The short walk to Sam's condo feels like a lifetime to Athena. From the second she closes the sliding door and Amelia grabs her hand, it has felt like a lifetime.

The hand that Amelia is grasping, burns.

Athena begins to overthink. Are her hands too sweaty? Is she shaking? What did she look like right now?

She couldn't even imagine—just thankful that it was dark outside in the moment.

Sam never turned the outside lights on because no one was supposed to be entered the house after the sun had set. Until now, when the two women barged in on the get-together.

"Hello, men," Amelia smiled as she shut the door, her hand still enclosed around Athena's.

"Why are you here?" Sheldon grumbled.

Amelia let go of the other girls' hand as they found separate seats around the circle table. Amelia between Pete and Cooper, and Athena between Sam and Sheldon.

"Uteruses next door be crazy," Amelia pursed her lips and rolled her eyes. "Any objections?"

"Why are you looking at Cooper?" Sheldon observes. "W— why is she looking at Cooper?"

Cooper opens his mouth to explain, but Amelia beats him to it, "Cooper told me to stay away from him. Which is all I'm going to say, because for once.."

"You are filtering," Cooper looks at her.

"I am filtering," Amelia looks back at him, the look gleaming in her eye.

Athena grimaces at the two, shamelessly flirting.

Any other time, this wouldn't have even fazed her. But this time, for some unknown reason, it's gnawing away at her. And she hates it.

The look Amelia has on her face, the smirk tugging at her lips, even the way her body is positioned towards Cooper.. she hates it.

And he has a girlfriend, for gods sake! A grieving girlfriend. Whom happens to be Athena's best friend.

But who knows, maybe they are meant to be. Amelia and Cooper, that is.

But god, Athena really hoped not. For the sake of her heart and her crush.

"Ah," One of the men says.

"You got money?" Pete looks at Amelia and then to Athena, who hasn't spoken since she was pulled through the door.

"Hard cash," Amelia places a five on the table.

"Here," Athena smiles cockily as she slips a ten on the table, which was all she had on her at the time.

Cooper sighs, "Welcome to the game."

Amelia lays back, taking over conversation, "So what are we talking about— chicks, boobs.. chicks and their boobs?"

Athena bites her lip to help from laughing, which doesn't go unnoticed by Amelia.

Amelia beams after realizing Athena thinks she's funny, but dips her head so the men don't question the wide smile on her face.

"We were talking about cigars," Pete points his statement towards Amelia.

"You guys and your cigars," Athena rolls her eyes.

"But," Pete holds his finger up, now looking towards Athena. "before that, we were talking about babies."

"What?" Amelia looks up with a disgusted look on her face.

"Addison wants a baby," Sheldon fills the women in.

"Which isn't surprising," Pete shrugs. "The way she took to Lucas."

"Well, what do you want Sam?" Athena pulls her chair closer to the table so she can reach see her cards.

"I want to make Addison happy, but, uh," Sam pauses, evaluating his cards. "I've already done the daddy thing. So does that make me selfish? Am I— am I self— am I being selfish?"

Amelia and Athena look at each other. They came over to get away from baby talk. But apparently, that's impossible.

Amelia fake gags, making Athena giggle a little.

"No," Cooper says as he continues to pass the cards out. "Life sucks.. sometimes. You don't want another kid. Addison wants a kid. I want a kid. Charlottes too damaged to want a kid—"

Amelia stomps on his foot under the table for Athena, regardless of her hatred towards the baby talk.

"Ow— jeez!" Coopers face scrunches up in pain as he reaches for his foot.

"Oh. My. God," Athena throws her cards on the table and throws her head back in annoyance. "You are all men— hot, men, to be exact. So why are we complaining about babies, and, ugh, babies!"

"Give us girls a break! Please," Amelia pleads, banging her head on the table.

🪷

After the men call it a night, Amelia and Athena make their way home.

Amelia offers to drive Athena home because she's way more tipsy than Amelia, whom only consumed water the entire night.

Athena got into the car and leaned her head against the cool window, and soon enough Amelia heard the snores. Amelia smiled at the girl.

If only she really knew that she didn't want to give her space at all. But if that's what Athena really wanted, she'd give that to her.

But Athena didn't really want that, either.

She wanted the raven haired neurosurgeon more than ever.

Although right now, she needed to be there for her best friend, who was still going through this difficult time in her life. So, if anything between the two happens, it happens. That's how Athena saw it, at least.

Amelia on the other hand.. this car ride brought Amelia back to her senses. When she wants something, she gets it. That's how she was raised, and that's how all her siblings are as well.

Stubborn.

Amelia decided that from now on, she would try and do anything and everything in her power to get Athena to come to her senses.

Even if it meant she had to bring her flowers everyday, if she had to buy her a puppy, or if she had to take her out to dinner once a week until Athena caved, she would do it.

When Amelia pulled up in front of Athena's place, she parks the car and looks over to Athena.

The street light frames her face perfectly, and all Amelia wants to do is lean over and give the cardio surgeon a kiss. But she knows it's wrong, and that she needs to give Athena time.

And she is more than willing to give it.

"Athena," Amelia smiles to herself and shakes Athena's arm a little.

"Mm," Athena moans.

"We're home— your home," Amelia swallowed as she looked out the window Athena's head is resting on.

"Okay," Athena mumbled, doing her best to sit up. She wasn't as tipsy as she was when she left the condo, but she was still slightly intoxicated. Her head was pounding and she felt like she was about to hurl.

Athena quickly unbuckles her seatbelt and reaches for the door handle, falling out of the car with a thud.

Amelia laughs to herself, and unbuckles her own seatbelt so she can get out to help Athena. She really didn't want Athena to get vomit in her hair, and for her to have to stay to help Athena wash herself.

Amelia walks around the car and holds Athena's hair back so she doesn't get vomit all over her hair. She holds Athena's hair in one hand while she rubs soothing circles on her back.

"Come on," Amelia helps to lift the girl off the ground. One hand on her hip, and one hand around her arm. "Let's get you inside."

Athena is shivering when she enters the house, because she didn't turn the heaters on yet, and she left her jacket in Addison's condo. Amelia shrugs out of her jacket and puts it on Athena.

"Thank you," Athena shakes slightly. "Could you turn the heaters on? There's one in here, one in the kitchen, and one in my room. You remember where my room is, don't you?"

"Yeah," Amelia walks a few feet away before turning back. "Why don't you come with me so we can get you ready for bed. We have to be at the hospital early tomorrow."

Amelia leaves her hand on Athena's back as she guides her up the steps to her bedroom.

She helps Athena get ready for bed and turns all the heaters on. She places a glass of water and an Advil on her stand like Charlotte used to do.

Amelia leaves a kiss on Athena's forehead when she is sure the woman is asleep, silently hoping she'll wake up and ask her to stay the night. But that doesn't happen.

If she is pretending to sleep, she'll have to explain the kiss in the morning. But she's okay with that.

i need to actually
start writing it isn't
even funny anymore