Surviving The Anderson's

Chapter 8

"I don't want you to talk to that boy, Harry." 

Instantly Biddie regretted the moment and thought it was a mistake. 

"Louis!" she said, trying to withdraw herself from the conversation. 

He threw up his hands, "I don't think he's right for you." 

She simply pushed a few strands of hair back from her face, her breath was coming fast, "I have no words." 

Louis raised an eyebrow, surprised, impressed, and a little irritated. She is going to be the death of me, Louis thought. 

 "Ok. Alright." he said without enthusiasm. 

Biddie glanced at him. He was taking a cigarette from the pocket of his shorts, he took a drag and handed it to her.

"Come on, one smoke won't kill ya." his accent broke through. 

But she shook her head, "No point in that." 

But Louis insisted, and he is a very persuasive guy. He pretended to ignore her while they smoked, but in truth he had watched her closely. She'd hold the cig like a pro, breathing with concentrated zeal, her tongue darting swiftly onto her lips, no-nonsense air. 

He accepted the fag she was offering him, still observing her. He studied the excitement on her face, wondering if it was because of him. 

"Well, well. Biddie Anderson isn't a little goody goody." he shook his head in disbelief. 

She nodded and swallowed her doubts, "Yeah, but you cannot speak of this to any other person. Nobody." 

He frowned slightly, upset she thought so low of him. "You know I would never." 

"I didn't mean it like that, I-" 

He shook his head in resignation. It was best if he just leave it at that. There was no point in fueling her fire. 

"-just don't want my parents to find out about this." she huffed, motioning a circle with her hands. 

He met her eyes. "I don't either." 

"Sure." she said, keeping her eyes on the outlines of the trees while Louis struggled to slow his libido to the prescribed gait. 

A vibration jolted between them, and the air around them seemed to thicken and crackle. A primal awareness skimmed like a drug through Louis' blood. It sang a simple song, I want you. He could feel his eyes telling her that, notifying her of his cravings. 

For a moment he thought she felt the same. But then her face seemed to become deliberately blank, and she looked away from him, continuing to walk. 

"Want to head down to the park?" a grim little smile curved the corner of his mouth. 

Biddie snuck a look at her phone, 7:46 pm, "Sure, sounds good." 

Her answer wasn't exactly what he expected. "We won't get there until about half past eight." 

"I don't care." she said. 

"We'll get home late, past curfew." 

She tossed her hair rebelliously. "I don't care about that either." 

"Lets go then." he said, dragging her after him. 

At the park they agreed on the swings. In harmony, they glided their feet, softly. 

"This is our last family reunion." she said randomly, shoving her phone towards him. "It was at a farm, just outside a little town called High Mountain, Arkansas. That's where out great-great-grandparents settled they came to America." 

Louis studied the group of people. They were lined up as if for a school group photograph, four rows deep. Their faces seemed tiny, like those of diminutive paper dolls. 

"My cousin Stephen had to stand on the roof of a farmhouse to take the picture, to get all us in one shot." she giggled at the memory. 

Louis looked from woman to woman in the picture. Which one? he thought. Which one is Biddie? 

"I'm here." she said, pointing. "That's me." 

Louis was shocked by how ordinary the other women looked compared to Biddie, how completely unremarkable. Biddie Anderson was neither tall nor short, fat nor thin, but she was beautiful. 

Biddie pointed to the figure beside her, a tall, slim man whose grin seemed good-natured. 

"That's Liam, my ex." she said tapping her chin, in thought. "We broke up about two weeks after this picture was taken. We dated for almost three years." 

Louis could think of no reply. 

The woman shook her head, "He told me once that he thought of me every day. We sort of just fell out of love, I don't know what happened after that." 

He turned the unwavering blueness of his gaze on her. "I don't believe in lies." 

"Oh but we did." she said. 

She smiled, but the effect was one of sadness. "It's alright, I still keep in touch with him. He's a better friend." 

Louis turned to face Biddie again. 

"Besides, I'm a lot happier without him."

He felt as if the top of his skull had been stripped away, leaving his mind numb and nakedly exposed. At the same time, gravity seemed to have canceled itself, and he felt oddly as if he were floating in space. 

"That's good." he managed to mumble, but the words did not seem to come from him. His lips had no feeling in them. Nowhere in his body was there feeling.                 

"Yeah. So what about you?" she asked, taking her phone back from him, not before brushing her fingertips over his. 

He reached into his pocket of his baggy shorts and withdrew another cigarette. 

"Ah, nope. I've, uh, never been in a committed relationship, honestly." he said as he flicked his lighter to life, the cigarette hanging at his lips.

She nodded but could not find her voice. She gave him a long, clinical look, scanning him for lies. When she found none, she hopped down from her swing. 

"It's late, want to head back?" Louis said, as if he had read her mind. 

 A/N My internet was crazy guys! I'm finally back I hope you guys are ready, my next upload will be Friday. Updates will be random, I'm so sorry! :/ But please comment and vote, I love feedback. 

~ swiggity swag ~