Good Love

“Rex? You’re going on a date with Rex? Why?”

“Um, because he asked me? Chill out, John. Sorry that I wanted to get out and forget about all the shit going on in my life,” Annie snapped back as she finished applying eyeliner in front of Austin’s bathroom mirror.

After her big falling out with Jared, she got in Austin’s truck, stopped at the apartment to grab some clothes, and left. She’d been staying at his place for three days, refusing to see or speak to her brother despite his constant calling. How could he say those things to her?

Sure, he was really, really drunk, but never, ever in their lives had he said something like that to her, even while intoxicated. Of course they’d had their fights like all siblings did, but they were the kind of fights where they both knew the other didn’t mean what they said. They were fights that were a result of a bad day or bad mood and blew over within a day.

But this.. this was big. This was something that she wasn’t willing to forgive yet.

And maybe she was being stupid and stubborn, like always, and holding a grudge for no reason. But the anger and hurt running through her veins was enough to give Jared the cold shoulder for at least a few more days. He deserved that.

“I know, I know...” John said, leaning against the door frame. He couldn’t help it; he had to come over and see her. It’d been three days. Three days of no contact from her and three days of Jared’s non-stop bitching about being sorry. Normally John stayed neutral during any fight that didn’t directly involve him, especially one between siblings, like when Pat or Tim would fight, but this time he took Annie’s side, not just because he thought she was so goddamn amazing. Jared had said some pretty shitty things to her. John would do the same thing if he was in Annie’s position.

And to make those three days without seeing her even better, he stopped over right in the middle of her getting ready for a date with his friend. A fucking date. At this point, John was wondering if he even stood a chance anymore. And it wasn’t like he didn’t have enough questions about her running through his mind; he was driving himself insane thinking about the accusations Jared had thrown at her that night in Halvo’s backyard. Annie was going to the doctor? For what? She didn’t seem sick.. at all. John didn’t know what to think. He didn’t have the slightest idea, and he was going crazy to the point of screaming and asking her what the fuck was wrong.

“It’s just.. Rex? It’s surprising. I didn’t know you guys liked each other,” he said straightly, trying to act like it didn’t bother him, when it actually bothering the hell out of him.

“I’ve honestly never given it a second thought, but it’s not really any of your business, is it, O’Callaghan?” she smirked.

“Ya know, Rex isn’t the greatest of guys, are you sure you wanna go?” What if Rex knew what was going on with Annie’s doctor appointments? What if she told him, of all people, before she told John? She and Rex had just met a few weeks ago, for god’s sake!

“Yes, John! I want to get out of the house and try to have fun,” she argued. “Why are you so bothered by this?”

Why was he so bothered by this?

Funny story.

***

“So did you have fun tonight? Was I a good date?” Rex smiled, standing next to her in front of Austin’s front door.

“Eh, you were decent,” she said nonchalantly, teasing him.

He feigned hurt, making a sad face. “Damn, I was hoping for a second date,” he laughed.

“Don’t get too ahead of yourself there, buddy.”

“Hey, a boy can only hope,” he replied, gradually inching closer and closer to her. She could see his eyes flickering back and forth from her eyes to her lips, knowing that he wanted a kiss.

“But really, Rex, I had a great time tonight. Thank you. It was nice getting out and getting my mind off of, you know.. my brother,” she said, reaching out and giving him a hug.

As he craned his neck to go in for a kiss, she subtly turned her head so that his lips met her cheek. “Goodnight, Rex,” she laughed, patting him on the shoulder before opening the unlocked door and leaving him on the porch.

Annie sighed deeply and clenched her eyes shut in the already-dark room, sliding down against the door to rest on the floor. She wasn’t lying when she said she’d had a fun time tonight.. but Rex wasn’t a guy that she wanted. Not in that way. She wasn’t sure she would ever want anyone in that way.

When Rex’s hands brushed against hers throughout the night, all she could think of was John, his pinky finger wrapped around hers. When Rex payed for her dinner, all she could think of was John making her macaroni and cheese. When Rex called her ‘Ann’ for short, all she could think of was that it sounded better coming out of John’s mouth. When Rex dropped his pack of cigarettes on the sidewalk, all she could think of was that John bought the same kind. And when Rex tried to kiss her, all she could think about was kissing John.

And that made her so angry.

They’d finally gotten to a stage where they were good friends and hung out and had fun together. No issues, no fights. Yet here John was, complicating things. Complicating her feelings. Right when she was already messed up over her brother, too.

Fucking great.

Deciding she’d better get up before she fell asleep sitting against the front door, Annie walked passed Macy, who was asleep on the couch -and thankfully not in bed with Austin- and walked down the hall, pushing open his cracked door. Unsurprisingly, he was still awake, lying in bed watching tv.

“Hey, pretty lady. How was your date?”

She shrugged. “I wasn’t really feeling it.”

“Did ya kiss him?”

“No, dad,” she scoffed, grabbing her pajamas off the floor and heading into the bathroom. After she emptied her bladder and changed clothes, she returned to Austin’s room, where he had turned the tv off and was lying in the dark. She crawled into bed next to him, instantly feeling safe next to her best friend. “Rex tried to kiss me but he just got cheek action.”

“Ah, you shot him down. Poor kid. What a heartbreaker you are, Annabelle.”

She was quiet for a few minutes, contemplating what she was about to say. “I haven’t broken your heart, have I, Gibbs?”

“Just a little, pretty lady,” he chuckled quietly, his scratchy laugh filling the dark room.

“Why haven’t you ever asked me out on a date?”

He didn’t answer at first, just sniffed his nose and cracked the knuckles on his hands. “Cause you’re my girl, Annie. You need someone to be your best friend and not try to mack your lips off.”

“I have Macy.”

“Ah, you know what I mean, Ann. Macy doesn’t live here. So it’s not the same. You need a big, muscly best friend with a mustache to look out for you.”

“So you’ve never liked me, like that?” she asked, her voice small.

“I, uh, never said that.”

Another period of silence. Then: “Austin?”

“Yes?”

“Will you kiss me? I just feel so sad tonight, and-”

Annie didn’t need to say anymore before Austin’s lips were on hers, kissing her softly but with a rough intensity.

The rest of the night was a blur. As she fell asleep, there was taste of one boy on her lips but the thought of another in her mind.

***

“Good morning, pretty lady,” Austin said softly, traces of sleep still in his voice as he poured three cups of coffee. One for him, one for Annie, one for Macy.

Any normal person would be anxious or nervous to see the person they’d kissed in bed the night before, not knowing where they stood together or if they stood anywhere at all.

But Annie didn’t have that problem, and neither did Austin. He knew that she felt sad and alone and needed someone to make her feel better, and she knew that if she could be vulnerable in front of anyone, it was him.

So she simply grumbled a reply and took a seat on one of the barstools in the kitchen and accepted the coffee.

“So.. we were thinking that we should take a visit to a certain someone’s brother’s place,” Macy said casually, holding her hot mug close to chest.

“I don’t wanna see him,” Annie whined. “He’s a douchebag.”

“I agree, but he’s your brother, babe. You gotta face him. And you know he’s sorry, he’s called about ten million times,” Austin said, attempting to convince her.

“Plus, if you don’t go willingly we’re just gonna drag you out kicking and screaming. Literally,” Macy said cheerfully.

“Fuck you guys,” she murmured, getting up and heading for her bag of clothes stashed in Austin’s room. She wanted to get this shit over with.

Before she knew it, they were flying down the highway with the windows open, Annie with a cigarette in hand. And then they were parking in the familiar apartment complex, then riding up the elevator, and then Austin was knocking harshly on the door, but Annie was in daze. Everything was fuzzy; her vision was static with anger, exhaustion, and anxiety. It was all overwhelming her. She just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep for a day. Or seven.

Either Austin or Macy must have told them she was coming home, because there was a big buffet of breakfast set up on the small dining room table, and her brother was sitting there, waiting for her with the same expression of anxiety as his sister.

Her eyes had barely focused enough to register him and Tessa smiling in the background when he began to talk. “Annie, I’m so so so sorry. I didn’t mean anything that I said the other night, you know I was just angry and drunk and I didn’t know the whole story, but that’s no excuse. I didn’t know Dirk offered you a job and I was just so stressed, but I shouldn’t have taken my anger out on you. And I never, ever want you to go back to Chicago, or anywhere else, because I love having you live here with me. I’m sorry, sis, can you forgive me?”

Annie blew out a big breath of air, closing her eyes as everyone watched and waited for her reaction from across the table. She was running one hand through her hair when she felt a finger against her other hand, which was hanging down at her side. She immediately knew who it was when their pinky finger intertwined with hers underneath the table. As if reassurance was draining from him to her through skin-to-skin contact, she felt better.

And she opened her eyes and said, “I’ll forgive you, Jared.”

She even smiled when the hand against hers squeezed tighter, filling her with comfort. She was home.