Chapter 7: Avoidance

When I awoke in the morning, I had no idea where I was. The memory of last night came flashing back to me as I looked down and saw my arm around Annie's waist. Oh, oh, poor Annie...and I had thought I had always had problems! What did I really know about suffering like she had? I suddenly felt so selfish...so terribly ashamed of myself.

I slowly peeled my arm away from her sleeping form, knowing I had to get away from her. I could not allow myself to ruin her, ruin her with my temper and my past, my beliefs and the curse. The curse that had sent every woman in my life scurrying away.

I could not resist to step close to her, to run my hand softly against her forehead. Her eyelids blinked, but to my relief, she did not wake. I looked at her once more and then left the room. I stayed in my room a long time, even eating breakfast there. I did not want Annie to find me; she didn't need someone like me in her life. I snuck outside to the beach to have lunch, right there on the sand, where I could gaze at the rushing waves of the ocean in peace.

"Where have YOU been?" I heard, and turned as Annie approached me.

Her expression was not of anger, but of happiness. Her beautiful eyes twinkled as if she had stars in them.

"Annie...what are you doing out here?" I asked, my heart beating so furiously I wondered if it were about to pop out of my body. She smiled, one of those shy, sweet little smiles.

"Are you not glad to see me? You didn't leave a note, nothing...I wanted to thank you, Bart...for...staying, you know? That was really sweet of you....I mean listening to me and my problems..." she drifted off, then smiled at me again.

"So I see you decided to eat lunch outside in this beautiful setting. May I join you?" she asked.

"I was about finished," I said quickly, a bit coldly as I stood up and began to clean the area.

"Could you not spare even a minute or two...?"

"Annie, what don't you get? I don't want to spend time with you, I don't want to eat lunch with you, I just want you to leave me alone!" I yelled at her, tears welling in my eyes. She looked stunned a moment. I started to walk away from her, towards the hotel.

"What is your problem?! I wasn't such a nuisance last night, why were you the one who barged into my room to see what was wrong with me!" Annie shouted, footsteps behind me as we entered the hotel.

"Because I thought someone was in there with you, hurting you!" I fired, whipping around to glare at her before I continued on.

"Ironic, isn't it? You came to save me from someone hurtful, only to find out that all along it is YOU who is hurting me. I thought you cared, was it only a lie? Do you always lie to new girls who seem helpless? Well let me tell you something, Bart Foxworth! I'm not helpless and I can fend for myself so don't even bother helping me again!"

I swallowed and turned to see her there, her face red with anger, her blue eyes sparkling and glittering more beautifully than I had ever seen. Oh she did have a temper....just like me. ...Just like me.

"I didn't say you were helpless," I finally spoke.

"I didn't say that you did," she retorted.

"I think we need to talk...." I started, as her arms crossed her chest.

"Let's hear it," she said.

"Privately..."

I expected her to flinch or pull away when I took her hand, but she did neither and allowed me to pull her back onto the beach, and soon we were walking along the tide, as I wondered, how to tell her about who and what I was, why she had to approach me with extreme caution....