Once Bitten, Twice Shy

21

"Okay, I've been thinking a lot and I think its unreasonable of you not to even let me try to explain!" Anne startled as Parr stormed into the room, she was so worked up she didn't notice Anne snap her sketchbook shut and kick it under the bed.

"Get out."

"No! Not until you let me explain."

"Get out." Anne had no patience for her whining. She had barely been able to figure out her own thoughts, let alone try and listen to someone else explain theirs.

Parr closed the door behind her, pressing her back to it defiantly. She crossed her arms and looked Anne right in the eye, not backing down.

"No."

It was the most intense staring competition to ever exist. Neither wanted to let the other win. With Anne not even wanting to see the girl's face, and Parr being torn apart by guilt, the tension in the room only grew.

"Look, I'll never be able to tell you how sorry I am. But I can tell you that I tried." she started gently. Anne tensed at the words slightly but didn't fight. "Before it happened... she was happy with me, please understand that. And I know I wasn't good enough. I know what I did was awful, I know that you have no reason to ever forgive me but-"

"Get out."

"I wasn't finished." She gritted her teeth.

With that Anne rose from her bed, marching over to the writer and looming over her. Parr refused to let the height difference affect her and raised herself up to her toes, evening out the difference. She decided to try again, ignoring the attempts to make her leave until she'd made her peace and took a deep breath, softening her gaze. "Lizzie, she-"

"DON'T CALL HER THAT!" Anne's hand slammed into the wall beside Parr. She might have been intimidated if she hadn't known Anne wouldn't hurt a fly - it wasn't her style, even if Anne wasn't sure herself. If not for the adrenaline coursing through her. Instead she looked her straight in the eye, as determined as she could.

Her eyes held all the anger, they bore into Parr's skull and she could practically feel the fire in them. every detail in her iris flaring, every speck of colour more vibrant than ever. She could feel herself being pulled towards the pools of green, getting lost in the winding roads that lay inside them. Her pupils ever so slightly dilated when Parr made eye contact, and she could feel hers doing the same thing, focusing her glare on Anne's face and letting the background fade into a blur of unimportance. Her eyebrows were furrowed, Her jaw clenched, forehead creased and lips pursed like she was holding back her words. It all just pushed Parr more, compelling her to snap and be done with it.

"Out." She muttered once more. Parr did budge, she wouldn't let her win. She had so much emotion built up inside her and needed a release, she had to get it out and this was the only way she could think how.

"No"

Anne could feel the anger bubbling back up inside her, burning her heart with it's wrath, pumping through her veins and threatening to spill out and take everything down with it. She had just begun to make progress, to calm down after days of nothing but pain, but seeing the girl's face brought it all back and it fuelled the fire inside of her. She laughed bitterly at Parr's boldness, grimacing at the way she had her eyes trained to her face. They locked, and for a second Anne felt calm. But the calm was immediately replaced with the storm as she realised what Parr was trying to do. Her eyes were so peaceful. Every shade of hazel blended together in a perfect pattern, the smooth wisps of brown tangled among each other, drawing her in, inviting her to join the world of serene beauty. But Anne wouldn't fall for it. She could see right through the mask and knew what lay beneath was nothing but a stone-hearted bitch. It would take more than some shitty apology to heal the hurt she'd created. Yet they continued to pull her in, until she stood so close she could feel Parr's hot breath on her cheek. So close she could feel every hair on the back of her neck stand tall each time the girl exhaled. So close she could see every detail of the face she thought she knew so well, every hidden freckle, every crease, every line. So close, that the scent of her perfume hung in the air, a thick mist of intoxication.

She tried to fight the force pulling her in, tried to drag herself back to reality but couldn't find the strength. Her mind had lost all control, her body guiding her instead to where it needed to be. The grip on Parr's wrist faltered slightly and she took the chance to wrench it away, instead bringing it down to grab Anne's hand, a pleading look passing across her eyes in a final attempt to apologise.

That was all Anne needed to close the gap between them, lips crashing together in an outburst of emotions. Every pent up feeling from the last few days was poured into that kiss, Anne using the pain and hurt to only fuel her further.

Parr felt the knot in her chest unravel, only to be replaced by another one slightly lower, and she deepened the kiss, bringing her hands up to Anne's face who sighed at the touch, and she cursed herself for falling so easily, but couldn't help but lean into Parr as all the tension flooded from her body. it held every unspoken word, every supressed feeling, and more meaning than the two could ever comprehend, acting as a release for every second of damage that had been recently created, a way to unload it all for just one night. They broke for a second, gasping for air. Anne had her eyes closed, eyebrows drawn together, as if in regret, and Parr was expecting a hurtful comment and a door to the face when she was caught off guard once again by Anne's lips.

Pushing Parr further against the door, she planted her hands firmly on her hips in an effort to close any space between them. She wasn't sure why, but she had an unavoidable need to be close to her, and relished the feeling of her lips on hers; no matter how much she tried to hate it.

It was a desperate, needed kiss that seemed to last a lifetime.

Their lungs burned for air but they couldn't bare to let each other go. Palms tugged at clothing because it was the only thing left in the way. Lips collided, hands wandered, sounds neither of them expected tumbled from their lips, but neither spoke, scared that one wrong word could take it all away.

---

Parr's eyes opened to a darkened room, night still hung over the earth, concealing the two from the complications that were sure to follow the next morning. Warmth engulfed her body, a feeling of pure calm settling over her at the heat radiating from the body next to her. She sighed into the embrace and shifted her gaze to the side. Anne's eyes were closed, and Parr would have thought she was asleep if not for her fingertips lazily tracing patterns along her collarbone.

She was expecting thoughts to come rushing over her, for her conscience to make her regret the previous hours, but there were none. Instead, her mind lay in a state of ecstasy, stuck in a trance of languidity. And all she could do was enjoy the moment.

Anne must have clocked the change in her breathing as she opened her eyes, lifting her head from its position on Parr's chest. There was the slightest of sparkles in her eyes, illuminated by the dim glow of light from the moon and she looked calmer. The piercing emerald of her iris was replaced by a softer sea green, the flaming golden flecks now dull and hidden almost from sight. But Parr knew deep down they were still there, just waiting for the chance to blaze once more.

She leaned down to press a kiss to Anne's forehead. A flicker of emotion passed through the girl's eyes that Parr didn't quite catch, but she had a small suspicion it could have been doubt. Anne sighed and lay her head back on Parr's chest, arm lightly draped across her stomach. She was the first to break the silence, an almost inaudible whisper floating through the air.

"Cathy-