Chapter 3 of 5
Annabeth collapsed back against the pillows, trying desperately to catch her breath. Still the smile on her face was wide and immovable. Beside her, Wade Kinsella seemed to be suffering from similar problems, and those were certainly nice problems to have, as far as she could tell.
"You know, for a woman that tried to tell me she didn't know what she was doin'..."
"Now, that is not exactly what I said," she countered, finding just enough energy to wag one finger at him. "I only told you that there had only been one man in my life, you know, that way, and he wasn't exactly the most adventurous person in the world."
Immediately she said it, AB wished she hadn't mentioned Jake at all, not even vaguely. He was the very last man in the world she wanted to think about in such a moment. Good thing she had Wade alongside her to make her forget again real fast.
"Hey, c'mere," he urged her, pulling her closer, kissing her deeply. "That creep did not deserve you, AB, alright? You are worth a million o' him, I swear."
"There you go again just proving how sweet you can be," she said with a sigh, amazed as she ever had been by his kindness as well as his presence in her bed. "You are quite the man, Wade Kinsella, and I don't just mean how well you know your way around in the bedroom," she said definitely.
He looked surprised, maybe even embarrassed that she would say so, which only made him all the more attractive, sweet, and wonderful in Annabeth's eyes. Maybe that made her foolish, starting to see altogether too much in Wade and their relationship. After all, they weren't exactly dating. They weren't doing anything except having the most amazing sex of her life. Apparently, it wasn't half bad for him either, despite all of his experience.
"I do believe you could find the good in just about anybody, sweetheart," he told her then, reaching a hand behind her head and pulling her so close, "but thank you for the compliment all the same," he said, before covering her lips with his own one more time.
They shared the most passionate of kisses, setting fire to Annabeth's insides all over again, making her want more of this man and what he could do to her, except she really was not sure she had the energy.
"Much as I would love to go right on into round three," she confessed, her hand on his chest as she pulled away, "I just... I'm getting the wrong kind of light-headed right now."
Wade sighed. "Well, I guess we could take a break, get us some sustenance before we go again. You got anything interestin' in the fridge maybe?"
"I'm sure we could find something," Annabeth agreed, nodding her head, even as Wade hopped out of bed in all his glory, making her feel should should avert her gaze, in spite of everything.
She had seen every inch of the man a whole bunch of times in the past couple of weeks, explored it with more than just her eyes too, and yet, that was in bed, that seemed different. To have him moving around her house without a stitch on, holding out his hand as if he expected her to do much the same, she didn't know what to do with that.
"Uh, I think I need to find some clothes," she said awkwardly, pushing her hair back from her face too carefully, in the circumstances. "You know, naked in the kitchen would be a little... unsanitary," she settled on.
The smirk on Wade's face could have been amusement, though she worried he thought she was being foolish, or worse, a sudden prude. When he shook his head and that smirk turned into a fond sort of smile, she knew better than to doubt him.
"You are a real puzzle sometimes, you know that?" he said, moving to grab up his own jeans and pulling them right on, turning his back in the process and allowing Annabeth the chance to find her dress to put on. "Not that I mind so much. Keeps me from gettin' bored, I guess."
That made Annabeth smile more than it probably should. Wade wasn't getting bored of her and she sure as heck wasn't getting bored of him. If anything, she enjoyed his company more and more. Not just the physical stuff, though that was truly amazing, but just seeing him, talking to him, having his company in general. He was almost as good a friend as he was a lover, yet, even three weeks into this thing, whatever it was, she hadn't words to tell him so, not really.
"Okay then," said Wade, clapping his hands together as he turned to face her again. "What say you and me get this show on the road? Rustle up some food, get ourselves refuelled, and then see where the rest of the afternoon takes us?" he suggested, the look on his face nothing back a sea of suggestiveness, Annabeth thought.
"I think that is a very good idea, Wade Kinsella," she admitted, nodding her head.
"Alright then," he said, smiling widely, his arm around her shoulders and he kissed the top of her head. "Let's eat."
She found herself staring at him with nothing short of wonder in her eyes, not just when he talked to her or when he took her hand to lead her downstairs or when he made fast work of preparing sandwiches and such for their lunch, but all the time. He was a good guy, better than he would let most people guess, but Annabeth saw it. Wade was letting her see it. She couldn't help but wonder what that meant exactly.
Hours later, it was still on her mind, though frankly, other things, like the activities that consisted round three, were large in her brain too, causing a wide smile to stretch her lips. She barely noticed she was wearing such an expression, until Lemon mentioned it to her.
"You know, AB, I feel like that pretty sunshine smile of yours is so ever-present these days, it's as if your birthday, 4th July, and Christmas all collided on your face, which is a curious thing, because as I recall, you seemed to be suffering more than a little for the absence of your husband a while back. I swear, we've seen less and less of Jake around town and yet you are nothing but smiles. Am I missing something?"
"Oh, well..." Annabeth began to say, wondering how best to proceed.
She had Wade swear to keep their affair a secret, but she hardly believe he would care if she told anyone herself. He had never once been at all concerned with sharing stories of his conquests up to now, and it was only Lemon she wanted - even needed - to confess to.
"Um, so the thing about Jake is..." she said awkwardly, placing her glass carefully down on the table. "Uh, almost four months ago now, he basically left me. He met some waitress in Baton Rouge and, apparently, he just loved her more than me."
The look of shock and pity on Lemon's face didn't thrill Annabeth at all, but she knew she could outdo it if she carried on with her confessions. Of course, her friend never gave her the chance to even draw breath.
"Annabeth, sweetheart, why didn't you tell me?" she asked all in a rush. "I cannot believe this! I mean, I can believe that Jake Nass turned out to be a lying, cheating snake who never deserved you, but four months, Annabeth? Four months and you never told me? Am I not your best friend?"
"Oh, Lemon, of course you are," she insisted, reaching to take a hold of her hand and squeeze it. "You are my oldest and dearest friend, and that's the truth," she promised, "and honestly, I probably should've told you sooner, but what with George and Zoe, and you and Lavon, and everything else going on, I just... Oh, I don't know, I just didn't want to make a big fuss about it all. Maybe I just didn't want you and everybody else making a big fuss over little old me," she admitted with a sigh. "But it is okay, I promise you. I am so over Jake Nass. So over!" she emphasised with a wave of her hand.
Lemon's eyes grew narrow as she stared at Annabeth. "Do you...? AB, do you have another man in your life already?
"That would be a yes and a no," she said honestly, giving the question due consideration. "It's not a serious relationship or anything, but I do admit, I am having a real good time."
Her eyes wandering behind the bar was not entirely a conscious move, though given how observant Lemon was, it would have been impossible for her friend not to notice that her gaze was now fixed on Wade. If Annabeth wasn't sure before, she certainly knew it was true when a squeak came out of Lemon, high enough that only dogs and dolphins ought to hear it. Then she leaned further across the table and spoke to Annabeth in a rushed and anxious whisper. "Please tell me you are not lowering yourself to be sleeping with the likes of Wade Kinsella!"
It wasn't that Annabeth hadn't expected Lemon to be surprised. She was even ready for some disapproval, but what she heard was a little too much. Lowering herself to sleep with Wade? That was insulting to both herself and him. Neither of those things sat at all well with Annabeth and, honestly, she just was not prepared to take that kind of thing from her supposed best friend.
"You know what, Lemon?" she said, voice as low and angry as it had ever been. "For all that Wade Kinsella might have a reputation with the women in this town, he is a kind and decent man at heart, something I know you know as well as I do. These past weeks, he has been a real friend when I have needed one, a shoulder to cry on, and yes, a very welcome addition to my bedroom. I won't deny that last part, because I am here to tell you I feel good about myself, so good, and a whole lot of that is down to Wade. He and I both know where we stand and we are doing no harm to any other person, so why don't you just keep your judgements to yourself for once in your life?"
Getting up from her seat so fast, she almost knocked it flying, Annabeth turned on her heel and exited the Rammer Jammer at top speed too. She would not allow Lemon, nor anyone else, to see the tears in her eyes, she just tilted her chin up and kept on walking with her head held high. After all, she had absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.