Reaching for her cup of water, Annie took a sip of the cool liquid to ease her nerves as she nodded along to Steve's story about how he had gotten a new job as a word processor in one of the more well-known companies in the area. Steve had noticed Annie was a little on edge and thankfully had taken the lead and done most of the talking thus far.
"And so I've been there for a few months now and I'm quite liking the work." Steve clasped his hands together and smiled. "There's plenty of potential to move up the corporate ladder which is what I think is most exciting about it."
"It sounds very promising," Annie agreed as her eyes wandered around the diner a little. "I'm really glad to hear that you're enjoying it."
Steve watched as Annie took in the sight of the new restaurant and waited until her wonder had died down a little before speaking again. "So, what about you?" he posed the question once he was sure she was paying attention. "Have you managed to find any work since coming home?"
"No." Annie shook her head. "I'm keeping my eyes peeled but I'm just not finding anything that's really piquing my interest all that much if I'm honest. I mean, after you've been a combat medic for the army it's a little hard to find a job that even comes close to comparing."
"I completely understand." Steve lifted his hands from the table as the waitress came over with their food. After giving her a quick 'thank you', he turned back to Annie and continued the conversation. "But hey, maybe a drastic change would be good. Maybe it will allow you to find something else you're really passionate about."
Grabbing the bottle of ketchup and squirting some beside her fries, Annie gave the suggestion some thought. "Yeah, maybe." She dipped a single fry in some ketchup before plopping it into her mouth. "I think I'm just happy with spending time with my family for the time being. Work will always be there. Family won't."
Steve watched as Annie's face fell for a millisecond before returning to normal again. It was clear to him that she was still dealing with stuff, but the extent of it was something he remained unsure about. "Do you talk about it much?" he decided to ask. "You know, the war. Is it something you talk about?"
"Not really," Annie answered honestly. "Not even with my family, so don't feel like I'm holding out on you or anything. I'm just not ready yet. There's still a lot I need to process."
"Hey." Steve reached across the table and held Annie's hand. "There's no rush with me, okay? Whenever you're ready to talk, I'm here to listen."
Looking up at Steve, Annie flashed a genuine smile. "Thank you." She was grateful to have found someone other than Philip who seemed to understand that she just needed time; time and patience.
Throughout the rest of the meal, Annie and Steve chatted about this and that—mostly about what Steve had been up to for the past four years—and eventually, Annie relaxed and opened up a little. She shared a few harmless stories here and there from her training at Toccoa and Mackall, and for the first time, Steve didn't seem at all bothered by how often she mentioned the men she served with.
In fact, at one point he even ended up asking about George because he had heard Tim going on and on about him during his radioman phase while visiting the house. So, Annie told Steve about George and how she thought the two of them might get along should they ever end up meeting.
George was definitely a little goofier and more out there than Steve was but they shared a lot of the same qualities that Annie admired in a person; which probably explained why she had, at some point or another, had feelings for both of them.
After dinner, Steve ordered two milkshakes to go and the two took a walk in the park that Annie had visited a few days before. With the sun setting in the sky and the fountain in the park's lake filling the area with the beautiful sound of falling water, the former couple reminisced about the time they had spent together before their lives had gone separate ways.
"Oh, do you remember that one time we had planned out that big picnic and spent probably about twenty minutes setting it up and then, out of nowhere, it started to pour down on us?" Annie could barely get the last of her sentence out from her laughter.
"Everything was soaked!" Steve snickered as he slurped up the last of his milkshake and tossed it into a nearby trashcan. "And then we ran to the car and the seats ended up getting wet. Man, my dad was so mad I got water in his new car."
Annie nodded along. "He didn't let us use it again for months."
"You know, at the time, I thought that day was completely ruined," Steve said as his eyes drifted toward a duck that had just landed in the water. "But now that I look back at it, I think the memory was worth getting a little wet. I'll certainly never forget it, I know that much for sure."
"It was certainly a memorable day," Annie agreed.
"And then there was that time that guy cut us in line at the movies. You remember that?" Steve moved on to the next story, one he knew Annie knew well.
Rolling her eyes, Annie chuckled. "How could I forget? You decided that the best way to deal with the situation was to punch that guy out."
"What can I say?" Steve shrugged. "I was an angry teenage boy and some guy was being a real asshole while I was out with my girl. As far as I saw it, that was the only logical response."
"Yeah, except we got kicked out and didn't end up seeing the movie anyway."
"I'm not saying I was smart back then, okay?"
"Okay." Annie finished her milkshake as well and threw the to-go cup away. "That story actually reminds me of when we were all on the boat to England and these two guys in my company, Joe and Bill, got into it and started fighting each other in this cramped space between the beds. God, it was a nightmare. I tried to step in and of course, just my luck, ended up getting elbowed in the face."
Steve looked concerned. "Which of the guys hit you?"
"Joe." Annie waved it off as no big deal. "It's okay though because he took a punch for me in Aldbourne so we're even."
"Ah, well as long as you're even." Steve smirked. "Otherwise I would have had to track him down and bring back some of that good 'ol teenage rage."
Stopping in her tracks, Annie snickered. "You would defend my honour?"
"Yeah, of course, I would." Steve looked around shiftily. "Just, you know, be honest with me. You think I could take him?"
Folding her arms over her chest, Annie looked Steve up and down. "Well, I'm not sure. Joe's pretty scrawny but he's also pretty scrappy and I don't think he ever got rid of his teenage anger; which, in all fairness, does help when killing Nazis."
"Scrawny and scrappy?" Steve mulled it over for a few seconds. "On second thought, nope. You're on your own, kid."
"Oh, thanks." Annie rolled her eyes before continuing to walk down the path that led back to the main sidewalk. "A real knight in shining armour you are."
"Hey, you're the one who fought the Nazis, not me." Steve held his hands up in defence. "If anything, you're my knight in shining armour."
Deep in conversation, Annie and Steve slowly made their way back to Annie's house. By the time they had reached her porch, they were laughing and talking just like they used to. Turning to look at her door, Annie made sure none of her family were watching.
Clearing his throat, Steve caught Annie's attention again. "Well, I don't know about you, but I had fun tonight."
"Yeah, me too." Annie's fingers fiddled with the hem of her dress. "It was nice to spend time with you again."
"I'm glad you feel that way." Steve shifted his weight from one foot to the other, the look on his face making it obvious that he had something he wanted to say. "Look, Annie, I hate to ask this but I have to know. Is there a future for us? Was tonight enough to convince you that I made a mistake and that we should give us another shot?"
Taking a step closer, Annie reached out and grabbed Steve's hand with her own. "I had a great time with you tonight, Steve. For the first time since getting home, I think I actually managed to forget all about the war and completely enjoy myself. The diner was awesome and you were right—that was, in fact, the best burger I have ever had. What I'm trying to say is thank you for an amazing evening."
With his free hand, Steve tucked a loose strand of Annie's blonde hair behind her ear before slowly leaning in for a kiss. Before anything could happen though, Annie held a finger up to his lips to stop him. "But-" she continued.
Slumping his shoulders, Steve groaned. "I was really hoping there wasn't going to be a 'but'."
"I know." Annie felt bad for the man in front of her. "But tonight made me realize that all we have in common anymore is our past, and we can't survive off of old memories alone."
"No, no, no." Steve squeezed Annie's hand. "We can make new memories."
"I don't know if I'm ready for that yet," Annie confessed. "And while it's very obvious how much you've grown and matured since we last spoke—and while I greatly appreciate how willing you are to be patient with me—I don't think it would be fair to you. You deserve someone who can commit themselves fully to you."
Bringing his free hand up, Steve placed his palm on Annie's cheek. "Oh, Annie, don't do this."
"I have to," Annie told him simply. "I also want you to know that I'm not mad at you for what you did. I'm not mad at you for ending things with me—I see now how hard it was for you when I left. I don't hate you for what you did; in fact, I am grateful for it. You breaking up with me finally allowed me to let go of the last part of my old life that was holding me back so that I could grow into who I am today. I don't hate you, Steve. You're a good man and someday you are going to make some woman very happy. That woman just isn't me."
"Annie-" Steve tried one last time as Annie let go of his hand.
"I'm sorry, Steve." Annie turned and started up the steps to her porch. "Goodbye."
Once inside, Annie shut the door behind herself and stayed frozen in place until she was sure Steve had left. When he was no longer standing in front of her house, she kicked her shoes off and let out a breath she hadn't even known she had been holding in.
Walking out of the kitchen with a slice of banana bread in hand, Philip gave his sister a lazy wave. "How did it go?"
"It was actually a really great evening."
"Oh?" Philip cocked a brow. "Does that mean you two are getting back together?"
Placing her bag down, Annie shook her head and took a seat on the steps that went up to the second floor. "No."
"How come?" Philip came to sit down next to her before breaking his banana bread in half and offering some to her.
"Thanks." Annie accepted half of her own creation and took a bite. "It just became really clear to me that we've grown apart. We had some really good conversations but they were all about stuff we had done together when we were dating before. It was almost like we couldn't move past the gap in our relationship."
"Hmm," Philip hummed. "Did he ask a lot of questions about war?"
Annie shook her head. "Surprisingly enough, no. He was really understanding about the whole 'not wanting to talk about it' thing, and when I did bring it up, he didn't get weird about it or follow up with a million different questions. I'm actually kinda sad things didn't work out but I think it's for the best. I'm just not ready. I've changed too much."
"Well, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't at least a little happy to hear you kicked him to the curb," Philip admitted as he popped the last piece of bread into his mouth. "Mess with my sister once, no second chances for you."
"Oh, big bad Philip." Annie rested her head on her brother's shoulder and exhaled. "What would I do without you?"
"Well, you'd probably have a lot more banana bread left, that's for sure," Philip answered truthfully. "I'm sorry, I can't help myself. It's just so good."
Eating the last bit of her half of bread, Annie smiled. "Yeah, it is pretty good, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is." Philip threw an arm around Annie and hugged her tight. "Hey, good for you for moving on, though."
"Thanks. I just hope it's the right choice."
●●●
Annie had no idea what time it was. All she knew was that it was late, it was dark outside, and it was raining.
Rolling over, the girl pulled the covers up to her chin and closed her eyes yet again. Even though this method of trying to force herself to doze off had already failed every other time she had tried it, she was desperate.
Sometimes Annie would try to tire herself out by reading, but whenever she did that she never ended up getting sleepy and just ended up reading until morning, which wasn't any help at all. She tried drinking warm milk, she tried counting invisible sheep, and she even tried doing some breathing exercises her mother had told her about. Everything she tried failed.
With a frustrated and exhausted huff, Annie swung her legs over the side of her bed and stood up. Maybe a walk down to the kitchen to get a glass of water would help in some way. At that point, she was willing to try anything.
Grabbing her housecoat, Annie wrapped the fabric around her body before exiting her room and making her way downstairs. Careful not to wake anyone else, the blonde turned on the kitchen light and poured herself a large glass of cold, refreshing water.
Taking a sip, Annie sighed. As she stood in the kitchen drinking her water, her eyes drifted over to the already half-eaten loaf of banana bread and she smirked to herself; Philip hadn't been kidding when he said he had eaten a lot of it.
Lifting the glass to her mouth again, Annie was just about to take another drink when she heard three sharp knocks. Freezing on the spot, she listened carefully. The knocks sounded like they might be coming from the front door but it was so late that there couldn't possibly be anyone on the porch at that time of night.
So, Annie listened some more. Maybe it was one of her family members getting up to use the bathroom. The house was silent, but then just as she was about to dismiss it as nothing, she heard another three knocks.
Placing her glass down on the counter, she made sure her robe was tied on tight as she made her way out of the kitchen. That time there was no denying the knocks had come from the door.
For a second the thought of the mystery visitor being an angry and vengeful Steve crossed her mind, but Annie dismissed that foolish idea right away. Steve had never been violent—well, except for the movie theatre incident, which as far as she knew was a one-time lapse in judgment.
Unlocking the front door, Annie slowly twisted the doorknob and prayed that she wasn't about the open the door for an intruder or murderer or something. With a hard heave, she pulled open the heavy door and gasped when she saw who was standing before her.
Soaking wet from the rain with a bag slung over her shoulder and a look of defeat on her face, Margot stood on Annie's front porch. "Oh, thank God." Margot seemed to relax a little when Annie answered the door. "I was really hoping I had the right address. How horrible would it have been if I had knocked on some stranger's door at midnight?"
"Margot!" Annie didn't even have to think twice before pulling her dripping-wet friend in for a hug, which consequently also pulled her into the warm and dry house. "My goodness, what are you doing here? I thought you were going home."
"I did go home." Margot placed her bag onto the floor as the rest of Annie's family began to stir upstairs. "I went home and found out that my father had shot himself and that my house was for sale and that I had nowhere else to go. I really hope you don't mind that I'm here. If it's a problem I can go but I just ... Annie, I didn't know what else to do."
Annie's heart sank for her friend. "Oh, of course, you can stay here." She hugged Margot again. "I'm so sorry for your loss."
"Yeah, thanks." Margot wiped some of the rain from her face and forced a quiet laugh as Annie's mother began to come down the stairs. "Who would have thought the hard part about war was returning from it, right?"