Whatever it takes

XVI

Amie left her room only early in the morning the following day when the rest of the family was still asleep. With Vince sleeping on the sofa yet again, she slowly made her way across the street where her car was parked. Her heart sped with each step and she found herself hoping to have a couple of messages and missed calls from the devil himself. How stupid am I? She questioned herself while kneeling on the seat, blindly searching for her phone on the floor. After a few attempts, she found it and managed to wiggle the little plastic box out from the tight space between the seat and floor. Hands shaking, she flipped it open.

There was only one message waiting for her and that was from Syd.

Toretto felt her heart shatter as it fell from the sky-high place when the reality destroyed all her hopes. Amie chuckled, the sound unhappy and bitter. She returned into the house, not thinking much about her movements as she allowed her body to just carry her wherever it wanted to take her.

Vince opened his eyes as soon as she walked back in, door slamming a bit too hard to the early hour. "Hey, A. What's up?" he lifted himself on one elbow, rubbing his face with the second hand. "Y'right?"

She shrugged her shoulders, her expression empty. "Yeah."

"Hmm," Vince stared at her for a moment, taking her in. Despite the sleep still clouding his mind and eyes, he could see the tired expression on her face, the dark circles and tight skin around her lips. He patted the spot next to him. "C'mon, lil' one, come here."

Amie wondered why couldn't she fall for somebody who would return the sentiment as she slowly crossed the living room. Why couldn't she pick a good guy? Allowing the big man beside her to pull her into a hug, she felt tears burning in her eyes. He said nothing, only held her there. His natural aroma enveloped her and she felt safe and at home. "Hey V?" she asked quietly, just like so many times before in her past. Despite the fact Amie loved Dom, they never been that close for her to feel comfortable enough to open up properly – never been close like her and Vince.

"Yeah?"

Biting her lower lip, she paused briefly before she said: "How do you do that?"

"Do wha'?"

"You like Mia," she whispered bluntly. "How can you face it every day?"

Vince fell into silence for a moment and his body went rigid, the arm around her shoulders tensing. "Somebody broke ya heart, lil' one?" he murmured lowly.

She shrugged yet again. "I don't even know."

His chest rumbled with a quiet chuckle, taking her answer as a yes. "So who I need to punch?"

"Nobody, you brute," Amie leaned away to look at Vince with a soft smile, wiping the tears that pooled in her eyes. "It's alright."

They both paused, allowing the silence to reign over them briefly before he frowned. Then he frowned ever so slightly, looking down at her over her nose with an uncertain expression. "Hey, girl, you don't have a crush on me, right?"

Amie shook her head. "I wish," she added before kissing his cheek. Suddenly, she felt uncomfortable and so she abruptly left his embrace, raising to her feet. "Would be so much easier."

"Yeah," Vince frowned a little as he laid back down, watching the youngest Toretto leave the room. "So much easier."

~ ~ * ~ ~

There was a soft knock on Amie's bedroom door later on that day. She was laying down on her stomach in the middle of the floor surrounded by empty papers and also those, which were covered in sketches and nonsense. Feeling melancholic, Amie hasn't had left the room at all, allowing somebody else to pick the shift at Toretto's. With eyes focused on the paper in front of her, she mumbled softly: "Yeah?"