Status: In progress
Open Your Eyes
Open Your Eyes Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Ryan walked around the grocery store with Annalee for about an hour and a half perusing the shelves and helping her decide what would be good to eat and how it needed to be stored. She was very shy, like a beaten puppy but when they stayed on simple topics she wouldn’t clam up like she did when he mentioned her family or who she lived with. Thinking back on it she could have mistaken him as a creep trying to get her alone but he didn’t want to waste any of the time he spent with her he needed to find out who she was and why she was in such desperate need of help. He may not have achieved specifically what he wanted but he was at least able to convince her to let him drive her home. He was also disturbed when she climbed in the front seat and said timidly that she was nervous because she had never ridden in a car before.
“Did your parents not have a car,” he asked, maybe they lived in poverty. Ryan watched as her lips became a thin line locked and unyielding. She wasn’t going to speak of her family to him at all. It seemed strange but he knew from his police work that victims were afraid of revealing any information about their attacker. So he had one lead, her parents or at least her family in general. Noting this he changed the subject to distract her from the previous question, “ Hey Annalee,” he loved saying her name it rolled right off his tongue it was original without the 21st century spin on it such as Maputo or something like that.
She turned to him giving her attention, “Shopping took longer than I thought do you mind if we stop to get a bite to eat before I take you home?” Her eyes went wide and she hesitated but nodded. So he pulled into the drive thru of Burger King and ordered two Whoppers with cheese no onion in combo’s with Dr. Pepper. He felt a little bad for ordering without asking her what she wanted but he reasoned with himself that he would have to anyways because she had no idea what anything was. He paid at the window and was handed the food and drinks. Pulling into a parking spot he divided up the food and passed her, her portion. She tried to give him money for her half but he denied her firmly.
“No I want to pay for yours you were good company today.” She blushed and his heart tugged a little in his chest. She was so darn adorable, he just wanted to take her home and take care of her there but he knew she would refuse.
“But you already did so many nice things for me!” she protested, “You helped me shop for food and it took a long time. You offered me a ride home because I have too many groceries and now you buy me food. Why are you trying to help me so much?”
“You should always help those in need,” he said quoting what he had heard a pastor say back when he was still a boy and his mother was allowed at church.
“How do you know I’m in need?” she asked genuinely perplexed.
He sighed, “Okay you caught me I was spying when I saw you go through about fifteen boxes of cereal like you had no idea what it was.”
“I never had any in the house,” she mumbled and covered her mouth instantly as if she weren’t supposed to say that.
Another piece to the puzzle but he chose to ignore her words so he wouldn’t agitate her more and took a bite out of his Whopper and cursed loudly. Annalee whipped her head up in horror cringing as if he had his hand up to hit her and he cursed again only mentally this time.
“Sorry,” he said, “they put onions on my burger and I hate them. You heard me order them without right? I don’t know why they do this every time!”
She seemed to relax and nod then took a bite of her own burger. After a few chews she smiled he could see onions peeking out of her sandwich too. Oh well Burger King it’s not your fault it’s just the incompetent workers it had to be no other cars were there so they had to be the only customers so they couldn’t blame it on being busy.
“I like this sandwich, thank you.”
“You haven’t tried the fries yet, Burger King has the best fries. Much better than Wendy’s or McDonald’s trust me.”
He watched as she picked up a fry and placed it tentatively in her mouth. After the first one she devoured them and it made Ryan laugh.
At his laughter Annalee blushed again before taking a sip of her Dr. Pepper, “Ryan?” she asked.
He sobered before responding, “What’s up,” and stuffing some fries in his mouth.
She hesitated a long time but eventually, “Does this mean we are friends?”
Ryan almost choked on the fries he was in the process of swallowing. She wanted to know if they were friends. Well of course they were, or at least would be he would make sure of it. The possessive feeling he had toward Annalee had only grown since meeting her.
Ryan walked around the grocery store with Annalee for about an hour and a half perusing the shelves and helping her decide what would be good to eat and how it needed to be stored. She was very shy, like a beaten puppy but when they stayed on simple topics she wouldn’t clam up like she did when he mentioned her family or who she lived with. Thinking back on it she could have mistaken him as a creep trying to get her alone but he didn’t want to waste any of the time he spent with her he needed to find out who she was and why she was in such desperate need of help. He may not have achieved specifically what he wanted but he was at least able to convince her to let him drive her home. He was also disturbed when she climbed in the front seat and said timidly that she was nervous because she had never ridden in a car before.
“Did your parents not have a car,” he asked, maybe they lived in poverty. Ryan watched as her lips became a thin line locked and unyielding. She wasn’t going to speak of her family to him at all. It seemed strange but he knew from his police work that victims were afraid of revealing any information about their attacker. So he had one lead, her parents or at least her family in general. Noting this he changed the subject to distract her from the previous question, “ Hey Annalee,” he loved saying her name it rolled right off his tongue it was original without the 21st century spin on it such as Maputo or something like that.
She turned to him giving her attention, “Shopping took longer than I thought do you mind if we stop to get a bite to eat before I take you home?” Her eyes went wide and she hesitated but nodded. So he pulled into the drive thru of Burger King and ordered two Whoppers with cheese no onion in combo’s with Dr. Pepper. He felt a little bad for ordering without asking her what she wanted but he reasoned with himself that he would have to anyways because she had no idea what anything was. He paid at the window and was handed the food and drinks. Pulling into a parking spot he divided up the food and passed her, her portion. She tried to give him money for her half but he denied her firmly.
“No I want to pay for yours you were good company today.” She blushed and his heart tugged a little in his chest. She was so darn adorable, he just wanted to take her home and take care of her there but he knew she would refuse.
“But you already did so many nice things for me!” she protested, “You helped me shop for food and it took a long time. You offered me a ride home because I have too many groceries and now you buy me food. Why are you trying to help me so much?”
“You should always help those in need,” he said quoting what he had heard a pastor say back when he was still a boy and his mother was allowed at church.
“How do you know I’m in need?” she asked genuinely perplexed.
He sighed, “Okay you caught me I was spying when I saw you go through about fifteen boxes of cereal like you had no idea what it was.”
“I never had any in the house,” she mumbled and covered her mouth instantly as if she weren’t supposed to say that.
Another piece to the puzzle but he chose to ignore her words so he wouldn’t agitate her more and took a bite out of his Whopper and cursed loudly. Annalee whipped her head up in horror cringing as if he had his hand up to hit her and he cursed again only mentally this time.
“Sorry,” he said, “they put onions on my burger and I hate them. You heard me order them without right? I don’t know why they do this every time!”
She seemed to relax and nod then took a bite of her own burger. After a few chews she smiled he could see onions peeking out of her sandwich too. Oh well Burger King it’s not your fault it’s just the incompetent workers it had to be no other cars were there so they had to be the only customers so they couldn’t blame it on being busy.
“I like this sandwich, thank you.”
“You haven’t tried the fries yet, Burger King has the best fries. Much better than Wendy’s or McDonald’s trust me.”
He watched as she picked up a fry and placed it tentatively in her mouth. After the first one she devoured them and it made Ryan laugh.
At his laughter Annalee blushed again before taking a sip of her Dr. Pepper, “Ryan?” she asked.
He sobered before responding, “What’s up,” and stuffing some fries in his mouth.
She hesitated a long time but eventually, “Does this mean we are friends?”
Ryan almost choked on the fries he was in the process of swallowing. She wanted to know if they were friends. Well of course they were, or at least would be he would make sure of it. The possessive feeling he had toward Annalee had only grown since meeting her.