The House that I Grew up In

Karen eased her tired body from her car and shut the door with a thud, happy just to be home. It had been almost 22 hours since she had left for work the day before, and every part of her was aching. As she climbed the steps of the front porch, all she could think about was taking a hot shower and climbing into bed.

Entering the house, Karen glanced over towards the dining area and was surprised by what she saw. Normally – and particularly since Annabelle had entered the picture – Quinn cleared the table after dinner, wrapped the leftovers and put the dishes in the dishwasher. But this morning, it looked like the table had just been abandoned after Quinn and Annabelle had eaten the night before.

Suddenly, Karen felt very nervous. As she climbed the steps upstairs, two scenarios played in her mind. In one, she would enter Quinn’s room to find his bed empty. In the other, he would be there – but not alone. Both made her forget all about her exhaustion and move a little quicker.

Opening Quinn’s bedroom door, Karen immediately wished that the other scenario had occurred. Instead, Quinn’s bed was empty, still made from the day before. Between the dishes on the dining room table and the bed empty at seven o’clock in the morning, Karen got a very bad feel in the pit of her stomach.

Hurrying downstairs, Karen rushed into the kitchen hoping to find a note from Quinn. Instead, she found nothing but dirty pans. Panic taking over her, bringing her right back a few years to when Quinn had been getting into trouble, Karen reached over to pick up the phone from the wall. Glancing out the kitchen window, she jumped at what she saw.

Moving much slower now, Karen put the phone back on its holder and headed outside to get a clearer view of what she had seen from the kitchen. Stepping onto the patio, she let out a long, relieved sigh. Yes, Quinn and Annabelle were asleep on the lawn beside the telescope, curled up together. But both were fully dressed and there were no blankets or anything of that sort.

Saying a quick prayer of thanks for the innocent resolution of the situation, Karen started walking towards the sleeping teens. Leaning over, she gently shook Quinn’s arm, which was protectively wrapped around Annabelle’s waist. “Honey, wake up,” she said gently.

Quinn began to stir, and looked up into his mother’s face, surrounded by a bright blue sky, with confusion. Then he noticed a body next to him beginning to move, and was even more puzzled. Looking over to see Annabelle, with her own look of confusion on her just-woken face, Quinn suddenly began remembering the night before.

“Oh God,” Annabelle sat up immediately, obviously having figured out what happened. “Karen, this isn’t… we were just looking at the stars… nothing happened.” The girl’s beautiful face turned a deep scarlet as she looked up at Karen with wide eyes. “I hope you don’t think-”

Feeling overwhelming sympathy for the babbling young girl before her, Karen chuckled and shook her head. “What I think,” she said as she smiled warmly. “Is that you and my son came out to look at the stars last night after dinner and fell asleep out here. End of story.”

Relief flooded Annabelle’s expression, only to quickly be replaced once more with panic. Jumping up, she looked at Karen. “Thank you for understanding,” she said quickly. “Hopefully Christy’s parents will be as understanding.”

“If you need me to talk to them,” Karen kindly put her hand on Annabelle’s shoulder and smiled warmly. “I’d be happy to. But it’s probably best if you get going now, as not to worry them any more than you probably already have.”

Without thinking, Annabelle threw her arms around Karen. “Thank you so much,” her voice was filled with gratitude. “I’ll go right now.” She paused only for a moment, looking down at Quinn lying in the grass, her face filling with blush once more. “And I’ll come by later, if I’m not grounded or something.”

“Sounds good,” Quinn grinned happily, his eyes still slightly squinty from having just woken up. He watched as Annabelle sprinted across the lawn and up the steps of the back deck, into the house. Gazing up lazily, he looked at his smirking mother. “Morning, Mom.”

Crossing her arms over her chest, Karen tried to give a disapproving look, but the twinkle in Quinn’s green eyes won her over – she was always a sucker for seeing her son happy. “Don’t ‘Morning, Mom’ me, Quinn,” Karen said, trying in vain to sound stern. “Just because I think that what happened last night was completely innocent in regards to Annabelle does not mean I think YOU had only pure intentions.”

Leaning up on his elbows and squinting into the sun, Quinn tried not to give his mother a big smile. “Nothing happened, Mom,” he told her gently, unable to suppress his grin as hard as he tried. “I mean, we kissed, but it WAS totally innocent. I guess we were just so comfortable lying here together, we both dozed off.”

Pausing, Karen kneeled down in her scrubs onto the soft green grass so she could meet her son’s gaze. “Quinn, you have no idea how wonderful it makes me feel to see you finally happy again,” her eyes filled with tears as she reached over and ruffled his hair emotionally.

“Just, be careful… for both of you,” Karen struggled to explain herself as she continued. “Annabelle comes from a different world than you, and she’s very… inexperience. And you… you’ve spent so long closing yourself off from the world, it just makes me nervous to see you growing so attached to someone who will be leaving at the end of summer.”

At first, Quinn had been a bit annoyed. He thought his mother was telling him to leave Annabelle alone – basically – because she was too good for him. A fact he was pretty sure of himself. But as she had continued talking, he understood she was just worried about both his and Annabelle’s feelings.

Taking his mother’s hand, Quinn squeezed it and gave her a reassuring smile. “I would NEVER do anything to hurt Annabelle,” he promised, his voice filled with sincerity. “And I know she’s leaving. I just feel so lucky to have ANY time with someone so kind, so sweet, so beautiful… so perfect.”

The tears that had filled her eyes a minute earlier now fell freely down Karen’s cheeks as her son reached over to hug her. It was only a couple years ago that he could barely stand the sight of her, and even a month ago he had been uncomfortable showing any real affection. But thanks to Annabelle, here he was, embracing her. “I love you, Quinn,” she ventured to say.

“I love you, too, Mom,” Quinn replied immediately, a smile on his face as he released his mother. “Now you go upstairs and take a shower and get some rest. By the time you wake up, the house will be immaculate. I promise.”

Side by side, Karen and Quinn headed back into their house. For the first time in years, as Quinn slid his arm around his mother’s shoulder, they felt like a real family again. Just Quinn and Karen.

And Annabelle.

-----

Annabelle wasn’t sure what to think when she exited Quinn’s house and saw that both of Christy’s parents’ cars were missing from the driveway. She couldn’t believe it, but it seemed like she had lucked out; they hadn’t even noticed that she had not come home the night before.

Sneaking quietly through the front door, Annabelle turned to close it with as little sound as possible. Turning back around, though, she let out a loud yelp.

“Are you just getting in?” Christy’s blue eyes were wide with shock as she stood before Annabelle in her pajamas, holding a glass of water.

“It’s not what you think-” Annabelle began, but Christy cut her off.

“You spent the night with Quinn?”

“Yes, but-”

“Then it’s exactly what I think,” Christy’s expression was still one of disbelief.

“No, I fell asleep beside him,” Annabelle rushed to explain. “But nothing happened between us. We just fell asleep by mistake.”

The amazement in Christy’s expression slowly changed to one of amusement. “It’s me, Annabelle, not my parents,” she chuckled. “I mean, I believe you, but you don’t have to work so hard to convince me. You have the right to, um,” she laughed a bit. “To ‘spend the night’ with anyone you want. I mean, I think Quinn is a dick, but he is hot and you’re only here for the summer. If you’re going to spend time with him anyway, you might as well jump him while you’re at it. Word around school is he’s great in bed.”

It was Annabelle’s turn to look astonished. “Jump him?” she swallowed hard. Great in bed? God, kissing Quinn last night had taken every bit of courage in her body. The thought of having sex with him… it was all too much.

“Anyway, don’t worry,” Christy shrugged as she started walking towards the stairs to head back up to her bedroom. “My parents were oblivious to you being gone last night, and you’ve covered for me. So now we’re even. Cool?”

“Thanks, Christy,” Annabelle let out a little sigh of relief.

“Oh,” Christy smirked as she glanced over her shoulder. “You have some leaves and shit in your hair. Just FYI.”

Blushing as she watched Christy’s figure retreat up the stairs, Annabelle reached up and pulled a couple leaves from her hair. Taking a seat on the couch, she finally let out a relieved sigh.

So Karen knew the night had been innocent. And Christy believed her. And Christy’s parents hadn’t found out she was out all night.

And she had kissed Quinn. For hours.

Feeling warm, Annabelle pulled her feet under her and thought about the night before. Everything had felt perfect. The air was warm, but not too hot. The grass was soft below them. The stars were bright in the black blanket of sky overhead.

But mostly, all her thoughts were about Quinn. His lips had been so soft as he kissed her, his tongue gentle but firm. His mouth had traced over her jaw, her cheeks, her neck… Just thinking about it gave Annabelle goose bumps.

And his hands… They had traced over her face, her shoulders, tangled in her hair. They had even slid over her sides and to her hips. But Quinn had not once touched Annabelle in a way that made her feel nervous.

Which is why it had come as such a surprise to hear Christy comment on the possibility of Annabelle and Quinn having sex. The night before actually had been completely innocent, with no notions of moving beyond their gentle touches. But now, Annabelle was beginning to worry.

After all, Annabelle really did have no experience with boys, while Christy certainly did. Maybe last night had just been a precursor to something more that Quinn wanted… Maybe he would want a lot more before summer ended.

“Stop it,” Annabelle chided herself. “Quinn was wonderful last night, a complete gentleman. And he’s NOTHING like the people Christy hangs out with. So maybe Christy has no idea what she’s talking about.”

Of course, Christy’s little comment about “word around school” was definitely making Annabelle a bit nervous. If Quinn was used to having sex with girls, why wouldn’t he expect it of Annabelle?

Suddenly, though, everything grew fuzzy in Annabelle’s mind as she thought of her last memory from the night before, from what must have been moments before she and Quinn had fallen asleep.

Curled on her side, Annabelle felt Quinn’s body curved behind her. His arm was wrapped around her, his hand holding hers, his face buried in her shoulder. “It’s so weird that you used to live here, in this house,” he had whispered into her hair.

“Why’s that?” Annabelle had asked, cuddling back closer against him as she closed her eyes and listened to the breeze in the trees.

Pulling her tightly to his chest, Quinn kissed Annabelle’s shoulder softly. “After the divorce and all the shit that went down with my parents, I didn’t want to move here,” he whispered, his voice almost embarrassed. “And even since then, I always just saw it as a place to live. But since you’ve come here, and told me all about your memories you have with your mom here, and spent so much time with me here…”

“What?” Annabelle asked, her eyes still closed and Quinn’s warm embrace making her feel safe. “Since I’ve come here, what’s changed?”

“It feels like a home now,” Quinn told her quietly. “You did that. So thank you.”

Annabelle hadn’t said anything at that moment, probably because she was drifting off the sleep. But this morning, thinking about it, she felt tears prickle in her eyes. It didn’t matter what Christy said, or what Christy’s parents might have thought if they had caught Annabelle sneaking in.

All that mattered was the feeling of complete contentment Annabelle had felt the night before, falling asleep in Quinn’s arms.

-----

Annabelle knocked at Quinn’s front door a few hours later after showering and changing, and she nervously shifted her weight from one flip-flop clad foot to the other, suddenly feeling very different than she had any other time she had visited the house that summer. Because of the night before.

Knocking again, Annabelle waited another minute before pushing the door open and entering the house. Smiling, she noticed that everything was spotless. She knew Quinn must have done it, as he wouldn’t have allowed Karen to clean after working such a long shift the day before. It was hard to believe that just a few weeks ago, Annabelle had wondered if the tough-talking, leather-jacket-wearing boy that lived in her old house cared about anyone but himself. Obviously, he did. He cared about his mother, a lot.

And it seemed he cared about Annabelle, too.

Hearing rock music wafting down the stairs, Annabelle headed up towards Quinn’s room. His door was ajar, and he was seated at his computer desk. She knocked lightly on the open door, and he jumped, oblivious that she was behind him.

But as soon as Quinn turned around, his face broke into a warm smile. Annabelle felt her heart flutter a little. “Hey,” Quinn greeted her. “So you’re not grounded?”

Taking a few tentative steps into the room, Annabelle shook her head. “Christy’s parents didn’t even realize I was gone,” she told Quinn. Glancing at the computer screen, she looked back at him with a quizzical but amused expression. “What are you doing?” she asked him, smiling when she saw his cheeks turn pink.

“Oh,” Quinn glanced back at the computer screen, to the web page he had been looking at. “After you told me about that thing you do with your mother last night, that thing with the Gandhi quotes,” his face was turning a shade redder as he continued. “I thought maybe I’d look some stuff up, you know, just to… understand you better.”

“That is so sweet,” Annabelle said genuinely, and smiled when she saw Quinn’s eyes light up at her compliment. “So what do you think?”

“Well,” Quinn reached for Annabelle’s hand and pulled her towards him, urging her to sit on his lap, which she did nervously. “He seems like a cool guy. Not the type you want backing you up if you get into a fight, but cool all the same.”

Rolling her eyes, Annabelle shook her head. “You’re such an ass.”

“Oh,” Quinn’s eyebrows shot up in amusement as he wrapped his arms around Annabelle’s waist, loving that he was now allowed to do this without asking. “Seems that I’m not the only one here who’s changing. You’re getting feisty.”

Unable to stop herself, Annabelle laughed. “Oh, shut up,” she grinned at Quinn as she nervously looked into his bright amused eyes. “No, really, what do you think?”

“Honestly?” Quinn admired the serious expression in Annabelle’s beautiful face. “He had a lot of really great things to say. I think it’s cool that your mom and you use his stuff to help you through rough times.”

“Did any quotes stand out for you?” Annabelle glanced at the computer screen and back at Quinn.

Once again, Quinn blushed a little. “Yeah, actually,” he leaned forward to take the mouse in one hand and scroll down. “This one: ‘I cannot teach you violence, as I do not myself believe in it. I can only teach you not to bow your heads before any one even at the cost of your life.’”

“That’s a good one,” Annabelle smiled.

“What’s your favorite?” Quinn asked, motioning towards the screen.

But Annabelle didn’t have to look at the screen to answer Quinn’s question. “Easy,” she said, closing her eyes and smiling with a faraway look on her face. “‘When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it – always.’”

Quinn just watched Annabelle’s expression with awe, her eyes still closed and her face expressing how much she believed the words of the quote she had just recited. “You’re amazing,” he whispered, causing Annabelle’s eyes to flutter open.

Looking into Quinn’s eyes, Annabelle saw so much more than he realized was there. She saw compassion, and kindness, and gentleness. She saw everything good inside him. “So, do we have to ask each other still?” she smiled at him as she placed her arms around his neck.

“Ask?” Quinn wrapped his arms tighter around Annabelle’s waist, taken by the look on her face. “Ask what?”

“If I can kiss you?” Annabelle said simply. “Do we still have to ask each other after last night, or can I just kiss you?”

“You can kiss me anytime you want,” Quinn replied immediately, his voice growing husky. He watched as Annabelle smiled and closed her eyes, leaning her face towards him.

“Good,” Annabelle whispered just before her lips touched Quinn’s.

It was so hard for Annabelle to consider that she had never kissed a boy before last night; it just felt so natural. But that was probably because it was Quinn.

Annabelle and Quinn kissed softly at first, their lips pressing together and breaking apart for milliseconds, only to come back together. When Annabelle felt Quinn’s tongue reach out to trace over her full bottom lip, she shivered and parted her lips. As their tongues met, gently entwining, she slid one hand into his short hair. Never in her life had something felt quite so right.

It took all Quinn’s self control not to lift Annabelle up at that moment and lay her on his bed; but he wouldn’t do anything to scare her. So instead, he reveled in the kiss, in the feel of the soft skin of Annabelle’s lower back just above the waist of her shorts, in the scent of her hair and skin as they wafted over him. He had never enjoyed being close to a person this much before.

Pulling back with some hesitation, Annabelle finally ended the kiss and opened her eyes. “I didn’t expect this to happen,” she told Quinn shyly.

“Hey, you’re the one who just kissed me,” Quinn teased, but stopped when she saw that Annabelle didn’t laugh. Releasing one hand from her waist, he pushed her long hair back over one tanned shoulder and reached up to slide his hand to the back of her neck. Massaging gently, he shook his head. “I’m sorry. What didn’t you expect to happen?”

Pausing nervously, Annabelle let herself concentrate on how good it felt as Quinn’s fingers pressed against the muscles in her neck. “I didn’t expect you to happen. This summer, I mean,” she struggled to explain. “I didn’t come to New York expecting to meet a boy. And even after I met you, I really thought we would just be friends. But this… this is more than friends.”

Smiling understandingly at her, Quinn leaned forward until his forehead was touching Annabelle’s. “I wasn’t expecting you, either,” he reminded her gently. “Even after I met you, I didn’t think we’d even be friends. And, yes, this is more than friends. But even though I didn’t expect it, that doesn’t mean I’m not thrilled it’s happened. Why, do you regret anything that’s happened between us so far?”

Closing her eyes, Annabelle inhaled Quinn’s scent for a moment – the smell of his shampoo, his soap, his skin, everything. “I absolutely don’t regret anything that’s happened so far…” her voice meandered off as her eyes opened, meeting Quinn’s gaze. “I’m just worried about what might still happen, and what it will mean, and how hard it’s going to be to say goodbye to you at the end of summer already.”

Pulling back just enough to press his lips to Annabelle’s softly, Quinn shook his head sadly but gave her a smile. “I think I understand what you’re saying,” he told her, letting his fingers on her neck tangle into the hair at the nape of her neck. “And it will be hard to say goodbye. But we don’t have to do… anything that will make it harder. I just, I enjoy being with you like this so much, Annabelle. Is this okay?”

Tears filled Annabelle’s big brown eyes, and she smiled as she nodded. “Thank you,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around Quinn’s shoulders again and pulling him into a hug. “You are so unexpected, but so welcome.”

“Glad to hear it,” Quinn held Annabelle tightly, hating that he was suddenly facing the fact that he had only about six weeks left with the wonderful girl in his arms. But deciding, then and there, that he would make those six weeks something special for both of them.

-----

I KNOW THAT WAS A CHEESY CHAPTER, BUT IT REALLY FELT NICE TO WRITE ABOUT THAT EARLY STAGES / WARM FEELINGS / AMAZEMENT THAT COMES IN THE BEGINNING OF A REALATIONSHIP. HOPE IT WASN’T TOO CHEESY FOR YOU!

NOW, SOME RESPONSES TO REVIEWERS (FROM BOTH CHAPTERS FIVE AND SIX, AS I DIDN’T RESPOND LAST TIME):

NESL247 – IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, THIS ISN’T THE FIRST TIME YOU’VE GUESSED ONE OF MY PLOT POINTS :)

PIKACHEESE – IT MAY BE BECAUSE I’M PMS-ING A LITTLE, BUT YOU’RE REVIEW KIND OF MADE ME TEAR UP WITH HAPPINESS. THANK YOU!

TWINKLINGDEE – I’M GLAD YOU DON’T THINK THINGS ARE MOVING TOO SLOWLY. AND I PROMISE THAT CHRISTY WILL DEFINITELY LEARN A FEW LESSONS BEFORE THE END OF THE STORY!

7YEARS – THANKS FOR THE SWEET REVIEWS! BUT REMEMBER: NEVER SAY NEVER (IN REGARDS TO YOUR STATEMENT ABOUT CHRISTY AND QUINN).

MEMORY CHASE – YEA! YOU’RE BACK REVIEWING!

SLINKI – THANK YOU FOR THE PRAISE. BUT DON’T WORRY ABOUT CHRISTY – I’VE ALWAYS PLANNED FOR A LOT MORE OF HER BACKGROUND TO COME OUT BEFORE THE END OF THE STORY, AND FOR HER TO LEARN SOME LESSONS AS WELL, AS I MENTIONED TO TWINKLINGDEE ABOVE.

THANKS ALSO TO GIRLFIXER, JOEE, MISTRESS LUNA, HISTORYREPEATED, AND LUCKY032178 (AND IF THAT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY, WE’RE ONLY A MONTH APART IN AGE!) FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ AND REVIEW. I THINK YOU’RE ALL SO AWESOME TO TAKE TIME OUT OF YOUR LIVES TO MAKE ME FEEL GOOD ABOUT WRITING. SO THANKS AGAIN!