Compelled (a Hat Films Fanfic)

TUSK

        "Why are you laughing?" I asked incredulously as Amanda continued to giggle at one of the more horrid scenes from the movie. The other people in the room looked completely mortified, yet she seemed to be having a great time.

        It was a Saturday in the middle of December, only a week or two before Christmas. I was having a small get together at my flat, since SAM was running the stream and Amanda had tonight off. She had been working hard on the live streams, and almost never missed a single one, so it was hard to see each other. I had taken the opportunity to invite Trott and his girlfriend, Smith and Tom, and a few other of our friends that wern't a part of the Yogscast. Amanda had insisted that we torrented the movie Tusk, and though it was listed under 'comedy', no one but her thought it was very funny.

        Amanda fell into my lap, gasping for breath. "He was turned into a walrus," she giggled, finding the grotesque mass of human flesh on screen hilarious.

        "This is the single most fucked up thing I have ever seen," I muttered, "It's not funny."

        "It's so amazing!" she laughed, motioning to the horrible, grunting monstrosity, "That's gonna be Chris Trott one day."

        "You are a messed up person," Trott muttered as she shifted and threw her arms around his shoulders.

        "Don't worry, I'm sure Katie Morrison will still bring you mackerel at the zoo," she giggled, looking over Trott to raise her eyebrows at his girlfriend. They had become fast friends the minute we introduced them, and I secretly enjoyed seeing them together instead of Amanda hanging out with one of her many male friends. I trusted her, but with our blurry status, I still worried about loosing her.

        "Of course Trotty," Katie teased, giving my coworker a kiss on the cheek as Amanda settled back down next to me so that our bodies were pressed close together.

        Trott pushed her off, but not very forcefully. "Guys that's not me!" he said for the hundredth time, "You're worse than the fans!" His complaining what justified, but Smith and I specifically made sure to continue to tease him all throughout the movie.

        I reached over to grab my beer off of the coffee table and took a swig before replacing it. I used the opportunity to pull Amanda closer to me, so that she curled up under my arm and tucked her legs under her. She smiled up at me and I turned my head to look at her more closely in the dark living room. Her eyes, normally dull and pensive, were sparking with a certain energy that always foreshadowed a wild flow of spirits. I tilted my head down to plant a small kiss on her lips, but it last a while longer than I expected.

        "How cute," my friend Laurence cooed from the arm chair after watching our exchange. I felt my face grow hot as all eyes turned onto me and the small girl under my arm; I wasn't normally one for PDA.

        "You guys are so cute," Mary, one of Smith's obnoxious-but-sweet friends, squeaked. I remembered her clearly trying to set me up with a bunch of different girls back in the summer; I'm sure she enjoyed hearing the news of my new love interest from Smith.

        Amanda just gave a small "Thank you," before dropping her gaze to the two different hands that were clasped together in my lap. I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, letting her know she didn't have to be afraid of Mary.

        "How long have you two known each other?" she continued to pry. Everyone else in the room seemed to switch their full attention from the disgusting movie onto us, thankful for the distraction.

        "A little over 3 months," I said at the same time Amanda answered, "Three or four weeks."

        I felt her tense up and at the same time I froze, realizing how different that time in the hospital really was for both of us. I was already in love with her before she even woke up, yet she was just now becoming comfortable around me. It was getting easier and easier everyday now that she was on holiday and staying at my flat, yet I still had to hold back and remind myself that we didn't know everything about each other yet.