Guilty Pleasure

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael paused, he didn't want to answer immediately. He wanted to leave, to go back to Dare. But he wavered. Could he really leave Anna when she was obviously so...whatever it is she was? Uncomfortable? His jaw tightened and he stopped, hovering by the door. What was he supposed to do? He wanted to be with Dare, but Anna...

[Annabelle Hennessy]

From the moment Michael had arrived at the club, he'd alternated between ignoring and dismissing her. So Anna didn't understand why he was still there after she'd let him go. True, she didn't want to be sentenced to solitude in her shop for the night, but was Michael's company any better? He was just standing there. She reflexively glanced at the clock on the shop wall, noticing that the gates closed nearly an hour prior. "I'm glad I didn't try to get back to the dorms."

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael's eyes flickered to the clock and he nodded absently. "It's good to be away from curfew," he said, then caught himself and looked down again. "Are you really going to be okay here?" he finally asked, glancing back up at her. He already realized that he had been gone longer than he should have been, but he couldn't bring himself to just leave.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

"I don't really have a choice now, do I?" Anna didn't mean for the words to come out as irritated as they sounded, and she quickly tried to soften her tone. "It's safe, if that's what you mean. I've stayed here before, when..." Anna stopped herself mid-sentence from mentioning Chase. She didn't want to think about it and Michael definitely didn't need to hear it. She lowered her head for a moment, looking at the book that was still clasped in her hand before shaking off the feeling and looking back at Michael. "Anyway, I survived then, and I'm sure tonight won't be any different."

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael looked away from Anna, unsure as to what he should do. He wasn't any more convinced now than he had been five minutes ago to leave her. He licked his lips and then words were out of his mouth before he had the chance to censor himself. "I wish it hadn't ended the way it did." Then his eyes widened and darted up to her before he hunched his shoulders. It was true, he wished he could have held his temper, but how would she take it?

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna's eyes widened when Michael mentioned them. She wondered which of the so many things that had gone wrong when their relationship ended that he regretted. The confrontation near the woods came flooding back as if it had happened yesterday. I love you, but...

Those words had haunted her for months, causing her to spend her nights trying to understand why she hadn't been good enough. She'd even talked to the counsellor, thinking there was something wrong wtih her. She had thought she was the reason he'd turned gay. She wished Dare had been a girl, but if she could change anything it would have been those four words.

Leaning back against the arm of the chair with a sigh, Anna addressed the conversation she had long ago decided would never take place. "We weren't right for each other, I know that now. Back when it happened I wished I could hate you. I thought it would make things easier. I tried, but I couldn't be mad at you." She had been hurt, confused, devastated, but not mad.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael sighed softly and looked up at Anna, determined not to let his eyes study the floor. "I wish I had handled it differently. I wish that I hadn't told you the way I did. But we hadn't seen each other in so long, and I couldn't help wanting to try. And then you showed up again and..." he had been so confused. His eyebrows came together and his eyes dropped from hers, but more to think than avoid her. "I didn't know what to do, and everything happened before I could think about it."

[Annabelle Hennessy]

"It's fine. It all worked itself out right." Anna said, wanting to stop him from going on. She had spent countless hours thinking about the other possible scenarios and didn't want to go through it again. A lump had started to form in her throat and she had to swallow to try and force it away. Even though Michael wasn't looking at her, she turned away, busying herself by straightening some books that didn't need it in order to give herself time to control her unwanted emotions. "I cared so much for you, but....but, if things had happened differently, we still would have broken up in the end. I'm sure of it. I'm, I'm happy for you and Dare." She added the last bit quietly, not sure if happy was really the right word. She didn't wish ill on their marriage though and hoped he didn't think otherwise of her.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael's eyes shot up to Anna at hearing that. "Thank you," he said, though he wasn't entirely certain that she was really happy for them. "You'll find someone," he said softly. She had to. He took a deep breath, "I need to get back." He had already been gone longer than he had thought he would be, Dare was probably wondering where he was. His eyes closed briefly as he realized he would need to tell Dare that they had talked, even if it had been so short.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna tried not to be negative at his comment so she ignored it. She wasn't so sure she wanted to find someone anymore. Every time she let someone in it just caused months of heartache. Without looking back to him she nodded, knowing he'd spent a lot longer than he'd planned. "Thanks again." She'd lock up as soon as he left and them she'd have all night to dissect the one evening, including this unexpected conversation.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael turned to leave, and his hand was already on the handle when he had another thought. "Do you want me to tell Markise to find you tomorrow? Or send an owl or something?" He figured that if she had cared enough to take care of him by owling Dare, she deserved to know if Markise was fine the next morning.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna was chewing on her lower lip when she turned around, the mention of Markise enough to bring her back to the present. She didn't want to stay in this shop longer than she had to, and certainly didn't want to be there all day. If she left, she doubted Markise would take the effort to find her. "If you send me an owl when he leaves maybe, then I can come find him on his way back to his dorms? I know I've already asked a lot. I really appreciate you guys sacrificing your sleep to stay up all night to watch him and everything."

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael smiled softly, "I doubt we'll be staying up all night, but he'll be taken care of." He saw no reason to stay up all night, Markise had to sleep, too. "But I'll send you an owl, and you're not asking too much. He and Dare are really good friends." It was only expected that he would take care of Markise, and Michael wouldn't let Dare deal with it by himself.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna panicked at how Michael was making Markise's care seem like no big deal. "You have to stay up all night! He was vomiting, people die if they do that in their sleep! Markise is my only friend, you can't just let him die!" She tried to calm herself, and tell herself that she was overreacting but it didn't work. She hoped Dare wouldn't just leave Markise so he could sleep, but she didn't know Dare and he had abandoned his friendship with Markise until just recently. Could she really trust him?

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael's eyes widened and he took his hand from the door handle to come up to Anna. "Anna, Dare's had to deal with him before," he said, "I'm sure he knows how to handle it." He remembered when he and Dare had argued over alcohol, and if they were as close friends as they said, then surely Dare had had to help before with it and knew what to do.