A/N: I should be in bed right now, but I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep till I finished!
I hope it lives up to your expectations. *wink*
R&R!

Happy Reading!

Still taking idea suggestions BTW!

Disclaimer: Gosh I'm tired, don't own. Duh.

Let Go

When the bell rang on Wednesday afternoon, Annie fled her classroom like it had been the fire alarm. For the first time in her near four years at a public high school, she had been given shit loads of homework on Monday and Tuesday that was all due on the last day of school before fall break. Needless to say, she'd had no time to spend with her newly proclaimed boyfriend or any friends for that matter. In fact, she'd spent every free moment of the past two days doing homework and that included lunch.

So when she saw August Anderson at his locker on the way to her own, she happily pranced over, taking her time out of the building. She felt triumphant in doing this, like she was somehow mocking the place.

"Someone's in a good mood," Auggie said, giving her a sideways smile as he took ridiculously large book after ridiculously large book from his locker. His backpack was developing stretch marks.

"How did you guess," she asked with an incorrigible grin.

"Well, first of all you're wearing heels today, which you only do in the best temper," he replied playfully, "And then there's the simple fact that you practically skipped over here-"

"Hey," she laughed, playfully pushing his shoulder, "I didn't skip, I promenaded!"

"Of course you did, Walker," he winked, then held out a book in her direction, "Take a couple of these would you? If I try to fit anymore in my backpack I'm pretty sure it will commit mutiny."

"What are all these for," she asked, surprised by the weight of it.

"These, are my textbooks," he sighed, heaving the last one beneath his arm, "I'm taking them home to study over break for all the exams we'll have when we get back."

Annie groaned.

"Oh, please let's not talk about that," she grumbled, waiting for Auggie to finish up so he could take her arm, "I'm just getting comfortable with the idea of laziness."

"Believe me, this is the last thing I want to be doing, but it still takes me a little longer to read than it used to," he chuckled softy, "I don't know how I'm going to get anything done with everyone at the house though."

"Do you have a lot of family coming for the holidays?"

"Yea, my brother Ethan and his son Benji got in on Sunday and then everyone else will be getting in on Monday or Tuesday," he squinted his eyes, a sign that, Annie quickly learned, meant Auggie was calculating, "Which means by this time next week there will be fifteen people in my house, at minimum."

"Fifteen," Annie whispered, more to herself than Auggie, who laughed.

The most she would have in her house on any given holiday was four.

"So," she began when they got to her car and dumped all his braille texts in her back seat, "What do you have planned for the rest of this beautiful afternoon?"

"I, Annie Walker, have nothing planned," he said with a wicked grin, taking her hand and pulling her in for a quick kiss, "But I have this strange feeling that I'm about to."

"Quite the psychic you are," she cooed, "I was just thinking, there won't be anyone in my house until seven tonight and I thought you might like to-"

"I would love to," he finished.

Annie watched as his hand slid up her arm, relishing in the goosebumps he left in his wake and the heat that flooded her face and stomach. His lips brushed against hers in the most tender of touches and-

"Hey Auggie," Jamie yelled from across the parking lot, rapidly making his way across the pavement with a slightly familiar girl on his tail.

"Damn," Auggie muttered, squeezing his eyes shut for just a moment, "To be continued."

Annie couldn't speak yet.

"Sorry to interrupt," Jamie grinned at Annie.

"Hi Clare," Auggie smiled in the girl's general direction.

"Hi Auggie," she all but whispered, her cheeks flushing a dusty rose color.

As girls do, Annie absorbed the other female with calculating eyes, taking in her snowy blonde hair and delicate white skin. Her eyes were the prettiest shade of blue and she wore a heavy sweater, corduroy skirt and wool lined boots. In Annie's opinion, it was just a tad too warm for such heavy clothing but the girl was small enough to have the excuse. A wisp of a girl, her mother would have said.

"You're riding with Annie, obviously," Jamie gestured pointlessly to the back seat of Annie's car, which was heavily laden with books. "I'm taking Clare out for a bit, but I can drop your books off if you need me to."

"No, it's alright," Auggie shrugged, "They're already back there. I'll lug them all in when I get home."

"Good, 'cause honestly, I hate carrying those things," Jamie chuckled.

It was strange, Jamie seemed so, lively. Annie had never seen him this way. Around everyone else he had always been so quiet and shy. She looked from Clare to Jamie and back again, marveling at the extreme difference that one person can make in another person's life. Her eyes drifted over to Auggie, wondering how he'd changed her and what was to come.

"We'll check you later," Jamie grinned, taking Clare's hand and pulling her towards his car, "Oh and just a warning, Corrine's planning something tonight, so be prepared."

"Wonderful," Auggie grinned, looking strangely thoughtful.

Maybe it was because that damn Halloween movie still gave her nightmares or maybe it was just the unknown, but the fact that Corrine was planning something made Annie just a bit uncomfortable.

"Bye guys," Auggie gave a wave before turning back to Annie, his warm brown eyes melting the trepidation building in her bones like heat lamps, "Now, where were we?"

xXx

Annie locked the door behind them once she and Auggie had stepped into the house, a failsafe so that, were her parents to get home early, she and Auggie would have time to get downstairs before her parents found them together in her room. That was the last way that she wanted to introduce her boyfriend to her father.

"You want a drink or anything," Annie asked as she put her keys on the table with the flower pot, knowing her mother would get annoyed if she found them there.

"Depends on what you got," he smiled, "Is there anywhere you can put this for me?"

He held out his cane to her and she stared at it, thinking of the last time he was in her house and what happened when he left. It made her uncomfortable and she was surprised that he would trust her with it.

"I can hang it on the coatrack," she replied uncertainly, "Are you sure you don't want to hang onto it?"

"Positive," he smiled.

After hooking his cane on the coatrack, Annie brushed her arm against his hand but instead of taking her elbow he put his hand lightly on her back so that he was mostly behind her.

"I don't like to be so formal at home," he grinned.

After grabbing a couple YooHoos from the fridge, they went up to Annie's room. She had gotten everything put away finally, but her floor was cluttered with clothes and shoes and various things that she'd been too lazy to put away after school. She placed her hand on his chest when they stepping inside.

"Wait here," she said, "I've got to pick up my floor a bit, it's a mess."

"Annie Walker, I never thought of you as the messy type," he said as she pulled away.

"I have my moments," she giggled.

In a hurry, Annie started gathering her things with every intention of tossing it on the floor of her closet. She could organize it later. When she turned around, Auggie was making his way around her room, taking careful steps as he followed her dresser with one hand and the other stretched in front of him. She watched as his knees bumped the bed and he sat down, reclining against her pillows.

It was strange to see him that way, so unsure, so blind. This was the first time she'd ever seen him in a place he didn't know by feel and memory, the first place she'd ever seen him vulnerable. Those thoughts evaporated quickly, making room to note the beautiful way that he fit on her bed.

"You look comfortable," she smirked and he gave her his loopy smile.

"I think I could be a little more comfortable," he drawled impishly, "But I may need some help."

"Might you," she asked coyly, biting her lip as she sat beside him, "Maybe I could help?"

Auggie sat up suddenly and pulled his legs in Indian style, his gaze as intense as she'd ever seen it. Her eyes were wide as she watched him stare at her, his thoughts flashing behind his eyes. Her heart beat a heart attack in her chest and in the silence she was almost positive that he could hear it too. But as they sat there, just being together- alone-, she felt an intimacy like she'd never felt before. She wanted more.

This time it was Annie that made contact first, brushing his too-long bangs from his eyes. Slowly she ran her fingers down his jaw and he leaned into her touch, cupping her hand with his own, his eyes closing. That was when it happened, that was when they let go.

Their mouths crashed together hungrily, each needing the other to feel whole. Her hands knit into his hair and his hands ran the length of her back. Those hands of his lingered around her hips, playing with the hem of her shirt like a whispered request. Hardly missing a beat, she crossed her arms and pulled it off, leaving only thin cami and lacey bra. It was too much.

Auggie's fingers slipped up her cami, running over the ripples of her ribs and sending chills up her spine. It had been too long since she'd been touched this way, since she was this comfortable with herself, since she felt connected to someone on this lonely planet.

Somewhere along the way her cami disappeared, though she couldn't recall who had taken it off. Their breathing had slowed as had their kisses though Auggie's hands still lingered gently on her back, methodically running up each vertebra. He was distracted. He rested his forehead on hers, his eyes still closed.

"I want to see you," he whispered, his voice ruff, "Can I?"

After pressing a gentle kiss to his mouth, she nodded. Words unnecessary.

As his fingers worked their careful way up her back and her shoulder blades, she too closed her eyes, relishing in every touch that sent nerves firing to her brain. His soothing hands slid over her shoulders, down her arms and back again. His fingers ghosted along her collarbone, making her head tilt back as they slipped down her chest between her breasts, releasing a small whimper that had been hiding there for months. He kissed her again, her shoulder this time, so softly that she could have imagined it. It took everything in her to keep herself from pressing her body against his taut frame.

When he got to her jeans, she helped him slip them off as quickly as she could. Carefully he explored the curve of her thigh and the dimples in her knees all the up to a place that made her back arch. A smile flickered across his lips and this time she kept her eyes open, indulging in the sight of him. His gaze was worlds away, his mouth parting slightly.

His hands slid back up the curves her body, slowing as they got to her neck and stopping at her jaw. Hesitant. Still she watched. He seemed nervous, biting his lip in a second long decision. Finally he allowed his fingers to break the barrier and glide across her lips, tracing the curve of her mouth and the pitch of her nose. She closed her eyes as ran his fingers butterfly soft over her eyelids and forehead and cheekbones and at last he kissed her again, pulling her up beneath him with his hand at the small of her back.

With no command of her mind, her hands slipped beneath his cotton shirt and pulled it over his head, her hands roaming his back, tracing his scar and the hills and valleys that made up the uncharted landscape that was August Anderson. This was instinct, no thought needed, only feel. The most base of survival.

This time their brains wouldn't stop them, having surrendered completely to their bodies and seeing just how far they could go.

xXx

Auggie laid beside Annie, tracing patters in her smooth stomach and feeling more content than he had ever felt in his entire life. God, she was so beautiful, her feel and texture and structure. He could feel her staring at him and for the first time in nearly two years, he didn't feel self-conscious about it.

"Are you thirsty," she asked suddenly and he could feel her skin heating beneath his resting palm, "I mean, do you want your soda?"

"Sure," he smiled and sat up, he could have laid there for the rest of his life and been happy, but he could tell that Annie needed a distraction. Something downstairs made a noise, a noise he didn't recognize and a moment of panic struck his chest, sending him back into reality. "When did you say your parents would be home?"

"Relax," Annie chuckled and Auggie took the coke that she pressed to his hand, "They won't be home for several hours, that was just pipes. I swear, they never shut up."

"Right," he chuckled nervously at his own paranoia.

But then, how would it look if someone were to find them right now; Auggie in his boxers and Annie- He wasn't sure if she'd put anything on and he reached out to find her, encountering what he was sure was his own t-shirt. He couldn't stop the smile that exploded across his face.

"Auggie," Annie said softly, making Auggie's heart flutter, "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything," he promised.

"What do you see," she all but whispered.

Auggie tilted his head slightly, it hadn't been the question he was expecting. He took a moment to think about it as he'd never had to explain it to anyone.

"Nothing," he said thoughtfully, wanting her to understand, "But not black, like everyone thinks. It's less than black, kind of like trying to see through your bellybutton. You don't see black out of your bellybutton, you just don't see at all."

She giggled quietly and he imagined her trying to see through her bellybutton.

"But you see me," she whispered, her face hovering close to his.

"I do," he breathed, his lips barely grazing hers.

"I like how you see me."

He smiled against her mouth before giving her another kiss. There was another thing about Annie. To her his blindness was a part of him, not something wrong, just something him. He leaned into her, pressing a kiss to her neck while trying not to spill his coke. He could feel her heart beating in her chest and-

Someone's phone went off and both parties jumped away from one another, terrified that they'd been caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

"Text," Annie mumbled, sounding out of breath. Her warmth left him and he slumped, "It's from Corrine, it says '12:30 Bastion's Place. Be There.' What's that mean?"

"That, Annie Walker," Auggie grinned wickedly, "Means we're going swimming."