Our Hearts Beat For Anne

I forced myself to look back up at his eyes which were now staring over my head towards Mr. Sawyer's office, his hands still on both sides of my arms.

"We'll catch up later Anny, gotta go, help mum," he said looking down at me, those emotions almost gone from his eyes.

He brought up his hands, held both sides of my face, then slowly bent over and slightly brushed his lips on my forehead.

I held my breath in an attempt to stop my rapid breathing and my heart that has adopted a new rhythm of missing a beat.

I nodded swiftly before he stepped back and walked towards the exit.

I turned towards Mr. Sawyer's office and saw Andrew standing a few feet away from the office with the brightest smile I've ever seen.

He walked, more like ran towards me. On reaching where I stood, he wrapped his arms around me lifting me off the ground, swinging me around laughing happily.

"Anny! You did it!"

My heart swelled.

"You mean he agreed?" I asked when he dropped me.

He laughed heartily before replying.

"My dad's a stubborn man but when a certain individual made him see reasons, he decided to give me a trial," he said with a smile.

My face was all heated up. I bowed down my head to prevent him from seeing my reddened face.

"Awwn... it's someone blushing?" He teased.

"Shut up freak!" I pushed at his c.h.e.s.t with my hand which he held on to.

"Soo..what happens now?" I asked.

"Well, I'll be leaving in two days.."

"What! So soon?!"

"I'll be gone for just three days darling, don't feel bad," he teased.

"Alright."

"Anny?"

He stared at me with a serious expression.

"Yea?"

"I need to tell you something..."

He hesitated, scrunched up his face and then exhaled deeply.

"Buh, that'll be when I get back," he finished.

"Why not now, hope everything's alright?" I queried.

"Of course not," he laughed nervously.

"Are you sure you're okay Drew?"

"Yes Anny," he assured.

"If you say so," I said not convinced but letting it die for now.

"Come on, let's go back to the party," he said holding my hand and leading us to the party.

Andrew

I really wanted to tell her but I chickened out. I've never felt this nervous in my life.

She'd made everything right in my life since she entered and I was totally hooked from that first moment I laid my eyes on her on that hospital bed.

Well, I tried to hide it, deny it even because I've never felt this way before and it was a scary, yet exciting feeling.

Vincent has cajoled me about it before but I was too scared to admit it that I had to lie about it to his face making up all sorts of excuses why we weren't compatible. He actually believed me.

I think of her all the time, I spent time with her often and when am not with her, I long for her. She's seriously driving me crazy, yet, I couldn't tell her.

As soon as we stepped into the Hall, I sighted my brother who walked quickly towards me and whispered,

"Now's the time to play dad's song?" He said with a smirk.

"Wait! What?"

Anne overheard him and squealed from my side.

"It's already with the DJ, all I need is your thumbs up."

I looked from my brother to Anne who was nodding vigorously and then back at my brother.

"Fine!" I sighed.

Almost immediately, he signaled to the DJ who started playing my song.

The whole room went quiet, even those on the dance floor stopped dancing to listen.

The soft music filled the whole room. Then my voice which sounded foreign to me pierced the room.

I heard various sighs and gasps. Looking around, some elderly women held their c.h.e.s.t in awe, some closed their eyes as if savoring the music.

I didn't know my song would have this effect on people. The feeling was overwhelming, I had to hold on to my brother for support.

Slowly, those on the floor started moving to the music, a few others joined in with their partners.

Jane and Pamela came running from where they stood and simultaneously hugged me tightly, squealing.

"It's beautiful Andrew!" Exclaimed Pamela.

"Yea! His voice gives me o.r.g.a.s.m," Jane said and they both laughed.

I actually turned bright red from that statement.

My mum came up to me and hugged me with tears in her eyes.

"Am so proud of you son."

I hugged her back, holding on tightly and shielding my face with my arm because I was really getting emotional again but was determined to keep it to myself this time.

I released my mum who then took my hand and led me to the dance floor.

From the corner of my eyes, I could see my dad standing with his colleagues looking all stoic, giving nothing away except for that meditative look which he portrays whenever he's paying deep attention to something.

Things were falling into place and I couldn't have been more thankful to Anne and my brother.

Vincent

The party was over, mum and dad stood at the door, thanking the leaving guests. Andrew had already driven off to drop Anne and her friends.

I, on the other hand, was to take Alexa who feigned tipsy and couldn't drive home, so mum insisted I drop her off.

We dated in high school but broke up after a short while because Alexa decided she preferred older men and not amateurs as she put it. The truth was that all her friends were dating college dudes at that time and she didn't want to be left out.

I guess I was hurt then but I did get over her quickly.

And now, working for my mum in one of her boutiques, she had made it her life's mission to get my attention. Like when her cleavage gets overly exaggerated whenever I am around and when she gets physicallyy close every slightest chance she gets.

It was quite hilarious to watch her try but end up getting other men's l.u.s.tful approval.

Mum had invited her to the party but she, on her own, made herself my date.

I drove her to the apartment despite knowing she wasn't drunk. It wasn't a big deal after all.

During our drive to her apartment, my mind kept on revving back to that scene near my dad's study.

I was on the phone with a patient of mine when I heard raised voices.

Instantly, I knew it was dad and Andrew at it again and I made my way quickly to stop things from escalating and save my little brother from dad's wrath.

I heard dad's lasts words clearly and it pierced my heart. My little brother didn't deserve all that, why would dad keep torturing him.

I lunged forward in a bid to get through to dad but her voice stopped me dead on my track.

She sounded hurt and pained like the first time I saw her talking to Andrew at the hospital.

Tears welled up in my eyes when I imagined everything she was saying. The thought of my brother living in regrets and taking his own life.

If her words didn't get to dad, I was ready to punch it into him.

When dad left without saying anything, I knew she succeeded in getting through to him and.

Before I could stop myself, I was already holding onto her, hugging her close.

Strange feelings coursed through my veins the second I touched her. I call it strange because I've been in love before, not with Alexa though, and it felt nothing like what I was feeling at that moment.

"Vince, Vince?!"

I turned to Alexa who was looking furious.

"Yea?"

"I was literally talking to myself the whole time, " she fumed exasperated.

"Sorry, had something on my mind. You were saying?" I asked pulling up on her driveway.

"Don't bother, " she sighed and stepped out of the car. She peered through the window, her anger vanished.

"Aren't you coming in?" She asked with the sweetest voice she could muster.

"Wasn't planning to Alexa, " I sighed, this was starting to get exhausting. I was not in the slightest bit showing any sign of interest towards her and have told her in the past but the lady just wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Could you at least walk me to my door...please, " she said indignantly.

I almost wanted to drive off leaving her standing there but somehow, I felt pity for her.

I sighed, stepped out of my car, walked around it and went ahead of her towards the entrance to her apartment.

She caught up with me and wrapped her arms around my waist, groping my c.h.e.s.t from behind with her body pressed tightly against mine.

I mentally face palmed myself.

Normal me would have felt something, she's a beautiful woman after all but all I wanted to do right now was to go home, have a hot bath and sleep.

"Please stay with me tonight Vince, I've missed you, I've missed us, " she said seductively.

I slowly removed her hands from around me, turning to face her, creating a little distance between us.

"There no us, Alexa."

My patience was thinning rapidly.

"There was before, "she pushed.

"Please, I am tired, I don't need this right now. "

I moved past her and walked towards my car.

"It's cause of her, isn't it?" She deadpanned.

This made me stop on my track.

"She had on the dress you bought from your mum's boutique..."

She moved and came to stand in front of me.

"Vince, please, I was naive and stupid back then..." She begged.

She waited for a response or any reaction from me but when she realized it wasn't forthcoming, she flared up.

"It's not as if you cared if I left or not Vince, you never loved me anyway, " she sobbed grabbing my shirt.

I unclenched her fists from my shirt, stepping away from her.

"Get some sleep Alexa," I said behind my shoulders hopefully ending the conversation.

Thankfully, she stopped sobbing and just stared at my retreating back.

I was tired and starting to develop a headache. 

Anne

"I didn't know Vincent had a copy of your song " I mentioned to Andrew as we walked down to my hostel. I had already pulled my heels and substituted it for flat comfy sandals.

He gave me a glance and then chuckled.

"That's my brother. Full of surprises, " he gestured with both hands.

As if remembering something, he bent his head and slid both hands into his side pockets.

"What's wrong Drew?" I asked concerned.

He raised his head up and stared ahead at Jane and Pamela who where working ahead of us.

"Vince has always had my back. When we were little till now. He'd often got tickets and took me to musical concerts against my father's wish. He knew I loved music and got in trouble with dad every time cause of me."

We had stopped walking. He stood, kicking tiny stones absentmindedly.

"He became the dad I'd always needed. On my fourteenth birthday, he bought me my first guitar which we hid from dad and practiced with it whenever dad was away.

One night, dad came back from a trip unannounced and caught us with the guitar. He wanted to destroy it but Vince wouldn't let him.

They argued all night and almost got into a fistfight when mum and I  intervened but in our attempt to stop them, mum fell down the stairs and injured herself."

I gasped. Andrew had told me about this before but didn't delve into the gory details like this one. Though, I experienced it firsthand at the party. But what I didn't get was why Mr. Sawyer would go to such extents to ban music. There was more to it than he was letting out to his family

"Mum sustained a few minor injuries. Dad sent Vince to boarding school from there to medical school making us see less of each other. Dad was lucky Vince had a passion for medicine else he would have had more than he could chew.

I was left alone. Everything I did, dictated for me. I had no other choice than to rebel." He scoffed humorlessly.

"Hey, it's all in the past now, " I tried cheering him up.

"I know, Anny and am glad, more than you think. But, am worried about Vince."

"Why?"

"One of his patients is dying and he feels helpless. I really want to be there for him."

"That's not a problem Drew, " I assured. "Am here, aren't I? I'll take of him while you're away."

The prospect of taking caring of Vincent gave me butterflies.

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