Oneshot xx

Setting: In your fic, Untitled. Somewhere after Eric’s proposal.

~xx~

“She’s here again? WHAT?”

Meg’s voiced echoed in the room.

Angel’s face looked so sad she looks like she’s going to cry. She went running to the kitchen thinking she’d be alone but then saw Eric and Meg preparing dinner.

Right, of course they’d be here. Where else would they be?

“I don’t know. I was trying to get some fresh air and then I saw them talking on the porch outside.”

She heaved out a sigh.

“Did they see you?”

Eric asked as he gave Angel a glass of water.

Angel looked at him and the glass.

“Oh, maybe you want ice cream instead? Or chocolates.”

He puts the glass on the counter and checks the cupboard.

A box of **BINCH**.

“These ok with you?”

Meg softly laughs, gets the box from Eric and puts it on Angel’s lap.

Angel smiles at the box and thanks Meg who sits on the stool bar beside her.

“Ayan, eat that. That won’t take the pain away, but at least it should make you feel better.”

Eric casually walked towards Meg and placed his chin above her head, his hands on her shoulder. Meg looked up and smiled tenderly at him.

At least this love story is going to have a happy ending.

She thought.

Angel sighs.

“I’ll go for a walk. I need to clear my head.”

“Do you want me to drop you off somewhere?” Eric kindly offers. 

Angel declines.

“No, thanks. I am good. See you guys later!”

"I'll save you dinner, come home before midnight, okay!" Meg exclaimed. 

Angel looks back at her friend and gives her a small smile. 

With a heavy sigh, Meg looks at Eric.

“She’s going to be ok, right?”

Eric shrugs and plants a kiss on her forehead.

“I’m pretty sure Andy has his reasons. You don’t have to worry about it.”

The door suddenly swings open and as if on cue, Andy casually walks right in and drops himself on the couch.

“Hey lovebirds, have you seen Angel?”

The two look at each other and back to Andy.

“Didn’t you see her on your way here? She just left.” Meg replied as she broke off from Eric’s hug and went back to the prepare dinner. 

“Oh, did she say where she was going?”

“Nope, but we gave her a box of Binch to take with her.”

Eric sternly looks at Andy and hopes to Jesus that he takes a hint.

Andy nods at Eric and bids them goodbye.

“I think I know where to find her.”

-

Orange, pink, yellow.

Angel sits by the river and looks at the sky and the horizon. She sees the colors and realizes how fleeting this moment is.  She knows it will be gone in a minute. She suddenly feels an unsettling numbness inside her.

She felt the parallelism, the similarity.

Was she going to lose him?

Again?

The fortress that she carefully built around them the past months is slowly cracking, fading to thin air.

Just like how the sun fades out to the darkness of the night.

She looks at the last cookie before popping it in her mouth.

Why is this cookie not making her feel better? It usually does. Damn it.  

She thought she had it going with Andy. She almost believed they were doing pretty well. Ever since that *girl* went away, he started taking notice of her. Of course it wasn’t easy at first. Things were awkward between them ever since, nothing new about that. But then the the girls and boys were determined.

Determined for what?

“Just so that you guys don’t avoid each other, okay? What’s wrong with wanting that?”

That’s her best friend’s voice ringing in her head.

Since she was still recovering from the trauma of the incident, Eric made sure someone looks after her. To get back on her feet. To get her life back on track. 

And that someone is Andy. 

She was staying with Meg and Eric after she was discharged from the hospital but eventually moved in with Andy upon Eric’s request. 

And nobody disobeys Eric’s words. Not in this building at least.

So for the past six months, Andy was there for her. 

He carefully prepares their meal and makes sure she eats them. She eventually learned to eat things she doesn't eat before just because Andy prepared it. 

He also brings her to the hospital for her weekly sessions with a psychiatrist. Nerie insisted on getting her one and Eric obliged.

“Anything to make Angel get back to her normal self.”

Angel remembers Eric’s encouraging smile when this was brought up in one of their dinners.

Months passed and things have gotten a bit lighter for her. Things aren't sugary sweet and peachy between her and Andy but their relationship has definitely improved. Jokes can now be thrown between them without being awkward. She can now laugh with the group during dinner or script readings. 

And for the first time this morning when she woke up, she felt like holding a pen and paper again. 

She wanted to write again and so she did. 

She was taking a break from her thoughts when she saw them ----

"Here."

A bottle of water suddenly appears right in front of her. 

She looks up and surprised to see Andy standing beside her. 

"You finished a box of Binch, so you need to drink water. All of it." 

Huh? - was all the sound she could make as she takes the bottle from his hand. 

Andy said the words sternly as he picked up the empty box and sat closely beside her. 

She knows that voice. It's the voice he uses when she refuses to eat properly and drink her meds. 

There's a tone of authority in it and it always scared her. 

So she did as she was told and drank the water. 

"You shouldn't be jealous you know."  

He was staring straight into the river, with the Banpo bridge now displaying its majestic light show. 

She almost choked and looked at him. 

"What.. did you just say?" Angel asked, still unsure of what she heard. 

Andy slowly turned his head, now facing her. 

At this moment, Angel quickly realized how close he was. She was sure he wasn't sitting this close to her earlier. 

"I like you, Angel."

Angel's mouthed formed an O, she couldn't believe what she's hearing right now. She wanted to hear this for the longest time, yes. And now that the moment is here, she doesn't know what to feel. 

Andy tries to be careful with his words. He knows how fragile Angel is. He doesn't want to break her again. Not anymore. 

He takes Angel's hands and continues. 

"The past months also did me good, you know. It felt good to finally see you get better because I know everything that happened to you happened because of me. When Eric asked me to take care of you, I didn't hesitate to do it. I wanted to help you. But I didn't realize you're helping me too."

Andy's voice cracks as he paused. She puts her hand on top of his and gave him an encouraging smile. 

"Being with you made me realize how it felt to be loved. I know it was I who was suppose to take care of you but I didn't realized how good it felt to be appreciated. I finally felt I was part of a "relationship." It finally felt like a two-way street. I didn't feel alone...anymore."

She felt like she needed to say something but she couldn't speak. Her chest is pounding like crazy and words escape her head so she did what she could muster up to do at that second. 

She threw his arms around him and hugged him tight. 

Andy almost lost his balance but hugged her right back. 

When they broke apart, Angel felt her face wet with tears and even before she could wipe them away, Andy's fingers were on her cheeks, slowly wiping them away. 

"Hey, don't cry. I am not forcing any situation here. I mean, I'm probably not as intense as Eric when it comes to Meg - those two are way way up there. They're pretty intense if you know what I mean."

Andy says this in the most casual but matter-of-factly way. It sounded ridiculous, but it's true. 

She can't help but laugh because she exactly knows what he means. 

She's THE WRITER, she knows. 

She looks at the sky and closed her eyes and said a little prayer. 

Sometimes the universe surprises her with unexpected boulders that she faces head on before she realizes it's not a boulder but a loaf of bread that's just meant to poke her softly and eventually makes her happy. Because bread is life you know. 

She smiles and opens her eyes and sees Andy looking at him with a confused face. She slowly stands up and extends her hand to him. 

"Let's go home? Meg saved me dinner."

He eventually grabbed her hand and stood up. 

"Saved you dinner, huh?" 

He puts his arms around her as they walked to his car. She stifled a laugh again. 

"But seriously, Andy. We are taking things slow, right? Are you sure you can wait?"

"I'll try...? OW!"

She elbowed him, and tried to run the other direction but he's quick to catch her anyway. He brings her to his embrace while she tries not to melt into his arms, scent and everything else. But she fails anyway.  

"I will wait for you, Angel."

And that's all she needed to hear. 

xx