Single, Available, and Completely Attached (26 page)

He flashed back to the scene he’d imagined earlier, but this time, she didn’t smile at him.
 
She stood at the stove, staring lifelessly into the pot she stirred, and Drew knew that he’d broken her.

He wasn’t capable of giving Anna what she deserved.
 

He’d known that all along—since the first night he’d met her.

He was too much like his dad—but it was easier that way, wasn’t it?
 

“Don’t get attached, Drew.
 
Women will inevitably disappoint you.”

Wasn’t that what the old man had always told him?
 
It was one of the few pieces of fatherly advice he’d passed on, and Drew had seen
a certain
reasoning to that logic.
 

Then again, he’d never imagined finding someone who could prove it wrong.
 
Or maybe he’d just been afraid to look—he wasn’t sure.

He only knew that he wasn’t planning on finding out.
 

She was better off without him—
that
he was sure about.

“I’ll see you around, Annabelle.”

Anna’s hands were covered with charcoal, a fine layer of dust coating every surface within the small enclosed porch.
 

She’d thrown herself into her work this week, grateful for the distraction.
 
But now that the weekend was here, she was having trouble thinking about anyone other than Drew Whitman.

They hadn’t spoken once all week, and she knew it was better that way.
 
She had been the one to suggest they take a little time apart, hadn’t she?
 

This was for the best.
 
They needed time away from one another to cool off a little bit.
 
He needed to sleep with as many random women as possible, and she needed to spend her time finding a suitable man to date rather than just sleep with.

Even though sex with Drew was…well, easily one of the more transcendent experiences of her life.
 

And, more than that…she thought about the smile that creased his eyes, and that devilish grin with that adorable dimple that never failed to lighten her mood.
 

Being Drew’s friend was pretty incredible, too.
 

With a loud sigh, Anna stood up and stretched.
 
She heard Alice shuffling around in the house behind her and she rubbed her hands on her pants before pulling open the back door and stepping inside.
 
“You look like you’ve been busy out there.”
 
Alice commented.

Anna shrugged, opening the refrigerator and grabbing the pitcher of water.
 
“I’m just putting together a few pieces for next weekend.”
 
She had wanted to showcase as many forms of art as possible.
 
She’d already borrowed a few of Alice’s more respectable pieces, and the kids had been working all week long on a variety of projects.
 
“Shouldn’t you be cutting out, like, glitter stars and stuff?”

“Oh, I’ll be doing that this week.”
 
Anna assured her.

“I’m surprised Drew isn’t posted in the living room, surrounded by glue and sparkles.”
 
Anna poured water into a glass, careful to keep her back to Alice.

“Drew and I are…”

“Broken up?”
 
Alice suggested when Anna couldn’t find the words.

“We were never together in the first place.”
 

“Are you trying to convince me or yourself?”
 
Anna slammed the refrigerator door with a lot more force than necessary.
 

“Just leave it alone, would you?”
 

“Hey, Annie—I didn’t…I didn’t mean anything by it, you know that.”
 
Alice crossed the room and rested her hands on Anna’s shoulders.
 
“You okay?”

“I’m fine,
”
 
she
told her little sister.
 
“It’s not even a big deal—we just decided a little time apart was for the best.”

“We as in he, or you?”

“Me.”
 
Anna answered.
 
Alice raised an eyebrow, obviously surprised by that.
 
“He agreed.”

“Good.
 
That sounds like the best move for both of you.”
 
Alice tucked an escaped tendril behind Anna’s ear.
 
“Well, if you need any help—don’t hesitate to ask, okay?”

“I think I’ve got in under control, but I’ll let you know, okay?”
 
Anna waved as her little sister disappeared into the living room and she heard the TV come on.
 
With another sigh, she turned back to the porch and headed out.

Her eyes lingered on the drawing she’d just finished.
 
Her parents, dancing in the living room not more than twenty feet away.
 

She flipped the page backward and saw an image of Nana, staring up at the night sky, a wine glass in hand.

Finally, she flipped the page one more time and found herself staring at that stupid, perfect little grin.

And, not for the first time, she longed for their easy banter and those effortless smiles shared between them.

Time, she reminded herself.
 

All they needed was just a little more time, and everything would be fine.

But even as she tried to convince herself, she knew, deep down, that it wasn’t ever going to be that easy for
she
and Drew again.

~*~

Drew didn’t normally go to the bar during the week.
 
He worked early, and as a general rule, being hung-over—or still drunk—on air was disapproved of.

However, after having gone over a week spending the majority of his time sitting on his couch, beer in hand, memories of her prancing around in his t-shirts haunting him—well, he just couldn’t stand it anymore.
 
So he’d taken a shower, and he’d put on a decent shirt, and he’d decided he was going to put the whole Anna
Maloy
mess behind him.

Except that he couldn’t.
 

His phone vibrated in his pocket, but he ignored it, instead ordering another shot.

Several minutes later, his phone vibrated again, and Drew again ignored it.
 
Whatever it was, it could wait.
 
He was on a mission tonight, and nothing was going to distract him.

Except for a third call.

Without looking to see who was calling, he held the phone to his ear.
 
“This really isn’t a good time.”

“When is, Whitman?
 
I’m starting to feel like that crazy non-girlfriend who just can’t take a hint.”
 
Drew dropped his head, feeling like a total dick.

Right, his best friend.

“Sorry, Jeff, I’ve just been…”

“Busy?
 
You’ve used that one before.”
 
Drew sighed, rising from his barstool and tossing a couple of bills down to cover his tab before he headed toward the door.
 
Even though spring was in full swing, the air was a little cold tonight, but he welcomed it.
 

“I know, I’m an ass.”
 

“So, what’s going on?”
 

For just a moment, Drew considered telling Jeff everything—he was his best friend, after all.
 
Shouldn’t he be the one to get Drew through whatever this phase was?

More than anyone, Jeff probably knew what Drew was going through.
 
Hadn’t Anna just broken up with him, too?

“I’m an ass.”
 
Drew repeated again.
 
He hadn’t meant to say it aloud, but, in all honesty, it probably couldn’t be said enough.
 

“What’s going on, Drew?”
 
Jeff’s tone was a little more cautious, and Drew forced himself to get it together.

“Nothing, man.”
 
Drew rubbed his hand over his face.
 
“What’s going on with you?
 
I feel like we haven’t talked in forever.”

“Well, I’m actually on vacation.
 
I was thinking—maybe you and Anna could use some extra help with the prom?
 
It’s this weekend, right?”
 

Panic surged to life within his chest at the thought of Jeff showing up—especially this weekend.

“Oh—that’s…I mean, she’s got all that covered, I’m sure.”
 

“You’re not helping?”

“That’s Anna’s thing.
 
I’ve just been doing what I can here and there.
 
I mean, I’ve barely even seen her lately.”

“Oh.”
 
Jeff fell silent for a minute.
 
“Well, maybe you could come to Chicago for the weekend then?
 
We could go to Wrigley, catch a game…”

“That sounds—yeah, that sounds awesome.
 
But I kind of have to make an appearance this weekend.
 
I mean, I’ve thought about ditching—but I’ve just talked it up so much, I think people kind of expect me to be there.”
 
It wasn’t at all a lie.
 
He’d been seriously considering bailing on the whole event, knowing how annoyed he was going to be watching Johnny-Do-
Gooder
do…well, anything, really.
 
“Maybe next weekend, though, if you’re still off?”

“Yeah, yeah—that could work.”
 
Jeff sighed.
 

“I’m sorry, Jeff.”
 

Sorry for being such a terrible friend.
 
Sorry for falling for the girl you proposed to.
 
Sorry for being such a coward.
 

“Hey, it’s no big deal.
 
It’s not like you did anything to be sorry for, right?”
 
Drew hated the tone in Jeff’s voice—as if, some how, he had heard Drew’s silent confession, and he knew everything there was to know.

“Right.”
 
He agreed, fully aware that he was lying and hating it.
 
“Listen, I’m
gonna
let you go—I should probably head home anyway.
 
Work in the morning.”

“Tell Anna I said good luck, okay?”

“Will do.”
 

When he hung up the phone, he tossed his head back, hitting it against the brick wall.

He was an ass.

And as if to prove his point, he somehow managed to drop his phone on the cement.
 
He didn’t even bother trying to keep his voice down as he swore.

After a deep breath, he leaned down and picked up the phone—and there they were.
 
He stared at the illuminated screen, the two of them smiling happily.
 
He’d changed the wallpaper the morning she’d left, but dropping the phone must have jammed it up.

His heart panged at the site.

Out of nowhere, he remembered Nana’s words.
 

“I’ve seen a heart like yours before, Drew.
 
It’s a good one.
 
Don’t be afraid to let it live a little.”

Yes, that was exactly the problem, wasn’t it?
 
Drew was terrified.

Losing his mother had nearly ripped him in half, and he’d been living his life since then doing the very best he could to avoid forming attachments to any one person—even Jeff, to an extent.
 
He’d never let Jeff get as close to him as she had.

But as he looked down at the photo of Anna and himself, the memory of that night washed over him.
 
How light and airy he’d felt, opening up to her, letting her in—how happy he’d been with her on his arm.

She was beautiful, and sexy, and funny—and she had good taste in music, and she had this
huge
heart…hell, she even played video games.

And she’d been his.

Well, not quite, he reminded himself.
 
They’d been in
a monogamous friends
with benefits relationship, but whatever they chose to label it—she’d been
his
.

He remembered the first time he kissed her—how everything had faded away…everything except her.

He wondered if that was what she felt when he looked at her.
 

And in that moment, he knew what he had to do.
 

~*~

Anna had spent the morning at the community center, hanging decorations and finishing up all of the last minute details.
 
Many of the kids had been there to help, and at the center of each table was a drawing, or a sculpture, or a painting, or a picture—each created by those the studio would benefit the most.
 

The walls were lined with more art, including the drawings Anna had prepared and various quotes about art inspiring life.
 
Glitter stars hung from the ceiling, all created by the younger kids.
 

She wanted everything to be perfect, and she’d stayed for as long as she could before hurrying home to get ready.
 
Alice had already finished with the bathroom, and so Anna had taken her time in the shower, doing her best to squelch the nerves eating away at her.

She just wanted things to go well tonight, she told herself.
 
It made sense to worry.

It had absolutely nothing to do with seeing Drew for the first time in weeks.

After what felt like only minutes, but what she knew to be a couple of hours, she stood beside Alice, ready to go.
 
Her sister had done her hair, and it was braided and curled into a low up-do. She wore a mossy green colored gown of satin, with a modest v-cut in the front and a much lower one in the back, accented with thin gemmed straps.

She
did
feel pretty, she had to admit.
 
Alice, too, wore a gown—hers black, and much less modest, but on Alice’s taller, lean figure, it looked gorgeous.
 

“Ready to go back to high school?”
 
Alice asked her, and Anna smiled, slipping her arm through her sister’s and heading out to Alice’s car.
 
It was a quick ride, and Anna helped carry her sister’s equipment inside so that she could set up before guests began arriving.
 

She was literally shaking with anxiety as the minutes passed.
 
She did her best to focus on the details, but she found she kept glancing over her shoulder to see if Drew had arrived yet.

“Wow—you look stunning, Anna,”
 

She’d almost forgotten about Jonathan.
 
He stood beside her, dressed in a simple tuxedo—looking as wholesome as she’d ever seen him.

This was what she should be thinking about, she told herself.
 

“You don’t look too bad yourself,
”
 
she
told him, reaching out to pluck a piece of lint from his jacket.