When you whisper my name | Tamber

Chapter 1

Tara sat on one of the swings in the park near her house, not moving an inch. Her mom was acting mental again. After a while, she silently looked down at her phone, plugging in her headphones and turning music on at high volume. She needed a distraction. She had no one to text, call, or go to, so she usually kept her feelings bottled up. She despised the thought of opening up anyway.

A girl approached her, long black hair falling in place perfectly with every step she took, even during the windy early spring weather. She sat down on the other free swing, and sighed. She peeked over to the slumped over, short girl.

She looked at her for a while, admiring her side profile. Tara, though, did not seem to notice. With closed eyes, she breathed in and out slowly, in order to calm herself down.

"Are you okay?" The curious girl asked, not seeing the headphones. So, when she didn't get a reply, she furrowed her eyebrows. Was she being ignored?

"Hello?" She asked, standing in front of Tara, shaking her hands.

Still no reaction.

The girl carefully tapped Taras's shoulder. Tara jumped at the sudden contact, not having expected it. She ripped out the headphones and looked up, seeing the unfamiliar girl. She didn't say anything, resulting in them just looking at each other for a while.

"Uhm, hi. I'm Amber. Sorry for scaring you. I didn't see that you were listening to music." She smiled apologetically.

"It's fine." Tara replied halfheartedly.

"I was just strolling around, exploring a bit since I just moved here. Then I saw you, quite tensed up. I was wondering if you're alright." Amber continued, hoping to get a longer response this time.

"That's nice. And, I'm okay, thanks." She replied, smiling softly.

Amber couldn't help but grin. "Your smile is really pretty." She said.

The compliment felt nice. It has been a long time since anyone had even looked into her direction.

"Thank you, Amber. I appreciate it." She smiled.

There was some silence between them, but Amber quickly figured that the other girl probably wanted some time alone.

"Alright well, I'll get going then. Sorry for the interruption. I hope to see you around, Tara." Amber waved as she walked away.

-

"Earth to Tara?" Amber has been talking to Tara for the past two minutes, just now realizing she didn't listen to a thing. She scooted closer to Tara, now sitting right next to her on her bed with music quietly playing in the background.

"Huh? Sorry. Repeat that please." Tara said cutely, in order to get Amber from getting mad - which was almost impossible anyway.

"What's going on, Tara? You've been zoning out a lot." Amber gently grabbed her arm and looked at her with worry in her eyes.

"I know, sorry. I'm just thinking about our first time meeting. Our five years of being friends is coming up! You remember, right?" Tara said excitedly.

Of course, Amber remembered. She already had her gift sitting on her desk.
She smiled at the mention, relieved Tara was alright.

Spending these almost five years together with Tara, she has learned one thing about her. If she's unwell, she will distance herself from everyone, even Amber. Amber tried to get Tara to work on her guarded mind countless times, but it was no use.

Chuckling, Amber replied. "I do. I would never forget. All I'm going to tell you about this is; Make sure you'll be free that day. I may or may not have planned something." She put her finger over mouth, shushing herself.

Tara loved surprises. Ever since her sister Sam surprised her with a big party for her tenth birthday, she realized that people who actually love and care for her would put effort in trying to brighten her days. As of now, these two were the only ones showing that effort.

Sam and Amber. Her favorite people in the entire world.

"Really!?" Tara squealed in excitement. She hugged Amber tightly. "You're the best. I love you, I love you, I love you." Tara said giving Amber kisses on the cheek.

The two talked a bit more, before turning on a movie to watch. Tara cuddled Amber, carefully laying her head on her shoulder.

About half an hour in the movie, there was a soft knock on the door, followed by Amber's mom entering with a smile. "Hey girls. Do you want anything to eat? I'm making some pasta." She asked.

Tara sat up, leaving Amber's shoulder. "Sure, mom." Amber replied first.

"I would love that. Thank you Mrs. Freeman. Can we help with anything?" Tara asked.

"Oh, no it's alright, darling. You guys continue that movie until I'm done. I'll call you down later!" She replied, leaving and closing the door on her way out.

Tara laid down on Amber's lap, facing the tv to continue the movie. While watching, Amber played with Tara's hair, twirling it around her fingers. They always enjoyed each others presence, feeling and taking in their calmness when together.

They were called down by Amber's mom subsequently. Tara had fallen asleep for a while, but woke up just in time, smiling brightly at Amber, being the food lover she is.

Amber giggled, taking Tara's hand and dragging her downstairs.

She sighed, relieved about not seeing her sister anywhere. Seemed like she was out again.

-

"Mom, can Tara stay the night? It's late already and it's Friday so we don't have school tomorrow anyway. Pleaseeee?" Amber begged after having finished her food.

"You know I would let Tara move in if she wanted to. There's no need to even ask me. But, do you have your mom's approval, darling?" She asked, looking at Tara who hesitated but smiled at her.

"She isn't home anyway, and Sam is on vacation with her boyfriend."

"Gone again, huh. Alright stay as long as you want. When's Sam coming back?" Amber's mom continued.

"Sunday. They're spending the weekend in New York." Tara smiled.

"That's wonderful. Okay, I'll finish up everything here and go to bed afterwards. You guys should do the same. Good night girls!"

Amber hugged her mom before dragging Tara up the stairs again. Tara went to Amber's closet, taking out an oversized shirt and a pair of shorts, and went to the bathroom to change. Amber quickly changed in her bedroom, then sitting on her bed while waiting for Tara.

"Dude why did you take an oversized shirt? That looks like a dress on you." Amber laughed as Tara walked in. She pulled out her phone and started taking pictures of her.

"Stop it! Don't take pictures!" Tara laughed as she tried grabbing Amber's phone, failing miserably. Amber shot her arm up, making it impossible for Tara to reach it.

"You're a loser. I'm going to sleep." Tara pouted, trying to soften Amber up. It worked.

"Okay, okay. I'll delete them. Let's sleep." She said, still laughing.

They laid down next to each other, facing away from each other. Tara was always the one falling asleep faster than Amber. But Amber liked it. Hearing Tara's slow and steady breathing gave her a feeling of comfort, which made her be able to fall asleep feeling secure.