The Last Chance(2015)
Chapter Eight
A strong pair of arms grabbed Anna. She felt herself beginning pulled into Brian’s chest. She didn’t fight him, but when she tried to turn back around in his arms, he wouldn’t let her. He just held her to himself. They both faced the empty street.
Anna was still angry, but felt it begin to slip away when when Brian freed one of his hands, pushed her curly hair to one side, settled his face next to hers. His arm went back around her, holding her. They both sighed.
No one said anything.
One of them started a steady sideways rock.
Anna freed her hands and wrapped them around the arms that held her. She closed her eyes and settled into Brian. She loved him so much that at times, it was painful. She sighed again, letting out the last of her anger. Only pain remained. Even if she didn’t end up securing Brian tonight, this night would change their future, but Anna had no clue as to how.
Brian released a major sighed and then brought his mouth to her ear. Even this close, Anna had to concentrate in order to hear him. “I didn’t want to be alone.”
Anna tried to turn around, but Brian stopped her, holding her immobile against his hard body. He didn’t want her to see him. Why? Instead of trying to move again, Anna’s hands simply tightened around his arms. She replayed his words in her head. Had there been some sadness in his words? Anna had never heard Brian like this before. She desperately wanted to see his face, but he wouldn’t let her. “Why would you have been alone?”
There was another lapse of silence. Anna thought he wouldn’t answer, but had decided she wouldn’t push. She was enjoying the feel of him. His body was so much bigger than hers that it would have been too easy to just curl up against him. Unconsciously, Anna lifted a hand and began to stroke his face. It was so smooth.
“No one came.”
Anna stopped her hand. “What?”
“No came to see me graduate.”
Anna tried to turn around again, but Brian’s hold was so tight. Sadness rested on her heart. How could she forget? Brian didn’t have a family, not one like hers. His mother had died when he was young and Anna had never met Brian’s father. There were no brothers or sisters. Just Brian and his dad.
Brian’s father had never showed up during Brian’s four years of college. Actually, in the last seven years since they graduated, Anna could only remember seeing Brian’s father once, but he’d been driving away when she saw him. She hadn’t even truly seen his face. She’d asked Brian who the guy was that had pulled out of his driveway and Brian had simply said, ‘my dad’. He hadn’t said more after that.
Brian’s father was still a mystery to her, but Anna had assumed the man had come to his only son’s graduation. Was that too big of an assumption? Anna had the perfect family and at times, it was so easy for Anna to forget that some people had no family at all. “Let me turn around, Brian.”
He didn’t say anything. He simply shook his head against hers.
Anna tapped his arms. “Let me go, Brian.”
He sighed and released her.
Anna turned around and the look in his eyes was almost enough to break her heart. His green eyes reflected his opened wounds. His jaw was locked tightly. Anna grabbed it in both of her hands. In these last few minutes, Anna had seen more of Brian then she could remember ever seeing in the last eleven years of knowing him, and what she saw was deep trust issues. That’s why she wore the mask. He was keeping people out, making sure that no one would be able to see what he was truly feeling. But tonight, Brian was letting Anna in, and a part of her knew just how much it had cost him.
Anna didn’t know what to say. ‘I’m sorry’ didn’t seem like enough and ‘thank you’ was sure to make the moment more awkward for him. So, Anna decided to not say anything. Instead, she brought Brian’s head down towards hers, stood tipped toes, and rained a series of tiny kisses on his strong face. His eyes, his cheeks, his nose. She felt Brian sigh right before her lips touched his.