In the Claws of an Angel
Chapter Fourteen.
| Logan |
The clock on my truck's dashboard read 12:45 AM in bright green digital numbers and letters, casting a soft glow over the whole cab. My Johnny Cash CD played softly from the stereo, just loud enough for me to hear, and not wake Anabelle's sleeping form in the passenger seat.
We'd stayed at the bar for the better part of five hours, drinking and playing pool, just having a good time. I had blown through at least three pitchers of beer by myself, but I was a seasoned drinker. I could handle my alcohol.
Ana, on the other hand... She was a different story. After just two and a half rum and cokes, she was all giggly and tipsy. I smirked to myself as I replayed my memories of her wobbling around, trying to keep that cue steady, giggling when she missed the shot completely, her cheeks all rosey from the rum... She was just so damn cute.
Just two more drinks and she had been down for the count. I had barely gotten her tucked safely into the passenger seat before she drifted off into sleep... She was definitely a light weight, but I could guarantee that was because she never drank. If she was going to be hanging out with me, though, she'd have plenty of chances. Maybe she'd work up a tolerance... But on the other hand, if that happened, I'd miss out on moments like this; Sneaking peeks at her beautiful, innocent face as she slept just inches away from me.
As I took the last turn out of town, steering the truck out onto the roads where there was nothing but the pale moonlight to guide me, Ana shifted in her slumber, scrunching her eyebrows up before settling again.
I stole a quick glance at her just as the moon rotated to her side of the truck, illuminating her entire body. She looked just like an angel, the only thing she was missing was the halo. And the wings, of course.
Shifting my eyes back to the dark road ahead of me, I let out a quiet sigh. I had it bad for this girl, there was just something about her... everything about her... That made my heart race and my stomach do gymnastics inside my body. I felt like a teenager coming down with his first case of puppy love, magnified about 100 times.
I wanted to tell her. I really did, more than anything. But she was such a shy, timid girl... I didn't want to scare her away, or make her feel like she couldn't be around me. It had taken me three weeks just to get her comfortable talking to me.
Hell, why would a gorgeous young woman like that take any interest in a grizzly guy like me, anyway? It was pretty farfetched. I guess it was just better to keep my secret and leave things the way they were. We were happy, this worked. So why mess with it?
I just hoped I could keep a level head and fight off my animalistic instincts of attraction... Which wasn't exactly a guarantee.
xxx
After another half hour of driving, we were back at camp. I slowly pulled the truck through the willows, the welcoming thicket beneath their branches looking so peaceful and calm. Just past the tall Sawgrass, I could see the moon reflecting off the river, making the water look like it was made up of sequins and glitter.
With just a few turns of the steering wheel, the truck was parked, and I shut the engine off. Even the tires rolling over the uneven, Sandy ground hadn't woken Anabelle up, so I reached over and gently nudged her frail shoulder.
"Ana?" I whispered, "Hey, Anabelle, wake up. We're home."
"Mmm..." She murmured in her sleep, turning away from me and pressing herself into the door.
I tried shaking her shoulder a little harder, but she was out cold. So, I grabbed the keys from the ignition, popped my door open and walked around the front of the truck after slamming the door shut behind me.
I grasped the handle of the passenger side door, easing it open and quickly taking its place, letting the weight of Anabelle's body transfer to my chest. When her head gently laid against my shoulder, I caught a whiff of the sweet smelling peach shampoo she used. It really worked my testosterone into a frenzy, not to mention the feel of her body cradled in my arms, fragile and light as a feather.
She still didn't wake up as I used my foot to kick the door shut, and walked around to the front of the camper. Somehow, amazingly, I managed to open the door with one hand, and got us both inside.
"Mmm..." Anabelle's sleepy voice murmured again against my neck, giving me shivers, "Logan..."
My name was so soft as it slipped from her lips, and without even realizing it, I smiled.
"Yea, it's me..." I whispered to her as I gently set her down on the couch, covering her up with the blanket folded up on the arm.
Her eyes were still shut, and her breathing got real shallow as she nestled into her pillow. She looked so comfortable, sleeping peacefully like that.
I went to the kitchenette in the dark, pulling a glass out of the cabinet and turning on the faucet as quietly as I could. I filled the glass halfway, glancing over my shoulder as I shut the faucet off, making sure Anabelle was still asleep. Just as I thought, she hadn't moved an inch. Those rum and cokes really did her in.
I turned around and leaned my lower back against the counter, staring at Anabelle in the darkness of the camper and taking slow sips from my glass of water. When she rolled over in her sleep and faced the back of the couch, something drew me back over to her.
My boots made soft, hollow taps an against the floorboards as I strolled to the couch, swishing what was left of my water around at the bottom of the glass. Before I knew it, I was standing over her, watching her chest rise and fall with her slow breaths. I took a seat on the coffee table, setting my glass of water on the cheap wood and resting my elbows on my knees, after stripping my leather jacket and tossing it to the floor.
Ana's dark hair covered her face and fanned out across the pillow. Damn, I'd never noticed before, but that girl had a lot of hair...
All of a sudden I felt myself reaching out toward Anabelle's face, and watched as my fingertips grazed her forehead, brushing the chocolate strands away from her eyes. She didn't even move, minus a slight twitch of her nose. Now I could see her sun kissed face, and for some reason I just couldn't look away for what felt like the longest few minutes of my life.
Screw this hiding my feelings bullshit, I thought to myself. I didn't know why or how it happened, but I cared about Ana. She had to have been brought into my life for a purpose, I mean why else would some crazy voice in my head I'd never heard before tell me to be looking for her in the bar that night? Plus, what made the situation even more strange, was that she had heard the exact same voice. That doesn't just happen to any random people.
I had to tell Ana how I felt, or I was gonna go insane. She was just like me, a mutant... Misunderstood by a society we could give two fucks about, so shouldn't we face this shit world together? If she even felt the same way...
But I'd never know unless I told her. I just had to figure out the right way to say it... And I had to say it soon.
| Ana |
Two days had passed since Logan and I had gone to the bar. I'll be honest in saying I didn't remember the drive home, probably because I was passed out in the passenger seat, according to Logan.
Speaking of Logan, he had been acting really strange ever since we had come home... Nothing bad or anything, he just seemed a little lost in his thoughts, I guess. A lot of times I would be talking to him, and I'd notice him staring into space, not even remotely listening until I called his name or got his attention somehow.
Other times, I'd catch him not staring into space, but staring at me. Usually when I would look up from a book I was reading, or glance over at him from the passenger seat on the way to and from the grocery store. I always tried to get him to tell me what he was looking at, whether it was something on my face or a few strands of my hair out of place, but he insisted it was nothing. Something in the pit of my stomach told me it wasn't nothing, though, and I couldn't quite tell if that feeling was good or bad...
On another note, it was finally 4th of July, my favorite holiday! I absolutely loved cookouts and fireworks, and since we were camped on the beach I really hoped we would see some in the sky.
But, the cook out part we already had down. Logan had found a portable charcoal grill on sale at the grocery store for only $12.00, so of course he snatched it right up along with all of our supplies to cook hamburgers.
I could smell the charcoal burning even inside the camper as I sliced up the tomatoes and lettuce on a wooden cutting board. The knife tapped against the wood as I hummed a random tune, finally moving all the produce to a big plate and making my way back outside.
I propped the door open with my back as I shimmied through the threshold, carefully grasping the plate with both hands. The door clattered shut behind me, causing Logan to throw a look over his shoulder at the noise.
"Ah, perfect timing!" Logan called to me as he lifted the top off the grill, sending clouds of smoke billowing into the air. The smell made my stomach growl, "Burgers are pretty much done. You like cheese on yours, right?"
"Duh," I replied as I approached him and set the plate down, "What's a burger without cheese?"
Logan smiled as he unwrapped the Kraft singles, slapping one onto each of the burgers that were still on the grill, giving them a chance to melt.
"If only the whole world felt that way." He joked, waiting a few seconds before grabbing his spatula and scooping the burgers onto another plate.
"I just want ketchup, lettuce and tomato..." I absent mindedly told my self as I began building my burger, reaching for the red bottle near my feet. Logan made a face as I uncapped the ketchup, and I raised an eyebrow at him. "What?"
"Ketchup is probably one of the grossest things on my list." He replied as he squirted a bit of mustard, ketchup's opposite, onto his burger, "Right above mushrooms and rotten fish."
"Ew, I hate mushrooms, too," I agreed as I scrunched my nose up, "And, y'know, rotten fish us pretty nasty, too."
Logan chuckled as he laid a piece of lettuce on his burger, than capped it with the top bun and took a big bite. I added an extra tomato to mine before placing the bun on top... I loved tomatoes, I could eat them whole, like apples.
When I took the first bite, it was like bliss. The burger was juicy and cooked to just the right doneness, with just the slightest bit of pink in the center. Plus, there was just something about food cooked outside on a grill that was so much better than anything else.
"Mm. Really good, Logan." I complimented his cooking between chews.
He nodded in appreciation, taking a small bow from where he was sitting in the wicker chair. When he finished chewing, he told me, "Thanks, I like to think of myself as a bit of a grill master."
"Oh yea?" I said with a giggle and a raise of my eyebrows as I took another bite of my burger.
"You betcha." Logan confirmed, holding up his half eaten burger, "These prove it, don't they?"
I laughed again and shook my head, focusing on my own burger.
"... Hey, Anabelle?" Logan piped up after a second, just as I finished my food.
"Hm?" I hummed in response as I wiped my hands on a napkin.
"You wanna go for a walk down the beach in a few minutes?" He asked me, standing up and grabbing my empty paper plate to throw it away with his. "It's starting to get dark, maybe we'll see some fireworks. Plus... I kinda wanted to talk to you about something."
My stomach fluttered at the last of Logan's words.
"Talk to me...?" I repeated softly, "About what?"
" Don't worry, it's nothing bad." Logan assured me as he tossed the plates into the mostly empty garbage can near the door of the camper, turning to walk back over to me, "Just normal talking."
Still, I felt nervous, but slowly nodded my head. "Sure, okay..."
"Cool." Logan said with a smile, almost sounding relieved. "Let me go inside really quick to pee, then I'll be right back and we'll go."
"Okay, sounds good." I said, flashing a smile right back at him.
But as he disappeared back inside, I let the anxiety and uncertainty take me over. My mind rapidly blew through every single scenario of what Logan could possibly want to talk about.
What could it possibly be that he couldn't just come straight out and tell me right now...? I guess I'd figure it soon enough...
x
xx
xxx
xx
x
To be continued....
AN:: hey, ya'll! Whew, I feel like I haven't updated this story in a while, I've been on a huge Walking Dead kick lately. But I hope you all enjoyed these two updates, and I think you'll all love the next chapter (; until next time, lovelies! ❤
The clock on my truck's dashboard read 12:45 AM in bright green digital numbers and letters, casting a soft glow over the whole cab. My Johnny Cash CD played softly from the stereo, just loud enough for me to hear, and not wake Anabelle's sleeping form in the passenger seat.
We'd stayed at the bar for the better part of five hours, drinking and playing pool, just having a good time. I had blown through at least three pitchers of beer by myself, but I was a seasoned drinker. I could handle my alcohol.
Ana, on the other hand... She was a different story. After just two and a half rum and cokes, she was all giggly and tipsy. I smirked to myself as I replayed my memories of her wobbling around, trying to keep that cue steady, giggling when she missed the shot completely, her cheeks all rosey from the rum... She was just so damn cute.
Just two more drinks and she had been down for the count. I had barely gotten her tucked safely into the passenger seat before she drifted off into sleep... She was definitely a light weight, but I could guarantee that was because she never drank. If she was going to be hanging out with me, though, she'd have plenty of chances. Maybe she'd work up a tolerance... But on the other hand, if that happened, I'd miss out on moments like this; Sneaking peeks at her beautiful, innocent face as she slept just inches away from me.
As I took the last turn out of town, steering the truck out onto the roads where there was nothing but the pale moonlight to guide me, Ana shifted in her slumber, scrunching her eyebrows up before settling again.
I stole a quick glance at her just as the moon rotated to her side of the truck, illuminating her entire body. She looked just like an angel, the only thing she was missing was the halo. And the wings, of course.
Shifting my eyes back to the dark road ahead of me, I let out a quiet sigh. I had it bad for this girl, there was just something about her... everything about her... That made my heart race and my stomach do gymnastics inside my body. I felt like a teenager coming down with his first case of puppy love, magnified about 100 times.
I wanted to tell her. I really did, more than anything. But she was such a shy, timid girl... I didn't want to scare her away, or make her feel like she couldn't be around me. It had taken me three weeks just to get her comfortable talking to me.
Hell, why would a gorgeous young woman like that take any interest in a grizzly guy like me, anyway? It was pretty farfetched. I guess it was just better to keep my secret and leave things the way they were. We were happy, this worked. So why mess with it?
I just hoped I could keep a level head and fight off my animalistic instincts of attraction... Which wasn't exactly a guarantee.
xxx
After another half hour of driving, we were back at camp. I slowly pulled the truck through the willows, the welcoming thicket beneath their branches looking so peaceful and calm. Just past the tall Sawgrass, I could see the moon reflecting off the river, making the water look like it was made up of sequins and glitter.
With just a few turns of the steering wheel, the truck was parked, and I shut the engine off. Even the tires rolling over the uneven, Sandy ground hadn't woken Anabelle up, so I reached over and gently nudged her frail shoulder.
"Ana?" I whispered, "Hey, Anabelle, wake up. We're home."
"Mmm..." She murmured in her sleep, turning away from me and pressing herself into the door.
I tried shaking her shoulder a little harder, but she was out cold. So, I grabbed the keys from the ignition, popped my door open and walked around the front of the truck after slamming the door shut behind me.
I grasped the handle of the passenger side door, easing it open and quickly taking its place, letting the weight of Anabelle's body transfer to my chest. When her head gently laid against my shoulder, I caught a whiff of the sweet smelling peach shampoo she used. It really worked my testosterone into a frenzy, not to mention the feel of her body cradled in my arms, fragile and light as a feather.
She still didn't wake up as I used my foot to kick the door shut, and walked around to the front of the camper. Somehow, amazingly, I managed to open the door with one hand, and got us both inside.
"Mmm..." Anabelle's sleepy voice murmured again against my neck, giving me shivers, "Logan..."
My name was so soft as it slipped from her lips, and without even realizing it, I smiled.
"Yea, it's me..." I whispered to her as I gently set her down on the couch, covering her up with the blanket folded up on the arm.
Her eyes were still shut, and her breathing got real shallow as she nestled into her pillow. She looked so comfortable, sleeping peacefully like that.
I went to the kitchenette in the dark, pulling a glass out of the cabinet and turning on the faucet as quietly as I could. I filled the glass halfway, glancing over my shoulder as I shut the faucet off, making sure Anabelle was still asleep. Just as I thought, she hadn't moved an inch. Those rum and cokes really did her in.
I turned around and leaned my lower back against the counter, staring at Anabelle in the darkness of the camper and taking slow sips from my glass of water. When she rolled over in her sleep and faced the back of the couch, something drew me back over to her.
My boots made soft, hollow taps an against the floorboards as I strolled to the couch, swishing what was left of my water around at the bottom of the glass. Before I knew it, I was standing over her, watching her chest rise and fall with her slow breaths. I took a seat on the coffee table, setting my glass of water on the cheap wood and resting my elbows on my knees, after stripping my leather jacket and tossing it to the floor.
Ana's dark hair covered her face and fanned out across the pillow. Damn, I'd never noticed before, but that girl had a lot of hair...
All of a sudden I felt myself reaching out toward Anabelle's face, and watched as my fingertips grazed her forehead, brushing the chocolate strands away from her eyes. She didn't even move, minus a slight twitch of her nose. Now I could see her sun kissed face, and for some reason I just couldn't look away for what felt like the longest few minutes of my life.
Screw this hiding my feelings bullshit, I thought to myself. I didn't know why or how it happened, but I cared about Ana. She had to have been brought into my life for a purpose, I mean why else would some crazy voice in my head I'd never heard before tell me to be looking for her in the bar that night? Plus, what made the situation even more strange, was that she had heard the exact same voice. That doesn't just happen to any random people.
I had to tell Ana how I felt, or I was gonna go insane. She was just like me, a mutant... Misunderstood by a society we could give two fucks about, so shouldn't we face this shit world together? If she even felt the same way...
But I'd never know unless I told her. I just had to figure out the right way to say it... And I had to say it soon.
| Ana |
Two days had passed since Logan and I had gone to the bar. I'll be honest in saying I didn't remember the drive home, probably because I was passed out in the passenger seat, according to Logan.
Speaking of Logan, he had been acting really strange ever since we had come home... Nothing bad or anything, he just seemed a little lost in his thoughts, I guess. A lot of times I would be talking to him, and I'd notice him staring into space, not even remotely listening until I called his name or got his attention somehow.
Other times, I'd catch him not staring into space, but staring at me. Usually when I would look up from a book I was reading, or glance over at him from the passenger seat on the way to and from the grocery store. I always tried to get him to tell me what he was looking at, whether it was something on my face or a few strands of my hair out of place, but he insisted it was nothing. Something in the pit of my stomach told me it wasn't nothing, though, and I couldn't quite tell if that feeling was good or bad...
On another note, it was finally 4th of July, my favorite holiday! I absolutely loved cookouts and fireworks, and since we were camped on the beach I really hoped we would see some in the sky.
But, the cook out part we already had down. Logan had found a portable charcoal grill on sale at the grocery store for only $12.00, so of course he snatched it right up along with all of our supplies to cook hamburgers.
I could smell the charcoal burning even inside the camper as I sliced up the tomatoes and lettuce on a wooden cutting board. The knife tapped against the wood as I hummed a random tune, finally moving all the produce to a big plate and making my way back outside.
I propped the door open with my back as I shimmied through the threshold, carefully grasping the plate with both hands. The door clattered shut behind me, causing Logan to throw a look over his shoulder at the noise.
"Ah, perfect timing!" Logan called to me as he lifted the top off the grill, sending clouds of smoke billowing into the air. The smell made my stomach growl, "Burgers are pretty much done. You like cheese on yours, right?"
"Duh," I replied as I approached him and set the plate down, "What's a burger without cheese?"
Logan smiled as he unwrapped the Kraft singles, slapping one onto each of the burgers that were still on the grill, giving them a chance to melt.
"If only the whole world felt that way." He joked, waiting a few seconds before grabbing his spatula and scooping the burgers onto another plate.
"I just want ketchup, lettuce and tomato..." I absent mindedly told my self as I began building my burger, reaching for the red bottle near my feet. Logan made a face as I uncapped the ketchup, and I raised an eyebrow at him. "What?"
"Ketchup is probably one of the grossest things on my list." He replied as he squirted a bit of mustard, ketchup's opposite, onto his burger, "Right above mushrooms and rotten fish."
"Ew, I hate mushrooms, too," I agreed as I scrunched my nose up, "And, y'know, rotten fish us pretty nasty, too."
Logan chuckled as he laid a piece of lettuce on his burger, than capped it with the top bun and took a big bite. I added an extra tomato to mine before placing the bun on top... I loved tomatoes, I could eat them whole, like apples.
When I took the first bite, it was like bliss. The burger was juicy and cooked to just the right doneness, with just the slightest bit of pink in the center. Plus, there was just something about food cooked outside on a grill that was so much better than anything else.
"Mm. Really good, Logan." I complimented his cooking between chews.
He nodded in appreciation, taking a small bow from where he was sitting in the wicker chair. When he finished chewing, he told me, "Thanks, I like to think of myself as a bit of a grill master."
"Oh yea?" I said with a giggle and a raise of my eyebrows as I took another bite of my burger.
"You betcha." Logan confirmed, holding up his half eaten burger, "These prove it, don't they?"
I laughed again and shook my head, focusing on my own burger.
"... Hey, Anabelle?" Logan piped up after a second, just as I finished my food.
"Hm?" I hummed in response as I wiped my hands on a napkin.
"You wanna go for a walk down the beach in a few minutes?" He asked me, standing up and grabbing my empty paper plate to throw it away with his. "It's starting to get dark, maybe we'll see some fireworks. Plus... I kinda wanted to talk to you about something."
My stomach fluttered at the last of Logan's words.
"Talk to me...?" I repeated softly, "About what?"
" Don't worry, it's nothing bad." Logan assured me as he tossed the plates into the mostly empty garbage can near the door of the camper, turning to walk back over to me, "Just normal talking."
Still, I felt nervous, but slowly nodded my head. "Sure, okay..."
"Cool." Logan said with a smile, almost sounding relieved. "Let me go inside really quick to pee, then I'll be right back and we'll go."
"Okay, sounds good." I said, flashing a smile right back at him.
But as he disappeared back inside, I let the anxiety and uncertainty take me over. My mind rapidly blew through every single scenario of what Logan could possibly want to talk about.
What could it possibly be that he couldn't just come straight out and tell me right now...? I guess I'd figure it soon enough...
x
xx
xxx
xx
x
To be continued....
AN:: hey, ya'll! Whew, I feel like I haven't updated this story in a while, I've been on a huge Walking Dead kick lately. But I hope you all enjoyed these two updates, and I think you'll all love the next chapter (; until next time, lovelies! ❤