Demeanour | | Joseph Quinn

Chapter 10

Annalise shot up in bed, sweat covering every inch of her body. Her heart was beating at a pace she'd never thought she'd experienced before. Breathing even felt difficult and she found it hard to connect back to reality after such an intense dream. She had to remind herself where she was...and that she was alone.

You see – Joseph's confession, regardless of whether sincere or just him trying to help, had done exactly what it was intended to do. It had made Annalise feel desirable. So desirable, in fact, that she'd found herself waking in the night (multiple times a week) from dreams so raunchy she'd struggled to get back to sleep.

These dreams, of course, featured a certain curly-haired boy with warm, brown eyes.

Annalise kicked the duvet off her, groaned from frustration and flopped back onto her bed. Judging from the very slight light coming in from the window, she figured it was the early hours of the morning. It would be pointless trying to go back to sleep.

She crawled out of bed and decided to do something she hadn't done in a long time. She had to do something with all of her pent-up energy, so Annalise got changed and headed out for a run.

Okay, 'a run' might have been a bit of an exaggeration. After about ten minutes of lightly jogging, she was already out of breath and had slowed down to a walk. The sunrise was now in full effect. Golden tendrils of light broke out over the tops of historic cottages and buildings surrounding her. Birdsong filled the air and a light breeze cooled her heated skin. Annalise closed her eyes, took a deep breath and felt at peace.

That is until she heard Joseph's voice mixed with Daniel's laugh close by.

Annalise's eyes shot open. Just a few buildings down, she could see the two men stepping out of a cafe, about to turn her way and head back to the hotel. She quickly darted down a nearby alleyway, pressing her back up against the brick to try and blend in with the shadows. You might think this odd behaviour for Annalise, but it had actually become a regular occurrence. At least, ever since that dreaded night in the hallway with Joseph.

I've found you desirable since the moment I laid eyes on you back at Bellamy.

His words had echoed in her mind so much that she found it hard to be around him. The moment she would see his smiling face, her thoughts would float back to the lustful dreams that plagued her nightly. She couldn't look into his eyes without her face heating up. So, instead, she'd been avoiding him.

This was new territory for Annalise – feelings of lust without emotional connection.

'But maybe we do have an emotional connection,' she thought to herself. She shook her head, ridding her mind of the thought as quickly as it came. 'It's just because of what he said. It's just because of the impending intimacy between our characters. I doubt he actually even feels that. It's probably just some form of method acting or something.'

Both men walked past the entrance to the alleyway, missing her hidden form completely. Annalise could feel the heat rising up her spine and neck just from the mere sight of him.

'My mind and body are just playing tricks on me,' she rationalized to herself, her voice but a whisper. Annalise counted to thirty before tip-toeing back out to the street and ensuring Joe and Daniel were nowhere in sight. After grabbing a coffee, she made her way back to the hotel – constantly on high alert in case of another sighting – to get ready for the day.

After a steamy shower, she saw she had a new email alert on her phone.

To: Demeanour Cast & Crew