It's Been a While

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael searched for a minute before finding the spot where the club met. He kind of hoped that Dare might show up, but if he didn't it would be alright. He just wanted somewhere to draw and it seemed like a good spot that he hadn't used up yet. He sat down against a tree, pulling his legs up and laying his pad on his thighs to draw, an old, worn down pencil in his hand. For once it wasn't a person he was drawing, but the scene spread out in front of him.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna saw someone sitting against a tree from a distance and knew it was him. For a brief moment she felt like running away but forced herself to walk toward him instead. It felt like she'd been looking for him forever, but in reality it was only a few hours. She'd searched anywhere she could think that he'd be - the lake, the castle, and finally decided to face the large forest. She was surprised she'd found him in here at all. Her stomach did a flip as she came closer. "Michael?"

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

At first Michael thought he had imagined that familiar voice, but his hand stopped on the paper and he looked up after a moment. That voice he hadn't heard in so very long had come from that girl he hadn't seen in months. His mouth opened in disbelief, he had literally written her off as a loss and went on. He stood, "Anna?" he asked, laying the pad on the ground with the pencil on top, his heart beginning to pound.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna stopped a few steps away from him, nervous. She wanted desperately to wrap her arms around him and feel him hold her. It had been so long since they'd spent time together, and she wished she'd seeked him out sooner instead of waiting. The time apart had changed their relationship and didn't know how to react toward him. "So, um, how are you?"

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael took a couple of steps towards her, then stopped, unsure. All he could think was that it had been too long since he had seen her. "I'm ok..." he said, watching her, taking her in. The knowledge that he had recently started to like a guy was the last thing in his mind, but it was still there, even as he took another step towards her. "Where have you been?" he asked softly when he was almost close enough to touch her.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna looked up into his eyes, remembering all her feelings for him now that he was so close. She started to bring her hand up to touch his face, but pulled it back just short and dropped it back down to her other one. She needed to know where they stood before allowing herself to get distracted. She looked down at her fingernails and replied "At the bookstore. It's nearly fixed up. I've missed you. You haven't come to see me."

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

"I didn't know you were down there," Michael said, "I had heard a rumor once, but never anything else." He didn't make the point that she hadn't come to find him, either. How much he had missed her came crashing down on him, where it had been pushed back by Dare before. He couldn't bring himself to be mad that they hadn't been together, it was overshadowed by seeing her again. He reached out and took her hand, almost as if he were trying to convince himself she was real.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

She looked up again after he'd taken her hand. Anna noticed that he hadn't said he'd missed her too, but it was written clearly on his face. A wave of guilt washed over her for her actions at the ball. He'd missed her, and she'd gone and kissed someone else. "I would get so busy. I'm sorry. Have you been spending all your time drawing?" She asked, biting her lip. She knew she needed to spill it, but she just didn't know how to and was stalling.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael winced slightly, no, he hadn't been spending all of his time drawing. "Most of my time," he said, that much was true. When he hadn't been drawing he'd been with Dare, or thinking of Dare. How was he supposed to tell her that he had been with a guy? Especially after he had told her specifically that he wasn't into guys? "I thought about you." It was true, for so long all he had been able to draw was her.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna couldn't take it anymore. She eliminated the space between them, throwing her arms around Michael's waist and burrying her head against his chest. She began to sob, wishing that she could go back in time and fix everything. "Oh Michael! I'm so sorry Michael!!"

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael wrapped his arms around her gratefully, pressing his lips into her hair before resting his cheek on her head. "It's alright," he murmured, rocking slightly as he held her close to him. He knew that awkward conversation was coming soon, and he didn't know how he would handle it, or what would happen. For the moment, he was content to just hold her, all of the emotions flooding back into him.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Michael's words only made Anna sob even harder. She shook her head against him, "You should hate me. I'm such a horrible person." Her words came out muffled against his shirt with a flood of tears. She continued, not even thinking, but just rambling on as grief and guilt filled her. "I didn't mean to. I love you. I didn't want to hurt you. It, it, it just happened."

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

"Anna, calm down, you're not a horrible person...." Michael said, holding her tightly. "What are you talking about?" he asked, a pain in his own chest from seeing her tears. "I love you, too...." he said softly, even more afraid of telling her about Dare than he had been before. He knew she would hurt, and it was the last thing he wanted, but he needed to know what was going on in her own mind before he could say anything.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna tried to calm herself down enough to get the words out that needed to be said. She took several deep breaths until her tears fell silently. She hugged him tighter, taking in the feel of her cheek against him, his arms holding her so securly. She dreaded him pulling her off of him and discarding her, but she had to tell him, even if it meant she'd never feel this again. "I have something to tell you, and you're going to hate me for it, but I care for you too much to keep it from you. It happened at the ball. I dressed up as a Gothic Mistress and tried to be someone different than myself. I flirted, and even walked up to guys I didn't know." She took another deep breath, pausing and trying to get the courage to deal the horrible blow.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael tensed, a Gothic Mistress? He frantically searched his memory, trying to remember if there had been anyone else that matched that title. No, there was no one. She had been the girl that had come up on him and Dare. He barely heard what she said after that, only just catching something about guys and flirting. His breathing turned shallow, he knew she would be able to tell the differences, but he couldn't very well take it any more calmly, not when she had been the one that he and Dare had made it so obvious to.