Changes

Changes - A Damaged Goods Short Story

-~-~-~-~-~-(4 years prior to the events of Damaged Goods)-~-~-~-~-~-

>”Anon?”

>Things have moved so fast since graduation

>*Sigh*

>New city
>New apartment
>New car
>Getting a dream job in your field straight out of school
>Even scraping enough money together for a down payment on your first house

>”Anooooooooon?”

>Things most people would kill for
>Still, you felt more stressed, more exhausted now than you did back in school, even when you were working third shift
>Your body is starting to feel the added stress too...

>”Hey.” a warm, gentle hand cradling your face bring you out of your daze
“Hmm?”
>”You fell asleep again...” Anna said, propping herself up on her free arm; sulking

>The Remington 1903A3’s long, light chestnut hair flowed over your lap; pale jade eyes fixated on your own
>Usually she liked to keep her hair worn up, matching the elegance of her factory dress; however she had opted for a more comfortable, casual look tonight
>Anna wore only a plain white button up shirt from your closet, just long enough to keep her “modest”
>You had no complaints, obviously

“I was just resting my eyes for a minute.” you said, reaching out and laying her back across your lap

>You had been promising her all month that you'd spend a full night together; having spent every bit of free time for the past few weeks at the new house fixing it up hasn't left much time for her, let alone to take her shooting
>You would love to take her with you to the house, but you already had a 40 minute commute to work; then the house being 15 minutes further than that didn’t make coming back for her practical

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>Paying rent AND a mortgage was brutal enough; all the more motivation to get the place move in ready as quickly as possible

>”If you say so…”

>You had settled on a movie night, deciding to finally show Anna one of your favorites, Die Hard
>You quickly realized you really did fall asleep, seeing as how Hans was now falling off the Nakatomi, when moments ago John was treading through broken glass
>Damn it…

>”We don't have to finish it out…” she murmured in a poor attempt to hide her disappointment
“It's almost over.” you say, struggling to keep your subsequent yawn silent

>The movie rolled on through to the end, returning to the main menu screen before you knew it
>Even though it had ended, Anna remained across your lap, silent
>You knew she wasn’t asleep… you could practically feel her disappointment in the night seeping through her skin

“Sorry, Anna.” you mutter, running your hand through her hair a few times before she grasps your hand, pulling it closer to her chest
>”I’m just worried, Anon… I don’t want you working yourself to death.” she replied without turning around
>Still rubbing your hand
“I suppose you know me too well.”
>”That’s what I’m worried about.”

>There was nothing you could really say to make her feel better. The work was going to have to be done sooner rather than later, and your couldn’t afford to hire out anything under your current budget
>Maybe if you changed the subject a bit…

“You know, once we get moved into the new place, there’ll be more than enough room to get another gun…”

>Her head rolled in your lap just far enough to make eye contact with you; uncertainty and curiosity showing through her expression

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>”Yeah? It would be nice to have a little company while you are at work.” she said a bit more cheerily. “As long as you aren’t planning on replacing me.”
“Heh… not going to happen.” you say, pulling her in more closely. “I was thinking maybe a shotgun next? I’m going to need something to defend our new home.”
>Oh, so I’m good enough to storm the beaches of Saipan, but not for home defense?” she teased, playfully flicking the tip of your nose

>That's a bit better

“The phrase, “over penetration” comes to mind.” you retorted
>Her only response was a gentle giggle

“I’m working to get this all done as soon as possible, okay? Just tough it out with me a bit longer…”
>”Okay.” she said, now smiling. “You’re going to want to get some sleep if you want to get started first thing though.” she said, twisting your wrist around to look at your watch

>Anna started to stand up, presumably to let you get to the bedroom

“Actually, let's just stay out here for the night.” you say, grabbing her wrist. “I’m already comfy.”
>Works for me.” she replies with another light giggle, turning off the TV and light before returning to the couch, gingerly sitting in your lap

>Lying down you feel the weight of the day finally starting to put you down for good
>Before finally dozing off, you feel Annabelle twist around to face you, drawing her leg up over your waist

>”Goodnight, Anon…” she whispered
>The faintest smell of roses accompanying you to your dreams