Hugs and Kisses | Armin x Annie

Chapter 18 - Father

Annie's Point of View

I was sitting comfortably at the couch in Pieck's office as she sat anxiously.

"I heard everything from Armin." I spun my pen in between my fingers as she avoided eye contact with me. "You were prideful when you did it with Bertholdt because you knew he got your back. But right now you have no one."

"Then fire me." She finally looked up to me with her "try me" face.

"That would be too easy. I won't deny how good you are with your job. Anyways, you'd see me and Armin all day now. Isn't it torture for your part? To see me happy? Hmm Pieck?"

"Indeed. Why do you even let me stay even for what I did to your past relationship?"

"Because it was mostly his fault. If he's faithful, then he is. No matter how many temptations go into a man's way, if he cheats, then he cheats. It's his choice and being drunk, being busy, being stressed is not a warranty to cheat."

I saw her gripping the cloth from her sofa. She had a look of despise on her face.

"I kept you in this company because of your ability. I'll fire you if you weren't consistent anymore. Which in our case, you still are. I'm not going to fire you just because you hurt me. I won't confuse my profession with my own personal feelings." I put down my pen and looked at her.

"I don't know why you despise me so much, but if it's about Porco, then It's none of my business." I saw how her face changed when I mentioned the name of her ex boyfriend.

"He chose you over me." she managed to speak up at last. "We were in a ten year relationship but when he got to know you, he left me!" Her tears started falling down as she intensely gazed at me.

"You rejected him and after that he was gone! I lost touch with him! I didn't even know what you did to make him fall for you like that but the hell do I care!" She stood up and began panting after she shouted.

"I didn't do anything, Pieck. Stop blaming me if he's the one who can't handle his own feelings. I did you a favor and rejected him immediately." I stood up as well and placed a hand on my pocket.

"So stop digging your own grave just to make my life miserable. You're still staying at this company until the day you decide to quit. And no, I'm not mad at you for what you did yesterday. I'm actually grateful. Thank you for strengthening my relationship with Armin. If you want to hear more of us, call Armin's phone again and I'd gladly give you more."

I left her and started walking to my office. I disliked her but I didn't hate her completely. There was a part of me that empathized with her when the man she imagined her life with, left her.

I opened the door to my office to see Armin sitting anxiously. He would always give me a smile when I came back but this time, it looked like he wasn't pleased for me to be there.

I realized why he acted like that when I turned my head to see who was the person sitting down on my office's couch comfortably while sipping tea from a cup.

What is he doing here.

Armin stood up as I walked over to that man's place.

"Anni--" Armin tried to stop me but he was too late. I had already grabbed the man in his collar and lifted him up as he dropped the cup he was holding.

"Why are you here?!"

"Is that how you treat your father?" He looked at me with his guilt-filled eyes.

"The moment you abandoned me, I no longer had a father." I tried to stop my tears from showing but I failed.

I-I missed him...But the pain he left when he abandoned me hurts like hell.

"Annie I'm sorry." He was about to touch me but I slapped his hands away.

"You left me 15 years ago! You had all that time to say sorry but why only now?! You were the only one I had left but why did you leave me? I received no explanation..."

Memories of the past hunted me. I remembered the time when I wasn't on the orphanage yet. I was starving, I slept in public places. No one was there for me.

"Annie I'm really sorry please--"

"NO! The only thing you want from me is my money! I'm so sure you came here right now for it as well! If that's what you want then here! Take it all! And don't ever come back to my life ever again!" I grabbed my purse and threw all the cash I had in his face before storming out.

I heard Armin shout my name but I'm not in the right mind right now.

Tears started falling down. My vision got blurry. I went outside the building and when I got inside the parking lot, I immediately went inside the car and started driving off.

I didn't know where I was going. I tried to remain calm since I was driving but the tears kept on falling.

"DON'T LEAVE ME PLEASE." I heard my dad shout.

"WE'RE OVER!" I heard my mom's loud footsteps. I tried to sneak up to them but all I saw was the scene where my dad was kneeling in front of my mom as she tried her best to get him off of her.

"THINK ABOUT ANNIE. OUR DAUGHTER. YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE ME FOR ANOTHER MAN. I WON'T CARE I FORGIVE YOU JUST PLEASE DON'T RUIN ANNIE'S FUTURE."

I reminisced the past. I remembered how much my dad tried to beg my mom to stay...for me.

"Daddy is mommy coming back?" dad held me in his arms as I didn't understand yet why he was sobbing.

"I-I don't know Annie...I don't know."

Why can't I just live peacefully? Why do I have to experience all this?

"Daddy? Where are you going?" I saw dad with a backpack and several other bags.

He just looked at me with hooded eyes before leaving.

I stopped driving and moved my car near the sidewalk. I bawled my eyes out at the past memories that happened.

"why...Why...WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE ALL THIS?!" I laid my head on the steering wheel as tears won't stop flooding my eyes.

Why did dad abandon me when all he had was me? Why did he leave me? Why did he only show up after fifteen years? Why? Why? Why? WHY?!

For now...I wanted to be alone.

I heard a sudden knock on my car. I looked up to see who it was. It was Ymir...What is she doing here?

I rolled down the car window and saw her panting.

"Let me in." she opened the car from inside and pushed me into the passenger's seat. I was so confused but she started driving immediately. I looked back at us and saw her car there.

"Ymir what are y--"

"ANNIE JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP AND DON'T SURPRISE US LIKE THAT." She continued driving as her eyes were on the road. She was taking me home.

"How did you even kn--"

"Armin called me through your phone that you left on your office! You passed by one of the shops we were in so I quickly followed you! Do you even know how worried we were?! Especially Armin! The poor man's voice was shaking as he called me through the phone!"

"I wanted to be alone..." I stared outside the window. But I couldn't focus on the scenery from outside. I just saw my reflection. My eyes were puffy and my nose was red.

"Don't even try driving while you're an emotional wreck! You could've died you bitch! Stop scaring me like this!" I smiled. Ymir was always there for me despite of the harsh words she say. She was the first person to support me on my business. She watched me grow.

We arrived home quickly. I got out of the car and I saw how Armin ran up to me and embraced me in his arms.

"Y-You scared me." He said softly as his head was buried on my shoulders.

"I'm sorry."