Chapter Four: Carefully Optimistic

Marcus's POV

Anna shifted in her seat, her eyes darting all around the coffee shop. I kept my eyes on her, daring her to look at me, while Peter's more playful demeanor filled the space between us.

"So, what are you two up to? And where's the quiet one?" Courtney, the brunette I recognized from our college pep rallies, broke the silence, taking a casual sip of her coffee. Anna's gaze fluttered over to her friend and then ever so quickly shot at me and then back down into her coffee cup.

I gave a small, nonchalant shrug, my hand loosely gripping the edge of my coffee cup. "Nothing much," I said, my voice smooth, while the voice in my head kept telling me to chill the hell out. Anna didn't miss how my gaze fluttered to her bandaged right hand and she quickly tucked it under the table out of view.

Peter leaned back in his chair, his grin widening as he looked at Anna. "We needed a caffeine boost, and Damian stayed back to hit the gym. Saw you two sitting looking lonely, so we just thought we'd say hello." He winked at Anna, and I almost reached over to smack him upside the head. The easy charm in his smile was impossible to ignore, and I knew my daring little brother was up to no good with his mischievous ways.

"Well, it’s a surprise to see you both," Courtney said, her voice teasing but warm. "Not every day you get to hang out with the infamous McKay brothers."

Peter laughed, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Infamous, huh? Guess that’s one way to put it. But you know, I prefer to think of myself as misunderstood."

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t suppress the smirk tugging at the corner of my lips. "Misunderstood? Is that what we’re calling it now?"

Peter’s grin widened. "Hey, I’m not the one who needs to ‘misunderstand’ things, bro." He glanced at Anna with a knowing look, as if he were in on some secret she wasn’t privy to.

Anna, as if feeling the weight of Peter's attention, took a deep breath and tried to wrap her coat tighter around her. I stretched my right foot out and nudged Peter, trying to get him to dial it back a bit.

Courtney, however, noticing her discomfort, leaned forward, putting a hand on the table with a smile that said she was about to have some fun. "So, Marcus, what’s it like being the mysterious McKay brother?"

I glanced at her, my lips curling into a faint smile. "I’m not that mysterious," I said with a shrug. "I just like to keep to myself."

Peter let out a laugh. "You definitely keep to yourself, alright. But that doesn’t mean you’re a mystery. You’re just... selective about who you talk to."

Anna forced a smile, her voice slightly unsteady. "So, do you two always hang out together, or is this a special occasion?"

Peter leaned back, looking amused by the question. "We hang out sometimes, sure. But Marcus has his own thing going on." He glanced at me, a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. "He’s not exactly the social butterfly, if you know what I mean."

I shrugged again, my gaze flicking to Anna briefly before returning to my coffee. "I’m not really into hanging out with large groups," I said quietly. "I prefer keeping things low-key."

Courtney, proving herself to be the one to steer the conversation with ease, nudged Anna gently. "So, Anna, what about you? You and Carter just broke up, right? What are you planning to do with all your new free time?"

Anna froze. The mention of Carter Reed seeming to hit her like a ton of bricks, and for a moment, she looked as though she couldn’t breathe. The heat rising in her cheeks, she shook herself as though to regain her composure.

"Uh, yeah," Anna managed to say, her voice barely above a whisper. "It’s complicated."

Peter, sensing an opening, leaned forward with a casual grin. "Yeah, pretty sure I heard he lost a tooth from a certain right hook," he said, his tone teasing but not cruel. "Pretty sure he deserved it, too. The dude would have gotten much worse for slamming into me during the game." He glanced at me meaningfully, raising an eyebrow.

Anna opened her mouth to say something, but the words didn’t come. Instead, her gaze locked with mine once again. This time, it wasn’t just curiosity I saw in her eyes—it was something else. Something deeper.

Courtney, sensing Anna’s hesitation, quickly stepped in. "Okay, okay. Enough about Carter," she said with a sly grin. "Let’s just enjoy the coffee. We’ve got all the time in the world for drama later."

Anna, seeming grateful for the distraction, nodded and took a slow sip of her coffee. The conversation flowed on, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was shifting. The way Anna's eyes flickered to me occasionally, the way Peter kept pushing her to let go of her past, made me realize something. My previous consideration that Anna Donovan was not a person to pursue came shattering to the depths of my mind.

As the afternoon wore on, we shared stories, teasing each other and bantering with ease. Anna couldn’t help but laugh at Peter's playful dynamic, and for the first time in a long time, I wasn't rushing to get home and drown myself in music and hockey tactics. And Anna Donovan once again became an entity brought forward from within the deep recesses of my mind.