Moving In With The Enemy

Chapter 22 ~ "Switch With Me"

"Thanks." I smile, feeling my cheeks flush.

"We're meeting Abby, Ellis, Chase and Darren there. There is a chance the girls from upstairs might come too." He shrugs and I nod. "Let me go grab Walker." He adds and I tense up.

My spine feels like an iron rod whenever anyone brings him up. I feel like I'm on high alert, never knowing what's coming. I've hardly looked at him since last night and he hasn't looked at me. I need to try and stay away from him tonight, it'll be too hard to be close to him.

"I'm glad you feel better, Annie." Dustin says and I smile. "I was nervous that after last night you might not be up to going out again for a while."

"What do you mean after last night? Why last night?" I ask and then I kick myself. Too much too fast, Annie.

"You were just.....in your room all night, I thought it was getting worse." He shrugs and I nod.

"Oh yeah...right." I sigh, thankful he wasn't talking about Walker and I like I'd thought. "Well, things changed today and my outlook feels brighter."

"Good." He smiles, grabbing his wallet off the ledge by the door. 

"Should we Uber?" Mark asks. "It might not be a big walk home, but out? I think we should treat ourselves." 

"I'm cool with it." Dustin shrugs.

"Annie?"

"Yeah, sounds good." I smile.

"Walker, you on it?" Mark calls and I feel my face turn pale. This meant I'd be trapped in a confined space with Walker.

"You freeloaders always dump it on me because my parents pay for it." He grumbles emerging from the hall and I feel my stomach tie into knots. It's like a bunch of steel cables twisting together. His head looks up from his phone for a second and I feel my throat getting tight. 

We kissed and it had messed everything up. The moment replayed every time there was silence, every time my mind would zone out. He was taking up space in my mind rent-free. Now we knew that we'd done something personal together, something undoable.

"Let's get this show on the road, find a car yet, Walk?" Dustin asks and he clears his throat.

"Three minutes out." He mumbles and I look away, walking to the closet to go get my jean jacket.

I won't acknowledge him, I can't. 

After the car shows up, we climb the stairs out of the apartment and come face to face with a Honda Civic. 

Walker and I seem to have the same idea to sit up front but Dustin swings the door open and hops in, happily asking the driver how his night is. 

"Annie, you're going to have to sit in the middle." Mark warns and I groan internally. This is so not okay with me right now.

Mark climbs in and I walk around to the other side with Walker. "Stay on your side." I grumble and he rolls his eyes. I get in next to Mark, choosing to forego the seatbelts.

Mark and Walker were two big guys, they made the backseat feel like we were all sitting in a gym locker together. Walker in particular was in my space, too close and our hips were jammed against each other.

"Would you move over?" I hiss.

"Would you?" He counters and I roll my eyes.

"Where? Into Mark?" I ask incredulously and he huffs, managing to spare another inch away from me.

"Quit it, you two." Dustin calls back to us and I cross my arms.

Why had I let things get so out of control yesterday? I shouldn't have let him come sleep with me, I shouldn't have addressed my confusion with our situation out-loud and I certainly shouldn't have let that kiss happen. How am I supposed to get through this car ride? It felt like his cologne was drowning me, it just smelled so good. I hated the memories I associated it with.