Becoming Anne Again

Chapter Seventeen

A/N Alright kiddos, this is where things get intense. Physical abuse and implied sexual abuse. If this is a trigger for you but you want to keep up with the story, I will give a warning before it starts, and then just scroll down to the end of the chapter and I will give a non graphic summary. Thank you so much for reading, and remember to vote, comment and follow to keep up with updates if you liked it!

The sun was already setting at seven, which was all the better for Anne and Diana as they sat beside each other on the beach, thighs touching as they both reveled in the colors painted across the sky, even the water seeming to soften as each rhythmic stroke of a divine brush caused the heavenly colors to shift. It almost felt like sensory overload to Anne—the magnificent art show in front of her, the lapping of the waves, the breeze against her skin, the feeling of her bare skin touching Diana's—which was perhaps the best feeling of all. Diana's skin was so smooth and soft, Anne wanted to run her fingers down her legs and revel in all of it.

But she couldn't do that, so she dug her hands in beside her and fisted the sand, rubbing the gritty material against her skin. "It's so beautiful," she breathed out, mouth slightly agape.

"Yeah," Diana whispered, just as lost in the moment as Anne herself was, if not quite so aware of their proximity to each other. "Anne?"

Anne hummed in response, and Diana cocked her head to one side. "Do you like it here?" There was a strain of anxiousness in her voice, and she bit her lip.

"I don't know," Anne said, blinking slowly before turning toward Diana. "It's hard to say, I guess. I don't get attached, you know? I don't—I don't usually stay in one place too long," she said, her eyes suddenly falling to the sand beside her. The loneliness crashed down on her once again, and her breathing became heavier as the weight of her situation once again fell on her shoulders. Maybe this was her one shot.

"Oh." Diana gulped, eyes slightly misty before sliding one hand over to Anne's, clutching it tightly. "I'm sorry," she said, because wasn't that what she was supposed to say in these sorts of situations? That's how she had been brought up, that you were supposed to apologize for situations you weren't involved in, just so that you could feel the heart break go away and cleanse yourself of—everything.

But that wasn't working, so she wrapped her arm around Anne's waist, laying her head on Anne's shoulder. Anne's breath caught in her throat, and she held so still, because if she moved than maybe the most wonderful moment of her life would end. "If something happens, let's run away together."

"What?" Anne furrowed her eyebrows together, and she could have sworn her heart skipped a beat.

"I mean it. I think I'm attached to you Anne," Diana said, her eyes still fixated on the sunset. "So if something happens, can we go together? We could just—live in coves or something," she laughed, and it sounded so beautiful Anne couldn't help but laugh too.

"Yeah, let's do that," Anne grinned, cautiously laying her head on Diana's. "We'll be queens of the sea, you and I," she said, her eyes closing as she softly smiled.

"I like that. Nothing but us," Diana said, her own heart beginning to hammer in her chest. "Well, maybe Charlie."

Anne liked Charlie enough, sure, but she frowned when Diana said his name. But then she broke out in a smile once again, adding, "Charlie will be like the lost puppy that follows us around."

"Yeah," Diana laughed, Anne being hyperaware of how Diana's chest rose and fell with every sound that escaped her lips. "Or like a parasite. Or—or like a barnacle."