JUST LOSE IT
4x10

Athena had been living on her own since Charlotte had gotten back together with Cooper. And like any sane person, she hated living on her own.

Not to mention the fact that she didn't really have anyone to invite over to her home. Her sister was too involved with Sam—although, everyone knew that was a slowly sinking ship. There was Charlotte, but considering everything she was going through, as of late, that was a no. Plus Violet, but she wasn't sure the woman would even want to hangout with her.

Lastly, Amelia.

She'd pushed her away. Just like she did her mother before she passed. And her step father before he passed. Her old friends.

But this time it was different. Because she liked Amelia.

This was all she could think about as she, and the rest of the practice—minus Cooper and Charlotte—stood around Naomi as she shared photos of her latest adventure. "This was the ribbon cutting ceremony..."

It was hard for Athena to focus on anything else as Amelia leaned in, her torso pressing against Athena's side.

The thing is, Athena asked for Amelia to leave her alone— to give her space. Not to cut her off completely.

She was glad to know Amelia hadn't. Especially after the radio silence she received on Amelia's end for weeks now.

"...Maya and I skyped," Naomi beamed about something Athena was unaware of.

"That's incredible," Violet looked at the screen.

"That's quite an accomplishment," Sheldon nodding, a few heads turn in his direction. "The hospital, I mean. But Olivia's great, too."

"Yeah," Naomi laughs at Sheldon's awkwardness, almost everyone's favorite quality in the man. "And here, the foundation delivering a boatload of mosquito nets to Tanzania."

"Wow," Athena nods, trying her best to sound interested, but her head was dizzy from Amelia's perfume.

"Boatload," Amelia laughed in Athena's ear. "It's an actual boat loaded with mosquito nets. That's so cool."

There it was again. The laughter. The sound Athena used to praise herself for, for drawing it from Amelia's throat.

Amelia leans back on an elbow, the elbow resting on the kitchen island, a mug filled with coffee resting between her hands.

"Actually, that's where I was when I found out about, uh, Betsy's aunt abandoning her," Naomi revealed, inhaling a sharp breath. "Um.." Naomi swipes the photo on the tablet, a new one appearing. "This is Laos, and here, we were able to deliver enough vaccine to immunize two thousand children."

"Wow," Sam observed, definitely impressed.

"Yeah, and that's where I was when I found out about Charlotte," Naomi pauses.

Addison's eyes immediately go to Athena's who just stands there, staring at the kitchen island. Even though Charlotte was her best friend, and it didn't happen to her, she still felt like it had in a way.

Charlotte King was a part of her—that's how good of friends they were.

So when Charlotte was hurting, so was Athena.

"Yeah, a lot.." Addison nodded, adverting her gaze to Naomi's. "..has happened since you've been gone."

Everyone goes quiet, and Addison's eyes land back on her sisters. Amelia bites her lip, staring at the side of Athena's face, studying it for any signs of an oncoming freak out. There weren't any.

Sam looks down at his phone, "Uh. Oh. I have a patient. It was great to see you, Nai."

"Yeah."

"Alright," Sam nodded and left the small kitchen space that was beginning to feel smaller with the amount of people inside it.

"What was that?" Naomi turned her head to Addison.

"Nothing," Addison shook her head. But everyone knew it was something. "You look amazing. I mean, for someone.."

"You do," Violet agreed with Addison.

"Hot," Athena smiled.

She was okay, she wanted to tell Amelia. And hopefully her statement did it.

"..whose trekked across three continents," Addison smiled at her old best friend.

"Oh, you know, I just—" Naomi shrugged. "I'm all 'Eat Pray Love,' you know? I'm— I'm, uh, very zen."

"Zen?" Amelia asked, leaning closer. "Does that mean you're now alright with Addison sleeping with your ex-husband?"

"Amelia!" Addison shook her head.

"Filter!" Violet reminded the raven haired woman.

"Watch it," Athena said, jokingly, but Amelia just smirked at the women.

Amelia's eyes trained on Athena's, the twos faces too close as she says, "Sorry, I'm working on it."

"Well, I for one am glad to have you back, so.." Sheldon smiled, making his departure from the group as well.

"Alright," Naomi turned to Addison once Sheldon was gone. "Truth— how is Charlotte?"

"Rape-y and weird," Amelia said without a beat, which made Athena lose an ounce of respect for her.

"Filter!" Violet said again.

"Charlotte.." Addison shook her head. "..is doing the best she can.

Pete then comes in the room and tells Violet that one of their patients is back in the hospital. He invites Addison along, as she may be needed.

Addison suggests they all get together tonight to catch up, because the men were planning on having a poker night. Athena thought it sounded lame, but Naomi was down for it, and Athena missed Nai.

She agreed, but knew she'd probably sneak off to Sam's later, because baby talk and other girl things were not her thing.

🪷

"Hey," Amelia entered the home that belonged to Addison.

Athena turns her head towards Amelia, her knitting needles and yarn falling from her hands at Amelia's reaction to the baby in Addison's arms.

Addison and Naomi speak gibberish at the baby.

"I didn't realize this was a play date," Amelia stands behind the two with the baby.

"It's not," Athena went back to knitting something she'll never even use.

In her mind, knitting was an activity that took her mind off of Amelia. An act of celibacy, if you will. But everyone knew she'd go back to Amelia eventually

Addison thought they were a different version of Romeo and Juliet.

"Oh, I gave Maya the night off," Naomi shrugged it off, and Amelia took a seat beside Athena.

Both looked like they'd rather be anywhere but where they were.

Athena huffs out a frustrated breath of air, throwing her knitting things into her lap, the other women talking to the baby with gibberish.

Amelia looks to the side, but with the question she had.. it wasn't really the best idea to ask her.

"Is Charlotte coming?" Amelia looked away from the Knotts girl, and towards Addison.

"No," Addison answered in a normal voice. "She declined, but gracefully."

Amelia nods, not completely understanding what the woman meant by that.

"She's speaking in bumper sticker slogans," Athena relieves Amelia from the confusion.

Amelia nods with understanding this time, her eyes landing back on Athena, whose face is scrunched up as she tries to fix the mistake that made her throw the piece of knitted up yarn in the first place.

This makes Amelia look at Athena in a different light—one that makes her realize she shouldn't let Athena push her away so easily.

"Which either means she's internalized the help that we've been offering her.." Violet continues to talk in baby talk as she bounces the baby on her lap.

"Or we need to start planning escape routes in case she goes postal," Amelia jokes, and tries to recover it when Athena's eyes look up at Amelia. "Sorry—"

"It's—" Athena begins to tell her it's okay, because the way she had been acting when Amelia had made jokes like that, had been Athena being an asshole, but she was stopped when the other two women reach for the baby.

Both women make a face, neither being very fond of babies—which, if it had been known to the other, would make them like each other even more.

Athena's face scrunches in disgust—which Amelia finds adorable—as the other three women continue to gush over the baby.

"Okay, that's it," Amelia sits her drink down after pulling her gaze away from the brunettes face. She stands, and makes her way to the door, hoping Athena stood up to join her.

"Where are you going?" Athena asked, her mood immediately changing as she sees Amelia about to leave.

"No offense," Amelia nodded, her hand reaching for the door handle. "but I did not come here for 'The Vagina Monologues'."

Athena places the scarf she was knitting onto the couch, and hurries out with her, hearing a muffed "What?" As she left.

i'm trying to update
more. i want to finish
roses soon.. so give me
motivation 💗💗