It's Not Over

Sweet Surrender

"Guess we'll have dinner for breakfast," Rosie joked to the woman laying in his arm, her head on his shoulder and her chest pressed to his body. His thumb stroked her back softly, as he tried to process what had just happened between them. He couldn't seem to get over the fact that this was Annalise, laying in his arms, radiating heat against his body.

"Mhm," she mumbled an attempt at a laugh in her sleepy state.

"You know, when I was in high school, I spent months in the hospital. It was the sickest I'd ever been. And the day I went home, I felt so alive. I've chased that feeling for a long time. I didn't think I'd get there again." Annalise's tucked her head further into him, taking a deep breath. He knew she was too tired to speak, but she was listening. He didn't need her to speak. He brushed a piece of hair behind her ear gently, smiling at the woman in his arms.

He knew from the moment he'd laid eyes on her, she was a strong, intelligent, feisty, independent badass and could scare whoever she wanted. Still, he could pick out a hundred instances he found adorable. Such as this one.

Not sure if she'd finally drifted off or not, he whispered to her the thing he'd most wanted to say since that night in her bedroom.

"I love you, Annalise."
-
While Andy had known Rosie for years, she'd never seen him in as much pain as he suffered on a run before work shortly after that night. He nearly tumbled to the ground, grabbing into the railing that separated him from the water on the other side of the path. Annalise turned back around, immediately concerned. She placed her shoulder under his arm and slowly helped him to the ground asking,

"What can I do?"

"My meds," he croaked, clenching his pocket desperately for them.

"I got it," she replied, moving his hand away and retrieving them. Being used to fast moving and stressful situations, she moved rapidly but steadily, placing one in his hand at a record spead.

"Everything all right?" Another runner asked, catching up to them.

"Fine," Rosie replied before Andy could. She turned back to the man and nodded.

"We're good, thank you." When she turned back to Rosie, the pain appeared to be subsiding at least slightly. Having been squatting, she sat herself down.

"Sorry about that."

"No, don't apologize," she said without a thought as a breeze hit her. She drew circles on his arm and looked out at the sky. He took note of how calm she was. It wasn't that she wasn't concerned, because she definitely was, but that her calm attitude helped him to recover, not having to worry so much about scaring her. He appreciated the quiet support she offered him. People walked by, glanced on, but didn't question it much. After a minute, he tried to climb to his feet but her hand tightened around his arm.

"Where do you think you're going."

"I'm fine, Villa," he spoke, slowly, the medication in effect. He made it half way to his feet when she snapped,

"Hey, this isn't a debate. Sit your ass back down." Knowing that tone, he followed her direction without hesitation. They sat in silence for a while, feeling the breeze, Andy's thumb rubbing his arm until he was really ready to continue down the path. When he tried, she grabbed his arm and pulled him back from where they'd started the run.

"I can handle myself, you know."

"Hey, you're driving me to work and I never show up late," she said with a shrug, though they both knew that wasn't her reason for turning around.

It didn't take long for Rosie to realize how Annalise might have felt when he went down, for the next day, after Andy's night with her friends, he saw the explosions at pac north on the television and jumped for his phone.