The Heart of the Matter

by tavingtonsbeauty

Rory has left Laura for good. He is older now and put the on again off again relationship to bed. Not really looking for a new love interest, he meets the delightful Annabelle "Annie" whose smile and laughing eyes captivate him. However, she has much more to her and she is perfect. He dates her, starting slow, but when she calls Rory in the middle of the night for help he is there.

1. Annabelle

The Heart of the Matter

Chapter 1 - Annabelle

Rory Slippery had just broken up with his girlfriend, Laura, once again. This time it had been him. He had found that the drama of having the two sisters around, shagging the two brothers of the Slippery household, and them not talking for themselves made the situation tedious at best.

He sighed as he walked through the college campus. He attended the University of Reigate. It was beautiful this time of year. Leaves were falling onto the sidewalk and it was cooler. He pulled his jacket closer as he looked about. He took a breath, enjoying the woody smell.

He then grunted as something hit him. He gasped recovering enough not to fall and to catch the form that had hit him. The form was a girl, shorter than he was, by quite a bit, willowy arms and flaming red hair. He looked at her as she regained her balance, but her books had fallen from her arms.

"Sorry…so sorry." Came her voice. There was something weirdly exotic about how she spoke.

He smiled and bent down, squatting and lifted her books up. He held them on his arm as she collected one to the other side and cocked his head at her. "There now. You all right now, love?" He asked.

She looked up at him, pulling the hair from her face as a slight breeze stirred it. He handed the books to her and she smiled. "Thank you." She said.

He nodded. God she was pretty, but not in a gorgeous way, but in a soft beautiful way that he could not describe. She was ethereal and he smiled at her. "Where you headed?"

"Class. I'm late."

He smiled at her. "Can I see you again?" He asked.

She smiled. "Maybe. If you're lucky. I have classes every day."

He smiled and reached out for her arm as she moved passed. "What's your name?"

She looked at him and cocked her head in a sweet way. He smiled. She was foreign and maybe had not understood him. He repeated the question. "What is your name, love?" He cocked his head playfully. "I'm Rory."

She smiled, oh she had a lovely smile and lips he just wanted to kiss. "Annabelle." She said and turned to go.

Rory looked after her. "See you soon." He said after her as he watched her disappear into the Liberal Arts building.

He wasn't looking for a girlfriend, but God help him. She was pretty foreign, beautiful, and a pixie of a woman. He wanted to know more of her.