Locked In Amber

“Where’s your colander?” Amber asked, putting the vegetables to the side of the sink. Spencer pointed to a cupboard and continued unpacking the rest of the groceries. She began washing the carrots and other vegetables to help prepare dinner. She was glad he wasn’t putting up a fuss about needing to be the one to do everything. She despised the alpha male behavior that so many guys seemed to exude.

The shopping trip had been more fun than shopping usually was, but she was glad to be back. Lunch had been a long time ago. She was thinking about how nice the kitchen was and where the evening was heading when a couple of arms encircled her, reaching around to the water. Spencer’s body was right behind her. “Excuse me… just need to wash up.” His breath was right by her ear. She tensed up, both nervous and excited, but he backed away before she could determine which was greater. She looked over at him and he was beginning to mix the ingredients for the hamburger patties. He glanced up and smiled. That smile gets me every time, she thought.

“So, I was curious what your plans were for this evening,” she asked. “Will Elise be joining us or was it just the two of us? Any plans for after dinner?” Her heart felt a bit jittery at the thought.

He added some Worcestershire sauce to the meat along with some finely chopped vegetables. “Funny, I was just about to ask you what your preference was. I’m pretty sure she’s home tonight, so I was going to make enough to include her, but if you’d rather she not be around, I’m sure she’d understand. As for after, I was going to offer a stroll around the property. Or, if you want to stay in, we could find a movie to stream or a game to play. There’s also the pool and hot tub if you’d prefer. I wasn’t sure how late you wanted to stay since you’d mentioned having to go back to work tomorrow.”

“Oh, I don’t mind if Elise is part of dinner. I mean, it’s her house and I wouldn’t feel right asking otherwise. As for after, the walk sounds really interesting, but I’m pretty pooped after yesterday and today. Can we take a raincheck on that one?”

“Definitely. There are several trails. I’d be happy to take you around sometime.” He had started to make some patties and put them on a plate.

“So I guess that leaves a movie or board game,” Amber replied as she started prepping a salad. “I didn’t bring a bathing suit.”

“Sure, we can do that. Though if you wanted to swim, I’m sure Elise has something you could borrow. No pressure, but I didn’t want you to think it was completely out of the cards.”

“Are you kidding? Have you seen your sister compared to me? She’s got like five or six inches on my height and she’s, well… I mean, I doubt she’d have anything I could borrow.”

Spencer gave her an odd look.

“You needed to borrow something?” Elise had walked in from the other room. Seeing them prep dinner, she walked over to the sink and began washing her hands.

Amber looked up, slightly startled. “Oh! Ahh… just a… umm…” Why am I always so tongue-tied around her? She’s gotta think I’m an imbecile by now.

Spencer interjected, “Oh, I was just saying you probably have a swimsuit she could borrow. She doesn’t think you do because you’re taller.” He glanced at Amber again but didn’t say anything further.

Elise opened a cupboard and began pulling out plates and glasses. “Oh, that’s no problem. We’ve done several shoots by the pool and there are some extra suits for the different girls.” She paused and eyed Amber up and down. “Plus Nicolette is about your size. I bet we could find something for you if you want.”

“Oh. Okay, well thank you. That’s kind of you to offer.” Amber felt her cheeks flush a bit thinking about what kinds of swimsuits a model was likely to be suggesting.

They finished up preparing the meal as, thankfully, Elise changed the subject by inquiring about their day. Afterward, they made their way across the back deck and down to the pool via a gorgeously landscaped curved stairway of natural stone. It ended at the patio by the side of the pool house with the beautifully lit pool curving around the corner. Rather than a typical rectangular pool surrounded by concrete, this pool was more organic in shape with stonescapes and plants around to help it blend in. Subtle lighting accentuated the look, lending a relaxing feel to the area as dusk settled in. A stainless steel barbeque was situated against the wall of the house with a stone prep area nearby.

As Spencer began lighting the barbeque, Amber sat down in a nearby metal chair. “Wow, this looks absolutely gorgeous. I mean, I saw it last night… no, sorry, the night before.” Had it really been two days ago? “But my memory was a little… hazy.” She trailed off for a second staring at the lighting and missed Elise’s slight raising of the eyebrow. “Was this all here originally or did you add this or what?”

“The pool house was here, but we have remodeled it,” Elise explained as she set the tray of tableware down on a metal table. She wandered over to a control box on the side of the building and adjusted some settings. A waterfall started pouring out of one of the rock outcrops. “We also replaced the pool. The old one had some severe foundational issues. I saw one similar to this in Italy and it was a logical solution. There is a hot tub around the corner, and guest quarters inside. Those sliding glass doors there lead to the bedroom.

Amber glanced over. “Yeah, I know.” She shivered a little. Elise gave a questioning look to Spencer, but he glanced at Amber’s back and subtly shook his head.

Elise stepped over and took Amber’s hand. “Come, come, I will walk you around while Spence prepares. The grill should be ready soon.” Without waiting for a reply, she pulled Amber up and led her away from the cooking area. As they walked around the corner, she pointed out the hot tub. Rather than the typical stand-alone unit, this was an extension of the pool that was walled off but at the same water level. Sitting in it would feel as if one was sitting in a natural hot spring.

The two women continued around the perimeter of the pool and Elise continued pointing out some of the plants and features of the hardscaping. As they got further away from Spencer, she turned to Amber and asked, “Would you like to go up and grab a swimsuit for later? I have a couple in mind, so it shouldn’t take too long. I don’t want to presume your desires for the evening, but you are welcome to borrow one.”

Amber glanced at the pool and over at the hot tub, then back at Spencer who was whistling while he was laying out the plates. She glanced back at those deep blue eyes awaiting her answer, but then had to look away. She felt very self-conscious around Elise. “Well, okay. If it’s really not…”

Elise held up a finger and interrupted her. “No, no, please, none of that. Amber, take me at my word. If I offer you something, I mean it. Life’s too short for platitudes and fake overtures. Besides, I deal with fake people constantly in my profession and it turns my stomach. Please, be confident and speak your mind.”

“Well, okay, if you say… so.” She trailed off as Elise raised an eyebrow. Yep, real confident, Amber. Okay, deep breath and try again. “I mean, yes, let’s do that,” she said more confidently.

Elise smiled and they began walking back up to the house. She raised her voice and hollered back down to Spencer, “Don’t rush. Amber and I have some business to attend to.” He glanced up and gave them a thumbs-up before heading into the pool house.

A short while later, Amber found herself in Elise’s room. Like the rest of the house, it was tastefully decorated. A king-size bed, neatly made, extended from one wall but did not dominate the room. Framed photos from various locations around the world hung on the walls. Elise disappeared into a walk-in closet. Amber stayed out, looking at the photos hanging around the large bed. “Did you take these pictures?”

Elise’s voice answered back from around the corner, “Only a few. They are from various shoots. The majority were taken by Nicolette. She’s a photographer. Actually, that is how we first met. Ahh, here we go.” She came back out of the closet with two bathing suits in her hands. She held them up to Amber. “Yes, these should fit you, I think. Do you have a preference?”

Amber looked at the two swimsuits and found herself surprised that they were relatively modest. Guess I assumed that a swimsuit model would only have those barely-there styles that make guys slobber all over the catalogs. There I go assuming again. One was a full black one-piece with a silver mist fading across the diagonal; the second, a deep purple, was also technically a one-piece since the upper portion was connected to the lower in the front and back, but it had open sides and clearly would expose a fair amount of skin, including the sides of her breasts. “I think I’ll take the black one with silver. The other is probably a bit much for me at the moment.”

Elise looked at the second suit with a hint of disappointment. “Really? Okay… Though I think you would look terribly sexy in it,” she said, matter-of-factly. Amber blushed. She handed the black one to Amber and stepped back into the closet for a moment to hang the purple suit back up.

As she came back out of the closet, she seemed slightly surprised that Amber hadn’t moved. After a quick second, Elise said, “You may change in my bathroom there if you feel more comfortable.”

“Right. Thanks.” Amber stepped into the bathroom and closed the door. She wasn’t sure why she felt awkward changing in front of Elise, but the thought of doing so made her feel very self-conscious.

A couple of minutes later, Amber stepped back out buttoning her capris that she had put back on over the suit. Elise glanced up from her phone. As Amber shrugged her shirt on over the top, Elise commented, “Oh! No worries—you look fantastic in that one too. I’m sure Spencer will appreciate it.”

Amber blushed again. “Thanks.” Why am I so nervous? It’ll be Spencer and me out under the stars. That should be romantic. It’s not like I’ve never been around a guy in a swimsuit before. But, oddly, that thought didn’t help at all. If anything, she felt more nervous. “Um, what is your plan for the evening? After dinner, I mean.”

Elise glanced back as she started walking down the hall towards the patio door. “Oh, don’t worry, I’ll let you two have your privacy.” She winked. “I’ll be back up here kicking back and watching a movie or playing on the Playstation.”

“Well, it’s your place and I didn’t have anything, you know, special planned or anything. I mean, if you wanted to swim or something…”

Elise stopped and turned as they entered the back deck. “Amber…” Her gaze locked onto Amber’s face a moment before continuing. “You are new here so let me try to explain. This house belongs to both me and my brother. We are adults and we understand that, at times, the other may desire privacy. That also extends to our friends. Your consideration for me and my freedom this evening is truly kind and appreciated. I really mean that. But your worries are misplaced. You are very welcome here and if you need private time with my brother, you will have it. There is nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed of. Be confident, remember?”

They had taken a couple of steps towards the stairs when Amber spoke up, a hint of stress in her voice. “I’m trying. To be confident, I mean. I am just really nervous all of a sudden and I’m not sure why. I’m not like you.”

Elise abruptly stopped again, glancing down at Spencer who was busy cooking and unaware of the two women up the path. She turned back to Amber. “What do you mean, ‘not like’ me?” Her eyes searched Amber’s face.

Amber got flustered under that gaze. “Well, I mean, I’m not super confident and I’m not… you know.” She gestured up and down Elise’s frame with her hands and quietly muttered something.

“I’m sorry, but I didn’t hear that last bit. You’re saying you are not super confident and… what? I don’t know what this means.” She mimicked Amber’s movements with her hands.

Amber bit her lower lip. “I’m not super confident and I’m not…” Here she looked away. “…gorgeous.”

There was a moment of silence and Amber glanced back up at Elise. The woman had a quizzical expression on her face and seemed to be thinking before replying, her voice gentle. “Amber, I appreciate that you like how I look, but as for you not feeling gorgeous, I’m frankly not sure where the hell you get that idea. True, the confidence thing I can see is getting in your way. We can talk about that. But as to your looks…” she paused for a moment. “I’m sorry, I am just used to being direct and I don’t know how to put this any other way: you’re really damn cute. You have this girl-next-door kind of vibe. And with those glasses and that hair… if you can master your confidence and if you dressed the part, you’d absolutely kill it as a sexy librarian or teacher.”

Amber just stared for a moment, stunned by the openness with which Elise had commented on her looks. She thinks I’m cute? Maybe even sexy? That was not something she was used to thinking of herself as, let alone believing other people might actually think that way. I mean, Kat’s called me “sexy’ and ‘babe’ before, but that was just as a friendly pet name. She didn’t mean anything by it. Did she?

Elise continued, “But that’s just my opinion and, honestly, it’s not what’s important at the moment. What really matters here is Spencer’s opinion and I guarantee that he can’t get enough of you. I was teasing earlier when I said he was obsessed with you, but I was not kidding when I said that he has mentioned you to me many times. And besides, haven’t you seen the way he is always looking at you?”

Amber was still recovering. She glanced down the hill at him and watched him flip the burgers. She thought back to his sidelong glances and surreptitious looks when they first met and how she often caught him looking at her on all of his subsequent office visits. She recalled the warm way he’d looked at her earlier that day in the car. “Well, now that you put it that way… yes, he does. I’m just not used to that or I have a hard time allowing myself to believe it actually means something.”

Elise reached out and put her hand on Amber’s arm and smiled. Her voice was very warm and caring. “I understand. We each carry our own insecurities made up of a multitude of factors. I do not know you well enough to even suggest why you lack confidence, but please don’t compare your level of confidence to mine. I’ve had many years now working in a profession where I must put forward a confident manner regardless of my internal feelings. I have also experienced the benefits that confidence provides, which enables me to maintain that confidence. But I have also had my share of troubles in life. It is faulty thinking to compare yourself to others.”

Amber smiled wistfully and sighed. “I know that intellectually. But for whatever reason, emotionally, the comparisons seem to jump ahead even though I tell them not to. Part of it may be my personality—I’ve always considered myself a scientist at heart, even growing up, and a big part of learning and understanding is comparing A to B. It’s great for assimilating knowledge and making discoveries… but not so good when it comes to self-confidence. Plus, I think I’m still a bit nervous about Spencer. We’ve developed this great rapport from a safe zone, but now that we’re moving out of that… I’m jittery as hell. It’s probably obvious, but I haven’t dated a lot.”

Elise moved closer, nodding, and gave Amber a quick, gentle hug. “There is nothing wrong with that. Just take your time, and do what feels natural and what you’re comfortable with. It is quite obvious to me that you two are really interested in the other. It is common to feel nervous around that.” She stepped back before continuing. “My brother is a bit shy. You are a bit shy. Just try to enjoy the evening. There is no pressure or obligation.”

“I know. And thank you for the support,” Amber replied.

Elise smiled. “Any time. I’m glad you’re here. Shall we continue down?”

As they approached the pool patio, the smell of hamburgers was wonderful. A couple of propane patio heaters had also been lit and lent a warm welcome in the cooling night air. Amber could see that Spencer had changed into some swim trunks and a t-shirt. He must have had a set in the pool house as he hadn’t come up to the main residence. He turned around when he heard them arrive. “Great timing! Burgers are just ready. Is everything okay? I saw you hugging a second ago. ”

“Girl talk. We’re good.” Elise flashed him a smile and Amber nodded.

“Ahh, okay,” he replied, winking at Amber. “Glad you’re getting to know each other.” Grabbing a plate, he began pulling burgers from the grill as the two girls served up the rest of the food.

The three sat back and ate, all quiet for a few minutes as the first few bites satiated their hunger. Crickets and frogs could be heard chirping in the distance. Eventually, they began chatting. Amber started asking questions about Elise and her travels. Focusing on someone and something else seemed to help her nerves calm a bit. She learned about some of the recent countries Elise had visited and how, despite the beautiful locales, long shooting schedules and constant travel could sometimes be exhausting. Elise was glad to be home for a while to recuperate with some downtime.

Spencer was ready to supply a few stories about their childhood and some of the more embarrassing facts about his sister in a good-natured way. She responded by sharing a few of his more embarrassing incidents. It was clear that the two had a close bond.

Amber talked about school and graduation and the difficulty of finding a job in her field. As the evening progressed, she started to feel more comfortable around the two of them and realized that she was starting to view Elise as a person rather than just be stunned by her looks and demeanor. She also realized that she’d had a lot of preconceived notions about what a lingerie/swimsuit model was like and was a bit disappointed in herself for making such judgments. Elise may be drop-dead gorgeous, but she’s also damn funny and has a bit of a geek streak as well. Realizing how many assumptions about other people she’d been making these past few days, she vowed to be more self-aware of the problem and attempt to mitigate the biases.

“…And so here I am dressed as Triss Merigold,” Elise continued her story about a convention they had attended, “Nicolette’s pulling a hell of a Yennefer impression… all aloof and darkly beautiful at the same time. And our arms are linked with Spencer as Geralt. And when we each kissed his cheeks, the crowd absolutely lost it.” Elise started laughing at the memory. “I dressed up for the fun of it and I ended up netting a cosplay contract out of that.”

Spencer groaned. “Yeah, you and Nicolette nailed the parts, but I fear I lack sufficient physicality to really pull off a quality Geralt.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” responded Amber, looking at Spencer. “I think you look pretty good.” Ha! Score one for Team Confidence!

Spencer gave a sheepish half-smile back. “Well, thank you for the compliment. I may be doing okay for a computer nerd, but I’m not exactly a brawny monster-slayer.”

Elise turned to Amber. “Are you are familiar with The Witcher series?”

Amber switched her gaze from Spencer to his sister. “Kind of. I know there’s a Netflix series and a computer game, I think. Weren’t they were all based on a series of books? A friend recommended the show to me, but I never actually watched it.”