37. Annalise
Chapter thirty-seven
Annalise
"Please come out with us," Emily begs for what must be the tenth time already this morning.
Sasha grimaces, but only I can see it from her spot behind Em,
"It's okay if you aren't feeling up to it yet," she offers.
"Uhm, nooo. It isn't!" Emily argues, bumping my shoulder as we walk into the courtyard. "I haven't seen you in weeks because guard dog Matt hasn't let anyone near your room while you were healing. But you're all better now and that calls for a celebration!!”
"Fiiine, I'm in," I concede, "but remind me why we can't invite Matt?"
"Because it's GIRLS night and last I checked, he's not a girl."
"But it's Matt. It's not like he's going to do anything, and I'm sure Lee would feel more comfortable," Sasha tries to argue on my behalf.
"I don't think she's at risk of a rockslide in downtown Ravenwood, Sasha...Unless I'm missing another reason Annalise would need her bodyguard?" Emily asks, eyebrows raised, waiting for us to argue.
"Are you sure it's not too soon?" Tyr asks. None of his personal feelings on the matter leaking through, just a straightforward question.
"I'll be totally fine," I say, both to Tyr and to Emily as we part ways for the night.
"Matt is going to lose his shit when I tell him, though," I tell Tyr, and now, his amusement pours through.
"Oh, I know, and I can't wait."
As if she can hear our conversation, Sasha steps closer to me, almost whispering, "Please don't make me be there when you tell him. He is NOT going to be happy about this."
"He'll be okay," I try, but the look she shoots me says we both know that's bullshit. "Okay, he won't, but I can't live my life like a victim either. Maybe a girls night out—drinks and dancing—will help me."
"Yeah, but—" Sasha starts, but I cut her off, "Sasha the baby's gone.
It's not coming back. Aiden's gone, he's not coming back.
I almost died, but I. Came. Back. And we only have a few more months until we graduate and my freedoms are limited all over again.
What's stopping me from living my life for the little bit of time we have before we're shipped off? "
"What if you're not fully healed?"
"Sasha, are you telling me that you are suddenly doubting your healing skills?
" she doesn't answer. "I'll take that as a no, because you would know as well as I do that I have been perfectly healed for the last week and a half and you've just been dragging your feet with giving me the all clear so that I could have extra time. "
"Okay, fine. But—" her voice trails off, "Okay, you're right, but just be careful please. If anything happens to you while you're out with us, Matt is going to kill me."
"Considering it was all Emily's plan, he'll probably go for her first, so you should at least have some time to get a head start on the run." Sasha rolls her eyes as she opens her door, clearly just as unimpressed with my jokes as she was before the accident.
"You aren't worried, are you?" I ask Tyr, needing at least one person to not think I'm a fragile, broken doll.
"Why would I be?" he pushes through with a confidence that sends my heart soaring until he keeps talking, "I'll only be a thirty-second flight away if you need me."
"You can't fit in the building though," I argue before realizing I'm arguing against my own case.
"I don't need to…I can just tear it down."
I snort, his sincerity mixed with such an absurd conclusion so typically Tyr. "And kill everyone inside…including me?"
"You are smart enough to listen when I say run," he says plainly. "And I will let them all die before I let someone hurt you again."
"You're as bad as he is; you know that right?"
"Keep insulting me and I'll throw you in the ocean myself on our next flight," he chuffs, and I can't help but smile as my door closes behind me.
"There's my favorite girl in the whole world," Matt says, beaming up at me from where he's studying at my desk.
"You better be careful how loud you say that, or all of your new girlfriend's feelings will be hurt and they'll be coming after me next."
"First," he says, throwing a finger in the air, "I don't have girlfriends. Second, anyone who knows anything about me knows that you're always going to be my favorite."
I try to remind him that's going to change once he actually settles down, but he doesn't even let me get a word out.
"And third, you could take all of them, so I'd be more worried for their safety than yours."
"Oh, really?" I ask, ready to take full advantage of the opening he's given me.
"Yes, my little badass, your shooting was always accurate, but you've improved so much over the last couple of weeks. Once we add in more combat training, you'll be damn near deadly," he says, not knowing the trap he's fallen into.
"I'm so glad you feel that way. Now, do me a favor and remember that for the next 10 minutes, will ya?"
"What did you do?" he asks, unease already filling his voice.
"So, Emily kind of planned a girls night this weekend."
"Okay...?"
"Out at the bars in town—"
"Absolutely not," he rushes out, "I think it's great if you want to have girls night. Totally understand you spending time with your other friends and not with your…you know…but you're not going to the bar without me."
"I really don't want to, Mattey, but I can't exactly explain why I don't want to go into town without you without raising a million questions."
"I think it's pretty simple, I would have said that before the incident too. I hear you can meet all sorts of scum in Ravenwood, especially at the Staggering Ox."
My stomach tightens we've all done the best we can of not talking about him the last few months.
"You're literally shattering your own argument since you go to the Staggering Ox and you are nothing like him," I say softening my voice. "Neither are Josh, or James, or Antonio."
"You're right. I would never do the shit he did to you to a girl, even if I'd just met her," he winces at his own harsh words, but doesn't pretend to apologize when we both know he means every word.
"BUT, I am still a guy who hits on chicks and takes them home for one night stands.
I'm open about my intentions, but still, not the guy to bring home to your parents. "
"Unless, you want your dad to get his ass kicked…which I think you might be close to being able to accomplish with the Sheriff," I wink as I reach out to squeeze his biceps. "These have gotten a lot bigger, you know?"
"Your flattery isn't going to distract me, Lee. Don't even waste your breath."
"Damnit," I mumble under my breath as I throw myself onto my bed to put my feet up.
"Right. And don't bring the guys into this. James is practically petrified of talking to girls once he's close enough to be heard, I'm not sure Antonio has ever hit on a girl in a bar until Sasha, and Josh isn't there to hit on sweet, drunk girls."
"Aww, you think I'm sweet!" I say with a big smile. "And not that anyone's going to hit on me, but even if they did I'm a big girl, Mattey. I can turn them down all on my own."
"Lee—"
"Mattey, you won't always be there to watch out for me.
In a few months, we could get sent to different duty stations and then put on different missions.
Plus, I can't stay locked up here. I'm obviously not going home with anybody, or going on any stupid adventures I'll regret the next day.
I'll even message you when I'm on my way back and you can meet me in here and we'll have a sleepover. "
"I just..."
"I know. Trust me I do. I love you, and I really wish she hadn't made this a girl thing, but I also need to prove to myself that I can do this. Mattey, please understand."
His facial expressions give away the silent argument he's having with himself, before swallowing each one.
"What did HE say about it?"
"We're in a relationship, not an ownership. We talked about it, but it wasn't his decision to make."
"Which means he said…"
"That it wasn't his decision to make."
"And…"
"And that if anything happens I call him immediately so he can come down and disembowel whoever lays a finger on me before methodically skinning them alive with a dull dagger before he lets Tyr have a turn."
"They do it one time and now he thinks he can just cut me out of the torture rotation," he grumbles.
"Mattey—"
"Ok, fine! But you call ME first if something happens, okay? No being tough and trudging through. Someone pisses you off, looks at you the wrong way, hell—even if the wind blows the wrong way and it makes you uncomfortable…"
"You call me. Deal?"
I bite back a smile. "Deal."
"Good. Captain Asshole would draw too much attention, and everyone already expects me to be an asshole for you."
"I promise, Mom."
"Ew. That doesn't have the same charge to it that daddy does," he says, a slight smile tugging at his lips.
"Now, can we go to dinner? You've barely gotten to watch the disaster that is Bravo Company, and I need food."
"Yes, Daddy." I tease, climbing off the bed and patting his chest as I slide my shoes back on.
He makes a face, shuddering theatrically. “You just had to go and ruin a good thing for me, didn't you?"
"Yup! Now let's eat!"