Sequel: I'd Do Anything ›
Status: Say to me, "Why can't we look the other way?"
Hooked on a Feeling
Routine
“Where did you find this adorable little man?” Marie, a coworker of Annalise, cooed as she scratched Casanova’s belly.
“He belongs to a friend.” Annalise sighed, sipping her wine. “I’m pet sitting.”
“Hey, hey, hey, stop moving.” Her boss Stephanie said, grabbing Annalise’s arm and returning it to its former position. “And you shouldn’t be drinking that. If you spill, you’ll stain.”
Annalise sighed. She was standing on the raised platform in the bridal studio as Stephanie pinned her bridesmaid dress for alterations. So far, two inches were coming off the bottom and the waist had to be taken in.
“Why did you bring him here?” Marie asked.
“Well, Stephanie wanted to do the alterations today, I have pool league later, and Olivia said she’s coming to watch me play tonight, so I figured I’d make it bring Casanova to work day cause otherwise he wouldn’t socialize all day.”
“You should bring him more.” Stephanie said through a mouthful of pins. “Brides love him.”
Annalise looked at her watch. “You almost done? I’ve got a game to play.”
“Beauty takes patience. You’re going to be the best looking Maid of Honor the world’s ever seen.”
“Don’t make it too good, okay?”
Stephanie frowned and fluffed the skirt a little. “Honestly cheri, your bride, she had to have picked this dress with you in mind. The deep blue goes perfectly with your skin tone, the strapless top would make you look like a hussy with those c-cups but this long sleeve lace overlay tones it down. Your bride is confident enough to not care how good you look, to the point of making sure you look amazing.”
Annalise sighed, looked at the dress, and sipped more wine. That was just like Louisa. So she’d look great while half the wedding guests shit talked her.
“Which friend does Cass belong to?” Maria asked.
“A new one.” Annalise replied vaguely. Her phone started to ring. “Pass me that.”
Stephanie passed her the phone and Annalise answered it. “Hello?”
“Hey, how’s my favorite buddy doing?”
Annalise took the phone away from her ear, frowned at the name on the screen, and put it back to her ear. “First of all, I sincerely hope you were talking to Cass.”
In a hotel room in Toronto, Lars Eller laughed. “Yes, I was.”
“Second of all, I did not expect to ever hear that gooey disgusting tone come with your voice.”
“I can be very sweet, Annalise.”
“Yeah, don’t do that again. It sounds weird.”
Lars laughed again. “How is he?”
“Good. He was flirting with all the brides today.”
“Can I say hi?”
Now Annalise laughed. “Oh, my god. You’re that kind of pet owner."
“Annalise, I have a routine. If I break my routine, I don’t play well. Let me talk to Cass.”
“Fine.” Annalise sighed, slowly crouching and holding her phone out. “Cass! Come here! Talk to Daddy!”
Casanova bounded over, sniffed the offered phone, and licked the screen.
“Ew.” Annalise muttered, returning the phone to her ear but this time holding it an inch or so away. “Now that my phone is covered in slobber, are you happy?”
“No. How are you?”
She sipped her wine. “Alright. I’m having a dress fitted. Then on to pool league later.”
“Will you watch the game?”
She smirked. “I don’t know Lars, I’ll be playing my own game.”
“Annalise.” He sighed. “Please?”
“Come on, of course I’ll be watching.”
“Good.” Annalise could hear the smile in his voice. “I have to shower. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Alright. Play hard.”
As they hung up, Annalise knew that this would be a daily thing while she watched Cass. She sipped more wine and tossed her phone onto her purse.
“Oh, look at that face.” Marie teased. “New friend, huh?”
“Yes. Just friends.” Annalise told her. “Stephanie, are you almost done?”
Stephanie took Annalise’s wine and turned her in a circle. “All done. Go change and I’ll have it ready for you in a week.”
Annalise’s phone rang again and she answered it as she tried to unbuckle the blue stilettos she was wearing.
“Hello?”
“Ann? Can you pick me up?”
Annalise rolled her eyes. “I’m running late as it is and I’d like to get a practice round in before I have to play.”
“Please?”
“Fine. Fine. Just to the apartment. We’re walking to Tavern from there. I need to drop Cass off and pick up my cue.”
“Okay. I’m at the library.”
“Alright, see you soon.”
Annalise hung up and lifted her skirt slightly to safely walk to the dressing rooms. Her phone rang again and she sighed as she answered it.
“Hello?”
“Is this Annalise Richards?”
“This is she.”
“I’m calling from the Human Resources department of Concordia University. Three months ago you applied to a Laboratory Technician position in our Biology department. The position has just reopened and we would like you to interview.”
Annalise blinked in shock. “Oh. Uhm, thank you.”
“When can you come in?”
She thought through her schedule for the next week. Her next day off was Sunday, which they wouldn’t interview her on, so that meant it had to be…
“I can come in next Tuesday.”
“Okay. We will expect you at 12 pm. Please come to our Admissions building. They will issue you a parking pass and direct you to the Biology faculty.”
“Thank you.”
Annalise hung up and smiled at herself in the mirror. A job. Finally. She carefully pulled the skintight lace cover over her head before unzipping the rest of the dress. Things were looking up.
~*~
Annalise won her games that night with ease, though she felt like the first game her opponent was purposely taking it easy on her. It wasn’t hard for her to watch the Canadiens game either, seeing as every TV in the bar was showing it.
“Good game, sweetheart.” Team captian Monty said, kissing her on the cheek. “What is this? New cue?”
“Sister bought it for me.” Annalise shrugged, sipping her beer.
Monty ran a finger over the engraving on the handle, a shamrock. “Cool.”
“Ann!” Olivia shouted. “Ann!”
Annalise found her sister’s red hair and walked over to her. “Where’s the fire?”
She pointed at the TV screen. “They just had a picture up. Of your friend. Lars.”
Annalise shrugged.
Olivia shook her head. “Alright. Whatever.”
Annalise laughed. “Liv, you can’t judge. You fucked Brendan Gallaher.”
“What?” Mikey, who usually tended bar on weekdays but now was on the pool team, turned around. “Little Olivia banged a hockey player?”
“And there goes my dirty laundry, all over the floor of the bar. Thanks, sis.”
“He belongs to a friend.” Annalise sighed, sipping her wine. “I’m pet sitting.”
“Hey, hey, hey, stop moving.” Her boss Stephanie said, grabbing Annalise’s arm and returning it to its former position. “And you shouldn’t be drinking that. If you spill, you’ll stain.”
Annalise sighed. She was standing on the raised platform in the bridal studio as Stephanie pinned her bridesmaid dress for alterations. So far, two inches were coming off the bottom and the waist had to be taken in.
“Why did you bring him here?” Marie asked.
“Well, Stephanie wanted to do the alterations today, I have pool league later, and Olivia said she’s coming to watch me play tonight, so I figured I’d make it bring Casanova to work day cause otherwise he wouldn’t socialize all day.”
“You should bring him more.” Stephanie said through a mouthful of pins. “Brides love him.”
Annalise looked at her watch. “You almost done? I’ve got a game to play.”
“Beauty takes patience. You’re going to be the best looking Maid of Honor the world’s ever seen.”
“Don’t make it too good, okay?”
Stephanie frowned and fluffed the skirt a little. “Honestly cheri, your bride, she had to have picked this dress with you in mind. The deep blue goes perfectly with your skin tone, the strapless top would make you look like a hussy with those c-cups but this long sleeve lace overlay tones it down. Your bride is confident enough to not care how good you look, to the point of making sure you look amazing.”
Annalise sighed, looked at the dress, and sipped more wine. That was just like Louisa. So she’d look great while half the wedding guests shit talked her.
“Which friend does Cass belong to?” Maria asked.
“A new one.” Annalise replied vaguely. Her phone started to ring. “Pass me that.”
Stephanie passed her the phone and Annalise answered it. “Hello?”
“Hey, how’s my favorite buddy doing?”
Annalise took the phone away from her ear, frowned at the name on the screen, and put it back to her ear. “First of all, I sincerely hope you were talking to Cass.”
In a hotel room in Toronto, Lars Eller laughed. “Yes, I was.”
“Second of all, I did not expect to ever hear that gooey disgusting tone come with your voice.”
“I can be very sweet, Annalise.”
“Yeah, don’t do that again. It sounds weird.”
Lars laughed again. “How is he?”
“Good. He was flirting with all the brides today.”
“Can I say hi?”
Now Annalise laughed. “Oh, my god. You’re that kind of pet owner."
“Annalise, I have a routine. If I break my routine, I don’t play well. Let me talk to Cass.”
“Fine.” Annalise sighed, slowly crouching and holding her phone out. “Cass! Come here! Talk to Daddy!”
Casanova bounded over, sniffed the offered phone, and licked the screen.
“Ew.” Annalise muttered, returning the phone to her ear but this time holding it an inch or so away. “Now that my phone is covered in slobber, are you happy?”
“No. How are you?”
She sipped her wine. “Alright. I’m having a dress fitted. Then on to pool league later.”
“Will you watch the game?”
She smirked. “I don’t know Lars, I’ll be playing my own game.”
“Annalise.” He sighed. “Please?”
“Come on, of course I’ll be watching.”
“Good.” Annalise could hear the smile in his voice. “I have to shower. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Alright. Play hard.”
As they hung up, Annalise knew that this would be a daily thing while she watched Cass. She sipped more wine and tossed her phone onto her purse.
“Oh, look at that face.” Marie teased. “New friend, huh?”
“Yes. Just friends.” Annalise told her. “Stephanie, are you almost done?”
Stephanie took Annalise’s wine and turned her in a circle. “All done. Go change and I’ll have it ready for you in a week.”
Annalise’s phone rang again and she answered it as she tried to unbuckle the blue stilettos she was wearing.
“Hello?”
“Ann? Can you pick me up?”
Annalise rolled her eyes. “I’m running late as it is and I’d like to get a practice round in before I have to play.”
“Please?”
“Fine. Fine. Just to the apartment. We’re walking to Tavern from there. I need to drop Cass off and pick up my cue.”
“Okay. I’m at the library.”
“Alright, see you soon.”
Annalise hung up and lifted her skirt slightly to safely walk to the dressing rooms. Her phone rang again and she sighed as she answered it.
“Hello?”
“Is this Annalise Richards?”
“This is she.”
“I’m calling from the Human Resources department of Concordia University. Three months ago you applied to a Laboratory Technician position in our Biology department. The position has just reopened and we would like you to interview.”
Annalise blinked in shock. “Oh. Uhm, thank you.”
“When can you come in?”
She thought through her schedule for the next week. Her next day off was Sunday, which they wouldn’t interview her on, so that meant it had to be…
“I can come in next Tuesday.”
“Okay. We will expect you at 12 pm. Please come to our Admissions building. They will issue you a parking pass and direct you to the Biology faculty.”
“Thank you.”
Annalise hung up and smiled at herself in the mirror. A job. Finally. She carefully pulled the skintight lace cover over her head before unzipping the rest of the dress. Things were looking up.
~*~
Annalise won her games that night with ease, though she felt like the first game her opponent was purposely taking it easy on her. It wasn’t hard for her to watch the Canadiens game either, seeing as every TV in the bar was showing it.
“Good game, sweetheart.” Team captian Monty said, kissing her on the cheek. “What is this? New cue?”
“Sister bought it for me.” Annalise shrugged, sipping her beer.
Monty ran a finger over the engraving on the handle, a shamrock. “Cool.”
“Ann!” Olivia shouted. “Ann!”
Annalise found her sister’s red hair and walked over to her. “Where’s the fire?”
She pointed at the TV screen. “They just had a picture up. Of your friend. Lars.”
Annalise shrugged.
Olivia shook her head. “Alright. Whatever.”
Annalise laughed. “Liv, you can’t judge. You fucked Brendan Gallaher.”
“What?” Mikey, who usually tended bar on weekdays but now was on the pool team, turned around. “Little Olivia banged a hockey player?”
“And there goes my dirty laundry, all over the floor of the bar. Thanks, sis.”