Anchor (Book 1)

Chapter Twelve

Julia would flip when I told her that JJ and I kissed.  No, Kathy would flip more when I told her he insisted on paying for everything. I wondered how Melissa would react, but I still hadn't heard from her. Could she really had gotten sick of me and transferred me against her promise not to? The way it appeared now, I would think that she wanted to make a clean break, to cut ties with me as subtly as she could. We had a few arguments, but she was still my sister. What have I done to distance her from me that much?

I pushed the heart wrenching thoughts out of my mind because if I stayed in them any longer, I would be utterly consumed without a fighting chance to escape them. So, I focused on happier things...like JJ, the lively blonde headed guy I met not too long ago, but the one who had already changed me in so many ways. Just thinking about him caused a grin to form on my mouth.  I started to realize that whenever I was with him, all the horrible things that gripped me seemed to fade away. I was going to have to press charges on Anthony and Jen soon, but that dreadful fact didn't carry much weight when I was with JJ. Melissa's absence was only a dim concern when him and I were in deep conversation. Kane's eerie place in my life wasn't as threatening. Though I hadn't known JJ for long, it felt like I'd known him for years. He had this way of putting me completely at ease without even trying.

I had another checkup in the hospital today with Dr Bushy and JJ scheduled his the same day so we'd could go together.  I wondered if I'd ever let him know that the doctor crossed so many boundaries and tried to disclose such personal information about him.
I was sort of nervous to see him because it had only been yesterday that we shared our first kiss. JJ has reacted strangely afterwards, but not too strange to where I dwelled on it and let it ruin the night. He had just pulled away from our kiss a little too quickly and he wouldn't meet my eyes for the rest of the night. Had I come on too strong? My mother told me that he liked me, but maybe she was speaking out of her own intuition and she didn't actually know for certain.

Whatever the case, after we just saw the movie and then he took me home without a word about his behavior or about how our kiss had impacted him. I hope I didn't screw things up. I only wanted to show him that I had faith in us, in what we were in that moment awaiting the movie, and in what we could be in the future. It felt so alien to think this way; to imagine myself in the future with someone else who would faithfully stay by my side, I never have this before, this type of unwavering optimism. I never trusted someone enough to completely open my heart, and I certainly have never felt comfortable creating and picturing a future with someone. But as I said with JJ, things were different.

I gathered up my stuff and headed to Austin's car. He'd agreed to take me so that I could ride back with JJ. To my surprise, I spotted my mother in the front seat of my brother's car instead. She waved giddily at me as I climbed into the passenger side of the car, confused by the change of pace.
"I thought you would be at work by now." I commented, barely managing to drain the surprise from my voice.
"Oh well I told Barbara to give me the morning off." She said, adjusting the curlers in her hair. "What a beautiful morning!!"
It was a beautiful morning. The sky was full of big, fluffy clouds and in the spaces between them, bright sunlight poked through.
"Mom, you never take off work." I pointed out. She loved her work. She was practically consumed in it. I saw my mother's face fall and recognized the remark could've been left unsaid.
"You know, I just really wanted to spend time with my children. I realized I haven't been present, or in the moment much. I want to change that."
My bitter tendencies thought she had gotten that from an advice column or some TV show just by the way the sentence fell so eloquently from her lips, but I appreciated her effort nonetheless.
As we drove into the hospital parking lot, I noticed JJ had positioned himself smoothly against the wall with his ankles crossed.
"Oh, there's JJ!" My mom exclaimed, rolling down the window, "Hi JJ!"
JJ laughed and waved back. I hopped out of the door as fast as I could.
"Okay, bye mom!" I rushed, closing the door.
I turned around after my mom drove away and went to his side. JJ held out his hand and I took it.
"She likes me." The smug look he wore on his face as he said this was so huge it was almost like it's own separate entity.
I rolled my eyes but then agreed sincerely. "Yes, she does."
"Ready?" JJ asked, raising an eyebrow, running a hand through his hair to readjust it.
"Oh yeah, I just love spending my Saturdays in hospitals!"

After our appointments, JJ offered to give me a ride home as I was hoping he would. He pointed me towards a black Chevy truck parked at the far end of the lot.
"She's kind of old, but she runs well." JJ commented.
"I didn't even comment on her age." I insisted, laughing at the fact I had just referred to the car as 'her.'
"Maybe you didn't say it aloud, but you were thinking about it. Everyone does and nobody really trusts that it is actually reliable." We reached the truck and, taking out his keys, JJ unlocked it.
"Well, I'm not worried about it. I trust you."
To prove my point, I jumped in the car. The seat squeaked and sunk in as I did so.
"Oh." I gasped, embarrassed. "Whoops."
I used my hands to push myself more properly in the seat while JJ got in on the driver's side and started the truck up.  He pretended to scold me. "
You have to be gentle with her. She's not a snazzy little sports car you know."
I giggled and attempted to put the seatbelt in the clasp, but it got stuck halfway down. I subtly tried to tug it down and was in the middle of struggling, when JJ's hand came on top of mine.
"Here, let me help." He suggested. "The seatbelts can be a little stubborn sometimes." Our hands moved in unison as we slowly worked the belt down and into the buckle. When it clicked, JJ's finger tapped my nose lightly and playfully. "See? Be gentle. "
"Oh, shush." I poked his nose back and then he settled back into his seat.

"So, what kind of music do you listen to?" JJ asked, fiddling with the knobs on the radio. "We can listen to whatever you want."
"I like country, but you don't have to-"
Before I got all the words out, a familiar, soft sounded country song filled the car.
"Yee-haw!" JJ howled, shooting a wink in my direction. Then, he pulled the truck smoothly out of the parking space and exited the hospital's parking lot.