Chapter 10

When Matt woke up the next morning, it was just before eight o’clock. Annie was still asleep and he was afraid to move in case he disturbed her. After what had happened last night, he felt she needed her sleep. So instead of getting up, he just lay still and watched her sleep. It was kind of a relief not getting up straight away anyway. And Annie looked so peacefull, vulnerable, almost childlike.

It was after ten when Annie finally woke up. She did so slowly, opening her eyes, yawning and stretching before realizing that she was at Matt’s house. In Matt’s room. In Matt’s bed. In Matt’s arms. Her eyes widened and met Matt’s grinning face. She smiled too and lay back down lazily, comfortable in the security of Matt’s arms.

"Did you sleep okay?" Matt asked.

"Fantastic! Better then I have since I woke up from the coma," Annie told him.

"Well, hospital beds aren’t very comfy. You’re just not used to a proper bed yet," Matt said, feeling slightly embarrased, although he wasn’t really sure why. To his surprise, Annie laughed.

"Silly! You know why I slept so well. And it has nothing to do with the bed!" Annie admonished him. "Well, not much," she conceded.

"Well, what could it have bee?" Matt teased.

"You know very well it was because you were with me! Stop fishing for compliments," Annie said. Matt pretended to look hurt and ashamed. Annie ignored him.

"I wasn’t," Matt defended himself.

"Well, thank you. Seriously, thank you," Annie said, her mood suddenly completely changed. Matt was about to reply when they were interrupted by a barrage of knocking and thumping on the front door. Surprised, matt got up to answer it. In the time it took him to get downstairs, the racket didn’t stop once.

"Alright!" Matt snapped when he opened the door.

It was Dave.

"Where the fuck is that bitch?" he bellowed. He pushed Matt aside and charged upstairs. Matt followed hot on his heels.

"What the hell do you think you’re doing?" Matt demanded. He grabbed Dave by the collar and tried to stop him. Dave turned around, but only for long enough to push Matt down the stairs. Matt yelled in pain as he fell.

Dave smiled briefly in satisfaction, then went up the final two or three steps in one leap.

"Annie!" he shouted. "Where the fuck are you?"

After opening the door to the bathroom by mistake, dave found the door to Matt’s bedroom. Annie screamed when he threw it open. Dave slammed it behind him. Annie backed away on the bed, her eyes wide with terror.

"Looks like I wet your appetite, huh?" Dave said, almost conversationally.

"No! Don’t you dare so that!" Annie shouted, surprising herself with the force and anger in her own voice. "Matt would never do what you did! Never in a million years!" she said, knowing as soon as she said it, that it was true. He’d had the perfect opportunity last night, hadn’t he? When she was upset and scared and vulnerable. And yet he hadn’t even kissed her.

"What I did to you?"Dave scoffed. "Annie you’re kidding yourself. You wanted that as much as I did," he argued.

"No," Annie said firmly. "You know that’s not true. You’re the one that’s kidding yourself. You raped me Dave," she informed him.

"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, Annie, if it makes you feel better, you tell yourself you’re the Queen of England if you want. I don’t give a shit. But I won’t put up with my wife, my wife," he added for extra emphasis, "running off in the middle of the night to another man’s bed." He noticed for the first time that Annie was wearing only one of Matt’s shirts and he crossed the room and hit her across the jaw. "Fucking whore!" he screamed at her.

When he punched her, Annie’s memory of what had happened in her dream came flooding back to her, along with the realisation thst it wasn’t just a dream. It had actually happened to her. She was the woman in the dream and the man was Dave. She turned back to him with cold, hard hatred in her eyes.

"You did it," she accused him.

"What?" Dave asked, momentairaly thrown.

"You beat me up and threw me against the wall. I hit my head and that’s why I was in a coma. That’s why I remember fuck all about my own life. Its your fault," she said in a very low, calm voice.

"Liar," Dave said without conviction.

"No, you’re the liar. You’ve been lying to me this whole time. Now get out of Matt’s house this second!" Annie commanded, still very calmly.

Dave gave her one last shove, then spun on his heel and barged out of the door, pushing past Matt who stood, looking slightly dazed at the top of the stairs. He had heard Annie tell Dave she knew he was the reason she had suffered so much and he wondered if she remembered it all.

"Oh Matt," she cried, bursting into tears as she flung herself off the bed. Matt stepped forward and in a moment, his arms were around her.

"Shh," he whispered. "Its okay. He’s gone. I won’t ever let him near you again."

"Why would he do that to me?" she asked desperately. "Beat me up I mean, before I went into the coma."

"I don’t know honey. I honestly don’t know," Matt mumbled into her hair. "How did you know he did?" he asked carefully. Because he had to know.

"He hit me. Then, in a second, I just knew. Like when you know you know the word for something, and you go over the possibilities in your head, and you can’t remember, then suddenly, it comes to you. You know? Does that sound too weird?" Annie said tearfully.

"Not at all sweetheart," Matt assured her. He stroked her hair and felt her start to relax in his arms.

"Really?" Annie aksed, looking up at him with big, innocent blue eyes that made Matt want to cry if he looked to deeply into them.

"Really. And you know what? It wouldn’t matter to me if you said a wizzard, complete with toads and potions came and told you. I’d still believe you."

"Thank you," Annie said. She reached up and kissed his cheek. Matt took hold of her chin and turned her face so she kissed him on the lips, a light kiss, but with so much emotion that it quickly became more passionate.

They stayed there, kissing for a long time. Annie’s tears were still wet on her cheeks and Matt already had a growing bruise from where Dave had punched him. Matt’s hands started to creap up the shirt Annie was wearing. Instantly, she pulled back and pushed him away.

"What the hell do you think your’e doing?" she demanded. She was so afraid, that Matt would turn out to be just like Dave, after all.

"Come on Annie. You know this is right," Matt said, aware that he sounded exactly like Dave had probably sounded right before he raped her. Annie obviously thought so too, because her eyes widened and she took two steps backwards.

"Please don’t," she begged in a weak, childish voice. Matt cursed himself for giving him a reason to be afraid of him as well as Dave.

"God Annie, I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking. I’m so sorry. I would never dream of forcing you inot something you weren’t ready for and didn’t want. I’m sorry," Matt gushed, shocked at himself. He wanted so badly to step forward and reach for her, but he knew that would just scare her.

"I’m sorry Matt," Annie said softly. She was still crying and Matt longed to put his arms around her.

"no. No, don’t be sorry. I won’t let you be sorry. This isn’t your fault. None of it is. Its Dave’s fault and my fault. You are not to blame at all. Okay?" Matt said firmly.

"I do want this to happen Matt. Really, I do. I just want to wait a while, okay? I just wanna take things slow," Annie said.

"Of course Annie. Anything you want. I’ll be waiting until you’re ready. I’d wait forever for you," Matt said. Annie smiled.

"how about just waiting a few days. No more than a week. I don’t want to wait forever, even if you do," Annie said with a laugh.

"I don’t. I’d just be willing to if that was what you wanted. I’m not saying I’d enjoy it, but I would. I’d do anything for you," Matt promised.

"Well, luckily for you, I don’t want to wait forever. Just give me a few days, okay?"

"Sure."

"But you know, in the meantime, we can still do this," Annie said teasingly. She kissed him. Matt kissed her back but kept his hand well away from her butt. For the moment, he was content with just kissing her.

He just prayed that she would never remember everything about the day she went into a coma. He was afraid for himself. But he was also afraid for Annie. She would be devestated if she knew. She didn’t deserve that. She didn’t deserve any of the shit that had already happened to her, but she at least deserved someone she loved and trusted.Matt so badly wanted to be that someone.