The Dying Light

4

I opened the oven's door for the third time in ten minutes to check if the homemade pizza had decided to cook. Obviously, it hadn't. I sighed, closed the door of the oven and went back to the couch with two beers in hand. I offered one to Anna, which she gladly accepted.

"So that was it, then? You only exchanged  few words?" She asked as she opened the can.

I shrugged. "Yeah, she told me to take care of myself and that was it really" Anna hummed.

"I'm sure you will come across her some time. Newcastle is not as big as London after all" She offered me a sympathetic smile.

"Yeah well. I'm not sure I want to see her again" I confessed. Anna furrowed her eyebrows. 

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"It's done, isn't it? So I guess it's better to let her build a new life and that is it" I said. Anna smiled softly.

"Your're a really good man, Sam" She then lifted her legs so her feet where in my lap while we turn to look at the game that was on the TV. I hadn't said a word but I was so glad that my new friend was a big fan of football as I was, and that we created this tradition of getting together to see every Newcastle game together.

After a pizza, and arguing which movie we were going to see, I grabbed a blanket and covered us with it. Anna's head was resting on my shoulder as I ran my hands through her hair without really paying much attention to my actions.

"Sam" She said after a while. I simply hummed as a response, actually invested in the romantic comedy she had chosen. "Can I ask you one thing?" She sat down correctly so she could look at me.

"Yeah, yeah, go ahead" I smiled so she could warm up on whatever was troubling her.

"It's my nan's birthday this weekend" She said. "And she's an old woman, she doesn't really know that I called things off with Oliver and that so" Anna stopped to take a deep breath. "I was wondering if you wanted to go with me to celebrate her birthday as my plus one" She said, starting to blush. 

I lifted my eyebrows, actually suprised at the proposal. I mean, I was not going to complain at all. Anne was a really good-looking friend who would definitely be my type if it wasn't for the fact that we were just friends. In addition to all that, she had this extrovert personality who motivated everyone around her and inspired me to be the old Sam again. I would be lying if I said that I had never thought of what kissing her would feel like, but hey, just friends.

"I mean, I get it if you don't want to do it. God, why did I even think this was a good idea-"

"Hey" I interrupted her, leaning closer to her to hold both of her hands. "I'm up for this, I'll do it"

Anna's face shifted to show complete shock. "Really?" She asked.

"Yeah, I love elderly people and your nan seems quite nice from what you've told me of her" Anna smiled widely and threw her arms around me for a hug.

"You're the best, Sammy" I smiled at her response.

"I'll need you to fill me in with information tho. I don't want to go there looking like a lost puppy" I said.

"She lives just across the Scottish border, so it's right here. Still, if you were up to staying the entire weekend, it would be nice as we wouldn't have to hear her begging us to stay there for a couple more days" I nodded slowly. "My family is going to be there, you know, just my parents and my brother Ian" I nodded again, the reality of the situation actually causing certain nervous butterflies to arise in my stomach.

"Right, so going there for the weekend. Being nice to your nan, parents and brother" I repeated.

"That would be it, yeah" She said. 

"Alright, seems easy. I'm all charm, me" Anna chuckled.

"Just be yourself, yeah? No one knew anything about Oliver so you can be your usual dorky self and they will be in love with you" Anna said.

"And are you?" I said. Anna furrowed her eyebrows so I kept on talking for clarification. "In love with me I mean" I joked. 

"Oh, shut up Samuel" Anna blushed as she used her feet to tickle my side.

When the movie was over I asked Anna to stay the night as it was pretty late, which she gladly accepted.

"I'm afraid I only have one bed since I hadn't really needed an extra bedroom" I said as I got the toothpaste on the brush.

"We can share" Anna said as she brushed her hair. "If you don't mind" I shook my head as a sign of being okay with sharing the bed. I walked to my bedroom, leaving Anna some privacy to use the bathroom with the toothbrush on my mouth.

I grabbed one of my old Adidas shirts and a pyjama bottoms that were too small to fit me right now and walked to the bathroom again. I knocked on the door.

"Got you some clothes" I said as clear as I could since my mouth was full of toothpaste. The door slightly opened and she took her pyjama.

Once we were both settled in the bed, I turned to look at her. Seeing her with the faint light of the mood made my heart fluttered as I thought that I wouldn't mind going to sleep with this vision every single night.

"Sam, you're staring" Anne said.

"Sorry, you got a funny face" I said as a joke.

Deep inside me, I knew that spending a weekend with her and her family pretending to be a couple would bring consequences to our friendship status. Not that I minded, at all, but I was unsure if I was ready to go for it since part of me still wished that Emily would come knock on my door and begged me to come back together. Not that she would actually have to beg since I was still madly in love with her. But, perhaps, giving Anna a chance was just what I needed.