Saving Anna

Chapter Nineteen

**This has not been edited or proofread.**

Anna

I took a seat on the couch in Dr. Childre's office. I was entering my third month of therapy, and I was becoming proud of the woman I was becoming. I had gotten a job last month and was in the process of paying my apartment complex so I could break my lease early. Ryan offered to do it for me, but I declined.

I needed to do this for myself.

Every Sunday, Ryan and I had dinner with his parents, and every Saturday, Ryan and I went on a date. Picnics were my favorite, though going out to eat or to see a movie were nice, too.

I still went to every practice he held except for when a therapy session happened to be scheduled during those times, and every Friday night, I was sitting at the bottom of the stands or leaning against the fence, watching him coach.

I'd come so far from the girl who wanted to do nothing more but die. I still had nightmares and flashbacks, though they were slowly becoming less frequent with my medication and constant therapy sessions. The rain still soothed me though, and every once in a while, I still sought out a thunderstorm.

"How are things with you and Ryan?" Dr. Childre asked me.

A blush stained my cheeks. "They're great."

"No guilt?" she asked me.

That was something I struggled with at first, though I never voiced it to Ryan. I was pretty sure he knew though. I thought I was somehow doing Ross wrong by being with his brother, but Dr. Childre quickly helped me put those fears to rest.

"No guilt," I assured her.

"Good! Let's talk about work. How's work going?"

I laughed a little. "It's...going." She chuckled. "The customers can be a bit much sometimes, but otherwise, it's good. I like my coworkers. My bosses are great. Just the morning rush people can be very aggressive and demanding. I try to just remind myself that they might not have had coffee yet."

"Always remember that they're actions do not mean you've done anything wrong," she reminded me.

I nodded. That was one thing with my anxiety. I always thought I did something wrong to upset others. It took quite a few therapy sessions for me to get it through my skull that some people just sucked, and it had nothing to do with me or anything I did.

She crossed her legs at the ankles. "Any nightmares lately?"

I shrugged. "Just the usual one a couple of nights ago about the accident."

She hummed. "Well, let's work through it like we always do," she gently said. I drew in a deep breath. I wasn't coming out of this therapy session without crying, but crying meant I was one more step closer to healing.

~*~*~

Ryan

Something smelt delicious when I walked into the house later that evening. I was hot and tired. Today was unseasonably warm and muggy. I stunk to high heaven, and my clothes were still sticking to me. And that nasty feeling of salt being on my skin was just about unbearable.

"Hi!" Anna cheerfully greeted me, not looking up from whatever she was doing at the stove. "I'm almost done with dinner." She glanced up and winced. "You want to shower?"

"Yeah," I gruffly answered. I walked over and pressed a kiss to her forehead before heading for the room we shared. "I'll be out in five."

She waved me off. "Take your time. I'll need about ten minutes to finish this up."

I disappeared into our room, stripping out of my clothes before hopping into the shower, a small smile on my lips. I loved coming home to Anna every day. And seeing her light up whenever she saw me always turned any bad day into a good one.

She had no idea how much power she wielded.

After a quick shower, I got dressed in a pair of low-slung sweats, not bothering with a shirt. I planned to eat and then probably crash in bed, watching some random movie with Anna. Normally, we cuddled on the couch after dinner, but I knew I was going to end up falling asleep. One of our biggest games of the season was coming up, and all of us were putting every bit of effort into making sure we were ready.

Anna turned to look at me, opening her mouth to stay something, but then she kind of choked, her eyes widening the slightest bit as she stared at my bare chest before her eyes slowly lowered to trail across my stomach. A blush stained her cheeks, and I grinned.

I loved the effect I had on her.

I curled my arms around her waist, leaning down to take her lips in a slow, sweet kiss. She hummed and wrapped her arms around me. "Dinner smells great. What are you making?"

"Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, gravy, and sauteed mushrooms."

My stomach growled in response, and she burst into a fit of giggles. I chuckled, brushing a kiss to the tip of her nose. I couldn't seem to bring myself to stop touching her. I was addicted, but I didn't think she minded my slightly unhealthy obsession with her.

"I'll get the plates and silverware down. What do you want to drink?" I asked, taking a step back and releasing her, though all I really wanted to do was continue holding her.

"Water is fine for me."

I grabbed her a room-temperature bottle of water and set it on the counter where she normally ate, then began gathering two plates and two sets of silverware. She plated the food, and within minutes, we were eating in companionable silence, one of my hands on her thigh.

Like I said, I couldn't stop touching her, especially now that she was mine.

And man, the past three months with her had been blissful. Of course, we had our down moments, but we still never went to bed angry or upset, and our last words to each other were always "I love you."

She knew the value of last words more than anyone else.

"Want to join me in bed?" I asked once we'd done the dishes and she was putting the last plate away.

She frowned. "Bed?'

I nodded, biting back a yawn. "I'm wiped, sweet girl, and I desperately need to get some sleep."

"Yeah, of course," she assured me, reaching out to grab my hand in hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Come on."

I smiled as I followed her to our room. I didn't deserve her, but I'd fight every single day to hopefully one day be worthy of the love, care, and adoration she gave me.