Amelia stared at the caller ID, Emily.
She quickly wiped the last traces of tears from her cheeks and picked up.
"Hello"
"Amelia, where are you?!" Emily's voice blasted through the speaker so loudly that Amelia had to pull the phone away from her ear.
"I… I'm at the hospital" Amelia said, startled.
"Come to my house. Right now." Emily's tone was urgent.
Amelia blinked. "Why? Did something"
The call cut off.
Amelia lowered the phone, baffled. What's wrong with her now?
Without wasting time, she left the hospital, caught a taxi, and headed straight to Emily's apartment.
When she arrived, she found Emily casually sitting on the couch, eating noodles like she hadn't just yelled at someone's ancestors over the phone. The TV was blasting some drama as background noise.
Amelia walked in, sat beside her, still catching her breath. "Why didn't you go to work today?"
Emily slurped another mouthful of noodles, then said flatly, "I quit."
Amelia's eyes widened. "You… quit? Why?"
Emily paused, then looked at her pointedly. "You quit on your first day too. Why did you?"
Amelia froze. She lowered her gaze. "No reason."
Emily set her chopsticks down with a loud clack and narrowed her eyes. "Amelia."
The warning in her tone was clear.
Amelia panicked and quickly changed the subject. "I called Caleb earlier, but his number wasn't reachable. Do you know where he is?"
"He travelled. When he'll be back…" Emily shrugged. "No idea."
She leaned back, folding her arms, staring at Amelia like a detective ready to crack a case.
"Now talk. Why did you quit after one day? What happened?"
Amelia swallowed. Her fingers twisted nervously. "Um… something did happen."
Emily raised a brow, waiting.
Amelia took a shaky breath. "To be honest… I ended up becoming someone's contracted girlfriend for a month. So I had to quit."
Emily's jaw dropped. She pointed at Ailin dramatically. "Your first boyfriend is a contract boyfriend?!"
Amelia flailed her hands. "No, no! He's not my boyfriend! He literally warned me not to develop feelings for him!"
She slumped into the couch, burying her face in her palms. "I don't even know how to act around him. I'll definitely mess up."
For a moment, Emily just stared at her, then leaned forward, eyes sparkling with intrigue.
"Did you two kiss?"
Amelia jerked upright and shook her head vigorously. "No!"
Emily shot to her feet. "Get up."
Amelia blinked. "Eh? Where are we going?"
"Just get up" Emily said, already grabbing her wrist and pulling her toward the bedroom. "Stop asking questions. Come."
Amelia stumbled after her, confused. "Emily, I'm not trying to make him fall for me"
"I know" Emily cut her off with a smirk. "But at least let's give you enough charm to make him want to break his own rule."
Amelia gasped. "Emily!"
"Shhh." Emily pressed a finger to her lips. "Lesson one: If you're going to be a contract girlfriend, you need to look the part."
Emily practically dragged Amelia into her car before she could protest. The moment the seatbelts clicked, Emily took off like she was fleeing a crime scene.
Amelia clutched the door handle. "Can you please drive slower?"
"No." Emily cut in immediately. "This is an emergency. Your innocence needs intervention."
Amelia stared at her. Emergency?
They pulled up at a large lifestyle store. Bright lights, colorful aisles, and a fruity scent welcomed them. Emily marched inside with purpose, towing Amelia along like a prisoner being delivered to fate.
Before Amelia could process anything, Emily stopped at a secluded corner labeled: 18+ ADULTS ONLY.
Amelia's eyes went round. "Emily… this is"
"Yes" Emily said proudly, already scanning the shelves. "Exactly where you belong."
She began piling books into Amelia's arms.
Amelia stared at the covers, her face heating instantly. "W–Why books?"
"Because, dear Amelia, you are painfully innocent." Emily lifted a brow. "If you're going to survive one month with that man, you need… education."
"This does not count as education" Amelia muttered, hugging the books like a shield.
Emily leaned in, whispering mischievously, "Since it's a feelings-free contract, you can still come to the bar with me. Look at other men. Flirt a little. Live a little."
Amelia nearly dropped the stack. "No! I can't do that. That sounds… wrong."
Emily sighed dramatically, hand on her hip. "Amelia, you'll be twenty-three soon. You've had no romance, no adventure… your crushes don't even survive forty-eight hours. Don't you ever want to feel something?"
Amelia lowered her gaze. "I just… don't think that's me."
"Fine." Emily waved her off and added three more books to the pile. "Hold these. I'll grab a few magazines to raise your… experience level."
Amelia didn't trust the sound of that at all, but she nodded. "Okay."
Emily vanished into another aisle.
Left alone, Amelia avoided eye contact with every explicit cover around her. She shifted awkwardly until a book on a side shelf caught her eye, its cover classy, the title intriguing.
Maybe this one isn't too embarrassing…
She reached for it.
Just before her fingers touched the book, another hand got there first.
A deep, familiar voice murmured right by her ear, "Hello, Amelia."
Amelia froze. Slowly, she turned and found a handsome stranger standing far too close, watching her with a knowing smile.
Her heartbeat stuttered.
How… does he know my name?