“Yeah, this park is nice.” Alex agreed with Annabelle, sinking onto the swing next to her. It was very quiet, the night still. Alex watched her face, she was staring at the clear sky, perhaps counting stars, she really was stunning. Annabelle turned to see Alex and smiled at him, kicking her feet on the ground slightly, and letting the swing rock. Alex joined her, and together they rocked slowly to and fro. Annabelle had closed her eyes, a small, secretive smile on her lips. Alex swallowed, the silence disconcerted him.
“H-hey.” The ‘H’ got caught in his throat. Annabelle’s smile widened.
“Why are you whispering?”
Alex laughed, shrugging, he took a moment to figure out what he wanted to ask.
“What’s your family like?”

Annabelle regarded him for a moment. Why was he asking that? She frowned, watching stars twinkle.
“Uh,” She coughed, “well it’s just me and my mom.” She told the sky.
“Where’s your dad?” Alex asked cautiously. She bit her lip, taking a moment to harden.

“In the ground.” She replied stonily, realising that there could have been a slightly less confronting way to put it. Annabelle closed her eyes. Screw being polite. He didn’t know the half of what it felt like. She opened her lids, Alex was standing in front of her swing. He scooped her up and pressed her into his body. She sniffed. He leant his cheek on her head, watching a squirrel scamper around the canopy of a tree not too far away. Alex didn’t know what to say, or whether to say anything at all. Anything he could think of had probably already been said. 

“When?” He asked softly.
“When I was six.” She blinked slowly, staring at the fabric of his hoodie. “He was just this really great guy, at least compared to my mom...And then one day, mom came home and she said, honey, your father just died in a car crash.
“I don’t think I properly understood. We didn’t even have a funeral for him.”
“What?”
“Yeah, my mom’s a bitch.” Annabelle pulled away, standing in front of him, but looking at the tanbark. “She brings home a new guy every once in a while. She’s probably having the time of her life at the moment,” she spat, “not having to worry about Annabelle, or sneaking around, making awkward introductions.”
Again, Alex was speechless. He could only imagine the home Annabelle had to put up with everyday. The worst that had happened in his happy little family was when he didn’t get the guitar he wanted for Christmas, or when his mom didn’t let him go out one night.

Alex stared at her, her eyes were burning into the ground with a fury that he never thought she could muster. He saw her thin arms, hanging limply by her sides. Alex reached for her hand, cradling it in his own.

“You’re so thin.” He whispered, putting two and two together. Her body was a manifestation of her ruined family. She looked up sharply, tugged slightly at her hand, but Alex held firm.
“I did ballet for years, it's my body type.” She replied icily. 

“Ballet?!” Alex inquired a little too excitedly, trying to diffuse the tension that he could feel burning through him. She nodded, swallowing her cold tone, hiding a smile.
Alex glanced at her through his lashes, “Can you dance for me?”
She laughed, looking down at their clasped hands. 
“Do I have to?”
Alex pretended to think about it, “Yes. I’d say so.”

***

Alex watched the girl twirl, her stick arms that were limp moments before were now alive, energy reaching toward him. She melted, and froze, glided, and waltzed. He watched the intricate movements of her hands and her feet. She had transformed into a radiant, confident angel. Alex watched starry eyed until she twirled too fast, stumbled and he broke out of his trance to catch her. She giggled, slightly giddy from dancing after so long.
“That was a solo I did for my last concert...before I quit.” She smiled up at him, his face upside down to her. He helped her up, she stood in front of him, slightly flushed.
“Why did you quit?” Alex asked, wanting to hold her small, soft hand again. She saw his Adam’s apple bob, and she smiled.
“I dunno, it was too rigid, I got sick of it, sick of having my feet bleeding and bruised all the time, sick of competing with all the other girls...” Annabelle shrugged, suddenly way too aware of how close he was. She looked up at the stars again, any where but him. She could feel his eyes smoldering.
“Its a shame,” Alex cleared his throat, “because you ar- that was, uh, that was really beautiful.”

Annabelle's lips stretched into a smile, she knew came next. It had happened to her before, of course; with other boys, at other times. But this was not any boy. This was Alex Gaskarth. This was the lead singer of one of her favourite bands. When this dawned upon her she felt her heart race, she never dreamt that anything like this could happen to her. She swallowed as the space between them narrowed. It was the air, the new place, the starry sky, she felt bold and brave. When he leaned toward her, his eyes fluttering shut, she met him halfway. His lips were soft, and his arms snaked their way timidly around her waist, warmth from his large hands leaking into her back. She felt his muscled shoulders under her palms. Standing on tippy-toes, she moved her hands to rest at the crook of his neck, grasping hair. She could feel the throb of his heartbeat, rapidly pounding. He pressed his lips further into hers, sliding his tongue into her mouth. Annabelle felt that tell-tale tickle below her waist-line, and responded to his tongue hungrily. Alex seemed to have the same reaction, as he was sucking on her swollen lips with a passion which only allured the girl.

Alex suddenly pulled away, gasping slightly, with messed hair and fat, red lips. He looked at her sheepishly from under eyelashes. Annabelle, speechless, simply took a step towards him and fell into his chest. He held her, and cleared his throat awkwardly. They stayed still for a while, before Annabelle finally stepped back and said, looking at the ground,
“That was sort of random.” She glanced at him, a crooked smile played on her lips. Alex laughed softly.
“We should probably go back.” Alex looked at his watch, “We’ve been away for a while.”
Annabelle nodded and Alex offered a hand, she took it, loving the feel of his warm, rough palm. She wondered what would happen now. Alex was wondering the same. The turmoil in his head suddenly increased, a hurricane raging in his brain. What would he do now? Why did he have to kiss her?
“Look, Annabelle...”
Annabelle almost interrupted, protesting the explanation, but decided against it. She wanted to watch him squirm.
“Mm-hmm?” She replied pleasantly.
“I don’t actually know why I did that...” He sighed, rubbing his hair with his free hand. His lips were still a betraying shade of red. Annabelle let him off the hook.
“Let’s just act normal, okay.” She exhaled, “You’re the same old Alex Gaskarth, I’m just another one of your girls.”
“Hey!” Alex tugged her back to where he had suddenly stopped, he frowned, continuing quietly, but sincerely. “You’re not...”

Annabelle didn’t know what to say. She smiled slightly, and did not step away when he came very close to her. He pressed a kiss to her forehead. She melted into it, placing her hands on his shoulders for support. She leaned up and caught his lips on hers. Alex’s heart skipped a beat. She wasn’t just another girl. She was Annabelle Heron. Annabelle opened her eyes as they kissed, watching Alex closely. He looked vulnerable, exposed. She knew he liked her. She felt his lips soften against hers and she knew he liked her.

Notes

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