You and Amy step out to give Ellen some time

Ellen turns and looks back over her shoulder at you, her face flushed.

"It was her, wasn't it?" Amy says with a grin.

Ellen nods.

"You could invite her over, or just write her back, and tell her where she stands, instead of leading her on."

Ellen's cheeks turn a brighter shade of red, and her blue eyes flash towards you, and then back to the keyboard.

Sighing lightly, the blond beauty turns and looks at you and then at Amy. "I guess I'll..." Ellen sighs again. "She says she's in love with me. I mean..."

"First girl crush hitting her hard," Amy says. "Hey sport," she says, looking at you. "Maybe we should take a walk and let Ellen figure out what to tell her secret admirer."

Ellen blinks at you and Amy, cheeks still red, but doesn't reply.

"Shall we give you twenty, Elle?" Amy says.

"Okay," Ellen says. She shoots an apologetic look at you. You nod and smile.

Amy leads you out and up the fire stairs to the roof.

"I'm gonna blaze," she says. "You partake?"

You're not going to be operating heavy machinery tonight.

"Sure," you say. "Just a little."

You and Amy share a smoke, three puffs to her for each to you. She chats about Widley and some of the girls.

"Y'know this stuff gets me turned on," Amy says. "Does it do it to you?" She offers you the unlit end.

Your mouth feels a little dry and things are a little floaty round the edges, so you pass. "No thanks. Um, not exactly," you say. "It's kind of like. Well."

"Sorry, Scott," Amy says, not looking at all apologetic. She stubs it out and saves the tail end. "Deep breaths."

"I'm okay," you protest. "Really."

Amy looks at the front of your pants and smirks. "Guess so. Better get you back down to Ellen and get your evening going again." She rises, and you follow.

"Big Red?" she asks, offering you a stick of cinnamon gum.

"Sure," you say. Yeah, your pants don't seem to be fitting quite right, but you're not sure what's going on up front.

You and Amy get your gum going. It's most marvelously warm and flavorful, and helps moisten up your mouth again.

She laughs. "With all that smacking, they'll know it's a guy a block away," she says.

"Sorry," you say. You try to chew more slowly and deliberately, keeping your lips together.

Amy guffaws. She bends forward with her laughter, her half-contained breasts bouncing in a hypnotic pattern inside her barbed-wire-on-olive-drab blouse. Amy shakes your head and waves your offered hand away, finally getting her laughter under control.

"I'm okay now," Amy says. "Let me go a flight ahead, in case Cathy or her bitch Jane is on patrol."

You concentrate hard on following Amy's instructions and safely make it back in front of Ellen and Amy's door. You've lost your gum somewhere, though.

"Okay sport," Amy tells you. "Ellen ought to be finished with Mary Beth for tonight. You're on."

Amy taps on the door. "I brought your prince back," she says. Amy turns her key in the lock.