Chapter 32
Percy woke up with a sharp pain that shot through his forehead. He was lying on his own couch with no clue how he got there.
He slowly sat up, wincing from the pounding in his head. It was like someone was using his head for a drum set.
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes with the palms of his hands he realized…
he wasn't alone in the living room.
His heart froze seeing a certain golden haired girl sleeping in the chair near the couch with her legs tucked under her.
So it wasn't his hallucination.
Sitting here was the girl who was his ex as a sister and a girlfriend. His life was too complicated.
Should he be confused as to why she was here? Happy that she was here? Upset that he had been going through hell over the past year and she looked as peaceful as ever? Or frustrated that she was making him feel all these emotions?
Sorry, he didn't mean to sound like a girl on her period.
Above all the feelings that were racing inside of him, there was that same tugging want that filled his gut whenever he saw her- and couldn't have her. Gods, this situation was so familiar to him.
Why did he love a girl that was so fucking difficult and complicated. He loved her so much it hurt.
He scanned her over. Her head was tilted back slightly and her mouth was parted open. If he wasn't so shocked to see her, it would have been pretty amusing.
He stayed sitting there for quite a while, simply staring at her sleeping before he got up and took a blanket from his closet to cover her with as much as possible. Hey, he wasn't about to let the girl freeze to death, now was he.
Percy then ran his fingers through his hair, making it a bit messier. He stood there watching her with those sea green eyes of his. Slowly, he then slid his arms under her body and lifted her up, along with the blanket.
Did she lose weight? Gods, she fucking weighed like a feather. Why has she not been taking care of herself?
He let out a sigh as he carried her up the stairs and laid her on his bed. Percy left her there and went into his bathroom, swallowing an Advil for his headache before taking a hot shower.
When he got out, he wrapped a towel around his hips and went to his room again to see that she was, in fact, awake.
Oh, gods.
She seemed to have just woken up with her bed hair and a confused expression spread across her face— when her grey eyes looked up to him, her eyes filled with realization then they widened seeing him shirtless.
They just stared at each other, never wanting to break it. Her grey eyes were like a medicine to all the emotions that had been racing inside of him. And he only felt longing inside him at the moment as he looked back at those stunning silvery orbs.
She suddenly did something that made Percy's heart leap inside his chest.
She smiled.
And it was beautiful.
"Hi." he said to her.
"Hi." she said back with a soft voice that sounded like bells in his ears.
Here, was the girl who could make him feel ten feet tall then make him depressed as hell. She had such an affect on him that she didn't even know. It even scared him a bit.
"Thalia called you over here, didn't she?" He said, keeping his voice lowered.
She nodded, "Yeah." her grey eyes kept looking at him, like she was taking him all in.
She got off his bed and went to the door, "I'll leave you to change." she said, before walking out and down the stairs.
He stayed standing there, still looking at the place where she was before he shook his head of his thoughts and started to change.
He looked out his bedroom window to see that it was about four in the morning.
Letting out a sigh, he went downstairs to see her sitting at his table with a cup of coffee in her hands. She was looking out the window with a pained look in her eyes.
Her eyes turned to him. He didn't break their stare as he sat in the seat across from her.
They stayed silent for a moment. She looked so pained and lost that before he knew it, he was reaching over to hold her hand. Annabeth's eyes widened slightly from the contact.
He played with each of her fingers. She had disney princess hands— slender and young. And that made sense, because she was young. But she had gone through so much for someone like her.
"Have you been doing as terribly as I have?" he asked her.
Her grey eyes looked deep into his, showing all her pain, regret, and confusion— all in one look.
She took a sip of her coffee, "I'm not drunk all the time" She started to say. He smiled at that, "But, yes. I can tell you for sure that I haven't been doing any better than you have."
He already knew that already from the way she had looked at him.
The cheerful, confident girl was replaced by a depressed, empty ghost in the same body. She had dark circles under her eyes. And he knew she wasn't eating very well, from how light she was.
He thought it would make it a bit better that she was doing as worse as he was— being the jerk he was- but it didn't… it made it so much worse. He didn't want her to be this hurt.
"Today's mom's memorial anniversary." he said in a husky low voice.
Her eyes looked from her hands that were still in his up to him.
"What— Really?", she said with widened eyes.
He nodded, "You want to go see her with me?"
"Yes, of course."
Percy led Annabeth over to Sally's grave. She set down some flowers down on the stone and sat down in front of it. He sat down next to her, setting a picture of Sally next to the flowers.
They sat in silence, reminiscing about nostalgic childhood memories they had together.
A tear fell down Annabeth's face, looking at Sally's smiling face in the photo.
...
It was the day before she was to leave for her new house and Sally had come into her room.
"What if I hate my life at that woman's house?"
Sally had reached out and cradled her cheek, brushing away her tears.
"Annabeth darling. You need to know that though there are bad and terrible things in life. There are times when life is great and full of happy moments."
She brushed away a golden strand from Annabeth's face.
She continued, "And, this I know for sure— A mother would want their child to be the happiest that they can be. "
...
"Did I make a mistake choosing my mother's wishes over my own?" she said, mainly to herself than to anybody in particular.
"Why do you say that?" Percy said, crossing his arms around his knees.
"I just remembered something mom told me once- before I left."
"What did she say?"
"Mom said something that makes me doubt at the moment everything I thought was right."
Everything Athena wanted for her. Everything she had done and said. It was becoming less and less what Annabeth thought she meant.
Her words..
I want you to just be happy, Annabeth.
She wanted me to be happy?… Happy.
Gods. Athena— screwing with her brain even when she wasn't even here.
Annabeth looked over at Percy, who was already staring at her with raised brows.
"You okay, Annie?"
She shook her head. No, her mind was spiraling. Could she have been wrong about everything?
Her heart started beating faster and faster in her chest.
There are times when life is great and full of happy moments...
You need to know that though there are bad and terrible things in life...
I want you to just be happy, Annabeth...
Just be happy...
No matter what...
She didn't want to accept it, but...
she understood it now.
She understood everything now.
What her mother really wanted and meant.
It was like being here with Sally got her head out of her ass and cleared her mind- opened her eyes to the truth and reality of.. Well. Everything.
And the realization made her hate herself. How could she have let this happen to her— to Percy?
Annabeth's silvery grey eyes kept her stare into Percy's sea green ones then looked back at Sally's picture leaning against the stone cement of the grave plate.
She turned to Percy, "I.. I am so…."
"What—why?"
"… I made a huge mistake. I pushed you away, when I should have known what the right thing to do was and kept you by my side." She ran her fingers through her hair, "Gods, I'm such a fucking idiot."
"Annabeth, stop hating on yourself. You were stressed then. I understand that."
"I hurt you, Percy. You should be hating me right now." she said in a hushed voice.
He was quiet, taking what she said all in. His sea green eyes looking over at her with a confused face.
"What? Annabeth. No— "
"You deserve better than me, Percy. After what I let happen, I will never deserve you. Ever." She looked at him with those deep, striking grey eyes that could make his stomach flip. He stared back with confusion, trying to interpret what in the world she was thinking.
"Annabeth..." he said in a hushed voice.
Annabeththen looked down at her phone, "I need to go. My flight leaves in an hour."
"What? Annabeth.."
She looked back at Percy, then did something that rattled up his brain even more- she leaned over and kissed his cheek, giving him a small smile that melted him completely, "Bye, Percy and.. I'm sorry."
And then, she left— just like that…
He sat there absolutely shocked.
What had just happened? He couldn't even think right now- his mind was everywhere and he couldn't pull together his thoughts. Everything was just working overdrive.
Percy looked over at Sally's photo.
Her mother's voice seems to echo inside his head,
Are you just going to let her go? She seemed to say to him.
No. Not again..
He hastily got to his feet and started running after her.
-Line break-
Annabeth couldn't help the tears that fell down her face.
She hated doing that to the uttermost pit of her stomach. All she wanted to do was jump into his arms and stay there forever— to be happy.
But she couldn't do that to him. It wasn't at all fair to him. The wrongs were set and done. And she had hurt him too much already.
A year ago, she had missed her chance and paying for her mistakes meant letting him go.
And she knew it would always remain the greatest regret of her life.
It took all her will strength to walk down the trail that led away from the cemetery.
Biting down on her bottom lip, she kept walking, hastily wiping the tears from her face and the sobs that were quickly rising in her chest.
"Annabeth!" A voice called behind her. She walked faster.
"Annie!?" he shouted, louder. She heard his footsteps getting closer and closer until he finally caught up with her.
He reached out for her arm and turned her to him.
He placed both hands on her shoulders, "You're not leaving me again." he said, moving his hands further up to her face to wipe her tears with his thumbs.
"Percy. Stop."
"No, Annabeth." He brushed a golden strand of hair away from her face, looking with such magnetic intensity into her eyes, "All that you said may be true, but...
I still love you. And you can't walk away from that."
She let out a sharp breathe.
"No. Percy? Stop making things harder than it has to be. Just let me go."
He leaned ever so closer to her,
"I will never make things easier for you. And like hell I'm letting you go." he said.
He placed both hands to either side of her face and kissed her like it was a perfect, romantic ending to an incredibly sappy story— except the story they were in was a hell of a lot more complicated and depressing than some wimpy heartbreak drama.
It was without a doubt
— pretty amazing.
Now Annabeth knew…
Apart from the hard, horrible times, there were the happy moments in life- and she had come very close to missing out on the best of them.
She was just glad that she had Percy, who was able to save it before it was too late.
Author's Note:
That is not the end, people. One last chapter after this one, because I really need to make up for all the depressing and heartbreaking and frustrating moments that I put in this story. I know you'll all luv it! My gift to you! Your welcome, even though I haven't posted it yet.
You guys were all a great support through all of it. Thank you so much! You're amazing.
If I were to describe what I'm feeling right now at the end of this chapter, it would be relief, satisfcation and a squeal of joy. *Claps hands* I'm so happy! They're back together! YASSS. I love myself right now.
Lol, anyways guys make sure to review and give me your thoughts on this second to last chapter of Dearest Sister of Mine and hope to see you all in the next update.
:D Thanks!