Growing Pains

[Red Ranger 1]

Thanks for the comments, folks.

CHAPTER 11

Annie tested her body cautiously, feeling the slight strain from the barely healed bones.She’d managed to get dressed for the first time since the accident, having been given the all clear by the doctor, and, after over a week stuck in various beds, being on her feet was an unusual experience.

Nina appeared in the doorway of the bedroom.“How do you feel?”

Annie breathed out experimentally, feeling only the slightest twinge of pain.“I’m getting there.”

“Good.”Nina took her hand.“Come downstairs.”

Annie followed Nina, bemused, as they went down to the hallway.“Nina, what..?”

“Shh,”Nina told her.She stopped by the front door, as if waiting.She checked her watch.After about a minute, there was a rap at the door and Nina opened it to reveal Jai standing there.

“I got your message…”Jai trailed off as he saw Annie standing there, looking suddenly awkward.“Hi, Annie.”

“Jai,”she responded politely, not sure about his reaction.

“Come with me,”Nina told them.She led them both into the front room and stood them facing each other.

“Nina,”Jai began, seeming worried, but Nina ignored him and turned to Annie.

“Annie, Jai has never slept with me.”Jai seemed about to protest again when Nina looked at him in turn. “Jai, Annie has never slept with Romeo.”That shut him up.“Talk,”she instructed before leaving them alone.

Jai and Annie stood in silence for a moment before Annie indicated they should sit on the couch.Jai did as she suggested but didn’t look at her.“So you haven’t?”she asked awkwardly.

Jai turned to meet her gaze.“And you haven’t?”

She thought about this for a moment.“So we’re both..?”He nodded.“Are we the only ones?”

Jai relaxed into a smile.“Pretty much.”

“So why did you tell me you had?”

“Well…because you told me you had.”

“But I only told you I had so that you’d feel you could tell me you had.”Annie smiled, embarrassed. “We’re dumb, aren’t we?”

“Guess that sums it up.”

“So…why haven’t you?I mean, when we were together, you said you thought about it all the time. Eventually.”

Jai hesitated for a moment, looking awkward again.“We nearly did,”he said at last,“But we didn’t go through with it.”

“Didn’t you want to?”

“I thought I did.I mean, I do think about sex a lot, I thought about it when I was with you, I thought about it when I was with Nina.But when it came down to it…I guess I didn’t want it as much as I thought.What about you?I mean, did you and Romeo..?”

“It never came up,”Annie admitted,“I guess we just weren’t ready for it.”

“So…everything you’ve said before, about wanting to wait until you get married…that’s still true?”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“But…if we wait until we get married, that could be two or three years.Or more.You want to wait that long?”

Annie gave him a bemused look.“Until we get married?”

“I mean…until you get married and until I get married.To other people.If I waited until then as well.”Jai hoped she was buying the response.

“I just don’t see the rush.I want to wait.”

“Until God’s given you permission?”There was a doubtful tone to Jai’s answer.

“Maybe.I just…I don’t want to sleep with loads of people until I find the right one.I mean, Ruby slept with Xavier and Geoff slept with Nicole and even though they loved each other they broke up.And…and I loved Romeo.But if I’d slept with him and then we’d broken up, I think…I think I’d feel like I’d wasted it.I want to be sure first, really sure.And if I’m married…”

“You could get divorced,”Jai pointed out.

“Well…I guess I’ll have to make sure I don’t do that either.”She smiled.“Anyway, what about you?You could have slept with Nina but you’re still waiting.”

“Okay.I guess…I guess you wait until it feels right for both of you.”He looked at her nervously.“Even if it that means waiting until you get married.”

She smiled at him and he smiled back.Somehow, things suddenly seemed a lot less awkward.

[Red Ranger 1]

Thank you to everyone who's been commenting throughout this.This is the last chapter, hope you enjoy.

CHAPTER 12

“Go on, show me,”Nina encouraged.

Annie was sat on the sofa, feeling a bit self-conscious.“It’s not that impressive.”Reluctantly she removed the paper from her school bag and handed it over.

Nina looked at the figure and raised an eyebrow at Annie.“72%?For a girl who can barely speak Japanese?That’s impressive.”

Jai appeared in the doorway.“Ah, your mum let me in,”he said by way of explanation.

Nina nodded.“I’m meant to be meeting Aki.Talk to Annie about her 72%.”She patted Jai on the arm before leaving.

“You two seem to be getting on well,”Annie noted.

Jai gave a bemused smile.“Yeah, I seem to have that effect on ex-girlfriends.”

“Is that what you two are then?Exes?”

“Looks that way.I mean, I like her but I think we’re better off as friends.”He gave her a teasing smile.“So, 72%, eh?”

“What did you get?”

He looked a bit embarrassed.“51.”

“That’s not too bad,”she told him kindly.

“No.”He sat down heavily next to her.“Hopefully I’ll do better when it comes to the actual exams.”

Annie paused slightly at the comment.“Exams are next year,”she pointed out.

“Yeah, so I’ve got plenty of time…”

“Are we still going to be here then?”

Jai stopped, taking stock of her comment.“I think so,”he said at last,“I mean, can you really see us just going back to Summer Bay after all this time?You tried that and it didn’t work out.”

“What else can we do?”

“I’m sure they take Australian students at the school.”

“Yeah but…we wouldn’t be with the exchange programme anymore.We’d need somewhere to stay.”

“Are you kidding?”He looked at her amused.“Nina’s parents practically want to adopt you as it is.”

“Do you think Boshirou’s parents would do the same for you?”

He faltered.“Maybe.I think if I spoke to him he’d put a word in for me.”

“I suppose we could get part-time jobs or something, pay our way a bit…”

“And if worst comes to the worst, I’m sure I can find a cardboard box for us to share.”He smiled at her and she smiled back.Then she seemed to falter slightly, as though realising it wasn’t the sort of smile that friends shared.Cautiously he moved his hand towards hers until they were touching.She responded to the contact, gripping his hand tentatively in turn.“You don’t have to stay here just because I want to,”he said at last,“I mean, if you want to go home…”

“No, no, I do want to stay here,”she confirmed,“But I do want to go back some day.”

“Yeah, when I’ve made my first million in electronics.”

She didn’t smile.Instead she raised the hand that was still gripping his.“Are we back together?”

He took a deep breath.“I don’t know,”he admitted,“I mean, we were together for a long time and then we were friends for a long time and…it’s hard to tell where one starts and the other begins sometimes.”

“I guess we could try kissing?”she suggested.

Tentatively they moved their heads closer together until their lips met, gently caressing each other for a few moments until the kiss broke.“How was that?”he asked.

She smiled, feeling the slight flutter of butterflies in her stomach.“Not bad.”

Jai adjusted the webcam slightly before sitting down on the bed next to Annie.“Can you see us?”he called.

It took a moment for the screen to spark into life and show an image of the caravan park front room, with two people sat at the front of the picture.“Reading you loud and clear, darl!”Irene called back.

Miles waved an arm at the camera, which had the effect of making him look like a blur of motion.“Ah, testing, one-two-three, is this thing working?”

“It’s working fine, Miles!”Jai assured him.

“So, um, how are things for you over there?”Irene asked,“How’s school?”

“Not too bad,”Annie replied.

“Annie got 72% on her last essay,”Jai revealed.

Annie shot him an embarrassed look.“Jai!”

“What?I’m not allowed a bit of vicarious bragging?”

“Get better than 51% and you wouldn’t need it to be vicarious,”she retorted, giving him a playful shove.

“Ah, sorry to interrupt, darl,”Irene commented, gesturing back and forth between the two of them,“but is there something going on between you two that we should know about?”

Annie gave an embarrassed smile and gripped Jai’s hand.“We, ah, haven’t decided yet.”

“Well, let us know if it does,”Miles replied,“I’ve never been to a Japanese wedding.”

“We’re not getting married!”Jai protested.

Miles looked crestfallen.“Oh.You couldn’t have let me wallow in the romance a bit longer?”

Nina came into the room.“Annie, I was wondering…”She took in the scene.“Oh, sorry, I didn’t realise you were busy.”She made to leave.

“No, come over here!”Annie told her,“You’re part of all this too.”

Nina looked at Jai, who nodded.He and Annie moved apart slightly, letting Nina squeeze in between them.“This is our friend Nina,”Annie explained,“That’s Irene and that’s Mr.Copeland.”

“I think we’ve reached the point where you can call me Miles,”Miles advised her.

“So, how are these two fitting in over there?”Irene asked.

Nina looked from one of her friends to the other and smiled.“I think they’re fitting in fine.”

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