love one another and you will be happy | anabel

[jason andrew irving]

Turning off the hot water in the shower, he shook his head, allowing the water droplets to fly out of his dark hair. It was only about ten thirty in the morning, it had surprised him when he woke up and Annie hadn't been asleep by his side. He knew his hair first thing in the morning could get on her nerves, so instead of finding her right away, he had jumped in the shower. He had ran the towel through his hair, then across his body, drying off quickly, wrapping the towel around his waist as he made his way back into the bedroom, pulling out something to wear. His ribs were aching slightly, irritating him. He shrugged it off as he got dressed, knowing Anabel would be thrilled he had washed his jeans before he was down to only his "hideous" yellow pair. What she had against them, he wasn't sure, but she made it obvious she wasn't crazy about them. The jeans he pulled on were washed out, slightly torn in places. Standing next to the mirror as he decided what shirt to wear, his eyes fell on the long, thin scar running down the left side of his body. It was crazy how one person being a little too carefree could effect someone they didn't even know. Shaking his head, he pulled one of his many Beatles shirt from the closet, this one a bright teal with the four walking as they did across the cover of the Abbey Road album.

Slouching into the kitchen, he scowled at himself, still slightly irritated with his bones. He knew he shouldn't do what he was about to, but he did anyways. Opening the one cabinet that held the medicine in it, he pulled out the pain killers his doctor had given him after his surgery, pulling one out. It seemed like he had been growing more dependent on them lately and he wasn't thrilled about it. It had been over a month since the wreck and he thought he should be using them less, not more. Not only that, but the bottle was emptier than he thought it should be. Shaking the thought from his mind, he tossed the orange bottle back in the cabinet, he swallowing the pill before bouncing out of the kitchen, looking for Anabel.

He had never thought it would be possible to find someone he loved more than his last girlfriend, but he had found her here in Salt Lake. The two had become quick friends and shortly after, they became more. Now, six months after he first moved to Salt Lake, the two lived together and Jason couldn't be happier. He had always been an optimistic person, but waking up with Annie at his side had him always smiling, even when he was irritated with himself. Salt Lake was the first place he had really settled down in after his break up and he knew Annie was the reason. Even though he was a few years older than her, it didn't bother him. Three years meant nothing when love was involved.

Making his way to the living room, he found Anabel sitting on the couch, flipping through a magazine, the sun shining through the window and reflecting off of her long, blond hair. Sitting down on her left, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. His lips brushed against her cheek for a moment before he pulled her against him, his dark eyes catching a glimpse at the magazine in her hand. What he saw in that short glimpse sort of surprised him, though he wasn’t completely sure what it was. The young ladies on the page were dressed in long, white dresses, a thrilled smile on all of their faces. Common sense flew over his head at the moment and he looked at one of the girls on the page before looking back at his girlfriend. “You’re prettier.” He said simply, grinning, his fingers pushing her chin up gently so he could kiss her lips. After a brief moment, he dropped his hand from her chin and pulled away, smiling, his stomach growling slightly. "Can I get you something for breakfast? Bacon and eggs? An omlette? My ever famous fresh-from-the-box cereal?" He questioned, laughing as he made his way back to the kitchen, debating what to have. Not exactly in the mood to cook for himself, he pulled out a box of Frosted Flakes and poured himself a bowl, putting them away and going to the fridge to find the milk. "So what's the magazine about?" He asked through the rooms as he poured the milk on his bowl of cereal.

ooc; eh, it's kind of short =/ i suck at starting threads, sorry.

[ana isabel bailey]

Drawing one eye open, Anabel's nose wrinkled as she stared at Jason with his arm tossed across her back, his face buried against her shoulder, and, moving her leg just slightly she realized he'd entwined one of his legs with hers. She woke up like this most mornings and when she was tired or in a hurry it aggravated her. The rest of the time she didn't mind all too much. Today fell into the latter. She thought for a moment to wake him up; it was a Saturday morning and they had nothing to do. It wouldn't be such an awful idea to spend the whole day in bed in her mind, but she had the feeling Jason wouldn't exactly be down with that. Or he'd agree and then there would be some freak accident that only he was capable of and they would end up in the emergency room. Yes, that was the more likely alternative.

Slowly she slid from beneath his heavy arm, her bare stomach rubbing against the fabric where her shirt had ridden up. The threads against her stomach sort of stung and she moved a bit quicker to get away from the pain until she was at the end of his arm and because of the limited space she rolled on her side and his fingers grazed her stomach as his hand fell. He stirred ever so slightly and mumbled something or another to himself she supposed but stayed asleep. Pushing the quilt off herself Annie slid out, catching a glimpse of the scar down his side and grimacing. It had healed well enough, it was not repulsive exactly, but it was some weird reminder to her of the whole accident thing and just how mortal he was. It had made little coquettish Annie stop for a moment and wonder what she was doing with him and ultimately step up and insist on moving in to help care for him, despite his protests. He was well enough on his own now, but she remained. Her quad-mates had found a replacement for her, she had nowhere else to go.

Rolling off the bed she fumbled for her black framed plain Jane glasses, sliding them up her nose once she'd found them. She couldn't see very well at all without glasses, and today she didn't feel like fumbling with her contacts. Anabel didn't sweat like Jason did at night and a morning shower was not necessary, made clear as she pulled her night gown over her head, walking into the closet and tossing it into the hamper, following it with her underwear. Quietly she left the closet, butt naked but having no shame as the only person that could see her was Jason and he was asleep anyway. She opened the drawer where her undergarments were kept and pulled out lacy bright pink underwear and a polka-dotted bra. Annie was a fan of cute lingerie, it was just part of her. She was a girlie girl to the core.

The day was not hot exactly, but warm and for that reason shorts and a light tee-shirt seemed most appropriate to complete her outfit. Pushing the drawer shut she left the room, noting Jason was again stirring. She doubted she'd be alone for long. Once downstairs she went straight to the coffee pot and hit the on button, the coffee grains and water already in the machine from last night so she didn't have to bother in the morning. Turning away she disappeared into the living room to give it time, walking on the balls of her delicate feet and settling into the couch, plucking a magazine from the pile in the basket next to the couch. Most were hers; Cosmo, Vogue, even a few Seventeens, but some were Jason's. His were all just boring music magazines that didn't interest her. The one she picked up though was a bridal magazine. It had been a foolish purchase, she was by no means planning a wedding, at least no more than any other woman on the planet. She'd bought it for frivolity really, not because she thought a proposal was on the horizon. Honestly she had no idea how close, or how far they were to that. Their future hadn't been discussed.

She flipped through some forty pages of the fat book, admiring the white fabric that flowed down the models' tall bodies. Annie was short, she couldn't wear any of these slip dresses. They would just make her look like a dwarf. Anabel had scooted up next to the arm of the sofa, her thin pale legs curled beside her and almost completely exposed by her short shorts. She hadn't done anything to her hair today so it hung in loose curls down her shoulder in the sunlight, the other side of her neck exposed. She didn't hear Jason thumping around in the kitchen, nor did she see him enter the living room until he was too close to put the magazine away without looking suspicious.

She tensed as he sat down beside her, worried what he would think when he caught her looking at white gowns. For all she knew he'd run like a scared little fawn. His last girlfriend he'd dated for two years and they'd not been together even half that long. No, she couldn't be pressing on that. It was too big of a risk to push him. He said nothing if he did notice, his firm arm wrapping around her and she leaned into him as he pulled her, kissing her cheek. She nestled against him, smiling as though her dazzling smile could distract him. He was looking at her magazine, but whether it was her whiles that kept him dense or just pure morning syndrome he paid no notice, telling her she was prettier. "Oh, I know," she cooed vainly, but Annie had never been one to put herself down. Jason tipped her chin up with his warm fingers and planted a kiss on her lips and at least for now she was off the hook.

He pulled back as his stomach rumbled and he stood, leaving her behind on the couch, offering some kind of breakfast. "I think I'll just get some cereal with you," she replied, standing and trotting into the kitchen after him. Anabel loved sugary cereal, her favorite being Lucky Charms, and it was fortunate that she had a fresh box of the marshmallow filled cereal. Frosted flakes were not bad, they were nearly as sugary, but they weren't colorful and didn't have a new piece every couple of months. Leaping up and landing a bare knee on the counter so she could reach the bowls she leaned into the cabinet, jumping at his question and hitting her head on the shelf. She swore quietly in Spanish at the pain and then looked down at him over herself, "Oh, just a girlie magazine." It wasn't not true. Consoling herself with that she pulled out a bowl and set it down before leaping off the counter top. It wasn't that Jason wouldn't get her a bowl, it was more that Anabel hated to ask. She stared at him for a moment blinking blankly and then spinning away for the pantry. "You wanna go swimming after breakfast? I think it's finally warm enough."

ooc | sorry for the wait. oh, and they have a pool now. xD
outfit | click

[jason andrew irving]

Being around her just lifted his mood and today was no different. Even if they had just sat around watching old kiddie movies all day, he wouldn’t have minded. Just having her by his side was enough. As she snuggled against his side, he smiled contently, her grin making him even happier. It was the little things that made him happy, it always had been, and when she was content, he was always smiling. He chuckled at her simple comment after he complimented her. She wasn’t one to say she wasn’t gorgeous, that was for sure. Some would call her stuck up because of it, but he just saw it as her own confidence and he liked that.

Making his way into the kitchen, he was still smiling as she followed him in. He wouldn’t have complained if she wanted him to make a full out breakfast, he loved spoiling her. “Just cereal? No five star breakfast?” He joked as he watched her pour a bowl of Lucky Charms. It was a good thing they both liked sugary cereal; they always had a supply of it in their house. His friends had always told him he was little kid in – at the time – a twenty year old’s body. Not much had changed even though he was now twenty two. He had that high energy streak and the facial expressions of a four year old, even pouting at times, even though he was usually joking when he did.

She jumped on the counter as he was about to offer to get her a bowl and he rolled his eyes, now with his own bowl of sugar. Hearing a thump as she hit her head on the cabinets, it made him jump and some of the milk from his bowl sloshed over him. Setting the bowl on the table, he laughed, turning to look at her as she said something in Spanish he couldn’t quite understand. “It’s my job to hurt myself without trying to, not yours.” He grinned, pulling a few paper towels from the rack and wiping up the milk that had landed on the floor. Throwing them away, he raised his eyebrows as she claimed it was just a girly magazine. “That’s what most of the magazines here are.” Laughing, he invited her to go on, now curious. It seemed like she usually gave him at least a little bit more detail on them and now he was wondering what it was. She didn’t try to hide it when he sat down beside her, it couldn’t have been anything that bad. And what did she have to hide? He honestly didn’t care what she read. From what he had seen on the covers of some of the magazines she read, they could be fairly entertaining from a guy’s perspective. Some of them always seemed to promote sex on the covers, saying crazy things that just made him laugh.

As she hopped down from the counter top, he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close and kissing her head where she had hit it. After letting her go, he grabbed two silver spoons, handing her one. The mention of the warm weather made his eyes light up and he nodded his head enthusiastically at the mention of swimming and he started to eat his cereal quickly, now excited. He was glad they had a pool put in, it was much more fun when there were no lifeguards to tell you what you could and couldn’t do. There was only one reason that held him back from being more excited and that was the way Annie’s eyes would sometimes fall to the scar on his side when he was shirtless. It was almost like she hated it as much as he did. He knew it had been for the better, though. Between Annie and his parents insisting that he get it, he didn't really have a chance to argue. Besides, that was his parents' job; they knew better than he did. And if he didn’t have that scar running down his side, he’d still be in the hospital. After all of that, one good thing had come out of it, at least. If it hadn't been for the accident, Annie wouldn't have had a reason to move in with him and though he had protested slightly, he didn't want her to leave.

Clearing his mind from the thoughts of the accident, he realized his Frosted Flakes were nearly gone and he shoved the last of them in his mouth, standing up and heading over to the sink to drop his bowl in it. Sitting back down at the table, he smiled as he waited patiently for her to finish her cereal. "So how did you sleep?" He asked, his mind partially on the pool waiting outside. His left hand made it's way up to his forehead to brush his hair out of his eyes, lingering for just a moment on a small scar on his left temple subconsciously. The way his hair was, it was hardly ever in sight and if it was, it was barely noticeable, but it was there none the less. Bringing his thoughts back inside, his gaze turned to her, his eyes shining as he watched her.

ooc; pools are very good.

[ana isabel bailey]

Annie smiled just slightly at his remark, rubbing her head, "You are rubbing off on me," she teased, not looking especially jolly, though he had gotten a smile out of her, however brief. She set the bowl down and dropped onto her butt on the counter top pretty much on eye level with him. "Really Jay, you don't wanna know," she insisted, figuring it was best to let him think it was one of her raunchy magazines. Telling the truth about her reading choice would only get her in trouble. Let him think he was in for some fun, no harm in that. Nibbling her lip, she shrugged her bony little shoulders and slid off the counter, her skin making a weird noise as it rubbed over the granite.

Her eyes shut slowly as he pulled her against him with one arm and bent to kiss the spot on her head where she'd hit it. For the first time that morning she didn't really want to be let go, and he was gone much too fast. She moved to the pantry and opened the door looking in and asking him about going for a swim, not even really needing an answer. Jason liked to swim, quite obviously considering he'd bought a house with a pool. Annie wasn't exactly crazy about swimming, but she didn't mind getting in the water to frolick. They hadn't been able to use the pool in quite some time with the snowy days of winter. There'd been other fun to be had, like snowball fights and sledding, though their winter had been cut short by Jason's injury. After that the last thing he needed was to fall off a sled too hard or even get hit on his left side especially hard. Annie had even refused to let things get too hot for fear of being too rough. She'd treated him as though he was fragile for the whole of the month, and now it seemed best that she let up a bit before she smothered him, or pushed him to the point of insanity, one of the two.

She returned to the counter with a red box, a huge green-clothed leprechaun running at her across the front. She laughed to herself at her child-like tastes, though Jason was a perfect match in that area. He was the one that liked huge muscular tigers after all. She poured a little milk over top, not much as she didn't like having a bunch of wasted milk at the bottom that she never drank, and then set the jug back in the door of the refrigerator. She turned back and set her spoon in the bowl, walking to the table and sitting down in the chair to the right of Jason. She gave him a smile and placed her foot on his moving it about in a teasing tango, playing footsie with only a tiny smirk to give herself away if one were watching them. There was a certain niceness to living with each other. There were no guises and she couldn't hide; she just had to be herself.

Anabel's head tipped when he asked her how she slept and she again smiled. "Good. Except for you drooling on my shoulder," she teased, scraping the bottom of the bowl for the last of the melting marshmallow pieces. At his expression she giggled and leaned in to kiss his cheek, "I'm kidding, guapo," she said with a laugh, calling his handsome in Spanish, though the conotation was more like calling him 'love'. It was one word he knew as she had explained it to him in the past. Taking the last bite of sugary goodness she stood and went to deposit her bowl with his, turning the water on for a second to run the residue out of the bowl and turning back to him.

Her thin finger tapped his shoulder,as she walked toward the stairs. She turned to face him, still walking, "Are you coming," she asked, watching his expectantly for a moment before turning and jogging up the stairs. She entered their room and went straight to her clothes drawer, having to dig for her bathing suit. She hadn't used it in the time she'd been here. She found it and tossed it over on the bed, shutting the drawer and heading over to the unmade bed, pulling her shirt off as she went and undoing the clasp on her bra, dropping the shirt on the sheets and letting the bra fall from her chest to land with it. Picking her bikini top up she looked over her shoulder, wondering where her boyfriend had disappeared to.

[jason andrew irving]

He laughed as she said his self-injury was rubbing off on her. It was something he was infamous for. When he had been little, his parents basically lived at the hospital between him running into walls or tripping over himself and landing on something sharp and their jobs. He couldn’t even remember how many times he had gotten stitches, usually because he was doing something silly and it ended badly. His hands, his forehead, even his foot. Somehow he had injured them all just by being himself. One of the stories his parents had always told him as he got older made him laugh; he assumed it had something to do with the way he was now. Apparently when he was taking his first steps, he had actually gone fairly far but when he fell, he didn’t fall backwards like most babies did, he fell forward, cracking his head open on the corner of one of their lower tables. The first of many accidental self-inflicted injuries.

He shrugged when she said he didn’t want to know what her magazine was, not arguing. He wasn’t going to push her if she didn’t want to. Flinching as he heard her skin sliding off of the counter, he scrunched his face. It wasn’t a fantastic sound. Sitting at the table, he watched her make her champion breakfast, grinning as he ate his own, his mind outside rather than with him. Swimming was something he loved to do in the summer, whether he was floating on a raft or actually swimming in the water. It was a great way to cool off and a great place to have fun. And the pool was in-ground and long enough and deep enough for both swimming and floating. Perfect for summer. Not to say he didn’t like the winter; he loved snowball fights and then coming inside and having a cup of hot chocolate, cuddling and watching a movie or going sledding. The end of the winter seemed to involve more of the sitting inside watching the snow fall rather than sledding, though. He would have rather been out, but he really didn’t mind the time with Anabel. If anything, it had made the two grow even closer.

A soft smile crossed his face as she sat down beside him. Raising his eyebrows as her foot ran over his, he smirked slightly and leaned over, running his lips along her cheek bone teasingly. He never had an issue letting his personality shine through, but he loved having her live in the same house where they weren’t limited to alone time, where they could flirt around and just be themselves. Done teasing her, at least for now, his lips kissed her cheek before he finished his cereal, a mischievous spark in his eyes now. Standing to toss his bowl in the sink, running the water through the bowl for a moment, he turned around to look at her, a surprised look on his face when she said he had been drooling on her. As she giggled, he stuck his tongue out at her, his face softening as she kissed his cheek. “You’re lucky I love you,” He said, teasingly, his dark eyes shining when she said she was kidding. And thanks to her, he now knew more Spanish than he had learned in three years of high school, his vocabulary now up to about ten words.

Feeling her finger on his shoulder, he spun around, nodding his head in response to her question. “Be up in a minute.” Turning around, he jogged into the kitchen and put the bowls in the dishwasher, a habit he had recently picked up. Even though he never put his dishes in right away, when he was leaving the kitchen, he’d put all of the dirty dishes in there instead of letting them sit in the sink. Heading up the stairs, he walked into their room, laughing as she looked over her shoulder for him, topless. Smiling, he walked behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her tightly. He knew she hated it when he whispered in her ear, but there was no point in talking in a normal tone when he was this close to her. Murmuring softly instead of actually whispering, he grinned. “Orrrr…the swim can wait.” His voice teased her and his lips touched the base of her neck. Laughing quietly as his lips left her skin, he spun her around so she was facing him and he pulled her towards their unmade bed. Laying down on his back, he pulled her small body on top of him, curious to what she’d say about this. She had been quite protective of him since his injury, but his ribs had been pinned back together a month ago, they only twinged every now and then anymore, not to say the painkillers didn't help. He kissed her lips gently, his hands resting in the arch of her back. After letting his lips linger on hers for a moment, he withdrew them, entwining his left hand with her right, grinning as he waited for her response. He was in a rare mood; he assumed she had brought it out when she started to tease him with her foot in the kitchen.

[ana isabel bailey]

Annie sighed as his arms tightened around her waist and she leaned back against him, falling perfectly into his grip, their bodies so perfectly molding together like puzzle pieces. Her lips parted just barely breathing his name. She's hadn't felt this on fire in ages. Color rose into her cheeks as she dropped her head back against him, hearing his mumbling words, careful not to whisper and dash the moment. Her pulse quickened and she stirred a bit as he kissed her neck. He laughed at the reponse he was getting, but she could scarecely help it. She'd refused him and herself too for so long. She yielded as he spun her. It was a rarity that he wanted her like this, so... ardently.

She moved with him, kneeling on the edge of the bed as he lay himself back, allowing his hands to show her where he wanted her. She settled herself just above his hips, one leg on either side of his torso. Slowly, almost hesitantly she leaned down and kissed his lips smoothly, her body lifting off his some. She sighed as he pulled his lips away and took her hand, even his smile didn't seem to ease her disappointment at her loss. When he didn't speak she spoke instead, still hesitant, still worried. "Jason, if," she swallowed, unsure how to word it without making him feel like less of a man, "Are you sure?" There, that seemed to sum it up. She'd be careful even if he said yes anyway, though she wasn't sure how strong she could make that guarantee. She was always a bit rough between the sheets, she couldn't help it.

Licking her pink lips she smiled with satisfaction at his answer. She kissed his mouth for a moment, the taste sweet, before sitting back on him and placing her hands at the hem of his t-shirt. It was time the Beatles found their way to the floor. She pressed her fingertips under it, the rest of her hands following as she moved her cool hands over his bare skin, the shirt catching on her wrists. Her fingers pressed into his firm skin, loving the feel of the slight bit of soft hair that tickled her fingers. Her stomach did not feel the same at all, and perhaps that was what made it so nice, how different it was. She took her time enjoying herself and trying to arouse him at the same time until it was as high as it could go without his assistance, and with his aid it was fast gone.

Her eyes gravitated to the scar without her meaning to. It was there, it was a part of him. How could she ignore it? She did not dislike it, she did not hate it. What she hated was the pain it had caused him, both physically and mentally. Hoping he wouldn't notice her eyes she dropped her face to his stomach, kissing the canyon of his skin that was his bellybutton and then kissing aroud it. She prayed she wouldn't hurt him as she stretched her body out along his. They were now skin to skin, just as things should be, her hands beneath her stomach the only thing breaking them apart. Jason didn't exactly have the most amazing stomach or chest by all appearances, but when she touched it she could feel the muscle beneath his skin. She slid them out and moved herself up to kiss him placing her hands in the silky dark waves of his hair, waiting for him to make the next move. It was like a game of chess, they would go back and forth until they could stand it no longer.

[jason andrew irving]

Hearing her sigh, he knew what she was thinking. She was afraid she would hurt him, that she would do more damage to him than what was already done. Starting out slowly, it seemed like she struggled with how she wanted her words to come out. He waited patiently as she finally managed to sum it up in three simple words. Smiling, he kissed her, a short, simple kiss before laying his head back down on the bed. “Yes.” The single word was gentle, sweet and it seemed to be enough for her, assuring her she wouldn’t break him in half, a small smile curving the corners of his lips at the thought of her causing him more harm than a speeding car had.

Her lips met his briefly before she sat up, a shiver running up his spine as he felt her fingertips at the bottom of his shirt. The way had she kissed him made his heart quicken; he didn’t it to end. His shirt caught on her hands as her cool fingers slowly slid up his body, pressing into his stomach and giving him the chills, his smile growing. She was taunting him without even know it as she moved her hands upwards. As his shirt caught between his back and the sheets, he adjusted his weight, lifting his upper body ever so slightly so the shirt could quickly find the floor. His dark eyes watched her, a thrilled glint shining in them. Her eyes fell away from his face and even as she tried to cover it up, kissing his stomach, he knew where they had rested, even if just for a moment. He hated the thin, light line that ran down nearly the entire lenth of his left side, right along his ribcage; it made him think about what had happened and he never wanted to do that. Now, there was nothing he could do about it. It was permanent, forever a reminder that accidents do happen; it’s not just something that’s heard on the news.

Her lips against his stomach taunted him, his eyes closed half way as she continued to arouse him, teasing him and his hands slid through her hair, gently holding on to the locks closest to her head. As she stopped and slid her body up his, he let his hands slide down her body, resting in her lower back once again. His ribs didn't protest the added weight on his body, though the drugs he had taken earlier might have had something to do with that. Whatever the reason was, he wasn't going to complain. Her hands pressed against his stomach, making their way up slowly as she kissed him. Shifting their bodies, he rolled so he was over top of her, careful to keep most of his weight off of her body while their skin still touched. Hating to pull his lips from hers, he did slowly, his fingers sliding from her hair, slowly running down her sides until they found the top of her shorts. Unbuttoning them slowly, his fingers slid between the material of both her underwear and her shorts and her warm skin, sliding them lazily down her legs and letting them fall to the floor.

A yearning look was in his eyes as he slid his body back along hers, his hands resting along the upper part of her inner thighs, slipping her legs around his waist, pushing against her gently. It was all he could do to stifle the groan that rose in his throat. His jeans were still on, though he knew they weren’t going to last long now; he wasn't going to be able to take much more of their game. His hands made their way back to her face, cupping it softly as he kissed her, not wanting to let her go. His fingers made their way back up to her blond strands and his lips slowly left hers, making their way along the side of her neck, first at her jaw before gradually sliding lower, down by her collarbone. A quiet, longing laugh came from him as he felt his craving for her growing, his lips slipping a bit lower again as his fingers rested on her bare sides where her body curved slightly inward.

[ana isabel bailey]

Annie shivered as his warm hands slid down the length of her bare back, finding a home at the base of it, just above the waistline of her shorts. She breathed in deeply, her fingers curling about the strands of his hair as she tensed a bit. She felt her lips curve in a smile of sorts as he rolled her off of him and picked his body up so he was above her, careful not to drop too much of his weight onto her small frame. His lips began to slip from hers almost with regret and her hands slid down his neck as he did until he pulled away. He slid down her, his hands following him, leaving a trail of goosebumps down her sides.

She watched him quite lazily as he undid the button on her shorts and then slid his hands beneath what was left of her clothes, pulling them away from her body with a hungry look in his eye. He moved back up her, now eye to eye as his hands brushed over the soft skin of her inner thighs, tempting her much worse than he knew. He pushed them apart and moved her legs around his waist, pressing himself against her with lust. Her head tipped back and she didn't stop the gasping desirous noise that left her. She hardly noticed his hands on her face and lips on her mouth for a moment, so long in a fog was she. His hands embedded in her curls, his kiss deep, and then his lips were gone from hers as fast as they'd appeared, going from her jaw, to her collarbone, and then lower, a laugh coated in want escaping him. "Jason," she breathed, knowing neither of them would last much longer...

*****FADE TO BLACK*****

A sigh left her lips as her head dropped back and her body subsided, a trickle of moisture sliding from her temple. She closed her eyes, savoring the feel for a moment longer as Jason rolled off of her. She moved, rolling so her cheek rested against his hot shoulder, her eyes traveling over his tanned skin and then closing. She was a lucky woman, that was all she had to say. Her head turned and her lips pressed against his shoulder once, her senses filling with the piquant scent of his sweat. "I love you," she murmured, so quietly that he could probably only tell by the shapes her lips formed. She adjusted her head a bit, looking down his side, the side with the scar. Slowly, hesitantly, she lifted a hand off her hip and touched the mark, drawing her fingertips down it, a bare whisper of a touch. She'd never touched it, she'd been too afraid, but she wasn't afraid now, not anymore. She knew Jason hated it, but she wanted him to know that it didn't bother her, that she accepted it, that it was ok. And maybe, just maybe that would help him in some small way. She moved her body down and kissed it once, staring at him with large blue eyes as she did. If she had words she would say them, but she didn't and they didn't seem necessary.

She moved back to where she'd been before, this time a little further in so her chin was on his chest. Her chin wouldn't hurt him if a hundred pounds of her hadn't. She stared at him for the longest time, what felt like ages. She was thinking, quite deeply as a matter of fact, that raging rush of hormones, once it had passed, always seemed to launch her into thought. Often that wasn't a good thing, now maybe it wasn't either. The things she was thinking, well, they could scare Jason and potentially hurt her. She turned her head, dropping it so she wasn't facing him anymore, her fingers tracing shapes through the hair of his chest. "Do you want to marry me someday, Jason," she asked, seemingly out of the blue. She needed some reassurance that she wasn't just a toy he would abandon when he bored of her. Jason was real and he was different than any man she'd ever dated. That's why she loved him and was willing to give her all to him, and the question was on her mind stronger than ever.

[jason andrew irving]

Kissing her lips once more, the kiss shorter than it had been previously, his body slid from hers, almost regretfully. Lying on his back, his chest heaved in and out, his skin covered in a layer of sweat. There was a smile on his face and his eyes held an adoring look, his gaze resting on Annie as she rested her head against his warm, damp shoulder. Feeling her lips on his skin again, he rested his own lips against her head, kissing her in return. Her words barely made it to his ears and his happy smile grew. The feeling was mutual. “I love you, too.” He murmured quietly, slightly breathless. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt like this and he closed his eyes for a moment, soaking it in. Feeling her head shift, he opened his eyes again, following her gaze. He casted a dark look at the thin line that scarred his side. It brought back stressful memories, things he’d rather not remember. His expression changed, mildly surprised as she moved her hand from her hip, almost uneasily, and traced the mark down his body. If he hadn’t watched her do it, he might have wondered if he was really feeling her fingertips drifting down his side; her touch was light, gentle. As she moved her body slightly, he tightened his arm around her slightly, not quite ready to let her go yet, until he realized she wasn’t going anywhere. Her lips touched the mark and a small smile crossed his face again, his dark eyes meeting her beautiful blue ones, understanding what she was saying without words.

As she moved back to where her body had been before, he kissed the top of her head. As his lips left her, his fingers ran through her strands, perfectly content to just lay beside her, their warm bodies against one another. He watched her as he played with her hair, wondering what thoughts that ran through her mind, if she felt the same way he did. He wasn’t the kind of guy who slept with a different girl every other weekend, before her, he had only been with one other and it hadn’t been a regular occurrence. To him, even if it seemed old fashioned, it went hand in hand with the word love. Lost in thought, he watched her shift her face away from him, her fingers tickling his chest. Her question surprised him, but he didn’t hesitate to answer, not in the slightest. “I do,” he said, laughing when he realized how cheesy that sounded. "No wedding puns intended." He wasn’t going to throw her away, he wasn’t planning on ever tiring of her. He shifted his body out from under her head gently, rolling so he was facing her and wrapped his arms around her small frame, smiling as he held her close. He had never discussed marriage before, not with anyone.

Kissing her hair yet again, he smiled, now realizing what the magazine she had been looking at that morning was and why they looked so familiar. They were wedding gowns. “If you want, we can go get rings today.” He had no idea what she’d say to that, but in a way he kind of liked the idea. The only concern he had was even though her birthday was only a few months away, she was still only nineteen. Even though he would love to spend the rest of his life with her, she still had time to change her mind, to regret the decision. Laughing, he added something more onto his previous sentence. “Or go browse, at the least. But I’d need a shower first. And only if you want.” His breathing and heart beat had slowed, returning to normal, but his skin was still hot, damp. He didn’t fancy the idea of going shopping like this. Besides, Anabel hated it when his hair was sweaty; it tended to go in all directions, driving her nuts.

His mind had wandered to the mall, thinking through what places actually had engagement rings in case she decided to take him up on his idea. It wasn’t something he expected her to jump on, but he sort of hoped she did. He’d be lying if he said he hadn’t looked at rings before. It was kind of like Annie looking at the wedding dresses; more out of fun than seriousness but he was glad he did. Besides, he had bought a new car, he wouldn’t mind taking it out for a spin. And Anabel would probably be relieved to see him driving. He hadn’t been avoiding it, just very cautious in his driving, avoiding the intersection where he had been hit as well as the general area where the hospital was. If they did go, the intersection by Murphy’s was on the way; he could go that way. With her it’d be fine, right? As long as he heard no sirens, he should be fine. The high pitched noise made him incredibly jumpy anymore. His fingers lifted her chin slightly and he kissed her again, his eyes looking into hers. “I love you. And I do want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

[ana isabel bailey]

A yawn rose in Anabel's throat almost as soon as the question was out, and try as she did to stifle it, it wouldn't be stopped. He'd worn her out. As soon as it passed it dawned on her what he'd said and a bit delayed, she turned her head back up to face him, "Really," she asked, almost in surprise. Why she hadn't been expecting an affirmative response was beyond her, but she hadn't. She smiled at his laugh, whether it was at her or himself she didn't know, but she loved the sound of it. She leaned her head closer to his chest, staring up at him with an adoring look. As cheesy as it was she thought of him as nearly perfect, at least for her. He was sensitive and gentle and didn't take everything too seriously. He was what she needed.

He shifted himself onto his side and she moved her head off of him, already lying on her side. His arms closed around her, holding her near to him and Annie loved the feel. He had the best arms in the world, strong but not painfully so. She moved her face so close that with barely any movement at all their lips would be touching, even though she had no intentions of kissing him. He moved his lips to the blond curls of hair, seemingly thoughtful. His idea surprised her and her eyes widened. They turned away, looking up toward the ceiling for a moment. She wasn't exactly looking to drive to Vegas tomorrow, she hoped that wasn't what he was thinking. She wanted a real wedding, not some shotgun rushed marriage. Of course she did want to marry Jason, but she'd prefer a slightly long engagement of at least several months. It would take her at least that long to plan the wedding she wanted. If he would let her she wanted a traditional Spanish wedding, but she wasn't sure how he'd feel about that.

He brought her back from her thoughts and she smirked slightly when he said he'd need a shower. "What," she teased him, "You don't want the whole world to know we just had sex," she said with a laugh, running a hand through his messy hair from the temple back. It had been mostly her own doing that it should be so disheveled. She took a deep breath in and let it out, "But yeah we can," she said in answer to his suggestion. He seemed so excited, how could she tell him no? And anyway, she didn't see the harm in looking at bands for him. She didn't even know if he would prefer the traditional gold or more modern platinum. She thought for a moment, her lips pursing, "On two conditions though," she stipulated, eying him, "I don't want to see which one you pick and I want a real proposal. Not that this isn't good, but, well, you know," she said with a little giggle. Surely he would have expected at least the last part. She was a very girlie sort and not getting an actual proposal would just kind of suck. The first bit was simply because she thought it was lame that girls basically picked their own rings. It was supposed to be a gift, that was the point. As long as Jason's choices weren't hiddeous she'd let him have his pick, and she doubted he'd pick anything too ugly. He had good enough taste. When he got ready to make his final pick, if he did in fact find the one he wanted today, she'd just drift off to look at dresses or something.

She let herself daydream for a moment. She was really thinking more along the lines of what she wanted. She wasn't one of those girls that was going to beat Jason into submission and letting her do everything she wanted, as tempting as the idea did sound, but there were certain things she didn't really want to budge on. Things like a spring wedding, mainly so she could use the traditional orange blossoms. Honestly she really wanted to wear a black gown like her mother and grandmother and centuries of Spanish women had done, but she was worried Jason wouldn't like that. If he was really so opposed she would sacrifice that want and some of the other customs he might balk at, like a Catholic wedding. They'd just have to take it as they went.

He distracted her musings by placing a couple fingers beneath her chin and gave her a sweet kiss, unlike the desirous ones they'd shared minutes before. Her lips curved into a happy smile at his words. "Yo también, mi esposo futuro," she told him softly in Spanish, kissing him and then translating, "Me too, my future husband." Even though he couldn't understand her Spanish, and sometimes that was a good thing, she still loved to speak it to him anyway. It was such a beautiful, romantic language, it seemed appropriate. She was still hoping she could convince him to learn it, but she didn't know if he ever would.

listening to | rick springfield

[jason andrew irving]

Her teasing words made him laugh as her fingers brushed through his hair, not for the first time that morning. She didn't know it, but her fingers were beginning to arouse him again, just a bit. His lips brushed against hers again, unable to help himself as she teased him again. Sighing, he broke away, resting his forehead against hers. “I don’t care what the rest of the world knows, but I know my soon-to-be fiancé doesn’t like my hair flying every which way. And I'm really sweaty.” He said delicately, laughing, teasing her just the same. His dark eyes studied her pretty blue ones and he shifted his body, pulling her against him even more than she already was.

His body was still hot, at least to him. A quick, cool shower would feel nice, even if they weren’t going anywhere. Not that he was in any hurry to get up; Anabel laying beside him was the best feeling in the world, even if sex wasn't part of the picture. Bringing up ring shopping, he grinned as she agreed. “We don’t have to actually get anything today. It’s not like we’re going to fly to Cancun in an hour.” Girls seemed to want to have their weddings picture perfect and after realizing what the magazine was, he knew she’d want to do some planning, not just jump into it. Not that he’d want to do that anyways. She still had to meet his parents. Raising his eyebrows, he listened as she said she had some conditions for their marriage. Nodding his head, he grinned. “Deal, but you have to hear my conditions, well, condition too. After you’re officially my fiancé, you, well we, have to fly out to New York so you can meet my family.” He wasn’t going to invite his parents to their son’s wedding when they hadn’t even met his girlfriend. He knew they’d love her and besides, he wanted to see the looks on their faces when he introduced her as his fiancé.

She seemed lost in thought and his mind started to wander slightly, too. He had considered adding on another stipulation, waiting until she was twenty until they got married. It seemed kind of foolish because, to him, age didn’t matter, but nineteen just seemed too young. He decided against it, though, assuming it would take that long to plan the wedding, anyways. That would be mostly up to her; there wasn’t much he wanted as long as she was happy. Of course, there were a few things he was against. Flying out next week to get married being one of them. Besides, he had to come up with a way to surprise her when he proposed since she was expecting it now.

Her Spanish words made him curious, even though he knew she’d translate in a moment. He wished he had paid more attention to that class in high school. It was a pretty language, but it wasn’t something he ever had the patience to learn. A large smile crossed his face as she repeated herself in English this time. He had always wanted to get married, to have a family of his own. It was hard to believe that wasn’t that far off in the future. Knowing if he didn't get up soon, he'd just want to lay in bed all day - more than he already did. Holding her close, hugging her for a moment, he kissed her, letting his lips linger on hers, not wanting to let her go. Finally, his lips slid from hers slowly and he unwrapped his arms from her body, rolling to face the opposite way so he could get out of their tangled mess of sheets. Sitting up, he was glad she couldn’t see his face as his ribs protested the movement. They were aching, not terribly, but more than usual now that he wasn’t lying down. Standing slowly, he turned to her, grinning and offering her his hand. “Shower time, then?” His body wasn’t going to slow him down; for all he knew, this could be his new normal; his bones might ache for the rest of his life.

Heading to the bathroom, smiling to himself, he thought about the way the day had started off. It wasn’t something he had planned, something had just clicked, putting him in his rare mood. And yes, it had been fantastic even though he was now exhausted; it was a good exhausted feel. Turning the water on for the second time that day, he set it at a much cooler temperature than it had been previously. Stepping in, he rocked his head back, letting the cool water wash both his sweat and her sweat from his body. He glanced toward the bathroom door, assuming Annie would be in to join him in a moment.

[ana isabel bailey]

A bubble of laughter escaped Anabel as he tugged her against him, tired clearly, but certainly not sick of her as she felt a slight stirring against her leg. A mischievous smile on her lips, she caught his lower lip between her own, not really intending to go anywhere with it because though they were young she didn't want to press Jason. Fact was it would be a while until he was as strong as a normal twenty-two year old man. She knew he still ached, she was around him all the time, but she also knew how it damaged his pride for her to ask him about it so it went unmentioned. The most he'd gotten from her since that tough week after the accident and the surgery was a worried glance, and even those were sparing as she'd learned to check them.

Running a hand over his neck her voice came out silky, "Oh, but I like it when it was my fault to begin with." Her lips caressed his briefly once again, knowing she needed to stop if they were ever getting out of this bed. So she pulled back and stopped her flirting, bringing them back to the topic of going shopping. She nodded her head slightly when he said there was no rush, which calmed her some. She giggled at the Cancun remark, "I'll take Cancun; I was just worried about Vegas," she commented with a smile. She'd neglected to remember in her concern about being hauled to Sin City that Jason was classier than that. If they were to elope they'd be going somewhere nicer than Nevada.

She nodded when he said she had to meet his parents. She could handle that and after all she'd never been to New York. It could be fun. Maybe she could convince him to spend a couple nights in the city so she could see the Statue of Liberty and all the other famous sites. "Of course. As long as they're not like you," she kidded with a smirk. Really though she was sure they'd be nice people, probably better than her own family. It would be a welcome thing if they embraced her as their own; having a "normal" family, even if they were her in-laws, would be nice. They talked a few minutes longer and then he squeezed her, kissed her lips, and rolled away.

She missed his pain and only saw the grin and the extended hand. She took it as he helped her off the bed and they headed toward the bathroom. The phone rang and she looked over, seeing the caller id flash up her mother's name. She looked up at him and nodded, "Go ahead, I'll be in in a second," she said, letting him kiss her cheek before she wandered over to the bed, picking the phone up out of its cradle. She wrapped the sheet around her and sat on the edge of the bed, her legs Indian style. "Diga, mama," she spoke into the phone, watching her boyfriend disappear behind the door.

Her conversation was not long and she was saying goodbye just as she heard the water turn on. She crawled off the bed and set the phone back where it belonged before heading for the bathroom. Already naked she moved straight to the shower, pushing back the door and stepping in with him. There was no point in wasting water by taking separate showers when they didn't need to. Moving to share the rain of cool water that was indeed quite refreshing she looked at him. "So," she said quietly, "My mom wants to have lunch and insists I bring you along." She paused, her lips together anxiously, not entirely sure what he'd think of this. They could still go shopping, but their trip might be a little short. "Is that ok," she asked, wanting to make sure he was fine with the plans she'd made. Jason had actually never met her mother as Annie wasn't the sort to force every boyfriend into meeting her parents, though clearly Jason wasn't just another boyfriend. She waited on his answer, her back against the wet tiles of the shower.

[jason andrew irving]

A very quiet groan slipped from him as her hand caressed his neck, her voice taunting him again before she kissed him. Sighing as she pulled her lips away from his, he pouted for a moment, knowing they needed to stop before they ended up spending the day in the bed, especially if they wanted to go shopping that day. Not that they had to get anything, but he could get an idea of what she liked ring-wise; he thought he could read her expressions fairly well. Her giggle made him smile and he laughed at her remark. “Cancun for the honeymoon, then,” he joked. No, he’d want to go some place nicer. The Bahamas, Hawaii, maybe even overseas. Some place warm and beautiful. A place that looked nothing like Utah. Of course, if she was opposed to something like that, he’d see if they could compromise.

A fake-insulted look crossed his face when she teased him again. Sticking his tongue out at her, he laughed. “Well, my parents are surgeons. You know as well as I do if I did that I’d end up slicing my hand open.” That was one reason a surgeon was out of the question of a career for him. There was that and he wasn’t sure if he could handle it. The site of his own blood didn’t faze him since he had seen it basically since he was born. He was afraid of getting surgery, he didn’t want to give it. “And Dylan can walk on his own two feet without causing himself harm.” Dylan was eight now and much, much more coordinated than his twenty-two year old brother. Laughing again as his thoughts turned to New York. There was so much to do there. And his horse was still there, though she was Dylan’s horse now. His eyes light up at the thought. “You can see my horse! I can go riding again.” He was balanced better on horseback than he was on his feet.

Anabel seemed slightly nervous as she stepped in, her words quiet. Grinning, he kissed her lips, feeling how tight they were. His rested his hands against her upper arms as he looked into her eyes, his wet hair plastered against his head. “Don’t look so worried, I don’t mind. If we’re getting married, she might want to know who I am,” he said, a quirky tone in his voice. “And we might want to hurry up if we’re going to go shopping. Or looking. Either way.” The sweat had been rinsed from his body and he wasn’t hot anymore. Grabbing one of the wash cloths, he quickly washed his body off, laughing as he bumped into Annie a few times in his haste, washing his dark curls quickly before stepping out of the shower, drying off and rubbing the towel through his hair. After tossing the towel on the towel rack and brushing his hair, he went into their room, pulling on the clothes he had been wearing before Annie tossed them on the floor, adding a white blazer over his t-shirt.

Taking one last look at their tangled mess of sheets, he chuckled, heading down the stairs before Annie did, wincing slightly as he moved a little too quickly after their, uh, morning. Glad she was still upstairs, he grabbed another one of his pills from the painkillers his doctor had given him after the surgery. Sighing, he opened the door to the garage, flopping down on the step and pulled on his converse. He had managed to find teal ones that matched this Beatles shirt perfectly. Hearing Anabel behind him, he stood up and grinned. "Do I look presentable? Not like 'Hey mom! Oh, I forgot to tell you, I just had sex with your daughter,'" he teased her, laughing, imagining how well that would go over.

“Oh, and I’m driving.” He said, grabbing the keys to his new Mercedes and opening the garage door, holding open the passenger’s door for her. His dark eyes shone happily as he climbed in the new car, wrinkling his nose slightly. He was one of the few people who wasn't too crazy about the whole new car smell. It’s not like he bought a new car all the time, though; he actually missed his BMW. He had seen it after getting out of the hospital and it had been quite a depressing sight. He had also seen where it had been smashed into and, well, he was half surprised he had only broken his ribs. The sight of it had given him chills, especially when he saw the blood inside; his blood. He had no idea how they had got him out of the car. The Mercedes he bought was a brand new, expensive model, not that he had picked it because of it’s price tag, and like his BMW, it was a silver convertible. He had been looking at another BMW, the same model as his old one only newer, but it made him slightly depressed so he went with something totally different.

Pulling his iPod out, he handed it to Annie so she could pick a song, his eyes on the road and his hands a little tenser than they use to be as they gripped the steering wheel. He had been avoiding the intersection by Murphy’s, but it was the quick way to go to the mall. He told himself repeatedly on the way there he was going to be fine, though his heart beat steadily picked up as he got closer and closer to the intersection. For the first time in over a month, he headed down the road that led to that intersection, heading in the same direction he had been when he had been hit. Stopping at the same stop sign, his eyes glanced nervously to the right, past Annie, putting off looking to the left, to where those headlights had been coming at him. Even in the bright sunlight, looking to the left gave him the chills as he saw the stop sign the other car had ran, plowing directly into him. As his eyes glanced at the road to the left, the scene in front of him shifted quickly. It was no longer sunny; it was cool, dark and late. His flashback took him back to the wreck, the sight of the two bright headlights an inch from his car, the sound of breaking glass and the searing pain in his forehead as he hit it against the car frame.

That was when he was brought back to the present, his breathing sharp, quick, sweat covering his forehead and his knuckles white from the death grip he had on the steering wheel. His eyes were wide, terrified, as he looked over to Annie, unable to say anything. The whole thing had taken maybe two seconds to take him back to that night, but he could still hear the echoing sound of breaking glass in his head. Pulling through the intersection slowly, he pulled into Murphy’s parking lot and put the car in park, his left hand subconsciously rubbing his forehead where he had hit it during the crash, a small scar there from the few stitches it had required. Shaking slightly, he looked over at Annie, his voice strained. “W-well that was interesting.” A small smile crossed his face as he took a few deep breaths, his shaking slowly calming down. "I guess that road's off limits," he grinned, slightly strained, as he reached down to put the car in drive, his body trembled slightly, watching Annie from the corner of his eye, unsure how she'd take his mental breakdown.

wearing; this
car; here

[ana isabel bailey]

Annie's blond head nodded at him, not sure he knew quite what he was in for. Goodness knew what her story-telling mother would pull out of her hat about Anabel. There were plenty of stories to tell about her past. Not that she was hiding anything exactly; Jason knew she'd been a bit, promiscuous. It was not a secret and even if she hadn't told him he would have figured it out anyway. Not to mention how nosy her mother was. She didn't have the same boundaries with people most did. It could be interesting. She shrugged slightly, "Yes, I suppose you have a point." She nodded again when he said they needed to hurry, turning for her shampoo. Her hair always came first, especially when it looked like it did. As trendy as sex hair was Anabel refused to wear it out like this.

It took her a bit longer to get herself clean and by the time she got out Jason had disappeared. Sniffing she wrapped one of the soft towels around herself, tucking a part of the top in against her body and heading for the closet. The clothes she had put on earlier were not suitable for going out, and so she snatched a pair of skinny jeans and a tank top. She wandered out to the room where she did find Jason pulling his shirt on, wearing the same clothes as before. She gave him a smile, dropping her clothing on the bed and moving to her drawer for a bra and underwear that she tossed to the bed as well before pushing the drawer in and following to dress herself.

She emerged fifteen minutes later, her hair dry and covering her mostly bare shoulders. She held a pair of satin pumps in one hand as she trotted down the stairs, finding her prince in the doorway to the garage. She stood a bit behind him, balanced on one leg as she pulled the first of the pumps on. "Ready," she asked, switching feet and exhibiting considerably more balance as she put on the next shoe. Annie was always wearing heels considering her short stature. They made her feel at least of normal height and made her look a little less like a dwarf next to her tall boyfriend. As she pressed the second heel onto her foot and set it down he asked if he looked ok and then joked about how the introduction could go. She smiled, "Don't do that unless you want to tell her the details. Believe me," she said with a giggle, a bright smile lighting up her face. If he thought she was kidding he was sadly mistaken.

She clicked down the two little steps into the garage and over to the car, running purple nail polish painted fingers along its shiny hood. It was a relief to be climbing into the passenger seat for a change. Settling into the cool leather of the seat and leaning back she eyed Jason, a tiny smile on her lips. It was even better to actually see him behind the wheel. She took the iPod from his hand and scrolled through it, a click noise transferring to the speakers as she ran her finger over the dial until she reached the Journey songs, selecting "Faithfully". It was one of those sweet guilty pleasures that she was fond of. She set the iPod in the cup holder and crossed her legs, looking out the car window.

She could sense his tension as they got into the city. She could tell by the way he was headed he was planning to go through that intersection. Gazing out of the corner of her eye at his hands on the wheel she could see the tense grip he had on the wheel, the pressure his arms were pressing into the steering wheel. Annie nibbled her lip as they got closer, nearly as nervous as Jason for completely different reasons. He pressed the break stopping before the stop sign. Clearly no one was there. He should be able to hit the gas and keep going but he checked right around the building and then left. It was a terrifying thing to watch the change on his face as his eyes widened, his knuckles turned white, and he lost control of his breathing. She watched him feeling helpless, unsure what to do, if there was anything she could do. His eyes turned to her, fearful, but there was nothing she could do for him. This was one thing he would have to deal with himself. His foot moved to the gas, pressing it at a crawl through the intersection and then pulling into the pub's parking lot. It was empty except for a couple cars that probably belonged to employees preparing for the lunch shift.

Hesitantly she reached a hand across to him, setting it on his upper arm, her eyes a mixture of confusion and worry and maybe some fear as well. Her voice nearly matched his in volume as she nodded to his words. "Yeah," she agreed, rolling her lips in so they were pressed together, the clear sign she was concerned. Her fingers scratching his arm through the shirt in a sign of affection, she looked to the keys dangling in the ignition. "Do you want me to drive," she asked, knowing it needed to be said. He wouldn't ask, she knew he wouldn't, and so she offered. It was terrifying to watch this and she wondered if he would ever get over this or if it would hinder him for the rest of his life.

wearing, here

[jason andrew irving]

His face lit up as he laughed, assuming she was joking as she said her mom would ask for the details of their morning in bed. Turning away from her and walking to the car, he muttered under his breath, a smirk across his face. “I enjoyed it.” He was almost certain if she heard anything, she wouldn’t be able to make out the words, at least he hoped not. He chuckled as he heard the clicking of her heels echoing through their garage and he held the door open for her. She might not like her height, but he did. Shutting the door behind her and getting in the driver's side, he glanced at her as he started the car. The small smile on her face told him that she was glad to see him actually driving. It wasn’t the first time he had drove his new car since the wreck, just the first time he was going farther than to the University and back. And the first time going near the intersection. Grinning to reassure her, he chuckled at her song choice. It was one that he was quite fond of.

Singing along with his favorite lines of the song, he glanced over at her for a moment, still far enough from the pub for him to be comfortable. Oh girl, you stand by me, I’m forever yours, faithfully. A few lines later, he started to tense up, the lyrics no longer flowing from his lips. Before the song was over, his face was set in a determined, nervous way. Starting to chew on his bottom lip, he could feel Annie's eyes on him even though she hadn't turned her head. A few minutes later, he had panicked as he saw the accident again in his mind, everything as though it had just happened.

Sitting in the pub’s parking lot shaking, he felt so helpless, weak. It should have been easy for him to pull straight through the intersection, there had been nobody around, no cars in sight. Or maybe that was what made him nervous; there had been no cars in sight on that night until it was too late for him to do anything. His breathing was still rough and though he wasn’t shaking as bad as he had been, his body still trembled as he rubbed his forehead; he hated the weak feeling that spread through his body. He jumped when Annie set her arm down gently on his arm, his pulse quickening, unsure why it startled him when he had just been talking to her, attempting to lighten the mood. Feeling her fingers moving against his arm in a caring, sympathetic way, he sighed, his eyes dropping down, away from her. The way her lips were set, pushed together, it was obvious she was concerned. It took a minute for his brain to register what she said and he shrugged, knowing it was smarter than letting him drive like this. A short moment later, he took a deep breath, his eyes meeting hers and he nodded his head. “Yeah. T-that’d probably be better, he muttered, taking off his seatbelt and getting out of the car, irritated with himself. If he had driven as shaky and jumpy as he was, they could have been in another accident. It was a better idea to let her drive until he calmed down. Going to open her door, she beat him to it, and he slid into the passenger’s seat, feeling ashamed of himself, pulling the door shut behind him. His eyes were glazed over as they dropped down, focused on his teal converse.

His thoughts were overtaking him and his glassy eyes closed as he rested his head against the seat behind him, tense as he felt Anabel put the car in drive, pulling out of the parking lot. Negative thoughts chased each other around in his mind, hurting him. He couldn’t do something as simple as drive through an intersection without having a nervous breakdown; what if Annie didn’t like that? Would he ever be able to go through that intersection or would he always panic? What was wrong with him? Was it his mental state? What if Anabel thought there was something seriously wrong with him? Would she take him back to the hospital so they could look him over? If it happened again, would she have him put in to a mental hospital? Therapy? Neither one of those sounded fantastic. Yes, it had been a bad accident, but why did it affect him so badly a month later? He bit his lip, fighting back tears as a gruesome thought crossed his mind. If he had sat in his car, undiscovered, for a little while longer, he would be dead. Would death be better than this? He shook his head, wondering where such a thought came from. If he was dead, he would have hurt way, way too many people. They were already hurt enough seeing him suffer. His head turned towards the window, away from Anabel, his eyes still closed so she wouldn’t see the few tears overflow from his eyes and make their way down his cheeks at the one thought that kept appearing in his mind. Will she still want to marry me if I'm a neurotic basket case?

After a few minutes of sitting in silence, his iPod playing through a few random songs, he took a deep breath, his hand brushing against his face, wiping away the tears he hoped Annie hadn’t seen. Knowing they were far enough away from the pub, he turned to look at her, his gaze resting on her face for a moment before dropping away to his hands. "T-tell me the truth," even though he was fighting it, his voice trembled, holding the tears and the nerves he felt, not sure he wanted to hear the answer to his question. "Are, uh, are we… D-do you still want me to...to meet your mom?” There was a hidden question within what he asked and he was sure she’d pick it up. I’m obviously not okay. Do you still want to be with me? He prayed she'd say yes; he needed to be reassured that she'd still be there for him, especially when he needed her the most.

wearing; this
car; here