Annie pulled back and gave Clay a look of disbelief. "You have the report, you have all my communications, you have everything you need to know what happened. Talking about it..."
She gave a shrug with a smile that wasn't humorous at all.
"Even if that's all you want to do. You get me all weekend."
She was right about his riding though. He still kept doing that even though his mother died. "I have been, but that's also something I do alone. Now that you're back, I don't really want to be alone." Though he hadn't asked if she wanted to join him, "Unless you'd like to come along."
"I wouldn't make you sit there and watch. You can ride too." Clay still wasn't sure how much Annie liked to ride, but she seemed to enjoy it well enough."
When she said watching him was weird, he could only think of one thing to ask, "Why do you like watching me?" He'd noticed Annie watched him often. He'd always wondered why.
"Because I love you," she told him simply. "It gives me something to hold onto while I'm away. Something to think about. To remember when I miss you the most."
Immediately, tears welled up in her eyes. "I missed you so much."
It was a whisper and she ducked her head against his chest again. Everything they'd missed over six months washed over her and she shook her head. "I'm sorry."
All she wanted to do was get lost in him, so she took advantage of his hug and curled her body into his again. Her tears fell silently, and it didn't take long before she'd dozed off pressed against him, her arm around his stomach.
Clay let Annie sleep. She'd had a day that was beyond difficult and she needed to rest. He stayed awake for a while, just making sure Annie was settled before dosing off himself.
When Annie woke, it was dark. She felt a little queasy, and she wasn't sure why, until it dawned on her that she hadn't eaten much all day. A glance at the clock showed that it was a little after eleven and she curled her hand in Clay's shirt. She knew he'd either woken up the second she sat up or would when she started to move, so she decided to do him the favor of kissing him gently.
Clay smiled softly when Annie kissed him awake. "Hey," he said quietly, "How're you feeling?"
They'd obviously both slept a while since it was dark out. He hadn't bothered to look at the clock, and he supposed the time didn't matter all that much.
"Still a little groggy and a little queasy. I think I'm hungrier than I was," she admitted. "We slept a while. I think you needed it as much as I did."
She had a feeling he'd been sleeping like crap for a few months.
Clay was actually a little surprised by the status report that was more than just 'I'm fine'. He wasn't going to complain. At the mention of food though, his stomach growled. Apparently, Annie wasn't the only one that was hungry.
"I guess I did," He answered in regards to her mention of their nap. "It's been a long few weeks."
Clearly, catching her when she woke up was the best time to do so since she was being as honest as possible. When his stomach growled, Annie smiled and bent to kiss him again.
"I know it has and I'm sorry if I've been difficult since I've been home."
"Annie, don't worry about it. It's all part of working through everything and no matter how difficult it's been, I'm glad I'm here with you and you aren't dealing with this alone."
He planned on making sure everything between them stayed as honest as possible. It'd just be better in the long run.
Annie pulled back and gave Clay a look of disbelief. "You have the report, you have all my communications, you have everything you need to know what happened. Talking about it..."
She gave a shrug with a smile that wasn't humorous at all.
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She was right about his riding though. He still kept doing that even though his mother died. "I have been, but that's also something I do alone. Now that you're back, I don't really want to be alone." Though he hadn't asked if she wanted to join him, "Unless you'd like to come along."
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Annie was content to be with him just sitting anywhere, really, even if it just meant their couch.
"That's weird, isn't it?"
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When she said watching him was weird, he could only think of one thing to ask, "Why do you like watching me?" He'd noticed Annie watched him often. He'd always wondered why.
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She sighed, feeling pathetic all over again.
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She might be pathetic, but he was sappy.
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It was a whisper and she ducked her head against his chest again. Everything they'd missed over six months washed over her and she shook her head. "I'm sorry."
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He hugged her again, "And we have a lot of Christmases ahead of us."
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"Hey."
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They'd obviously both slept a while since it was dark out. He hadn't bothered to look at the clock, and he supposed the time didn't matter all that much.
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She had a feeling he'd been sleeping like crap for a few months.
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"I guess I did," He answered in regards to her mention of their nap. "It's been a long few weeks."
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"I know it has and I'm sorry if I've been difficult since I've been home."
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He planned on making sure everything between them stayed as honest as possible. It'd just be better in the long run.
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