You left my ring by the soap,
Now is that love?
You cleaned me out, you could say broke
Now is that love?
Annie walked absent-mindedly around Owen's new house; he and the orange faced wonder had gone out for an expensive meal at the new restaurant round the corner he'd always promised to take her to. She wasn't really sure what she was looking for, she just wanted to confirm to herself more than anything that she had existed, and that her life wasn't a figment of her (rather overactive, according to Mitchell and George) imagination.
A pink envelope lay discarded in the bin with 'Owen' scrawled decoratively across it; a similar envelope graced the floor underneath the kitchen table she'd insisted on buying the first time they went to Ikea together, but this one had written on it 'Courtney' in his handwriting. So now Annie knew what the orange faced wonder's name was, at least.
Maybe there would be a photo of her somewhere; after all, they'd only been together since college. Surely he still loved her a little bit, even if he was willing to watch her die.
Maybe not, then.
Annie glanced at the clock on the puce coloured wall: half eight. Mitchell would be leaving work about now, and George would be 'going out' for the night. She supposed she'd better be getting back soon.
As she walked down the hall towards the front door her mind strayed back to the envelope. She could take it with her to burn with Mitchell's lighter.
But that would be petty, wouldn't it? She laughed to herself as she let herself out of the house, careful to make sure no-one was watching the door open for no visible reason. She was reaching the end of the driveway when Owen and the orange...Courtney rounded the corner looking a little worse for wear. Annie watched in disgust as she kissed his neck and was nearly sick as he returned the favour.
That should have been her.
Annie turned as the sound of their passionate kissing increased and ran at full speed towards the flat, trying to drown out her thoughts by reciting an old Squeeze song in her head as she ran.
Beat me up with your letters,
Your walk out notes.
Funny how you still find me
Right here at home...
Mitchell looked up from the newspaper as the front door slammed shut and was unsurprised to hear the familiar sound of Annie's sobs reached his tired ears. He knew without asking where she had been, and that coupled with the fact that it was Valentine's Day (he shuddered involuntarily at the mere though) meant that tears were inevitable.
Still, it was his duty as her friend to comfort her, bitch about Owen's new girlfriend and eat far too much chocolate for his own good. He sighed briefly as he made his way to the kitchen where he found her laid against the wall, tears sliding down her delicate features. She looked up at him as he slid down next to her. Owen had a lot to answer for.
"You must be getting tired of this," she mumbled.
"It's not your fault. He's a jerk and never deserved you, you know that, right?" She nodded numbly at his words, even though she didn't believe him. He put his arm around her and brought her head to his chest, where she resisted the strong urge to wipe her eyes on his shirt.
Several hours later, as Hot Fuzz came to its gory end, Annie stretched out from where she lay on the sofa and wiped the last of the tears from her eyes.
"You know I'll always be here, don't you Annie?" said Mitchell, enjoying the way her name sounded in his voice. She smiled as he brushed a dark ringlet from her forehead.
"Thanks."
Now that is love.