Only Annie | Eric Coulter

15 - Sad*

XXXTENTACION 

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"You decide if  

You're ever gonna let me know."

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| | A N N I E

He hasn't looked at me, not once since this morning, not since he took Sierra away from my grasp.

Not once.

"Eric," I finally bit out, my eyes twitching as I watch him deliberately move out of my way, "Eric, what the hell is going on? Is there something wrong?"

He doesn't respond. Eric takes a bottle of milk from the counter and lumbers off into our room. I clench my fists and walk after him.

"Eric," I start again, my voice pleading and worried, "Tell me what's wrong. Please."

His answer is clipped. "Nothing." 

I almost scream in frustration. "Don't give me that bullshit. You've been avoiding me. You come home late and you don't look at me in the fucking eyes. You're guilty of something. What the fuck is it, Eric? Tell me!"

My breathing is laboured by the time he finally looks at me. When my eyes meet his, I notice how they are red-rimmed and dark, armed with huge bags under them. I stiffened.

"Eric--"

"I didn't mean it." He says, his voice hoarse. It almost cracked with all the emotions he is feeling, "I swear Annie, I didn't mean it."

I move closer slowly, my voice dropping. "Didn't mean what?"

It feels like eternity before he speaks, and when he does, my heart breaks and drops into my stomach.

"I kissed Olympia."

| | E R I C

I see the betrayal and hurt swirling around her eyes, those exact emotions creating tears that carelessly fall down her cheeks. I cursed.

"Annie, it wasn't--"

"A week, Eric." She whispers, cutting me off before I could explain, "You didn't say anything for a week. Fuck, why do I keep crying around you?"

She laughs and wipes her tears away, confusing me even more. I watch as she squares her shoulders and looks at me straight in the eyes.

"I'm not a wuss, not anymore, anyway." Annie says more to herself than to me, "I'll let you explain and then we'll decide whether or not I'll cry."

I don't know what to say.

"I-Fuck. When you're like that, it's hard to think--why aren't you crying?" My rambling receives a raised eyebrow from her. I bite my lip before sighing. "Yes, I should've told you right after it happened, but you're always asleep by the time I arrive home."

"Tell me what happened."

I quickly carry out her command. "Back at Max' wedding anniversary, we went home. Well, you went home and I guided you. You were drunk. He called me back up to discuss something with Sierra's adoption papers and the shit with Erudite. It was around twelve midnight when I finally left his place, and Olympia cornered me and fuck, this is going to sound ridiculous, but it was dark and I couldn't see much. I thought she was you when she kissed me so I just... I just kissed back."

Annie is silent. I can feel the sweat roll down the side of my neck.

She hums. "Hmm." 

I prepare for the shouting and the crying that's surely about to come and wince.

"Were her lips soft or...?"

I do a double-take and give her a bewildered expression. "What?"

"Were her lips--oh damn it. Who am I kidding? I want to cry!"

She bawls over and covers her face with her hands. Hiccups rack her as she struggles to say her next words, "I found out something today."

I wait for her to continue.

"Olympia is Sweet Pea, Eric. The girl who had a crush on you back at Erudite."

Sierra wakes up from her sleep and bursts into tears.

Fuck me. The whole thing just got messier.