Repercussions (The Hot Mess Duet Book 1)

by B. L. Olson

  I decide it's time to make my presence known and head over to the Ellis house, just to offer backup. For her, or my own peace of mind, I'm not really sure. There isn't a chance in a million that I am abandoning Annie with someone who would leave her so damaged and broken, and show up like nothing had ever happened so many years later.

  Annie's eyes widen slightly as she notices me approaching, the redness growing in her cheeks with each step I take towards her. Is it over the drunken comment, being caught throwing up, or the fact that she is dealing with her ex-boyfriend? I will take What Is All 3, Alex?

  Giving her a nod in acknowledgment, I don't even think about what I say next when I offer the man my hand, "Good morning, you must be Travis." His eyes widen like I should truly know who he is and hate him for it, but I don't let on that I am listening to their conversation, "I'm Annie's boyfriend, Wyatt."

  To say she looks shocked would be an understatement. Hell, I'm still reeling from what the fuck came out of my mouth and I am the one who said it. I'm certainly not taking it back though, not when this man has murder in his eyes directed right at me. Annie schools her face back to its cool indifference by the time Travis looks back at her for confirmation. Instead of verbalizing one though, she shrugs as if I'm not telling a lie.

  I don't tell him that I am far too broken to love anyone again or that I would never open myself up to the possibility of losing another person I care for. My purpose in being here is to provide support to Annie, and the part of me that recognizes her battered soul knows she must see one in me too.

  Travis looks back and forth between us before exclaiming, "Wyatt, nice to meet you. I am just needing a private moment here with our Annie to tidy up some unfinished business. If you don't mind?" He gestures at the direction I came from, which only makes me widen my stance even more.

  The longer this piece of scum stands before us, the more I can see the fight draining from Annie. I can only imagine what he had done to make this ballsy woman so beat down she doesn't even feel the need to argue anymore. Or is it the fact that I sprang on her we are dating when we are anything but?

  Either way, I can see plain as day on her face that she wants nothing to do with this man. Shaking my head and putting my arm around Annie's shoulders, I pull her flush to my body and can feel the tremors she is trying to hide from the both of us. I'm not a territorial person, but fuck if she doesn't make me want to bang my fists on my chest and protect her, "I don't think Annie wants to do that man. Whatever you had is done and over with, she's moved on and I think you should too."

  I can feel her sag a little into me, happy that I can provide her some comfort in any way I can. Travis levels me with a glare before returning his attention to Annie. I can almost see the gears turning in his head and his thoughts telling him to cool it down when looking at her, sensing that his hatred and anger is not the way to get what he wants.

  This man is cold and calculating, and I can only imagine what sort of mental warfare he waged on Annie. My grip on her shoulder tightens just a little bit more when he gives her a lazy smile, "Well I didn't want to do this in front of your boyfriend, but I came to tell you that I am sorry. I should never have thrown away our entire relationship for a sure thing when I already had one at home."

  Annie glances up at me and I can see everything I need to. She doesn't want this man around playing puppet master with her heart. By the sounds of it, he had his chance to apologize, to beg on his knees for her to forgive him. And if his words are any indication, he is here to save face. He was most likely left high and dry and came crawling back out of desperation, not because he suddenly realized the worth of the woman he threw away.

  I give Annie a reassuring smile and drop my arm to grip her waist, tugging her even closer. Travis though? That fucker doesn't deserve the smiles only this woman seems to elicit from me, and give him the full weight of my cop glare. It has been a while since I've had to paste it on, and I am pleased to see him take a step back when I aim it in his direction.

  You still got it, Haynes.

  "You're right, you probably shouldn't have said that with her boyfriend around. But I really am glad you did. I don't know what right you think you have coming here and stirring up crap that is over and done with, but Annie is over you and dating someone who realizes that she is a beautiful, remarkable, and witty woman." She seems to stiffen at this. I glance down at her, a look of concentration on her face as she contemplates my words. I continue, "She deserves a hell of a lot better than you, better than me even, and I think you should get going before this storm of a woman blows you over."

  The ever-surprising woman next to me shoves me away from her and gets in Travis' face, "You know what? Wyatt is freaking right!" She pushes him a step backward, a look of shock crossing his face, "You cheated on me. You threw me out of the house. You lied to me over the pettiest and stupid shit! And then you made me believe it was all my fault!" Another shove to his shoulder, "I don't have to worry about making you mad, or you lashing out with your words if I tell you how I truly feel.

  "So here is what I'm feeling. You are a fucking parasite, Travis! You sucked out all the good in my life, all my motivation and dreams for my future, and left me with nothing but self-doubt and issues." She gestures at me standing tall behind her, silently spurring her on to give him what he deserves, "Wyatt might be exasperating but at least he knows that I am not just some smut writing doormat like you seem to think I am and he would never dare leave physical scars like you did. Do you know how many years and creams it took to get rid of the reminder of you?" Her chest heaves with exertion and anger and I can't help but watch the rapid rise and fall, proud that this woman could stand up to someone who obviously did her so much harm.

  Travis shakes his head at her, the mask on his face beginning to crumble, "I'm starting to think that I didn't even really know you at all, or rather that the woman I love is no longer around."

  Annie takes a lunging step forward and slaps Travis across the face. The sound seems to reverberate and there is an angry handprint on his face. She points to his vehicle on the curb behind him, "I don't think you ever loved me and you have no right to pretend like you ever did. Don't ever come back here. Don't ever contact me again." She jerks her thumb at me standing in shock behind her, "And if you do, well Gunslinger here has an arsenal and he may not be as kind to you as I am."

  I watch as a humiliated Travis jerkily gets in his car, not waiting around to find out if I indeed intend to shoot him. He doesn't need to know I wouldn't unless provoked, but one look at Annie's crumbling face has me reconsidering.

  She turns to me and gives me a watery smile. My gut clenches and my mind screams at me to ease the tension and I blurt out, "Why does your vomit smell like coffee?"

  She blinks up at me a few times, confusion evident on her face at the abrupt change of topic, and lets out a hearty laugh before wiping the tears from her eyes and responding, "I didn't really eat yesterday, so my coffee from this morning is all I have in my stomach." Her expression turns serious again, "Thank you for coming over this morning. I would like to think that I would have eventually found my backbone without you, but I don't know if I would have."

  Turning to look at the direction her ex-drove off in she sighs and wraps her arms around herself, "Obviously that relationship didn't end on very good terms. He hasn't bothered to contact me in all that time and I have nothing else to say to him, but of course, he chose the most imperfect day to come knocking." She shrugs and let out a self-deprecating laugh, "Sometimes I wonder if life smokes when it gets done fucking me."

  I shake my head at her and gently put my arm back around her shoulder, "Annie, I have been witness to a lot of your imperfect moments. It doesn't make you pathetic, or a mess, or any less human. I admire you for getting back up after what that asshole did to you and putting yourself back together again."

  I clearly said the wrong thing because her eyes well up with tears and she has to blink rapidly to keep them at bay, "I
don't think that's true, Wyatt. I tucked my tail and ran back home. I cannot afford to live on my own, I can't move in with my Makayla and Jake because they have their own shit they're dealing with, and the majority of people who show an interest in me are my mom's pathetic setups or people like Taco Sauce Douche." She shrugs her shoulders, looking lost and forlorn, "Hell, I haven't even written in the entire time I have lived here because of the self-doubt he instilled in me."

  I am going to be late for work but can't bring myself to care. Here is this spitfire standing before me, broken down and crying. What monster walks away from that? At least that's how I justify it when my already shattered heart crumbles a little bit more for Annie. Clearly, it could break down even more.

  Before she can react, I pull her in for a hug. She stiffens at first, but I can feel the tension slowly draining from her body and she returns the embrace. Once her sniffling dies down, I push her chin up and force her to see the serious expression on my face, "You're still here fighting, aren't you? If anything, Travis awoke you when he did what he did. Lit a fire under you that made you stand up for yourself more than you think. You have an amazing support system, a wonderful job, and the drive to accomplish what you want. You just have to decide what that is and go for it. You want to write? Then do it. Don't let fuckwad tell you it's smut or not good enough. He's not the deciding factor."

  She nods, still looking upset but stronger than before. I want to kiss that look right off her face, and that thought has me gently pushing her away again both physically and emotionally. I am broken and have no reason to try and fix anyone or make them better, but fuck if I don't hate seeing Annie this way.

  Chapter 10- Annie

  Repercussion #394: If you want people to stay out of your business, or not eye bang you when you least expect it, close your windows. It's better to deal with the heat of the summer than with people getting an eyeful or earful of something not meant for them.

  One moment Wyatt is gentle and earnest, the next he is pushing me away and stomping off to his truck to head off to work. That man gives me some serious whiplash with his moods, but the general consensus seems to be he finds me amusing above all else. And that is progress from holding a gun aimed directly at my heart, thinking I am a perverted ritual murderer. I watch him climb up into his truck and drive out of view, trying to convince my hungover brain that the scene that just happened wasn't a dream.

  Considering all the different hellish moments of my life Wyatt has already been witness to, I wouldn't even rate witnessing me slap Travis in the top three. Leave it to that douche waffle to show up when I am at my most vulnerable. It's like he is a bloodhound that gets a whiff of my scent when I am at my lowest and comes sniffing me out.

  Did I give out some sort of rock bottom pheromone that attracts him to me? That must be it.

  That is two people though in a matter of days that have encouraged me to write. While both of their words mean the world to me, it wasn't until Travis showed up and spewed his stupid crap that I truly got the kick in the ass I need. I haven't been writing because even after all these years, I've been allowing his words to affect me. I couldn't pen my own because his are always echoing in my head.

  The realization that I am letting that asshat dictate my life even though he hasn't been a part of it in years, well that gets a fire lit under me real fast. What he did by cheating on me and degrading me, yes that was on him. But my lack of healing and overcoming it is completely and one hundred percent on me.

  Travis realized a little too late that this sure thing that he threw away, was never that sure at all and that is precisely how I ended up being with him for so long.

  And me?

  Well, I learned the best and worst lesson of all. That sometimes opening yourself up for love and having hope that it will work out, means you can also be hurt and damaged in a way that takes a long time to recover from. I held onto so much anger and pain over what Travis had done to me that I didn't let myself move on from the self-doubt he instilled as well. Maybe if I had, my writing career would not be where it is. Or even my personal life for that matter.

  Considering I have already dedicated so many years to the tragedy that was my past relationship, I'm not going to sit here and lament the what-ifs any longer. I am going to get off my freaking ass and go seize the mother loving day.

  After I throw up some more and take a nap that is. There will be a legally mandated Topless Tuesday before I ever consider taking my hungover butt to work today.

  After dry heaving some more in my mother's rose bushes, I finally drag my dehydrated body to the kitchen to give it some replenishment. My mom is humming away in the living room while watering the many plants she has scattered throughout the house. I clearly didn't get her knack for keeping things alive since I was known on my old college campus as the Cactus Killer, killing the one plant she believed I would have a chance with.

  I can barely keep myself alive, I don't know why she thought a cactus would be safe.

  Heading back upstairs I shoot a quick text to my opener that I will not be in today, and to run things in my absence. The one perk of working in a slower library is that you never really leave work on someone else when you are out.

  The minute my head hits my pillow, I am even more thankful. And nauseous. And also spinning. But still thankful nonetheless.

  ****

  When I awaken for the second time that day, I am slightly perkier than the first. The first felt like prying your cemented eyelids open only to have a crow pecking away at your eyeball and causing the worst migraine you've ever experienced..

  This time, I awoke to the sun blasting through my window and a smile on my face. I never once had the courage to stand up against Travis or ever get physical with him. While I knew that I probably shouldn't have, it felt good to get that out of my system and liberate that part of my life from me.

  I would always have the memories behind that lesson, but oh boy did I ever learn from it. That is never going to be taken from me.

  Wyatt though, that man is constantly throwing me for a loop. One moment he is challenging me, the next he's teasing me, and now he feels the need to defend me and make up lies that we're dating.

  Another reason I awoke with a smile though, is because the plot bunnies were running rampant in my subconscious as I slept. For the first time in several years, a new story idea came to me and I don't completely hate it. It's like accepting what happened between Travis and me and letting it go, lifted whatever block I had. Or maybe I've been blocking myself all on my own, and just needed to see that the only words that I want or need in my head are my own. Both the written ones and that never-ending chatter that seems to fill it up.

  Which also can't shut the hell up about Wyatt, because even though I am having a momentous day in my personal life, well I just can't shake thoughts of him. I find my mind constantly straying to him, arguing with him, or wondering about him at the most inconvenient times of the day. When I am making some lunch or just taking my thirtieth freaking piss of the day because of my constant stream of coffee and water.

  He's learned a considerable amount about me, arguably too much, and yet I know nothing about him. Maybe that is why I find myself so curious, or so attracted to him. He is a complete mystery and has saved me more times since meeting than I would care to admit.

  I am becoming increasingly convinced that maybe he didn't just brood more than Batman, he is actually Batman. Except he said he has a sister so I guess that theory really doesn't fly. I wouldn't mind if he visited my Batcave at the very least.

  I am beyond happy, however, that only Travis heard his declaration that we are dating. The last thing we need spread around town is that old maid Annie has snagged herself a man. News travels fast around here, and I don't need my mom to get any ideas. Especially since Wyatt has made it clear that despite his gentle words and caring actions, he isn't interested in me in any other sort of capacity.

  The getting under me sort I mean.

&nbs
p; Rolling over and out of bed for the second time that day, I head to the shower and quickly rinse off the sweat and puke residue that is likely coated on my body. Making a mental note to wash my sheets, I scrub every inch of skin and turn off the shower before stepping out of the tub.

  Drying off and pulling on my favorite pair of black leggings and my worn Books Are Better Than Boy's t-shirt that Makayla got me one year for my birthday, I glance at the clock and freeze in shock. Apparently, I slept the day away because it is already evening. I'm honestly surprised my mom hadn't woken me up hours before since she looks down on naps unless you are a toddler or the elderly.

  Hearing the now familiar rumble of a diesel truck outside, I pull my curtain aside and see Wyatt whip into his driveway. Jumping out and slamming his door, I see him run his hands through his hair in frustration. He mutters to himself and paces back and forth from one end of the truck to the other a few times before turning to glare at me, his hands on his hips. He doesn't appear to be at all surprised to find me watching him from my window.

  Whipping my curtains closed, I try and still my heart and pretend I hadn't just witnessed him ranting to himself. What bunched up his briefs?

  Only moments later I hear pounding on the downstairs door and I just know it's him. What I could have possibly done to anger him while I was dead to the world is beyond me, but if the footsteps that are headed to answer the front door are any sort of indication, then he is someone else's problem.

  I could hear the door creak open, Wyatt's fake cheeriness as he asks if I am home. And my mom pops off with the darndest thing, "Oh yes honey! I just think it is so cute that you two are dating. You go right on upstairs and see her, I don't think she is feeling very well. Will you let her know I ran out to the store and got her some soup? She's the second door on the left."

  My heart pounds in my chest as footsteps pound up the stairs towards me. Before I can even think about making sure nothing inappropriate is lying around, my bedroom door flys open. I fling my hands over my boobs and vagina before realizing I am being ridiculous and am fully clothed. Clearly, I haven't managed to sleep off all the alcohol.