I listened to the song at the side whilst I wrote most of this chapter <3 The beginning is SPELLBINDING

 Mystery Jets - Radlands

___________________

She tossed and turned that night. She couldn't help it.

All she could imagine was John's large body pressed up behind her, his hand on her hip as he tried to reach for the basketball and when he showed her how to shoot. It was amazing how large his hand really was. She knew they were large but his whole hand had curved and squeezed her entire side.

Instead of her pushing away from him like she had done in the gym, she slapped his hand away, dropped the ball, spun around and kissed him hard. She didn't have the gall to do that in reality.

The court disintegrated into Walmart, the cafe and then Michael's kitchen where John had her pressed against the counter. Of course he was whispering unintelligible things into her ear that had her shaking with need. Of course his mouth devoured hers, their tongues wrestling for sweet dominance as his hands gripped and tightened like vices onto her waist. 

And of course, at that moment, she chose to wake up with a shaken gasp and a groan. 

What is wrong with me?

Never has her dreams been as bad as that! 

She crossed her legs and pressed a palm to her forehead. 

"What the hell is going on?" She mumbled to herself. All she could smell was him. It was almost like he had rolled across her pillow and bed and left. Her eyes darted to her dress on top of her wash basket and scowled at it. Surely it couldn't- 

Amy jumped when her phone vibrated. She glanced at the crack in the curtain noting the barely risen sun and frowned.

"Hello?" She croaked.

"Morning starshine; ready for our jog?" Harri said in spritely voice.

"What? No," She looked at the clock on her bedside and groaned once again but for a completely different reason. "I didn't realise I'd slept past my alarm, are you at the corner?"

"Um, yeah! Put your gear on quickly."

"Alright, give me fifteen minutes."

As she washed her face and dressed, she started to reminisce on the way she felt about John a month ago. So he wasn't as bad as she thought he was, unfortunately. She was hoping his arrogant ways wasn't an act so she had reason to hate him. Now, she seems to be running out of reasons to. Especially with the ways he looked at her. She wasn't an idiot; the heat within his gaze could be distinguished by a thermometer. And playing that game with him yesterday didn't help either of them.

She put on her sports bra, spandex bicycle shorts and slipped on her sneakers. 

Avoiding him was easier said than done. Her best friend's boyfriend was friends with him for crying out loud. She tied her hair into a messy bun and walked out into the chilly Saturday morning air. She inhaled deeply, casting out her dream, John and any other negative or sexual thoughts about him.

Harriet was waiting patiently on the corner of her road with her iPod in her hand flicking through a playlist. 

"Trouble sleeping?" She asked as Amy drew closer.

"What an understatement." Amy rubbed a hand over her eyes and started jogging.

Harri joined her almost immediately. "Tell me about it, my husband's been keeping me up at night and it's not even what you think. He comes in from work and bam, more work. The last time we had sex was when we were in Toronto in July."

Amy was too tired to scold her friend on the amount of information she'd shared with her. "Try last year."

There was silence next to her and she glanced at Harri to watch her mouth gape open a little. "I thought my sex life was bad. What's had you up at night then?"

Amy's cheeks tinted pink and hoped she didn't notice. "It's... Nothing. I had a dream, that's all."

"I have a feeling it's not an average nightmare. Detail's, is he tall? Made up? Real? Is it Lewis, you can tell me if it is."

She couldn't help but smile as she turned the corner. "No, it's not Lewis. Do you promise this stays between us?"

"You have my word."

"Do you know John Harris?"

"That godlike creature from the cafe? Is that who you've been boning?"

She laughed. "Boning? Who says that anymore?"

"Enough stalling, give me details."

"Can I explain during a cup of coffee?"

"Fine but you better."

They had a nice easy jog through town which took all of twenty-five minutes. Amy was almost panting when they entered a diner in the middle of town. 

"Calm down before you kill yourself." Harriet laughed as she slid into a booth. 

Amy inhaled deeply and sat opposite her. "Sorry. It's been a while since I've jogged that far."

"Yeah? How long?"

"Like a year ago in gym." Amy smirked still panting a little.

The waitress took their coffee orders and returned quickly with two steaming hot mugs and two spoons.

"Sugar is on the table." The older woman offered them both a smile before walking off. 

"Now, explain." Harriet grabbed the sachets of sugar and ripped two open before pouring its contents into her mug.

"Fine." She gave her the short and sweet version: he's an ass, he's charming, he's beautiful, and she didn't want anything to do with him.

"If anything you should bang him out of your system." 

"Seriously, McQueen, you're twenty-eight not forty who says bang or bone anymore."

"I hear some of you younger females say it."

Amy pushed her now empty mug to the side. "Were these younger females born in the sixties?"

"Ha, ha." She rolled her eyes. "Look honey, John is a gorgeous bloke. He looks like a one night kind of man but from what you're telling me you may be an exception," Amy went to interrupt but Harriet sent her a look. "All I can suggest is you put your needs first or you try your hardest to ignore him. There are other John's out there."

Were there? Harriet was partially right. But she sure as hell wasn't like that. She couldn't do a one nighter especially with him. She was here for another five months. Could she ignore him?

"I can't." She concluded after a moment. "I can't do either. My friend's boyfriend is his friend. I see John almost every time I'm with her. What do I do, Harri?" She groaned.

"As I said, you screw him; seriously Amy what other option is there? He's on your mind; you have needs, put two and two together and bam. Satisfaction guaranteed."

Amy's face screwed up. "I don't do that though..."

"Then you and John need to sort something out. I don't know him but he is a guy and if what you've told me is to that exact extent then I'm sure he's thinking about it."

Something about that didn't seem like him. "I'm not too sure about that."

"How so?"

"He's very reserved at times. Like sometimes there's this look in his eyes. He watches me like... Like I'm about to suddenly disappear." She could never get over that stare of his. "I can't get over it, it puts me on edge."

"In what way?"

She shrugged. "I don't know how to describe it. I mean, don't get me wrong he's a happy guy but now that I think about it, I don't know all that much about him. Come to think of it, I know absolutely nothing about him."

Harriet gave her a half-smile. "Get to know him."

"But you just said..."

"Now that you've explained it properly I want you to forget what I just said. Ames, I know this is a bit of a mind boggle, and hell it's boggling me. But this John seems... Intense. Raw even. Peel away those layers and get to that raw intense man inside. If he gets you this hot and bothered and you barely even know him imagine what he'll make you once you do find out more about him."

She sighed. That's what I'm afraid of.

"Sometimes I can't believe your eight years older than me."

"I'm so insightful aren't I? And its seven and a half sweetie, you turn twenty-one in October, right?" Harri sent her a wink. "What's the dirty plans?"

Amy was glad to be rid of the topic. "There are no dirty plans. Me, you, Evie and my friend Kate will go out for a drink. Dirty enough for you?"

"Can we get a stripper?" Amy laughed at the suggestion and Harriet shook her head with a grin. "Ah, I'm joking. That sounds great. And if we decide to throw you a surprise party?"

"I will personally kick your butt."

She smirked. "Hmm... The idea seems more and more appealing. But what about that bloke I see you with? Don't you want him there?"

"Oh, of course. But I feel it's unfair to have him with us all night so maybe I'll arrange something else. I'll see him later on today and talk about it."

"Yes, maybe you need the distraction, doll. Keep your mind off John for a day or two hang out with a few of your friends. I'm always here if you need to talk."

"Thanks. I'm so happy you're helping out though. It's nice for two opinions instead of one. Usually I have my other friend Chelsea. She's a lot like you."

Harriet's brow rose with a smile. "She must be a great girl."

Amy giggled and was glad to get this off her chest. Sure, she could talk to Evie about this but she felt like even though she was her best friend, some of it could still be relayed back to Michael in a sense and she didn't want that. So having Harriet's outside opinion on this seemed great. She knew nothing about John and enough about Amy for a good outlook on the situation.

They paid for their drinks and walked out into the morning sun. They settled on a nice walk back to their own streets and stopped at a corner where they would split off.

"Thanks for the help, Harri."

"Anytime, honey. Text me if you need me. I have class this evening otherwise I would have called you for a drink."

"Next time," Amy agreed. "Catch you later."

"Tomorrow morning for the same jog," She winked and walked down her street.

As soon as Amy got home, she showered and put on a pair of blue skinny jeans and a dark grey loose vest. Matty was training with the team today and Evie was at work. She glanced at her dress lying on the wash basket and shoved it right to the bottom. "Stupid dress," She grumbled to herself. She was completely shocked at herself that she'd dreamt something so... What's the right word? Sexual? Hmph. It'd have to do.

It was almost ten o'clock so she assumed Micah was awake. And she was correct when he answered straight away. "Hello?" 

"Hi Micah, its Amy," She prompted.

"Hello Amy. How are you?"

"I'm alright. You?"

"Tired." He said through a yawn. "I just woke up actually."

"I'm sorry if I woke you."

"Oh, no it's fine. I need to stop lazing around anyway."

She smiled. "Okay."

There was silence for a while and suddenly Micah laughed.

"What?" She asked cautiously.

"Amy, are you bored?"

Her mouth twitched. 

"By all means come on over, Butlercup."

"Can I?"

"Of course you can. I have nothing better to do today other than walk Ronnie. You can join me."

She picked up her jacket. "Thank you. I'll go into town and get a cab now-"

"A cab? Nonsense, I'll send Jeff. And before you protest he's a great guy he won't mind."

"I couldn't-"

"Seriously. He won't mind. And because I know what you are like, if you think to get in a taxi Jeff will still be going to your house anyway so you'll be wasting his time."

"You don't know where I live."

"Yes I do you told me last week. Jeff will be there in twenty."

And before she could argue he hung up. And like clockwork a black Mercedes parked outside of the house exactly twenty minutes later. She grabbed her house keys and phone and walked out to greet a middle aged man that stepped out of the car.

"Miss Butler?" He asked 

"Yes?"

The red headed man smiled a toothy grin. "I'm Jeffery."

"Hi, um, I did say to Micah I would-"

"Don't mind him; he's a bit of fool sometimes. Come along, Miss Butler."

She walked to the back door but frowned. "You can call me Amy."

"Amy then." He winked before sliding into the driver's seat. 

The drive to the park was silent but far from uncomfortable. Jeff asked general questions about college and she answered easily maintaining an easy conversation.

"How long have you been Micah's driver?"

"His parents hired me as soon as he came over to Canada so I'd say three to four years. He's a great kid."

"Yeah he is." She agreed as he stopped at the entrance to the park. A man and his dog stood not far from the car with his back to them and she knew just by the way he stood and the way the German shepherd looked around as if searching for danger that it was Micah.

"Thank you," 

"Anytime. It's not every day Micah asks me to pick someone up."

"He's a good guy." She confirmed as she stepped out of the car. 

He followed. "That he is. But be careful of that dog he's a bit of a mystery."

"Stop complaining that Ronnie isn't always friendly toward you Jeff," Micah turned his head from his spot with a smirk. "Come back in an hour." 

Jeff's green eyes sparkled with amusement. "Okay, okay. I'll see you then."

She watched him step back into his car and drive off before turning back to Micah. His dark hair was curled and completely messy, probably didn't bother combing it. He was in a pair of cut off grey track pants and a burgundy SFU t-shirt. 

"Shall we?" Amy sighed and linked her arm through his. "Now tell me what has you so bored this early in the morning."

Her hand patted Ronnie's head before they set off. "It's nothing I just wanted something to do."

"Oh, Amy I do wonder if you realise just how easily I can read you. Just because I can't see, doesn't mean-"

"Alright I know, I know."

Micah chuckled. "Okay. Now tell me what's wrong."

She didn't exactly plan on telling Micah about John. Hell, she was almost reluctant to tell Harriet but the need for an opinion other than the biased Evie was impossible not to take up. 

"I'm missing my family that's all." Second time she'd used that excuse in two days but with Micah he knew exactly what her family was like so the snort beside her wasn't surprising.

"Sure. Come on; let's sit on a bench so I can let Ronnie off the leash."

Amy let Micah lead the way toward a bench. The precise amount of footsteps and turns he made it obvious he'd done this same route more than once.

Before sitting, he bent over and removed Ronnie's leash. "Go on you big mutt."

The dog bounced away, his tongue lolling out of his mouth as he ran around.

Amy sat before he did and leaned against his shoulder for more her benefit than his. She stared up at his unshaven face and his sunglasses with a frown. "Can you take your sunglasses off?"

His sharp jaw ticked for only a moment before it relaxed. "Are you sure?"

She couldn't help but roll her eyes. "I wouldn't ask otherwise would I?"

He pulled them off and tucked them within his t-shirt before blinking. "You know I can catch the flashes of light sometimes. Like, I know exactly where the sun is." Micah's bright green eyes turned up to where the sun was and smiled. "It's always comforting."

"Is there any way for you to get your sight back?"

"No. It's permanent."

She thought so. From what she'd heard about his wealthy parents if there was a cure, he'd have been getting treatment years ago.

"Was it hard at first?"

"Of course. I was four after all." He said but didn't continue. She watched him for a few moments and every so often his blank gaze flickered in her general direction with a frown. "Why are you staring at me?"

"How do you know I'm staring?" She teased trying to lighten the conversation. Only for a moment though because she planned on knowing a lot more about what happened.

He grinned. "Because I can feel your stare you muppet. I'm not oblivious to the world."

"I know I was kidding." 

For a while they remained silent. She watched as Ronnie milled around the park, getting approached by a few dogs but walking straight past, nicely sitting and receiving a pat from dog owners that passed him.

"You know what sucked about growing up blind?" Micah broke the silence. He didn't wait for an answer. "Not being able to see my mother's face when I got my finals results. Going to a different school because of my disability. Learning Braille took me longer than a lot of other people. It took me until I was ten. During my teenage years I was depressed. Had therapy for a few years at thirteen through to sixteen. I missed a year of school to live with my grandmother in Seattle at seventeen to calm down because I was angry a lot."

What surprised her out of everything was the fact this man, this beautiful soul, was depressed. She'd never of guessed he was. He made it seem like him being blind was literally a walk in the park. It was obvious he'd accepted it now.

"What about now?" Amy wondered in a shaky voice. Yes, she was tearing up a little, sue her! Micah was a wonderful man and to hear this, it just made her want to wrap him up in a blanket and hide him away from the world.

"Now?" He grinned, thankfully, and lifted his hand skim it across her cheek his mouth turning from a grin to a soft smile when he felt the moisture. "Ah, now I couldn't give a shit." She was glad to laugh; glad he'd lifted her spirits. "I'm happy with my life. My parents helped me, my cousins and grandmother helped me. I have great friends and my art teacher has recommended me to a few galleries and they want to see some of my work. I'm as happy as ever." 

And he truly did look happy. Amy wrapped an arm around his waist and briefly hugged him. "I'm glad."

She was glad she came here with Micah. He'd definitely distracted her and that's exactly what she needed. True to his word, Jeff came back exactly an hour later except he wasn't needed. Not yet at least. Amy went back with Micah to his apartment and they spent the day doing absolutely nothing. They lazed around the living room, Ronnie didn't leave her alone for a second but she loved the attention. She adored him! Every time she went to get up from the couch he'd make a sad sound and lay his head her lap. 

He'd finally showed her the sketch. And she was shocked to say the least. It looked exactly like her. He'd only touched her once and the sketch was so much like her that it was almost unbelievable. 

"It's perfect." She told him. "So detailed and correct."

"Oh good." He sighed relieved. "Sketching isn't my strong point I'm blind after all." He laughed at his own joke.

"You could have fooled me."

Micah kept his sunglasses off the whole time, not once putting them back on, although he couldn't anyway because she did sort of take them.

"Give it." He'd pouted from the kitchen. 

"Nope. Keep them off, Micah I don't care about your eyes." And that was the end of the conversation.

After an unhealthy take out meal from the Chinese place down the street and a glass of wine, which she's been drinking too much of since she's been in Canada, it was almost quarter to nine when she started to drift off in and out of sleep.

"I should go." She grumbled but not moving.

"You don't have to go yet Ames; if you're tired you can stay."

"No, no I should go." She curled up on the couch beside Ronnie. "I have work to do and..." A yawn escaped her lips. "Papers to help grade. Plus I'm meeting Harriet for a jog tomorrow morning."

"Want me to call Jeff?"

She nodded mutely and drifted off to sleep for only a few minutes before Micah shook her awake. "Jeff's downstairs." He grinned. "Need help getting downstairs?"

"I'm fine. Thanks for today Micah." She smiled sleepily at him as she stretched. "See you Monday. Oh and I've left your sunglasses on the coffee table."

"Try not to get lost on your way downstairs." He said to her before she walked out the door.

Yes, today has been a major help. Micah and Harriet had done a lot of good for her as distractions. But what hit her later on that night was how he was feeling about that "almost" kiss. He'd been worse than her slamming his way out of the gym, almost jumping her in the car...

She turned on her side and stared at the empty spot beside her pillow.

So, how was he feeling?

**

"How are you-? "

"Don't give me any bullshit Mike." John all but growled down his phone as he paced his study. "You asked me yesterday, you asked me at lunch, you even asked me an hour after lunch. If you ask me how I'm doing one more time I swear on my gravestone I will personally shove a boulder up your ass and roll you down the frickin' street."

There was a pause and John almost believed he'd hung up but Michael's outburst of laughter said different. And it angered him more.

"That was creative." He complimented. "Bravo."

"Goodbye Mike." He hung up before he got an answer and chucked his phone on the couch beside his piano. He glared at it for a moment before stepping to his window. He was aching. Almost as if he was in pain. At this exact second, his palms were itching at the thought of touching... of feeling...

He shook his head with a growl and walked from his seating area to his marble themed bedroom. His entire body twitched at the thought of getting that close to Amy again. Not once had he thought of anything else this weekend. All he could think about was that fiery woman. How quickly she could have submitted to him with just one kiss, one more touch... just a light skim of the lips to her neck and she would have been his. Hell, he was hers right from the moment he felt her soft skin against his nose. He felt her pulse, heard it almost. She was as happy as he was when he pressed against her back.

What had possessed him to go that far in the first place, he wasn't sure.

He shrugged off his t-shirt and jeans before collapsing into bed with a sigh. He would give anything to know what she was thinking. You know what he would give anything to have her beside him so he could ask her what she was thinking...

He brought his hand to his chest and grimaced when it touched his St. Jude pendant resting above his heart. Sometimes he wished there was a way for him to forget some of his life. He used it as a defence mechanism against specific things and he knew that. He could openly admit this. Especially when it came to Amy.

John would subconsciously think about what had happened to his family and think about how the same exact thing could happen to her if he allowed himself to get any closer. He couldn't decide whether it was working or not because every chance he got he was trying to spend more time with her or getting admittedly jealous whenever someone mentioned that kid, Mikel or whatever his name was. He didn't know him so he couldn't judge him but those damned dreamy smiles both Michael and Evie gave him when they talked about him had his jaw clenching.

The temptation of calling her burnt his finger tips more than once this evening. Call her to apologise for his behaviour yesterday. He had to do it face to face. He would go to her office on Monday and talk to her. He would tell her he was no good, tell her that it'd take a miracle for him to ever open up just a sliver of his book. It would be no problem at all.

Suddenly, of course, the images of her full lipped crooked smile and the feel of her warm skin flooded to the surface of his mind plus the fact he would probably be in a small and private office with that unknowingly sinful, shy woman. Excellent. This may be harder than I thought.

____________________________________

Oh, Amy... *shakes head*

And John... *shakes head again*

But I'm looking forward to writing the next chapter :P! at the moment folks, I have received a bit of a cold! Stupid college circulating with germs UH! So hold off a bit if I don't update normally next week.

 ANYHOW, votes and comments are much appreciated!