Her Songbird
(Annie Moore x fem OC)
Trigger Warnings:
(queer heartbreak, emotionally charged reunion, religious trauma (briefly mentioned), internalized homophobia, heavy angst, past emotional abandonment, second chances, unresolved feelings)
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You left Clarksdale with nothinâ but a guitar slung âcross your back, one suitcase stuffed fullâa dreams too wild for this town, and a heart heavy with all the things you ainât never did say.
And you left Annie with even less.
Just a note.
Folded up real small, like thatâd make it hurt less, tucked in between her favorite records like itâd soften the blow. You scribbled it quick, hands shakinâ, chest poundinâ like a freight train.
Annie,
This town ainât big enough for me and my voice both. Iâm sorry I ainât braver.
Yours always,
â Lila
You ainât sign it like goodbye. But Lord, it was.
Three years gone by. Maybe four. Time donât move the same when youâre runninâ. You sang your way through every backroad bar and sweat-drenched stage from Jackson down to Baton Rouge. Sang âtil your throat burned raw and your fingers bled. But no matter how loud you got, her name still cut through.
Then June rolled back âround.
That thick, breathless kinda Mississippi Juneâthe kind that makes the air stick to your skin like sin. And just like that, you was back. Boots hittinâ that same red dirt. Guitar case in hand. No fanfare. No phone call. Just the kinda homecominâ ghosts make.
Smoke was standinâ out front the juke. Clocked you with them slow eyes, gave a nod like he been waitinâ on this. Didnât say a word. Just stepped aside.
Inside smelled like bourbon, sawdust, and sweat. Floor still humminâ with bass. Same old place.
And behind the barâLordâthere she was.
Annie.
Laughinâ at somethinâ Stack said, curls wild, head thrown back. She still shined like a damn sunrise. But when she saw you? That light dimmed. Slow-like. Painful.
She ainât move. Ainât smile.
You crossed that room like you was walkinâ a tightrope over fire.
âHey, Annie.â
She looked you over like she couldnât decide whether to kiss you or kill you.
âHeard you been singinâ down in Lafayette,â she said, voice cool as creek water.
âSomethinâ like that,â you murmured. âDidnât last.â
âNothinâ does.â
That hung in the air, thick as smoke.
âI left somethinâ here.â
She raised a brow, sharp. âThat so? Whatâd you leave?â
You ainât blink.
âYou.â
And there it wasâthat flicker. That little stutter in her breath. She covered it quick, but you caught it.
She didnât move, just stared at you like she was sortinâ through every year youâd been gone, weighinâ if you was worth the ache.
âYou left me with ghosts and bottles,â she said, voice flat. âAll you gave me was a damn note.â
Your throat was tight when you spoke. âI thought leavinâ might hurt less.â
âThen you donât know nothinâ âbout hurt.â
You laughed, low and bitter. âAinât the first time I been told that.â
She tilted her head, eyes narrow. âYou still sing?â
You nodded.
âThen get up there,â she said, chin jerkinâ toward the stage. âLet me hear if I was worth cominâ back for.â
You ainât argue.
You sang like your soul was bleedinâ. Like every note had a piece of her name in it. And when you looked down and saw her leaninâ there, arms crossed, tryinâ like hell not to feel a damn thingâyou knew.
Youâd always been hers.
The last note faded. The crowd roared.
Annie turned her back and walked away.
You found her in the back hallway, where the shadows clung tight and the air smelled like sweat and cheap cleaner. She was leaninâ against the brick wall, arms folded, jaw tight.
You stepped close.
âAnnieâŠâ
âYou donât get to say my name like that.â
You swallowed.
âLike what?â
âLike it still belongs to you.â
That cut deep.
âYou think I wanted to leave?â
âYou did leave.â
âI was seventeen. Mama said singinâ was a sin and lovinâ a girl was worse. You think I had a real choice?â
She pushed off the wall, eyes flashinâ. âYou had a choice. You just ainât choose me.â
Silence thick as summer heat.
You looked at her, eyes stinginâ. âI ainât never stopped thinkinâ âbout you.â
She laughed quiet, bitter.
âYou think itâs easy forgettinâ the only girl ever looked at me like I was worth somethinâ?â
You reached out, fingers brushinâ her wrist. She didnât pull away.
âI messed up,â you said, voice low. âBut I ainât runninâ no more. Not unless you tell me to.â
She stared at you hard.
âYou still got that song? The one you wrote in my notebook back when we skipped school?â
You smiled, soft and sad. âYeah. Always kept it.â
She breathed deep. Voice catchinâ.
âSing it. Not for the room. Not for the crowd. Just for me.â
So you did.
You sang that old tune, the one you wrote with her head in your lap and your heart already crackinâ. Just a verse. Soft as cotton.
When it ended, she kissed you.
Slow. Steady. Full of all the years lost and every word yâall were too scared to say.
She pulled back just a breath, her voice shakinâ âgainst your mouth.
âYou best not leave again.â
You pressed your forehead to hers.
âAinât goinâ nowhere, sugar. Not this time.â
ââââââââââââââââââââââââ
I hope yâall enjoyed! Thank you to the person who requested â€ïž
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