Annabelle Leigh Marrok (untamed_heart) wrote in light_of_may, @ 2010-02-18 23:17:00 |
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Entry tags: | 2009-07-04 |
Out with the old, in with the new!
Who: Annabelle and Oliver
Where: the loft
When: morning
Oliver stretched and lay his head down on the kitchen table. It was too early to be awake. If he had it his way, he'd still be curled up in bed. Unfortunately, a job wasn't going to crawl under the covers with him, so he'd forced himself to wakefulness and stumbled into the kitchen. After fixing himself a bowl of cereal and coffee, he couldn't seem to pull himself up from the table. Maybe going out last night had been a bad idea after all.
Annabelle was naturally an early riser. She was a very busy girl after all and was usually up with the sun. Today wasn't any different. Oliver was still lightly snoring as she'd passed by his door when she'd been on her way out for her morning run. She half expected he'd still be crashed out when she returned, since he was still out when she'd gone to bed last night. So she was pleasantly surprised when she found him up... well, sort of up. At least he wasn't still in bed, even if the kitchen counter had seemed to become a new napping spot. "Awwww, does someone need a nappy?" she said in a voice all too similar to their mother and the way she'd speak to them when they still lived at home. Moving into the kitchen itself, Annabelle opened up the door to the refrigerator and went about gathering up various fruits, juice and yogurt needed for an after workout smoothie and laid them out on the kitchen island. "Long night, Ollie?"
"Not long enough," Oliver answered as he opened his eyes. He put up with the nickname because it was Annabelle, and because he'd given up on fighting her over it years ago. Anyone else would have been bitch-slapped for it. "How are you so peppy at this hour? Do you go to bed at eight or something?" While he sometimes preferred his sister stay in than be out partying, he still didn't know what she was doing while he was elsewhere. He just assumed she must be going to bed crazy early to get up when she did.
Annabelle rolled her eyes and plugged in the blender before grabbing a colander from the cupboard, tossing in the fresh berries, and running it under the tap. "No, hardly I was up past midnight texting and watching classic musicals on AMC. I'm just naturally peppy no matter how little sleep I get, unlike some people..." she said, looking over her shoulder to give him a pointed look. "If you're so tired, why are you up?" she asked, returning to the island to deposit the berries into the blender.
"Because I need a job," Oliver said, trying not to sound too whiny. He'd had one before moving back to Scarlet Oak, and he'd saved up quite a bit from it. That was how he'd managed to pay his expenses, but now his funds were beginning to run dry. If he wanted to continue going out as he did, he'd need some spending cash. At least Annabelle was letting him stay in the loft for free until he found his own place-- that required a job first. "You didn't change your mind about letting me stay free of charge, did you?" he asked, looking up at her with a sleepy grin. His hair was skewed every which way and he needed a shave, both of which would have to be taken care of before he left the house.
"Nah, I've got the rent covered, so don't worry about me changing my mind about that. The savings account has barely been touched, so I'm not hurting for extra income -- But a job would be good, especially if you plan to continue to party and enjoy the finer things you've grown so accustomed to having." she shrugged, giving her brother a little smile as she flipped on the blender. Money was definitely not a concern for the blonde beauty queen. She had plenty of money put aside from winning pageants from the time she was just a tiny little thing. Her mother had the smarts to open her a savings account when Annabelle was six; it was one thing about the whole pageant deal her mom had that Annabelle was rather grateful for. She never had to worry about finding a job in school to make extra spending money like her brothers did, so the least she could do was let her brother live there rent free.
Oliver had always thought the pageant thing was kind of weird, but that was because it was never something he'd want to do himself. He got that it objectified women to some degree, judging them largely by their physical beauty, but since Annabelle had all that, then he didn't think it did too much harm. He also realized he could be completely wrong, but at least she'd come out with cash to show for all her trouble. Unless he set himself up in a piano bar, there wasn't much Oliver could get for what he could do. While he liked the attention, he thought himself above certain displays of his abilities. "Nothing wrong with living it up a little," Oliver said with a small smirk. "So, what've you been up to lately? Anything exciting?"
Annabelle looked at him, raising an eyebrow as she shut off the blender. "No, nothing wrong with it... so long as you can finance it." she told him, giving him a pointed look. She walked over to the cupboard to grab a couple large glasses, glancing over her shoulder at him when he questioned what she'd been up to. "Well..." she started, obvious nervous tone coming to her voice that was a total tell that her brother just asked a very loaded question. "Jackson and I broke up... the dinner with the family was an epic disaster and with all the other stuff... it just... wasn't working..." she told him, frowning slightly, but not showing as much upset as one would expect a girl as emotional as Annabelle tended to be to exhibit.
Her reaction might have been contained, but his certainly wasn't. Oliver went from sleepy and subdued to wide awake in five seconds flat. His eyes were wide as he raked a hand through his hair, trying to figure out how he'd missed such huge events. "When were you planning on telling me? What the fuck did that jackass do?" he asked, certain that it was Jackson's fault. He couldn't imagine why any guy wouldn't want to be with his sister, though he'd definitely approve if she was the one to end it. He wasn't good enough for her anyways.
"He didn't do anything... that was part of the problem..." she frowned a little deeper, the pain of that break up was still fresh. Even though Chase had buffered the break up quite a bit, it still hurt a lot that it ended the way it had. "His younger brother and sister boycotted dinner when he took me home to meet his folks. They were mad because he hadn't told them about us. They had to read about it in the paper, which granted Patrick and Lucas had to as well-- but Jack hadn't even told his parents. He said he felt guilty that we'd gotten involved while Myra was being held by the kidnappers. I kind of get that, but she was back and he still hadn't told them," she explained, setting the glasses on the island beside the pitcher from the blender.
"It made me feel like he was ashamed of being with me, like... I was just a passing fancy or something. Add to that he never initiated any kind of physical affection... and, I know you don't even wanna think about that, but I mean, I'm twenty years old and I'd never had a boyfriend or made out... then I had a boyfriend and he never made out with me... he barely even kissed me unless I initiated it... I felt like I was dating, well... my brother," she added, crinkling up her nose. "He'd tell me he needed me, but it seemed only when he was down and needed a hand to hold and someone to say it was all gonna be okay. He obviously just needed a friend, not a girlfriend. When he told me he needed time to figure out if he wanted me... I broke it off. A guy shouldn't have to think about whether he wants his girlfriend. It's just... well, weird."
Oliver listened attentively, trying not to let his anger be too visible in his features. He wanted to throttle the guy for leading Annabelle on like that, though he had to admit that at least it hadn't been physical. It would have been so much worse if he had been spending "quality time" with her, only to turn around and say he wasn't sure he wanted her. If that had been the case, Oliver would have marched out the door right then and there and beat the ever-loving shit out of Jackson. "He's a freak of nature and a retard," Oliver said, lips curling in distaste. "You're better off without the asshole. Any guy that doesn't appreciate you isn't worth your time, you know that, right? And if he wasn't interested, he's probably a pansy." That was the only solution he could think of; he'd been told often enough that his sister was hot, that he knew it to be a fact, even though she was his sister.
Annabelle frowned slightly at the apparent anger that seemed to fill her brother, even though he tried to mask it. Annabelle was pretty damned good at reading her brother's minute changes in mood and temper. She could hear his heartbeat increase just that little bit with general agitation. "He wasn't an asshole... he just... wasn't the one and obviously... I wasn't for him either or it wouldn't have gone so wrong so fast..." she sighed. "I'm okay though... and something random and good kind of came out of it... so yeah, I'm gonna be fine." she said, glossing over the fact that the 'something good' had a name, a face and she'd been naked with him already which had been totally shameless and totally unlike Annabelle Marrok -- but damn if she hadn't needed it after Jackson. She finally took a sip of her smoothie and pushed the second glass Oliver's direction across the counter.
"Annabelle, I wouldn't expect the first guy you date to be 'the one'," Oliver said. "For that matter, it might not be the fifth, or the tenth. It's not about numbers. But I do think you deserve to date a guy who's interested in you, and Jackson obviously wasn't. So kick him to the side and find someone better. I'm sure they're lining up around the block already." Like any protective older brother, Oliver was sure that every guy with a dick wanted his sister and that none of them deserved to have her. So long as they had a dick they were going to think with it, and he didn't like that combination in the least. "What something good?" he asked, looking up at her. She didn't seem all that torn up now, that was true, and so he was curious what else had occurred to cure her mood so quickly.
"They are not, jeez." Annabelle rolled her eyes, she'd certainly never seen a line of guys just waiting to ask her out, not that she'd been really paying all that much attention until recently. "And I know it's not about numbers... but, mom and dad were already married by the time mom was my age... and I know it's silly to compare, but still." she sighed, shrugging just a little as she took another sip of her smoothie drink. And of course he'd ask for more info on the 'something good', she'd been vague intentionally but there probably wasn't much use in not telling, since she was hoping that whatever it was that had sparked between she and Chase would turn into something more than a random happenstance. "Well... I sortof-kindof... hooked up with an old childhood friend... of the male variety..." she started, pausing to gauge her brother's reaction to even that small amount she'd given away.
"You're not Mom," Oliver pointed out. Their lives were completely different, and she needed to not judge her progress through life on someone else's timeline. They were young, she hadn't finished college, and Oliver was of the opinion that everyone should live a little before settling down. He also thought he should get a taste of everything before figuring out what he wanted, but that wasn't advice he would share with his sister. He didn't like the idea of her trying different guys out for... taste. Yuck. "You hooked up?" Oliver said, eyes too wide to be perceived as calm. "Please elaborate before my brain breaks." In his mind, hooking up involved a severe lack of clothes, something his sister shouldn't have had an issue with after a break up.
"I know I'm not mom! God, I'd off myself if I was even remotely like her..." she protested. "I just meant, I want a partner. I want love and I want... well... other... stuff..." Stuff he likely did not want to hear about in relation to his little sister. "It was with Chase..." she blurted, biting her lower lip. "He found me walking home in the rain after the break up and he offered me a ride and I didn't wanna come home... we went back to his house and stuff just... kindof happened..."
"Chase McKenna?" Oliver asked, not all that sure that made him feel any better. Sure, Chase was a nice guy, but no guy was a nice guy if he was trying to get into his sister's pants. "Tell me that your version of 'hooking up' doesn't involve wild monkey sex, and I might be okay. Maybe. No, not really," Oliver said, quickly changing his mind. "Annabelle, you just broke up with Jackson. Don't you think you might be feeling a little bit vulnerable? And needy? They call them rebounds for a reason."
Annabelle nodded to Oliver's question about Chase, the distress over her 'hook up' quite clearly written on her brother's features. Chase was a nice guy, and Annabelle was a good girl... mostly. "There was no monkey sex. God, Ollie... I'm not mated! There was just... kissing... really good kissing," she toned it down and made it more G-Rated for her brother's ears; he didn't need to know about the naked part. "Yes, I'm vulnerable and needy, but it's Chase. I've known him forever, I don't feel like he's just a rebound... I don't know how to explain it, Ollie..."
"But you've never known him like this," Oliver tried to argue. Two kids playing together was totally different than two semi-adults making out. When one picked up their toys and went home, the pain of loss was more than just a lack of GI Joes and Transformers. "Just... be careful," he said. "I know you probably are, but I just... worry." He was a big brother. It was his job, and it was instinct.
"I know, Ollie. It was totally unexpected, but it was... it was pretty great. It's weird cause I never looked at him that way... well, not after that time he pushed me in the mud in my favorite dress in front of God and everybody..." she frowned at the memory. Sure, she was only seven at the time, but it had been enough to extinguish her little childhood crush on the then ten year old Chase. "I'm being careful, I promise," she assured, though she probably wasn't being quite as careful as he would like her to be.