Handle With Care

28. Old Me.

HANDLE WITH CARE

28. Old Me.

ANNIE

It was done now.

She couldn't take it back, forget it, drink it away. They had sex in her kitchen, bedroom, shower and dining room. They had spent all day going at it, now nearly five o'clock with them finally stopping. Luke was in bed upstairs, the last time Annie saw he started to snore, which she didn't mind, she couldn't do anymore.

Annie managed to escape downstairs, eating everything she laid eyes on in the fridge as her dogs grew desperate for a walk. She felt bad for practically neglecting them all day, so she swiftly got changed and grabbed their leads. She was sure Luke would figure out she had left, if he even woke up, he seemed pretty spent.

She also needed some time to breathe. This wasn't good, but it also wasn't bad. Why shouldn't she be allowed to fall for one of her clients? It may seem wrong and unprofessional, but he's so... Luke. He's sweet and anxious, yet confident and boisterous at times. He was the perfect counter for Annie who was brave and outgoing, yet at time frightened and extremely work obsessed.

Nina messaged Annie hours ago yet she didn't get the chance to reply until now. They had planned to meet at the dog park to talk about all of it. Annie needed a friend that would listen and give true advice, exactly what Nina was like.

"You look... fucked," Nina laughed, stroking Happy and Bow before looking up to a tired and weak Annie. "Was it the black haired kid, uh, Alex? He seemed-"

"Alfie, and no, well, kind of, ugh," Annie groaned, stuffing her face in her hands as she wanted to simply crawl into a borrow and hibernate for a few years, until she was deeply forgotten. "I saw Luke this morning." She admitted, mumbling and hoping the truth didn't really have to spill.

"Oh shit," Nina laughed, clapping her hands at her friends misery. This was exactly what Nina wanted to happen, and as soon as Vegas occurred she knew it would. They were obsessed with each other, and if that meant just sleeping together for now then Nina would happily take it. She knew something stronger was going to stem form their relationship from their first week of sessions, since Annie never told her about clients. Yet she told her all about Luke.

She would never tell Annie how she had figured it out, it'd crush her pride, but Nina did feel accomplished.

"Oh Nina," she groaned, both of them plonking down on a park bench as the dogs ran around, "what do I do?" Nina could tell this was going to bard for her, ever since the last time Annie had been broken. Nina was actually quite surprised she even had a crush again, she thought that part of Annie's life had vanished with him, yet clearly not. To be honest, Nina thought she was going to be single for the rest of her life, too much pain endured for Annie to start all over again.

But with Luke, it was like they were starting over together, fresh and new. He felt loss too, how could she try and fix him when she won't even try fixing herself? Its not a crime that they need to heal together, that being alone tears the wound further.

Nina told Annie this. She put aside her outward desire of Annie just getting laid and revealed how deeply she wanted Annie to be happy again, truly. Luke wasn't a bad person, he was lost and abandoned in the worse way possible, they both were, all they needed was each other to find their feet again. Nina gave her the hard truth that she had to swallow; it's ok to rely on people sometimes.

Annie nodded along to her friends words, thinking that she would make a better therapist than herself. It occurred to Annie that being the one to help often leaves you helpless, and she was so thankful that Nina would defy that logic and support her through every step of life. Annie had always been independent, yet as soon as she met him she fell to her knees, then he was gone. Just like that. No warning, no anticipation, just gone.