Convincing Amy (Amy, #1)

Chapter 17: Realisation

Chapter Seventeen 
REALISATION

When one wakes on Christmas Eve, it would be a reasonable assumption for another to think one would be excited, giddy and extremely happy, almost as though it were already Christmas morning. But Amy Carter was none of these emotions. She woke with a pounding headache, dry eyes and a hoarse throat from her rant of distress the previous night.

It was a phone call that woke her.

Her mobile phone was ringing from somewhere in her bag. She reached across the floor (her legs remaining under the warmth of the blankets) and managed to pull her vibrating phone from her messy bag. Amy sat up before answering it, too tired to even look at the caller ID.

"Hello?" she croaked, pulling her frizzy hair behind her ears.

"Amy?" a female voice asked.

"Yes. Who's this?" Amy said, unable to put a name to the voice. It was an excited voice, she didn't know anyone who had such a giddy voice. Except Yani. But this definitely wasn't Yani's voice.

"It's your sister you douche bag! Allison? Remember me?" Allie gave a light chuckle at the end.

Amy smiled. "Honestly? 'Douche bag'? How old are you?"

In spite of the rhetorical question, Allie answered her sister. "Just recently celebrated my twenty-fourth birthday. Which, you didn't even call me to say 'happy birthday'!"

"I sent you an email!" Amy said in her defence. "The international calls cost a fortune, Allie!"

"Tell me 'bout it! Gotta make this call quick!" Allie giggled.

"What do you want, Allie?"

"Well, there's heaps to tell you!" said Allie, excited. "First, Merry Christmas!"

"It's Christmas Eve!" said Amy, but then she realised, "Oh, right, time zone differences. Happy Christmas."

"Never mind Christmas, now. I've got something even better to tell you! Two things, actually."

"Hit me," said Amy in a tired voice, leaning back into the pillows.

"Well, Jackson and I have set the date!"

"For what?" Amy asked absent-mindedly.

"Our wedding, you idiot!" retorted Allie in a light manner.

Amy sat up again. "Really? When, in another century's time?"

"Har-har," said Allie sarcastically. "No, it's next year! And you're not allowed to cry when I tell you the date!"

Amy rolled her eyes. Honestly, how bad could the date be? "When is it Allie? Is it when I come back or what?"

"Oh, yeah you'll be home. Unless there's another hostage at the airport." Amy flinched. "It's um, August." Allie cleared her throat. "August thirteenth."

"WHAT?!" Amy screamed into the receiver.

"Amy, let me explain! I didn't decide this lightly! Jackson and I went over and over this a million and one times!" Amy shed a few tears. Trust Allison to get married on her father's birthdate. "You know how we'd always dreamed of Dad walking us down the aisle out our weddings? Well, obviously that isn't possible anymore, and so I figure that getting married on his birthday will mean something. Uncle Dave and Uncle Mark are going to walk me down the aisle together."

Amy took a few moments to release a few more tears, wiping them on the blankets of Matthew's bed. She hated how Allie spoke so calm about her father. She hated when anyone spoke of him, even herself.