice talking to you, John--"

"Where are you going?"

Scratch that, she just had to leave full stop.

"I..." Excuses... "I... I should be getting home."

"I'm sure you don't have to go just yet." Her bottom hit the counter and he stopped his perusal. "I just got here."

No more alcohol, she thought. "I'm a little jet lagged."

"A few more hours wouldn't hurt."

"I have to finish unpacking."

"You could do that tomorrow."

Her eyes suddenly narrowed. "Why are you being so persistent, I don't know you?"

"That's why I'd like you to stay longer. Let's get to know each other."

"Maybe another time." She said confidently, surprised that a few glasses of wine was allowing her to say any of this.

"Is that a promise?"

"Far from." She mumbled clicking her fingers into place behind her on the counter.

His mouth curled into a very flirtatious smile and she couldn't help but stare. "Stay just a little longer."

At the park two years ago, she'd known he was temptation to any woman he set his eyes on. Although she hadn't ever had the pleasure of conversing this long with such an... Adonis...

She knew that during these six months, avoiding him seemed right.

He'd distract her from her studies, it was obvious. Seriously, look at the man, he's all brawn. It wouldn't surprise her if he had the brain size of a pea.

And yet somehow, she doubted he was dumber than a fly.

"No." She said in a tone that leaked with 'finality.' "It was great talking to you, John."

His full lipped smile only widened. "Alright. But I'll hold you to it. Next time."

"That's if I allow a next time." She mumbled more to herself before brushing past him. A very strong and intoxicating spicy smell drifted up her nostrils and she paused beside him. Was that the wine? She lifted the glass to her nose... No? Was that-?

"Something wrong?" He asked her as if the answer was apparent.

"Not at all." She answered just before willing her feet to move out of the kitchen and into the living room after placing the glass back onto the counter. "I'm sorry everyone but it's time for me to leave."

She noticed Michael's gaze stray to the kitchen where John was now propped up against the wall with a mischievous grin. 

"Really?" Evie stood up. "Alright. I'll be back soon." She kissed Michael's temple. 

"It was great seeing you again Katherine, Sam. See you soon Michael."

They all said their individual good-bye's as she walked out of the living room and to the car.

As she relaxed into the seat, Evie's chuckle interrupted her hazy thoughts. 

"So... Did John get under your skin that much?"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut up."

"John can be forward-"

"Understatement." Amy interrupted pressing a forefinger and thumb to the bridge of her nose. 

"Oh, come now, Amy. If you get to know him-"

"I'm going to be honest with you Evie. Jonathan, he seems like a lovely man but I don't think I should." She admitted.

Evie was smiling. "Why?"

"He's a little bit... Persistent."

"Oh, he's only playing with you; that's what he does."

"All the more reason to remain as acquaintances instead of becoming friends. I wouldn't want someone like that in my life."

"Chelsea's playful. She's in your life."

"We're comparing Chelsea to him, really? Maybe she should be friends with him."

"That's a bit pretentious, even for you. Don't judge John so quickly there's a whole lot more to him than that." 

Okay, so maybe Amy was being a bit harsh. She was taking everything too far. But she's probably known the man for a maximum of eight hours including when she first met him and from that it seemed he was a bother.

As they sat in silence, Amy glanced at the scars on her friend's neck. She'd only been told the story once. How she'd been attacked in the woods just like her brother had been. How she collapsed and fallen onto a badly chopped tree that pierced her abdomen. How John and Michael had driven her to the hospital. 

She hasn't mentioned it since Evie Skyped her, a year and a half ago. Of course she had a million and one questions about the animal attack but it was in the past now; what good would it do if she bought up the past?

"What're you staring at?" Evie glanced at her before going through the green light.

"Nothing," She mumbled. "I was just thinking."

"Well, you have the rest of the weekend to think and rest."

That she did. What a wonderful welcome to the country. She could only imagine what the rest of her stay would be like... Well, if I try my hardest to ignore him I'm sure my stay shouldn't be that bad, she thought.

But as they parked beside Matty's house, she started to weigh out the amount of times she's been that lucky. And dammit, was that side of the scale light.

_______________

Ooo oooooooooo they've seen each other. I'm excited to carry this on already :)))!!!!!!

Need y'all comments and votes guys!! Much love to you all :)