His Duchess [Completed]

Chapter 18- Let It Go [E]

Not wanting to seem eager at the time, the thought of giving Julien her cell number crossed her mind while they talked in his car. If he was desperate and wanted to reach her he could always find a way.  She wasn't going to be the one to make the first moves. As for her to find him or contact him, that was out of the question, her conscious reasoned.

Annie was a firm believer in the man fighting for the girl. Scorching the ends of the earth to find his love or fighting against all the odds in order to be with his destined were things Annie knew were true and could happen, not just in fairy tales.

Her cellular phone went off on her night stand, disrupting her thoughts. Annie grabbed it, the caller ID indicating it was Mark. He said he would call and check on her.

"Hello?"

"Hey there, how are you feeling?" Mark asked her bluntly without a proper greeting.

"I'm fine Mark. All I've done for the last few days is sleep, eat, sleep, eat...doctor's orders remember...?" Annie sighed.

She hated being weak and showing any weakness to anyone. She was always the strong one, tough, unbreakable. It felt different to feel exposed, raw, penetrable. So much has changed in such a short span of time. Since meeting the St. James' her life especially, has been chaotic and unpredictable.

"That's good to hear...if its true." He paused when he received no answer. "I wished you would have informed me you were barely hanging in there, you could have avoided all this..."

It couldn't be avoided. Stress was inevitable to avoid, especially with a man as determined as Julien after her.

"I didn't feel that bad until I came to the hospital. It wasn't until I saw your face." Annie joked hoping to get back at him.

"That was not funny!"

She chuckled at his reaction. Mark was easy to rile up.

"It was to me...I'm kidding, can't you take a joke?" Annie argued. "Anyway, you deserved it! Hinting I'm lying about how I feel!"

"Okay, okay, I guess I deserved that. You always act like you're Wonder Woman...you're only human Annie. It's not a sign of weakness to accept defeat to stress."

"How's work?" She asked, changing the subject.

Annie heard Mark sigh on the other end of the line. "Busy as usual.  My shift ends in about an hour. I just wanted to call and check up on you. And I wanted to remind you that you owe me."

"Owe you what exactly...?" Suspicion laced her voice. Annie sat up in bed and clutched her phone tighter to her ear.

"A date of course." He made it sound like the most natural thing in the world, his charm shinning through. Annie laughed and fell back against her pillows.

"We'll see...I'll let you go, thanks for calling."

"At least it's not a complete NO." Annie could hear the smile in his voice. "Okay, talk soon, bye."

"Bye Mark." Clicking end, Annie placed her phone back on her nightstand.

Mark was so handsome, so smart and talented. She liked him a lot but not enough to fall for him. He always tried taking their friendship beyond the basics, Annie always pushed Mark away when she felt he was getting too personal, but it never stopped him from trying.

Getting out of bed she glanced at the clock and noticed it was close to noon. Heading towards the shower, she decided to go out and enjoy the rest of the day.