wild and running || a.b. (series on hold)

Chapter 20

For the first time, I was up without feeling Andy's prescience beside me. Is he gone? My anxiety kicks in . I slowly lift my head off of the fluffy pillow and get out of bed. I'm still very exhausted, but I get up anyway, neededing to check on Marie. I stumble sleepily down the hall and quietly open her room door. She is still asleep, snoring softly.

I quickly go down the cold, metal steps to see Andy sitting in the couch writing, as usual. He looks at me, "Well, good afternoon." He says with a smile. "Afternoon?" I question. "You were asleep for 14 hours darling." He explains. "Fourteen?" I ask in disbelief. "Yes. It was very well deserved. I let you sleep it." "Wow. I've never slept that long before." I mutter and seat myself next to him on the couch. "Did Marie wake up?" I question. "Yes," he begins, "she asked for pain medication, so I gave her some. She went straight back to bed though." I nod in response. "How are you feeling?" Andy asks while setting his binder down and pulling me closer. "Tired." I giggle. "Hm." He hums in response. I snuggle up to him and his hand touches the bare skin on my thigh. I gasp at the contact, and Andy chuckles, "Someone is still in their underwear..." He says playfully while playing with the lacy hem of my red panties. I swat his hand away and bust in to a fit of nervous laughter.

Realizing how hungry I am, I wander over to the pantry and find a cinnamon oatmeal bar. "That's your lunch?" Andy questions in an amused tone. "Yeah, I guess so." I say while taking a bite of it. I hold down my shirt and quickly go up the stairs. "Ah, that's not fair." Andy calls from below and I let out another nervous laugh. I dig through Andy's closet and find a sweater that's smells very strongly of him, along with some of my usual cotton shorts. I walk into the bathroom, hearing a piano being played softly, and I pull up my hair into a messy bun. I brush my teeth and out on a light tinted moisturizer with some mascara, and follow the sound of the piano to the band room. I open the door slowly and close it softly. Andy is playing different notes on the piano and writing them down. "How's it going?" I ask him. "Good." He replies with a slight nod, still staying very focused on the sheet of paper in front of him.

I love the way his eyebrows furrow together, it shows he's deeply concentrated on whatever task he's currently working on, and the way his jaw sets so perfectly. I stand by the doorframe, staring at him admiringly. He eventually looks up at me, "Are you alright?" He asks me. "Fine." I reply with a loving smile. He stands up and walks over to me, holding out his long arms. "Come here, Ivory." He says and I lead myself into his open arms. He hugs me tightly and I do the same as he hums in satisfaction.

"I've never met someone like you in my life." He says while still hugging me so tightly I can barely breathe.

"What do you mean?" I ask curiously. "You just have such a positive view on other people. You admire them and see all of the good things about them, even when they may possibly make mistakes. You're so forgiving and you never get mad or hold grudges. I wish you would see the good in yourself instead of the other people who mostly don't deserve your loving nature. I wish you would see how beautiful you are." He responds and then releases me. I shift my weight to my toes and he leans down as I plant a soft kiss on his lips. He pulls me closer and continues the kiss. How cold lip ring sends shivers down my spine, and I place my hand on the back of his neck. He lifts me up, placing me on top of the miniature grand piano. His large hand trails down the shape of my hips, and he pulls away looking at the sweater I stole. "You look so damn cute in my clothes." He mutters while examining me. I blush at his comment as he smiles brightly at me.

At that moment, I heard a door open and close, Andy must have heard it too because he helped me off the piano and followed me out of the door. There stood Marie in the hallway. "How are you?" I as while embracing her small form. "Well, I'm still breathing." She replies in a monotone.

Yeah. That's always a good thing.

I stay silent, ignoring the comment, and change the subject, "Do you what something to eat?" "Crackers are fine." I quickly race down the steps and grab a small pack of peanut butter crackers and a water for her. When I return, she's talking to Andy softly, and he is listening attentively. I begin to wonder what they are discussing, but I brush it off and decide to ask Andy later. "Here." I hand her the food, "Thanks... I should probably get going now." She says quietly. "Are you sure you're alright?" I ask her. "Yeah." She says in an unsure tone and closes the door to her room, leaving Andy and I standing in the hall. "Alright..." I say quietly while looking at the ground. I sit against the hallway wall, and wait for her to get out while Andy stands beside me, and I play with the fur on his brown boots. "I've never seen you wear these before." I comment while looking at them. "They're new." He responds with a small laugh. "Oh." I say and he reaches down and glides two of his fingers across me cheek, causing me to smile.

Marie comes back out of her room wearing the clothes she arrived in. She hands me my clothes I let her borrow and she begins walking down the stairs without a word. I'm not surprised by this behavior because when this happened to me, the last thing I wanted to do was talk to other people. I silently followed her and she opened the door. "Bye, Ivory. Bye, Andy. Thanks for taking me in." I opened my mouth to speak, but Andy spoke quickly because she was shutting the door, "Call if you need." His voice booms just as the door shuts. I stand tense, staring at the door, wondering if I should go after her because I have no clue if she's going to be alright by herself or not.

"Marie..." I begin to sob as I hear Andy's footsteps rush toward me from behind. "No, no. Shh... She's going to be alright. Everything is okay. It's okay. Everything is okay. Everything is alright." He repeats while holding me in his arms. "I just want her to be okay." I cry. "She will be. She's a tough one." He says, causing me to remember how strong she actually is. I eventually pull myself together and agree with his statement, "You're right, Andy. She'll make it." I let out a deep breath and he kisses my forehead. "I'm sorry you have to watch her go through this." He says in a sincere tone. I shrug my shoulders and he grabs my hand, kissing the tips of my fingers. I smile and flush at his affection.

"I need to run to the store, and you're coming with me." Andy says while grabbing his wallet and keys off of the counter. "Alright. Let me go get my shoes." I giggle and slip on my black and white Nike running shoes. I decide to change into some athletic shorts instead of my cotton shorts. I meet Andy back downstairs, and we begin our journey. 

He drives up at Walmart, "No, no. Go to Target. Target is the best." I protest and he looks at me in an amused way. "Alright. Yes ma'am." He laughs. 

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Helloooooo! I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far and if you are let me know in the comments below! The votes and reads are very greatly appreciated! You guys make me so happy ^.^ thank you  all so much! Feel free to direct message me if you have anything you want to tell me or ask. 

I cannot wait for you guys to ready the next chapter!! It's going to be... Interesting. 

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-em