"Ross Hornby," Amanda sighed, letting her shoulders droop in front of the mirror, "I don't think this is a good idea."

I stepped in front of her, blocking her view. "Why?" I asked, wrapping my hands around her waist, "You can't hide in that livestream room forever you know..."

"I can try," she said, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest.

"You should probably get to know some of the people around the office," I pointed out.

"I know Ørjan Aarvik and Tom Clarke and Si Melton," she defended.

"But you're a content creator," I insisted, "What happens when you want to do a collaboration?"

"I'll do it with you guys," she answered stubbornly.

"Or," I continued, "You could do it with one of the other people around the office. I know Hannah was looking for someone-"

"No," Amanda wined, cutting off my suggestion, "She's too popular."

"I can promise you we aren't some kind of elitist group," I said, "No one is going to ostracize you for being the new kid."

Amanda gave out a groan and buried her face into her hands. "Don't remind me," she muttered, leaning her head into my shoulder, "Lewis wants an introduction video done by the end of the month."

I rubbed her arms gently for reassurance. "Don't worry about that; you're creative," I offered.

"That's not-" she started to say, but I cut her off and took a hold of her shoulders so I could look her in the eyes.

"Please just come with me tonight," I begged, putting on a sad face to further convince her, "I think you'll have a good time."

She pursed her lips and her eyebrows furrowed together. "I'm already dressed, aren't I?" she asked miserably, motioning to her outfit.

"And you look beautiful," I smiled, taking a step back to look at her. She had on a maroon skater dress that ended just above her knee and even showed off some of her tattoos in the back. I had to admit I was a little worried about what people might think seeing how tight it was and how easily you could see her hip bones and ribs jutting out from under it. She would normally wear looser clothes that hid how tiny she was getting, and even at night I didn't really get a good view of her body before she hid under the duvet; it was somewhat alarming seeing her in the light like this.

"Are you sure?" she asked, stepping around me to look in the mirror again, a pass time she was starting to develop. "What if people think I'm fat..."

"Did you eat today?" I asked suddenly, having forgot to check. We had had a free day today, which was spent playing Skate 3 and Fifa, and going to the strip mall. I tried to recall if I had seen her eat before we had left or after we returned, but the memory escaped me. Normally I could get her to eat at least one meal, two on a good day.

"Of course," she said as soon as the words had passed my lips. Something about the way she wirled on me and gave me that worried, guarded look that told me she was lying.

"Do you want to go grab some dinner before we go over to Duncan's?" I asked.

She looked everywhere but at me as she said, "No, I don't want to be late. There will probably be food there anyway." She shuffled her feet awkwardly and continued to evade my eyes before she said, "Well come on, let's get going." She grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the bedroom, silencing any protest I had.

-------------------------------------------

"I played bass in high school band for two years and continued to practice through college," Amanda explained, "But that doesn't really mean much other than that I can play scales and 'Don't Stop Believing'." Kogie and Parv both laughed with Amanda at her joke. We were currently sitting on a group of sofas in Duncan's flat for his annual New Years party and Sparkles* had invited Amanda over to meet the rest of Area 11 officially, since they didn't come into the office much. They all seemed to like her, and she was smart to start talking about guitars because they were instantly more interested once she mentioned that she owns a few.

"Do you still play guitar?" Parv asked, leaning his elbows onto his knees.

"I'm more of a bass player really," she giggled, "Sorry."

"Bass is where it's at," Kogie joked, leaning back and stretching his arms across the back of the sofa with a grin.

"Oh yeah, I especially love playing my 12 string..." Amanda said with a coy smile, and she must have known what she was doing, for everyone's interest seemed to spike as she said it. Kogie immediately started drilling questions at her about this rare bass that I had yet to hear her mention, and Amanda seemed to grow more confident and comfortable as she took control of the conversation. It was nice to see her start to open up to people instead of rejecting and hiding from them like she used to a few months ago.

"Hey I'm gonna go grab a drink, care to join me?" Sparkles* said beside me, tapping me on the arm.

I turned my head to look at Amanda, who was ignoring me as her, Kogie, and Parv continued their discussion. She seemed comfortable enough to leave her alone with them, so I gave a "Sure, mate," as I got up and followed him into the kitchen.

There weren't many people in there, but Trott seemed to have already gotten into the beers and Sjin didn't look too far behind. Sparkles* and I struck up a conversation with them as other people ebbed and flowed into the kitchen at the prospect of alcohol. I kept glancing over at Amanda through the doorway, but she didn't seem like she needed any rescuing.

"So how's she doing?" Sparkles* asked quietly when he noticed me staring.

"She's.... she's good, I think..." I muttered, taking a sip of beer and avoiding Tom's gaze, for I knew what he was actually talking about.

"Don't get offended by this, but she doesn't look it," he pointed out, glancing over to the small, pale girl, "Have you talked to her about any of it?"

As much as I appreciated the help and support Sparkles* was offering, I couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated that he was bringing up the issue again. "No," I told him, "But I've been making sure she's been eating."

"Do you want me to talk to her?" he asked, looking up at me, "She seems to trust me."

"Mate, she's fine," I said, exasperated, "I think I can take care of my own girlfriend." I couldn't let someone else deal with my problem, especially someone like Tom.

"But she's so small Ross," he said, motioning towards her with a hand, "Look at her."

I sighed, not wanting to get angry and ruin my night. "Last time I checked, your girlfriend is still smaller than her," I said, trying to keep the hostility out of my voice.

Sparkles* also let out a sigh, but it came out almost sounding like a growl. "Mate, last time I check, my girlfriend still eats everyday so lets not bring her into this," he spat.

I snapped my head down to look at him, ready to start screaming at him or even punch him for saying such a thing, but as soon as he saw the anger in my eyes he seemed to soften. "I... I'm sorry I didn't mean that..." he stammered quickly, looking down at the bottle in his hand and setting it down on the kitchen counter. "I guess the drink is making me a bit bold..." he laughed nervously, obviously regretting his choice of words.

"It's whatever," I muttered, letting myself calm down again and turning back to look at Amanda who was now excitedly talking to Leo about something I couldn't hear.

"Listen, I'm sorry. It's really not my business to pry," he continued.

"No, I understand. You guys are friends and you're worried about her. It's no big deal," I told him.

"I still think you should-" he started, but then someone came into the kitchen and interrupted him.

"Hey! We're playing truth or dare if you two want to join us," Hannah said, adding, "We managed to already guilt Amanda into playing, Ross."

"Guilt her?" I laughed as Hannah nodded and left, trying to lighten the mood that hung heavy in the kitchen after the disagreement. I turned to Sparkles*; "I should probably go save her," I joked, "Care to join me?"

"Nah mate, I think I'm going to go find Beckii," he said, reaching to grab my hand and shake it, "I'll catch up with you later."

I nodded to him and wandered into the living area. The game seemed to already have started, for Lewis was doing some ridiculous dance surrounded by a circle of people. I could only guess what kind of dare he got.

"Hey Ross Hornby," Amanda whispered as I walked over there quietly, trying not to draw attention away from a seemingly very drunk Lewis. She was sitting on the floor beside a couch next to Smith and Trott, who also greeted me as I squeezed in next to her and grabbed a hold of her hand.

"Do I have to participate in this?" I asked with a smile to Smith.

He grinned at me. "Of course mate, you joined the circle," he laughed. His words slightly slurred together with the statement, but I knew how well Smith could handle his drinks.

Amanda and I held our own quiet conversation with Smith as the larger group continued to humiliate and embarrass each other as the questions made their way around everyone. Almost all the people in the flat were taking part in the somewhat juvenile party game, and the drunken atmosphere made everything seem 10 times as hilarious than it should have been. I felt a little withdrawn from everyone else, and kept the conversation light as we talked about rumored series that people might start in the next few months and the conventions that Tom was trying to get groups together for.

I knew eventually it would be our turn to choose truth or dare, and after Smith was dared to drink a concoction of condiments and alcohol (which he proudly chugged and sat back down as if it were the most normal thing in the world) Kim, who seemed to have taken control of coordinating the turns, said ominously, "So Amanda, truth or dare?"

"Go easy on her Kim," Teutron said drunkenly at her side, shoving her with an elbow, "We don't want to scare the poor girl off."

Amanda's face colored, but she didn't back down. "I'm sure anything she does won't be as bad as the stuff I experience regularly at Yogtowers. I wouldn't worry about scaring me too much Kim Richards," she joked, earning a laugh that circled around the room. "But I think I'll play it safe and pick truth for this round," she continued once it was quiet again.

"Alright," she smiled, "This should be an easy one. Is it true that you and Ross are dating?"

I felt blood rush to my face and answered "yes" at the same time Amanda quickly said "No," earning a cacophony of exclamations from our friends around us.

Amanda looked towards me, only causing her blush to deepen to an even darker shade of red. "It's... complicated," she explained quickly, her hands a flurry of motion. I kept quiet, knowing I would only do more damage if I said anything.

"Oh, I see how it is," Kim said, smirking over her beer as she took a drink, "Your secrets safe with us."

"Excuse me?" Amanda asked, giggling nervously to try and break the tension.

"We all have our..." Kim started, pausing to wave her hand in the air as she looked for the right, "friends with benefits."

"Oh like you and Duncan?" Smith screamed between clenched teeth, earning more exclamations and laughter from the crowd over the long running joke. Duncan tried futility to defend himself, and his girlfriend next to him seemed to tease him as much as everyone else did.

"No, that's not what I meant..." Amanda stammered into the noise, looking uncomfortable. Suddenly we started getting bombarded with questions about our relationship.

"Didn't he hit you with his car?" Sjin asked, which I quickly denied.

"Don't you live together?" Adrian questioned.

"You guys came here together," Tom Bates pointed out.

"I heard you introduced her to your parents," Smith said, adding to the chaos as he grinned at the both of us.

"Alright alright," Lewis said, calming everyone down with a gesture of his hands; there was no question that even in his drunken stupor he was our boss. "Now you're all really going to scare her away," he joked, getting everyone refocused.

Trott turned to me and continued "Alright mate, your turn. Truth or dare?"

I sighed and gave a small laugh, glad that everyone had stopped talking about Amanda and I. "Uh, dare I guess," I muttered, and Trott gave me a mischievous grin.

"I dare you..." he started trailing off and looking around the room, "to profess your dying love to the next person that walks in the room."

"Trott that's so-" I started, wanting to tell him how stupid he was, but suddenly a cheer and a couple of whistles were heard as I looked towards the doorway. Sparkles* had just walked in the room, his hand intertwined with Beckii's. I got a shove from Smith as I reluctantly stood up, and some people were already laughing as I made my way around the sofa to stand in front of Sparkles*.

"What? What did I do?" he asked in response to all the cheering and cat calls coming from my coworkers. I stood in front of him, turning slightly so everyone could get a view of my performance. "Ross what are you-" he started to ask, but I cut him off by placing a finger to his lips dramatically, shushing him.

"Mate," he said, swatting away my hand, "You alright?"

"I'm far from alright," I said in a strained voice, causing more giggles behind me. I grabbed his hands in both of mine and stared into his eyes with, what I hoped looked like, passion. "How can I be alright when everyday you tease me?" I asked.

He seemed to be catching onto the fact that everyone was making me do this by the way people were erupting in laughter with everything I said, but he started to played along as well. "R...Ross" he exclaimed, "What do you mean?"

I gave him a warning look and then wrapped my hands around his back and dipped him backwards, giving the room a view of our scene that could have been taken straight from a trashy romance novel. I couldn't actually dip Sparkles* down too far, for I couldn't support his weight, but it did nothing to damper everyone's reactions, seeing them all falling over each other in drunken giggles.

"Tom Sparkles* Clarke? Ever since the day I first saw you I know I've loved you with the burning passion of a thousand dying suns. Will you... do me the honor of being... my honey-kins?" I asked in my gravel voice, not able to keep a straight face any more as even Sparkles* started to loose himself in fits of laughter.

Everyone started to cheer and clap, and I let Tom up and turned to everyone, giving a bow with a flourish of my hand. Beckii stood at Sparkles* side and gave me a defensive glare as she wrapped her arms around him, but then started laughing along as all three of us went to join the circle again.

"I'm jealous," Amanda smiled as I sat back down.

"You mean of my amazing acting skills?" I asked, picking up my beer and taking a drink as I placed a hand behind Amanda and leaned back onto it. "I just hope no one got pictures of that," I laughed, leaning down so she could hear me over the din of noise.

"You start working on your ship name just in case," Smith said next to him, waving his phone to show his camera gallery with a new video in it.

"Mate, if you ever-" I started, but then got cut off by someone mentioning that it was almost midnight.

"Come on," Amanda giggled, pulling me up as everyone started to stand and congregate around the tele. I thought we would join everyone else, but Amanda chose instead to walk over to the doors leading out the back of the house, which opened up onto the River Avon. From here we could see a good portion of the city, and a couple of fireworks dotted the night sky in the distance, partially hidden by the roves around us.

"Glad you came?" I asked, wrapping my hands around her waist. I was actually in a flirty mood now that I had confessed my love to Sparkles*, and wouldn't have minded doing similar with Amanda; though, I would probably do it in a less tacky manner. I pulled her to me and dipped my forehead down to meet hers as she arched her back to look up at me.

"I got to see you embarrass yourself," she laughed, "So I'd say I had a good night." She laughed and nodded her head, bringing her arms up to wrap around my neck.

"Yeah, it's too bad I used all my good moves on Sparkles*," I joked, smiling down at Amanda who had mischief swirling in her eyes. We could hear people starting to chant, counting down from 20 as they waited for the New Year.

"Yeah," she agreed, "too bad." She closed her eyes and pull herself up so that her lips pressed against mine, and I didn't need to see the fireworks to feel them deep in my core as I kissed the girl I hoped to be spending the next year (or 50) with.

A/N What do you guys think of the new writing application for Wattpad? It seems that spell check only works occasionally now... Anyway, hope you liked the new chapter and it wasn't too awkward or clique! (Sorry it was so long) And, hey, we reached 7K views! It means so much to me to think I'm only on chapter 26 and it's already a lot of your guys' favorite story. I hope that I can continue that, and I want to thank you for all the kind words and comments and votes that you send me. Thank you, happy reading!