After the Snow

Chapter 11 - Mistakes

Chapter 11

Mistakes

"Where are we going?" Anthony whined. Again. I gritted my teeth and tightened my grip on the steering wheel, not taking my eyes off the road. "Why did you tell Kayla I'd come?"

"Because she loves you." I retorted quickly, biting my lip so I didn't say anything else. He had been asking constant questions just for his pure enjoyment. He knew it annoyed me. But, not that I would admit it to anyone else, it was, in a weird way, kinda cute.

He wrinkled his eyebrows. "I don't quite understand why." Even though he tried to make it sound convincing, I noticed the slight twinkle in his eyes when I shot him a quick glare.

"You know better than me," I grumbled, pulling up outside of the hotel. Kayla was already waiting outside, bundled up in her coat, scarf, and gloves. The second she spotted my car she sprinted over, and Anthony got out of the car.

"Anthony!" She squealed, throwing herself into Anthony's arms. He chuckled and spun her around a couple of times, making her giggle.

"Alright you too, it's cold out there!" I exclaimed, a slight smile slipping onto my face. As much as I wanted to hate this little outing, I couldn't. Maybe it was because I didn't hate the two people involved by any means, I loved them both to death.

"Let's go get some food," Anthony nodded, setting Kayla down so she could climb into the back seat. Once everyone was inside and buckled, I pulled out of the parking lot.

"Where are we eating?" Kayla asked, bouncing in her seat. I swear this is the most excited I had ever seen her.

"Wherever you want, Kay," I said, "We're doing this for you, remember?"

She squeaked, "iHop, iHop, please!" She begged, her eyes going wide. I giggled and nodded, rolling my eyes at the same time. Honestly, I should've seen that coming. She never wanted to go anywhere else.

"So, Kayla, you're ten now, right?" Anthony asked casually, glancing back at her. She gasped, sounding slightly offended.

"You knew that!" She slapped his head. "You know everything!" I rolled my eyes. Little kids, they think older people know everything. Boy, she was in for a surprise when she gets older.

He pressed a finger to his lips, "Shh, don't let Bree know." This made her giggle while I sighed. Didn't he know she would never learn if he encouraged it?!

"You're both ridiculous," I muttered under my breath, pulling up at iHop. Kayla squealed and quickly jumped from my car, Anthony hot on her heels. Rolling my eyes, I grabbed my purse and followed them inside.

Okay, I'll admit I wasn't in the best of moods. Yes, I could've been nicer and made the best out of the situation, but could you blame me for wanting to have breakfast with my fiance and not my ex-boyfriend who I may or may not have been falling for again?

When we were all sitting at a table, Kayla and Anthony on one side of the booth, me on the other, I picked up a menu and hid my face. There was no need to watch them be children. I was just about to pick a meal when Kayla suddenly screamed.

"What?!" I jumped, immediately throwing my menu across the room. I think it hit an old man, but I couldn't be sure. "Where's the fire!"

"You have a ring on your finger!" She gasped, looking frantically between Anthony and I. Oh crap, she thinks- "You two are getting married?!" Anthony, of course, burst out laughing, while I just sat there, mouth hanging open, completely flabbergasted. "Why didn't you tell me?! Can I be the flower girl?! Please?! Oh my gosh, Anthony, you're going to be my brother!"

"Wait, Kayla, no!" I exclaimed, shaking my head. "I'm not marrying Anthony!" She had met Scott before, why did she think I was marrying Anthony? Just because he back did not mean I was getting married to him! I looked to Anthony for help, but he was still doubled over in laughter.

"What? Why not? You guys would be so cute!" She gushed, slapping her hands on the table. I jumped slightly. "I can help you pick out your wedding dress, and the colors for the wedding- Oh! And we will need to-"

"Kayla, stop," I said firmly. This had to stop before it got out of hand. "I'm not marrying Anthony, I'm marrying Scott. Don't you remember him?"

"Scott?!" She screamed, outraged. "That jerk-nerd?! Please, Bree, you can do better than that!" My sister's criticism was not helping my doubts any. I bit my lip, looking down at my hands.

"I'm sorry Kayla, but you don't have a say in who I marry," I whispered. Anthony stopped laughing at that point and just stared at me intently. She opened her mouth to respond, but just then the waitress came up to take out order.

The rest of breakfast was awkwardly silent. Usually, Kayla wouldn't give up until she got what she wanted, but I guess she could tell I didn't want to talk about it. When we were done eating I dropped Kayla off back at the hotel and made plans to eat dinner with my parents later that night.

If I thought breakfast was awkward, then I had no idea what was coming. The ride back to my apartment with just me and Anthony was just horrible. We didn't say anything. Not a single word. He seemed upset about something, I just didn't know what. Plus, to add to the awkwardness, Anthony locked himself in the bathroom when we got home. He was talking on his phone, I think.

Since Mackenzie and Scott had apparently decided to go for breakfast as well -Scott had texted me- I curled up on the couch alone and turned on the TV. Some old Christmas movie was on, but it was almost over, so instead, I changed it to the music channel and sighed.

I laid down on my back and closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. A headache was starting for form behind my eyes, so I slowly rubbed my temples. This Christmas holiday was getting to be a lot more stressful than it should've been.

"Headache?" Anthony's voice asked me. I shot up, startled by his sudden appearance. His hair was dripping wet, and he was wearing basketball shorts and a t-shirt.

"Yeah," I sighed, and moved so he could sit down next to me. "How'd you know?"

"I think I know you well enough, Bree," He smirked, sitting down, "You really haven't changed."

Oh, if only he knew how much that wasn't true.

"Here," He said, gripping my waist and twisting me so my back was facing him. I open my mouth in shock, about to protest, when his two, strong hands gripped my shoulders and started rubbing. Instead, I let out a sigh of contentment.

"That feels nice," I moaned, letting my chin fall to my chest so he could have better access. Something about the intimacy of the action felt incredibly wrong, but also just so right. The song on the radio changed to I'll be Home for Christmas, and my eyes popped open.

On my birthday, five years ago, I had been stuck in Anthony's aunt's house with him. This song had come on the radio, and we had danced. A ghost of a smile fell onto my face as I gripped the necklace around my neck, the memories flooding my mind.

Then, I realized my birthday was tomorrow. I could've laughed at myself! How could I have forgotten?! You couldn't blame me though, not with everything going on.

Suddenly, Anthony stood up. I looked at him, confused as he held his hand out to me.

"May I have this dance?" He smirked, making me smile.

"Why of course you may," I laughed, placing my left hand in his. He made a face, turning my hand over to inspect my ring. Great... "Can we not talk about this right now?"

He looked at me with pained eyes and said, "Sure," In one swift motion he took the ring from my finger, setting it on the coffee table. "There, now there's nothing to talk about."

I remained silent as he took my hands and put them around his neck, taking a step closer. Getting rid of my ring was a bit extreme, but if it made him feel better, I could keep it off for ten minutes.

"So you're birthday is tomorrow-"

I laughed, shaking my head, "You still remember?"

"I remember a lot of things, Bree," He smiled, leaning his forehead against mine. I sucked in a sharp breath.

"Like what?" I whispered, locking my eyes with his green orbs. He stared at me with such an intensity that I wanted to crumble.

"Like I was totally and completely in love with you." He whispered back.

Now, before I continue I want to point out that what happened next was all my fault. I initiated it, and I take full responsibility. Standing there so close to Anthony, I felt like no time had passed. The five years hadn't happened, and we were dancing in his aunts living room again.

Acting on my childish feelings, I leaned forward and pressed my lips softly against his. Sparks flew immediately, and I felt alive again. That giddy feeling in the bottom of your stomach that I hadn't felt for so log erupted in a burst of excitement. Anthony responded by grabbing my waist and pushing me a few steps backward, pressing me roughly against the wall. There wasn't a single part of our bodies that didn't tough. I gripped fistfuls of his hair in my hands, kissing him harder.

Every part of my brain was yelling at me to stop, but my heart and body told me to continue on. Anthony didn't even hesitate as he licked my bottom lip, and I opened eagerly. I let my hands travel down his body, slipping under his shirt to feel the hard muscles of his body. Obviously, he took this as encouragement, because he broke the kiss for a second so he could rip off his shirt, before kissing me once more.

I had the urge to feel his skin against mine, to feel close to him. The feelings building up inside of me were like none I've ever felt before. I just couldn't explain them. Antony just had the magical quality about him, and it was like I was under a spell. I just couldn't stop.

I jumped, wrapping my legs around Anthony's waist as he grabbed my ass to hold me up. He grabbed the hem of my shirt, and I didn't stop him as he slowly took it off of me, watching me carefully for any sign of hesitation. There was none. I grabbed his neck and pulled his lips back to mine, allowing him to deepen the kiss again.

I felt dizzy. I was under a trance. I didn't even flinch as he stripped me from my pants and laid me down on the couch. I lifted my hips to rub up against him, making me grip me with more intensity. Gripping a fistful of his hair, I threw my head back with pleasure. It felt like we were connected. We moved as one, not breaking contact for even a second. He gripped my hand and placed it above my head, staring me straight in the eyes. I couldn't look away. I didn't even want to blink.

When we collapsed next to each other, covered in sweat, it was like the trance had been broken. The gravity of the situation started to weigh on me as I stared at my engagement ring that was still sitting on the coffee table. Anthony seemed to follow my thought process as he placed a hand on my bare hip.

"Bree, I-" He tried to say, but I cut him off by shaking my head ferociously. I quickly stumbled to my feet, grabbing my forgotten close from the ground before running into my room. I slammed the door behind me, trying to take deep breaths. It wasn't working. Suddenly, I felt so ashamed. What had I done?! I leaned against the door, sliding to the floor and putting my head in my hands.

How could something so wrong feel so right?