Mended Hearts x Revised

Chapter Twenty Seven

        Johnny began to load his car with his suitcases. He put his guitar in the backseat before heading back inside the hotel. His family was gathered in the lobby, holding onto their own suitcases and bags.
        "We're going to head out. You sure you don't want to come back with us to Canada?" His mom asked. He shook his head, "Nah. I'll head back to L.A. I've got some last minute meetings before my next tour."
         She sighed, "Well, ok then. Be safe and call us if you need anything." He nodded and kissed her cheek. He hugged his sisters and his dad, before they headed out to their car.
         Lauren stayed behind, chewing on her bottom lip, "I wish we didn't have to go so soon. Feels like forever since we've been here and we have to leave. I wish I had more time to catch up Annie. I hardly see her anymore."
         She smiled halfheartedly, "She seems a lot happier here. She's headed to Yale and she'll have a successful career. It sounds like she and Luke will get married and move back here...just like she always wanted."
         Johnny's jaw clenched at the sound of his friend's name. "Does she really love him?" Lauren snorted, "Are you blind? She's so in love, I'm surprised you'd even ask that question. Unless..."
         She looked at him with wide eyes, "You can't seriously mean-" he scoffed, "Shut up. I was just curious." She shook her head, "You still love her."
        "It's too late. She loves him and he's obviously head over heels for her. I'd look like a hypocrite if I was jealous and if I made a move on her I'd be a jerk. Just leave it be, ok?" He mumbled.
         She sighed reluctantly, "Fine. I mean I guess she's happy with Luke and he loves her. But, I just feel like you two were meant to be."
         He shrugged, "In another universe or lifetime, maybe we were. We could've been something but it didn't work out that way. I'll admit I always imagined my future with her. Thought we'd get married and grow old together...guess I was wrong. Gosh, I love her." He chuckled darkly.
        "So go to tell her." His sister said, "She deserves to know." He shook his head and smiled sadly, "I don't think I should interfere with their relationship. She's happy and I don't want to ruin that for her."
         She sighed, "Ok. Have fun in L.A, I'll see you soon enough." She hugged him and the two of them walked out to the parking lot. Lauren headed over to their family's car and he headed to his own car.
         He got in and sighed, now it was time to see if Annie was ready to talk or not. If she didn't show up, he'd understand but if she did...well, he'd be relieved. There was only was one way to find out.

          Annie sat at the picnic table, wondering how she'd gotten herself into this mess. She rubbed her eyes before looking up and seeing Johnny's car pulling into the parking lot.
         She stood up and made her way over to the car. He got out and leaned against the car door, while she sat on the hood of his car. She clasped her hands together and stared at the ground.
         "I wanted to apologize," he began, "I've done a lot of things wrong and I don't expect you to forgive me. I've been trying to figure out what to say and I guess the best way to start out is to say that I'm sorry."
         She remained silent as he continued, "That last night of the tour, I overreacted and took it out on you. I never should've said what I said or been so thoughtless and careless with my words."
         He sighed, "Once you left, I didn't know what to do or how to make it better. So, I didn't do anything at all. You tried to make it work but I made no attempt to communicate or keep in touch. When you gave up, I felt as if you were better off without me. So, I guess it was my fault we stopped talking and everything."
        She nodded numbly and rubbed her eyes. "I'm happy for you, I really am. You'll do great at Yale and Luke will be lucky to have you. I understand if you don't want to talk but I guess I'm here if you want to."
        Annie finally looked up, "For so long, I thought it was my fault. I thought I'd done something to deserve the cold shoulder you gave me. You let me think it was my fault."
        Her voice caught, "I cared about you and even if you hurt me, I still wanted to repair our relationship. I tried and tried, even if I didn't want to. You shut me out and I thought it was my fault. That I deserved it."
       She looked away, "I moved on. I worked hard and got accepted to my dream school. I'd finally gotten over you and now? Everything is ruined."
       Johnny glanced at her, "But you're still going to Yale and you have Luke. You have your happily ever after. If you ask me, you're doing just fine."
       She bit down hard on her lip, tasting blood, "Actually, I'm not doing fine. I-I'm not going to Yale. Luke dumped me and I'm here talking to my ex, trying to figure out where I went wrong."
       Johnny's eyes widened, "Luke dumped you? But why?" She laughed bitterly, "Because of you. He thinks I'm still in love with you and he wants me to be happy. He told me to go to Juilliard and to chase my dreams, to follow my heart. He told me to go back to you."
       He shook his head, "That's exactly what Kenzie said. She dumped me because I was still in love with you." Annie's head jerked up, as she looked at, "You what?!"
       She slid off the hood, as Johnny fumbled with his words. "I didn't mean to-well-I. Forget it." She shook her head, her eyes regaining their fire, "No. You can't just pretend like everything is fine after saying that. Do you still love me?" Her voice was surprisingly calm, despite her flashing eyes.
"How could I stop loving you? I fell in love with you the moment I met you. I looked at you and thought, that's the girl I'm gonna marry. I guess I was wrong but I never stopped loving you." He exclaimed.
Annie flinched before softly replying, "I still love you but I'm tired of losing you. Luke is a great guy and I'd hate to think I'm letting him go because you won't have me. Because I've loved you since we were young and I never stopped. But you always leave me behind and move on. If you really want me, you have to prove it. You have to stay. You can't just run away every time things get rough. I need to know you'll be there for me, no matter what happens."
He nodded, "I will be there for you. Because I can't live without you, I can't be happy without you. I need you just as much as you need me. It hurts to see you with someone else, and I'm willing to fight for you. I will stay this time, I'll wait and I'll prove to you just how important you are to me. If I have to wait until the day I die, it'll be worth it if I know I'll eventually be yours. I want to grow old and grey with you, I want to get married and have a family. I want to move back to Maryland and have our kids be best friends with our friends kids. I want to spend everyday with you, showing you how much I love you and need you. Without you by my side, I'm lost and I'm a mess. You make life worth living for, I'd give anything to see your smile and hear your laugh everyday. I want to wake up and see you next to me, I want to have that perfect life we always dreamed we'd have. I want you."
Annie's eyes were glossy with tears as she said, "Is there a reason we're standing ten feet apart?" He smiled and they collided into a hug. He wrapped his arms around her and said, "I'm never letting go. You're stuck with me forever." She laughed and smiled, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

ꕥ "𝙸 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚊𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚖𝚎..." ꕥ
♥︎ 𝚡𝚘, 𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚊 ♥︎