Outlaw: Running From Love

Chapter 10

A.N.: Hello again all my wonderful readers! I got 13 reviews for the last chapter! The most I've ever gotten! You have no idea how happy that made me!

It's school holidays for the next three weeks, so I will try to write as much as possible. Like I've said before I am going to be visiting my dad (he's visiting from overseas) but when I'm there I will try to still write and update cause I will have my laptop with me.

I'm also getting my wisdom teeth out (oh, joy) so while I am recovering I will write too.

I am really sorry about leaving you guys with that horrible cliffhanger, but it was partially writers block. I had no idea what Annabeth would say to that, so I needed some time to think.

I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint!

Disclaimer: I do not nor will I ever own the genius that is Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Rick doesn't even answer my questions on Twitter, so there is no way he will give me the series.

ANNABETH POV:

"What about meeting me?" I asked Percy. I couldn't meet his gaze.

"I feel like I'm whole again. Like I can be myself again," he whispered.

"So what are you trying to tell me?" I began tracing invisible circles on the wooded table surface with my index finger.

"That I like you, Annabeth. A lot. And that I am serious about that."

I felt like I couldn't breathe. There was no way he had just said that. It couldn't be true. It just wasn't possible.

I sat in silence, avoiding his searching green eyes. I could feel those beautiful eyes searching me, trying to come to a conclusion of what I would say.

After a while, I took a deep breath and said, "Percy… its too soon."

I looked up to see his eyes looking back into mine.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I'm not ready for this yet," I explained. "I really like you too Percy but… I just can't do this yet."

I was expecting him to storm out of the café, to never want to speak to me ever again. I thought he would be upset and even shout at me. But Percy didn't do any of those things. He sat there, just watching me. And then he said something I really didn't expect.

"I'll wait for you, Annabeth. When you're ready, just tell me. I'll wait until then."

He said it with so much… sincerity. It almost broke my heart right there and then. I felt so guilty for telling him that I couldn't be with him because I didn't feel like it was the right time. In all honestly, I was more scared than I was unready. But the fact that he said he would wait until I was ready (or not scared anymore) to be with me made my heart soar.

"Thank you, Percy," I smiled slightly, "that means a lot."

He smiled back at me before taking a sip of coffee out of the paper takeaway cup.

We sat in silence for a while, slowly sipping our coffee. Then the silence was broken when Percy asked for help on his homework. So we sat in the little café, doing our homework, enjoying cappuccinos and chocolate croissants. When we had finished all our homework and had about three coffees and two croissants each (well Percy had two, I had one), we got up and went over to the counter to pay.

"No! I'm paying!" Percy insisted when I pulled out my wallet to pay for my portion.

"Percy just let me pay for mine," I begged. But he wouldn't give in. he pay the whole bill and wouldn't even let me put a tip in the decorated jar on the counter top. I huffed as he grabbed my hand and pulled me outside into the chilly September air.

The city was beautiful. Orange, brown, gold and red leaves covered the ground and danced in the air whenever there was a slight breeze. The wind ruffled our hair, blowing my long curls into my face and making Percy's raven locks sway around his ears. The cold wind bit at my ears and nose. I dug my left hand deeper into my jacket pocket. My other hand was still in Percy's warm one.

It was normal for us to walk like this. It was natural, like our way of telling the other that we would be there and always be a comfort to each other. I had told Percy how hard it had been for me at school before I had moved, how strange it was to all of a sudden have a new mom at such a young age and to then have to share her and my dad with two new brothers.

He had told me about how horrible his stepfather had been to him and his mother and the reason behind her marrying him and about his new step dad who was a million times nicer.

We could trust each other and I would even say we had become best friends. We talked about everything, walked to school and home every day. So I wondered why I had been scared to take it further and move into the boyfriend-girlfriend stage. I pondered this as we walked home in silence.

We took the stairs and he said goodbye to me at my door as usual. I went inside to find Cheryl cooking dinner and my dad watching the sports news with the twins.

"Hi, honey," Cheryl greeted me with a smile on her face.

"Hi, Cheryl," I replied. "What's for dinner?"

"Spaghetti Bolognese." My favourite!

"Great!" Then I had an idea. "Can I talk to you? Alone?"

"Yeah, sure."

I hopped up onto the counter next to the stove while she closed the door to make sure the boys wouldn't hear us. I planned on also talking to Hazel, but right now I wanted some motherly advice.

"So, what's bugging you Annabeth?" she asked as she turned back towards me.

I took a deep breath and began. "Well Percy and I have become really close, like best friends. And you said yourself that you think that I like him, and Hazel said the same thing." I hopped off the counter and walked over to lean against the refrigerator.

"Did something happen?" Cheryl asked, concern evident in her voice.

"Well sort of, but we're still friends," I answered.

"So what did happen?"

"He told me about his past girlfriends." I quickly told the story to my step mom. "When he told me everything, he said that he liked me and that he was serious."

"So he asked to be your boyfriend?" Cheryl asked.

"In different words, yes." I nodded.

"Annie, that's wonderful! I mean, you said yes of course," she said matter-of-factly.

I shook my head. Her jaw dropped. I felt tears prickle in my eyelids.

"I told him it was too soon. That I'm not ready for a serious relationship." The tears had begun to roll slowly down m checks. Cheryl crossed the kitchen to pull me into as motherly a hug as she could. I cried into her shoulder while she gently swayed side to side.

"That wasn't the real reason, was it?"

I shook my head, "No. I was scared."

"Scared of what?" she asked gently.

Then I realised what I was really scared of.

"With his past… he could hurt me so… easily. He could just be trying to play me, see how far I would go with him. But I really care and I would die if he did that to me."

I was surprised at myself. I usually didn't talk so easily, and Cheryl would have to coax me for ages before I would finally open up to her. And when I did eventually talk, I usually wasn't so tearful and girly and weak.

I started to sob. Cheryl shushed me and stroked my hair.

"Sweetie… I know these things can be difficult. But I don't think he would have told you about his past if he didn't care." I have to admit, that was good logic.

"He said something else too," I said while pulling back to look my stepmother in the eye. "He said that he would wait for me until I am ready."

"Honey, then you have nothing to worry about!" she exclaimed.

"I know, I just can't do it yet." I dried my eyes on my sleeves. "I'm going to text Hazel. Call me for dinner?"

"Sure thing," she said turning back to the pots on the stove.

Xxxx

I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket as I flopped down on my bed. I scrolled through my contacts until I found the number I wanted. Hazel's.

Hey, its Annabeth. Can you Skype now?

I hit send and received a reply in minutes.

Waiting for you online (:

So I logged in to my account and called Hazel.

"Hey! Annabeth!" she smiled widely at me, showing off her perfect pearly teeth.

"Hi, Hazel, how are you?" I asked her,

"I'm great, but apparently you aren't. I can see that you've been crying," sh told me knowingly.

"Yes, I have," I admitted.

"What happened?" she asked, concern in her dark eyes.

"Percy told me about his girlfriends," I began. I told Hazel the whole story, of Rachel and the other girls and waiting for me.

"Aw! I told you that he likes you! But why did you say no? I know it isn't because you aren't ready." Hazel knows me too well.

"I was scared, OK? He could hurt me so easily, and I really care about him. I don't know if I could handle him leaving me after a week," I explained.

"But you said that he said that he would wait for you? That doesn't sound like he was kidding around. I think he really was serious," said Hazel.

"I know, Cheryl said the same thing. But I'm going to give it some time. I'll get to know him more before I decide," I told her.

"I think that's wise," Hazel mused. "But you can't leave it like this forever. You'll have to tell him soon, or he might be gone before you know it."

"But he did say that he would wait," I repeated.

"Boys don't always do what they say."

"You're right," I sighed, "but Percy is different."

"I know," said Hazel. "And it's obvious that he feels the same about you if he told you everything like he did."

"Annabeth! Dinner!" I heard Cheryl call from the kitchen.

"Sorry, time for dinner." I smiled apologetically at Hazel.

"Ha ha, OK. I'll talk to you soon," she said with a grin on her face.

"Bye, Hazel."

"Bye, Annie."

I ended the call and closed my laptop. I walked out of my room and down the hallway to get to the dining room where the table had been set and my family was waiting for me.

As I ate in silence and listened to my brothers telling my parents about school, I zoned out. I realised that I had been stupid to tell Percy that I wasn't ready, but I would wait a little while to make up my mind about when I would tell him that I was ready

A.N.: so what did you guys think?

Thank you to all who reviewed last time: glitter puppy, johanna101, a. 'x, anon (who thinks that cliff-hangers are EVIL!), Magnificently Beautiful, crazylove27, P3rcyxAnnab3th, N. E. LaurentAvalongirl55, WisestOwl, Mystica Tempest, AwesomeDingo100 and DarkWint3rDream.

Thank you to everybody who favourited and subscribed too.

I am going to start a new one-shot tomorrow, a song fic based on a Taylor Swift song. Any guesses as to which one it will be? Clue: it's a new one (:

xoxo