A/N: It's finally here! Sorry it took so long and I hope you enjoy it! This time was purely writer's block but I know where I'm going from here! This is a loose edit so I may post this chapter again later today.

Like I said on my profile, I'm going to start speeding this thing up but I wanted to know if there's anything you would like to see before it ends! So please if you have an idea or dream for this fic drop me a message and we'll see if it fits! I would love to hear from you guys!

Please R&R it really does help to know the mood of my audience and I really do appreciate you guys.

Oh and I would like to do a oneshot for you as well for getting me to 100 reviews (seriously I did a happy dance for that) and I would lie to know what kind of oneshot you would like!

Happy Reading and thank you for your patience!

Girlfriend

A smile crossed his mouth as he watched his baby brother, Matt couldn't believe how much he had changed in the few short months that he'd been away and he had a feeling that it had a lot to do with the little blonde that sat beside said baby brother. She- Annie, he remembered- was bright and smiling and every time she spoke it was like the light turned on in Auggie's head, his attention focused solely on her. It was refreshing to see Auggie this way, somewhat relaxed and happy, a far cry from the tense, grumpy boy Matt had said goodbye to in August.

The chair beside him scraped against the floor and Matt looked up to see Jasper smiling softly as he slid a Chai Latte in front of him. There was just something about the guy that made Matt stop and stare, something that caught his breath every time. In all honesty, Jasper was Matt's first boyfriend. Sure, he'd had flings with a couple guys in high school but when he met Jasper it was like the planet suddenly stopped rotating. Everything about the guy was fascinating, his cool blue eyes, silky black hair that twisted into heavy curls, and skin like smooth cream. Beautiful.

"So, Matt," Annie said, catching his attention, "Where are you going to school?"

"NYU," he smiled, he loved being able to say that, he worked so damn hard to get in, "It's my freshman year."

"That's really cool and what are you studying," she asked, her brow scrunching in curiosity.

Matt certainly approved, her questions and expressions were so genuine and she was easy to talk to.

"I'm a physical therapy major with a minor in psychology," he began happily, Matt loved to talk about his studies, to anything with ears, "It's really a lot of fun, the other day our biology teacher had us dissecting a cadaver foot and-"

"Okay, Matt," Auggie interrupted, coughing from the coffee he'd been in the middle of swallowing before Matt started talking body parts, "I think it's best that we don't get into that at the moment."

"Oh," Matt stopped short, taking in the look of surprise on Annie's face, her honey colored eyes wide as lollipops, "Right- Medical stuff, gross."

"Not gross," Jasper reasoned, "Just occasionally inappropriate."

"What about you, Jasper," Auggie asked, his fingers searching the table for something, Matt slid a napkin towards him and once Auggie found it he snatched it up. "What are you at NYU for?"

Annie was watching Matt, smiling softly when he discreetly passed the napkin to his brother. He flushed a little bit, Auggie wouldn't have wanted him to help but it was impossible for Matt not to. There was still an overwhelming feeling that cropped up whenever his little brother struggled and refused help. It was an overwhelming need, often accompanied by an unhealthy dose of unnecessary guilt. He watched as Annie sipped her straw in possibly the cutest fashion he'd ever seen with her lips puckered out and her eyes wide and innocent. He had to hold himself back from reaching over the table and pinching her cheeks, she was just so darn adorable. Vaguely, Matt wondered what Auggie knew about her appearance, not that it really mattered. Still.

"I'm a musical therapy major," Jasper said, capturing Matt's attention.

"We have psych together, that's how we met," Matt interjected.

He could remember the first time he'd seen Jasper, it was like his eyes had finally opened.

"Right," Jasper smiled at him and in that moment, Matt knew the two were sharing the same memory.

"That's interesting," Annie smiled, she gave Matt a wink, "So what is musical therapy exactly?"

Matt sat back in his chair, Jasper loved that question because he truly loved what he did and listening to Jasper was the one thing that could shut Matt up. If only daddy could see him now, he would be shell-shocked.

He shoved the thought of his father away, he would deal with it when they got home. For now he would enjoy the greatest thing he'd ever done and allow it to remind him why he'd faced his father that morning.

xXx

It's like a sixth sense – well, fifth if he's being honest – it seemed that any time she was around, he could feel it, like she gave off some aura of intrigue and drama. Of course, he could never be positive that she was around until he heard her speak or someone call her name. Still, he braced himself for impact.

"Mathias Anderson," Corrine's voice rang through the small café, Auggie could feel Annie tense beside him and he gave her knee a squeeze. "What are you doing here?"

"Corrine," Matt said enthusiastically from across the table, followed by the scraping of his chair against the tiled floor, "Good to see you!"

There was a quiet moment and Auggie assumed there was some physical contact involved. Corrine had always been a touchy feely kind of girl, it was written in her DNA. It bothered Auggie that he didn't really know what was going on when things got quiet, he hated not being able to register visual cues. Life should include audible subtitles.

"I'm here on Thanksgiving break," Matt said, finally answering the question, "I'm loving the hair by the way, when did you decide to cut it? It's been long since I've known you."

Auggie's eyes scrunched in thought. Corrine had cut her hair? When had that happened? Again with the visual. His frustration was reaching dangerous levels.

"Yesterday, actually," she said, "Well, yesterday I cut it but this morning I went to a hairdresser and trust me when I say it looks worlds better than it did. So who's this?"

"Oh Jesus," Matt said dramatically, "Corrine, this is my boyfriend, Jasper."

"Well hello," Corrine said in her 'I'm about to screw with your life, so be prepared' voice. "I'm Corrine, Auggie's best friend and personal headache."

"But she comes equipped with Tylenol," Auggie couldn't help but smile.

"Good to meet you," Jasper said in his smooth voice.

"And so polite," Corrine said, her long-fingered hand coming to rest on Auggie's shoulder. "Hey, I believe there's an Anderson missing from this table. Where's Jamie?"

"He opted out," Auggie began, "Apparently he already had plans-"

"He's on a date with Clare Pennington," Matt interrupted, something Matt was infamous for in the Anderson household.

"Well okay then," Corrine chuckled, "I had no idea, did you?"

"No, actually," Auggie answered, then swiftly changed the subject before Matt could jump in mouth first, "So what are you up to?"

"Actually, I'm here to meet Conrad," she said, like she suddenly remembered. One thing about Corrine was that she had a terrible memory, though with her consumption record it was no wonder why. "We're supposed to get coffee together."

"Conrad," Matt perked up again, "I haven't seen him in a while!"

"You know Conrad," Annie asked, finally finding her voice again.

Auggie knew that Annie wasn't exactly thrilled about seeing Corrine so soon after their fight the day before, but the girl was like fate, she just couldn't be avoided. Beneath the table, Annie played with his hand. It was incredibly distracting.

"I was on Varsity soccer at school when he and Auggie were JV," Matt replied, "I helped him work on his goal shots. The five of us, me, Aug, Cory, Chris and Conrad, used to hang all the time."

"You played soccer," Annie asked Auggie curiously.

The memories flashed in his head; the freedom of running, the adrenalin of competition and the high of victory. He hadn't thought about soccer since he lost his sight, the whole world around him had just melted away. Matt still played for a while but at that time Auggie was still getting his land legs back. Damn, he missed those games.

"Yea, I did," he answered somewhat delayed, "And I was damn good, too."

"But not as good as me," Matt teased, reaching across the table to give Auggie a playful push.

"Whatever. It's not my fault that you're short and you run faster," Auggie retorted with a smile. He missed Matt, more than he remembered.

"Anyways, how about you and Conrad join us on our outing," Matt suggested, much to Auggie's dismay. He could feel the day spinning quickly out of his control.

"Don't let Matt manipulate you," Auggie put in, trying to keep up the playful mood, "If you want some alone time with Conrad you don't have to let him down easy, it's best to give him a clean break."

"Actually, that sounds like a good idea," Corrine said, he could hear the chair at the end of the table being pulled out, "Conrad will be here in a sec, I'm sure he'd love to catch up."

Well, he gave it his best shot.

"After this we were thinking of hitting the rest of downtown, maybe the park later," Matt informed Corrine, apparently this was going to be an all-day affair.

Matt was a people person, much like Corrine, friends with everyone, but Auggie would have rather spent time with his just his brother or just Annie, Matt's social butterfly tendencies were grating on Auggie's nerves. He just wasn't in the mood for this, after the night before and that dream. A big group of people hadn't been in the emotional budget.

"I've got to use the restroom," he said, standing from his chair, "Matt, you mind?"

"Not a problem," Matt obliged.

There was a time when Auggie depended on Matt for everything, he had been the only one allowed to help him in anyway or form without being yelled at for treating him like a baby. Matt just made things easy and simple and casual. Nothing was a big deal because Matt was so calm and collected and yet when the times called for a confident and surprisingly mature lead, Matt was still your man.

Matt led him around a corner that Auggie was almost positive didn't lead to the bathrooms, not that he really had to go but that wasn't the point. It was more quiet there, like Matt had taken him to some sort of back room.

"So, what's up," Matt asked, stopping suddenly and turning to face him.

"What," Auggie asked, sure he'd wanted to talk but he wasn't sure how Matt had figured that out.

"You may not be able to see faces, Aug, but that doesn't mean that I can't still read yours," Matt said softly, not wanting anyone else to hear, "You wear your emotions on your face, kid."

"Right," Auggie sighed, there he went again, being incredibly blind. "Look, I had kind of wanted this day to just be the four of us, you know? I mean, other than talking a bit on Facebook, you and I haven't gotten to spend any time together for almost four months and after that fight we had, which I'm sorry about I just-"

"I know," Matt soothed, putting a hand on Auggie's shoulder, "But don't worry about it, I'm going to be here for the next two weeks. We'll have plenty of time to catch up. I probably should have checked with you first, though, that was my bad."

"No, it's alright," Auggie sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I just- Yesterday was long and I was hoping for quiet and well- you know Corrine."

"Don't sweat it, Aug, I got you and I'll make sure you get some time alone with your girl, too," he said and Auggie knew from his voice that his mouth was spread in a full on Mathias Anderson grin.

"Thanks, Matt," he smiled, feeling relieved, honestly relieved, for the first time since yesterday morning.

"She's cute," Matt added, sounding a little more serious, "I mean like, really, she has the sweetest way about her and it's funny because she's totally not what I would have expected to be your type."

"What do you mean," he asked curiously.

He hadn't asked anyone about Annie, even though he'd been hungry for that knowledge since the day they met. It hit him then. He'd never had to ask what someone looked like before. Everyone around him, his friends, family, neighbors, he'd known his entire life. He hadn't really met any new people since he lost his sight.

"First of all, she's sweet as hell, especially in comparison to Tash and Liza," Matt groaned, thinking of those two put Auggie on edge as well, they were volatile and fully charged and when he was being honest with himself, he'd admit that they were as close to Corrine as he could find. "Then there's the fact that she's blonde-"

"Seriously," Auggie blurted out, he vaguely remembered Annie yelling it at him the day before but at the time it hadn't registered. It's amazing how many words had lost their immediate meaning for him, he shoved the thought away though, just another grain in the hourglass of painful things. Soon the sands would be gone and he'd feel empty and have to deal, but until then…

"Seriously! And her eyes are like honey, Augs, and the way she looks at you-"

"Hey," Jasper's soft voice interrupted, Auggie felt somewhat annoyed with Jasper for intruding on – what was to him – a highly personal moment, "I don't mean to get in the way but Conrad is here and everyone's ready to hit the town, they wanted me to find you. Sorry."

"It's fine," Matt said immediately, his tone changing slightly into something more intimate, "We just needed a minute. Ready, Aug?"

"Yea, let's do this."

xXx

It was incredibly comfortable to walk this way, with her hand securely in his, their hips bumping every once in a while. Annie watched as his cane slid back and forth across the pavement, it was a different one than he'd been using the day before, this one was taller and the tip was shaped like a jumbo marshmallow. For a moment she wondered why he was using this one and guilt washed back onto the shore of her consciousness.

She looked up to his face, his beautiful brown eyes almost amber in the sunlight, he looked thoughtful but the happy kind of thoughtful, not the doom and gloom kind of thoughtful. He tilted his head towards her, a grin tugging at his mouth. She loved that grin.

"You're staring again," he said. "Penny for your thoughts?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Hit me," he smiled.

"Okay, so I was wondering if you would explain," she said, hoping this idea of hers wouldn't receive any emotional backfire.

"Explain…?"

"You know, you kissing Corrine," she stared at the back of Corrine's head when she said it, wondering what the hell it was about that girl that Annie could never have, could never be.

"Oh, sure," his brow scrunched, "We alone?"

"We're pretty behind everyone, they aren't listening," she said in a conspiratorial manner.

"Alright," he took a deep breath, his cane going sort of limp as he concentrated on what he wanted to say, "So basically, I've been somewhat obsessed with Corrine since middle school, she told me she liked my glasses and ever since then I just couldn't get enough of her. She's never felt the same about me though and, for my sake, she's kept me at a romantic distance.

"I guess none of my previous relationships have worked out because of that, I've dated girls that were similar to her but they never met my expectations," he shook his head, "That was totally unfair of me, to compare them like that-"

Annie bit her lip, a nervous habit, unsure she wanted to hear the rest of this story. After all, how in the world could she compare with Corrine, other than, you know, being emotionally stable. Well, sort of.

"-But I couldn't help it. Corrine holds this sexual tension with everyone and I guess it just affected me more. And then, you came along and you were just so different. A breath of fresh air, in a way. You're so cheerful and sweet and adventurous, almost like an anti-Corrine."

He laughed and it loosened up the muscles around her heart. She pulled him to the side a bit, away from a lurking trashcan, he didn't notice.

"There I go comparing again," he shook his head, "Anyways, I was – I am – fascinated by you. I mean, just when I get you figured out you do something that surprises me! I love that about you."

Her cheeks flared up but the smile on her face was relentless. He loved that about her. She wondered if he would notice if she did her happy dance. Probably best not to.

"But anyways, I'd had all this build up about what it would be like to kiss Corrine, seven years of it almost, but when it finally came around, when she finally did it, all I could think about was how much I wished she was you-"

Wait a second.

Surely she'd heard him wrong, surely there had been some sort of lapse in his brain. She kept quiet for a moment waiting for him to correct himself and when he didn't her heart took a flying leap.

"That's why you were smiling," she whispered, "'Cause you-"

"Yes," he grinned, happy that she understood, "Because I realized that I don't need Corrine to be with me, 'cause all I want is to be with you!"

He stopped and twirled Annie around so that they faced each other.

"And the funny thing is," he continued, "I think she did it on purpose. Crazy, right?"

Something had stolen her voice or maybe she just couldn't speak with her heart lodged firmly in her throat. Auggie took a step towards her, his left hand traveling with nimble grace up her arm and her shoulder to find her neck and her chin, his fingers leaving tingling trails of desire in their wake. Those long, strong fingers swept through her hair and stayed there a moment, a soft smile growing on his lips, his soft eyes resting lazily somewhere near her mouth. In a moment that seemed agonizingly slow, he grazed the pad of his thumb over her bottom lips, making them part just slightly and from there he brought his own mouth to hers.

The kiss was slow, indulgent, like he'd forgotten there could be people watching. Maybe he had and maybe she didn't care. She breathed him in, the smell of his heady cologne and spearmint toothpaste and just the smell of August Anderson. The kiss was hot and heavy and everything she could have dreamed of, it was like he'd taken her to the moon and back and she wondered what it would be like to have him inside her-

No.

Slow down.

"Auggie-" she breathed her hand on his chest. Vaguely she could feel part of his cane biting into her back.

"Annie, I love you and I don't know what that means, right now, but I'd like us to figure it out together," he said, his voice dangerously low, in that moment he could have asked her to do anything and she would have said yes. No hesitation. "So, I'll ask you, officially. Will you be my girlfriend?"

Without a thought she pushed him back, her eyes wide and on fire. She couldn't help but smile at the adorably surprised look on his face.

"For real," she blurted out.

"Yea," he laughed uncertainly.

"Oh hell yes!"

This time, she did do her happy dance.

A/N: I'm doing my happy dance too!
That last part was so fun to write.

There's going to be some deep stuff soon.
I know, I know.
But there's going to be some other very nice stuff too, if you know what I mean.

Anywho, next chapter will be posted when we get 120 reviews ;)

I know I'm evil.
Toodles!