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The rain was relentless the following morning, heavy droplet's beating against the window echoing in the nearly silent house. Andy had awoken an hour before Addison, looking down at the sleeping form on his chest, soft breaths leaving her lips and fanning across his bare chest. She looked peaceful, and Andy was ecstatic he was the one who provided her with that. Slipping out of the bed, careful not to move her around to much to allow Addison some much needed sleep, he pulled the comforter up to her chin, smiling as she curled up, her head resting on his pillow. He placed one hand on the headboard, leaning down to press a gentle kiss to her forehead, quietly leaving the room and going downstairs. Andy flipped on some lights, reaching the thermostat to turn on some heat before heading to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee, the machine whirring to life as he sat down at the counter, a sigh leaving his lips as the weight of everything came crushing down on him, a choked sob leaving his lips.
Addison groaned slightly, her body aching as if she had just ran a marathon. Her eyes fluttered open as she rolled her head from side to side, adjusting to the light that was peeking into the room, the November chill slipping in from the cracked window. "Andy?" She asked softly, rubbing her eyes before sitting up, collapsing back on headboard. Her whole body felt like a brick of lead, planting her in her place on the bed, the realization of what happened last night setting in, tears flowing down her cheeks. "He cheated on me with my sister." She whispered, frantically searching for her phone, locating the device on the nightstand, reaching over and pulling the device to her, seeing messages from Tommy, Laurie, and her friends sitting in the unread section. With a heavy breath, she clicked on Laurie's message thread, tears dripping on the phone as she read the message.
Laures:
'I know it looks bad, but let's talk?'
Addison;
'Let's talk.'
Addison's head shot up when she heard Andy's loud cry, a crash sounding from downstairs, quickly tossing her phone aside and using her strength to rush downstairs, using the sleeves of his shirt to dry her tears as she rounded the corner, seeing him curled into a ball on the floor. "Andy!" She spoke frantically, kneeling down in front of him while he sobbed, his body shaking from the force of his cries. "Let's go to the couch?" Addison whispered, cupping his cheek when he looked up at her, his bright blue eyes dark, red covered the whites of his eyes, his eyelids drooping as let out another pained sob. "Come on." She spoke softly, slipping her arm under his armpits, his around her shoulders, her leg strength lifting them to a standing position. She was careful, stepping around the broken class of the shattered coffee mug while she lead the two of them to the couch, allowing him to sit before she sat next to him. He collapsed into her lap, the pain baring down on him like a knife to the back, her hand on the back of his head as he sobbed into the soft skin of her thighs.
Andy's whole world had been turned upside down, the only constant was Addison. Laurie was cheating on him, and he had no idea for how long, what if that was the reason Jacob snapped, and ultimately was it the reason he was gone? His son died tragically, his own wife ignoring Andy's cries for help as he slipped into the void. She was too preoccupied with her own desires. On top of that, he was let go from his dream job, everything seemed to crash down on him, a bone crushing weight that was unescapable. Addison had hunched over him, her hands on his shoulders as she enclosed his head in her body, enveloping him in the sense of her. The sweet smell of tangerine that resided on her skin slowing his never ceasing tears, the warmth of her body causing his eyes to fall shut as his stuttered breathing returned to normal, a shaky breath leaving his lips as he tapped her thigh, alerting her that he was okay. Her body pulled back, her hands removing themselves from his warm skin as he sat up, running his hands down his face. "I'm sorry."
"No, don't be. I think I'm the only person in the world who understands." Addison smiled softly, reaching up to wipe the tear that slipped down his cheek. "How are you doing?" Andy asked softly, wrapping her small hand in his, bringing the back of her hand up to his lips, a chaste kiss being pressed to the back of it. "I don't have an answer to that." She whispered, squeezing his hand gently. His kiss sent a fire up her arm, a bright pink blush forming against her cheeks. "What was last night?" Andy asked, his pink tongue slipping out, saliva covering his chapped lips. "Almost two decades worth of unspoken feelings finally coming up." She responded, moving closer to him when he tugged on her hand, his arm draping around her shoulders. "So, it wasn't retaliation?" He asked, laying his cheek against the top of her head, smiling when her head shook no. "I've spent nearly twenty years being jealous of Laurie, I was finally able to have a taste of what I've wanted." Addison explained, playing with Andy's fingers on his free hand. "So what do we do?" Andy asked, pressing a kiss to her head. "We wait, at least to go public, let's just see what happens."
Andy had thrown his arm around the girl, her body fitting in his side like the missing puzzle piece, her head resting on the crevice below his shoulder, a blanket thrown over the two of them lazily. Comfortable silence had filled the room, the soft pitter patter of the rain storm outside creating a cozy atmosphere, the fake fire in the wall illuminating their two bodies every so slightly, the warmth radiating off of his body bringing a small smile to Addison's face. It had been months since the two had any sort of comfort, Addison was fighting a losing battle with her relationship and Andy was watching his slip through the cracks, unable to reverse any of the damage. "Sweetheart?" Andy's voice was rough, cracking from the warm air that filled his lungs. "Hmm?" Addison replied, opening her eyes that she wasn't aware had fallen shut. "Are you going to move back in with him?" Andy asked, trailing his fingers up her arm. "No, I uh, I'm going to take Leslie up on her offer of helping me out. Where are you going to go?" Addison asked, moving her head so she was looking up at the man. "I'm going to go to Boston, you're more than welcome to join." Andy smiled, his right hand coming up to cup her cheek, pressing his lips to hers softly. "Ask me again in six months." She breathed out, pressing her lips back to his.
An hour had past, Andy packed up a suitcase while Addison changed into her now clean dress, waiting patiently for Leslie to give her a ride back. "I really can give you a ride back to the house, it's no big deal." Andy smiled, wrapping an arm around Addison's waist, peppering kisses from her exposed shoulder to her cheek. "I think that would look bad, don't you?" Addison asked, leaning back against his broad chest, placing her hands on his forearm resting against her stomach. "I don't care if I look bad doll face, I've got you, and you're good." He chuckled, nibbling on her ear gently, a giggle leaving her lips while she turned in his arm, pressing a long kiss to his lips. "Keep in contact?" She whispered, peppering kisses against his lips before he could answer, pulling back so he could press his forehead to hers. "I will, I'll come visit soon, serve the papers for me? I was able to get them filed." Andy murmured, squeezing her hip as the sound of Leslie's horn blared from outside. "Yeah, I'll send you an address as soon as I know where I'm staying!" Addison smiled, pressing one more kiss to Andy's lips before she was bounding out the door, slipping into the passenger seat of her friends car. Andy smiled, watching the car taken off into the distance.
Leslie and Addison were virtually silent the ride back to hers and Tommy's shared house, careful not to step on each other's toes. "Les, I owe you an apology, you were right. I'm sorry for snapping at you the way I did." Addison spoke, turning so she was facing her best friend, a sad smile on Leslie's lips. "I really do wish I was wrong about it, I'm sorry you're the one in the middle. Andy Barber though? I don't think you really lost." Leslie smirked, wiggling her eyebrows as Addison laughed, her head falling back against the headrest. "Shut up, he lost his wife too." Addison bashfully argued, looking down at her lap. "Yeah, well your lips were swollen when you came out, and you've had a crush on him since we were 18! Laurie screwed you over, all bets are off." Leslie shrugged, a smile playing on her lips as Addison nodded. "Yeah, hey, I'm gonna need two favors, if you don't mind." Addison sheepishly let out, dropping her head. "Sure, hit me with them." Leslie replied, stopping outside the townhome. "Can you keep an eye out for Laurie in town, I don't want to see her after this, and maybe help me find a hotel?" She asked, smiling softly when Leslie took her hand squeezing. "Sure, I'll stay with you too, for the first couple days."
A smile crawled amongst Addison's lips, squeezing Leslie's hand back before she was climbing out of the car, the concrete rough against her feet as she climbed the stairs to the door, kicking the rock to the side that hid the spare key. Shoving the metal into the lock, the click sounding before she twisted the doorknob, her brows furrowing as she stepped into the house, the sweet smell of snickerdoodle filling her nostrils, the soft slam of the door behind her causing her to jump slightly. "Tommy? Laurie?" Addison asked, slowly walking down the hallway towards the kitchen, jumping when the confetti canons went off. "Surprise!" Laurie and Tommy cheered, smiling brightly as Addison looked over at them, a confused expression on her face. "Surprise?" She questioned, trudging behind Laurie when she wrapped her fingers around Addison's wrist. "A surprise party! For our favorite girl!" Laurie smiled, moving towards the kitchen while Tommy came over, leaning down to press a kiss to Addison's lips, pulling back abruptly when Addison's palm came in contact with his cheek. "Addison Scott!" Laurie scolded, crossing her arms.
"Don't Addison Scott me, don't act like last night didn't happen!" Addison yelled, standing up from her position on the couch. "Last night? We were planning this for you!" Tommy spoke gently, reaching out for Addison's hand, her eyebrows furrowing together more, and an audible scoff leaving her lips. "No, no, you're not going to make me feel crazy, I know exactly what I saw!" Addison yelled, pushing past them both to exit the house, grabbing her keys from the ring dish that resided by the door. "Wait!" Laurie called, her voice cracking when Addison turned back towards her, crossing her arms. "Let's talk, no bullshit." Laurie promised, seeing Addison sigh defeatedly, tossing her keys back into the bowl. "No bullshit." Addison repeated, walking back towards the living room, both Laurie and Tommy sitting across from her on the sofa. Addison's feet were tucked beneath her body, her phone resting beside her. "I think the first, and only question I really care about is, why?" Addison asked, looking at the pair in front of her. Laurie and Tommy looked at each, before a synchronized breath left each of their lips. "We fell out of love." Laurie replied, seeing her sisters face fall, tears brimming in her eyes.
We fell out of love, Addison's heart stopped in that very moment, tears falling down her cheeks as she looked at the two people she loved more than anything in the world. Her whole life, all she had was Laurie, for all the tears, the heartbreaks, to fill the empty void of aloneness. That same person, just took her heart and stomped on it, with no remorse. Her eyes shifted over to Tommy, his face falling as the realization of how much pain she was going through set in, he was her everything, she worshipped everything he did. "Addison, say something please?" Tommy whispered, his voice a muted sound as she broke down, tears falling down her cheeks faster than she could process the information. "Sister?" Laurie whispered, looking at her when Addison shot her head up, her icy blue eyes hallow, while she looked directly at Laurie.
"You are not my sister."
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