Partners In Crime

6• Into disaster

=4 Days Left=

Marina chewed on her lip, quickly replacing it for her nails on her teeth as she watched three-quarters of the band finish sound check across the Hall, the clear absence of a second guitar.

She watched them all dart eyes with each other the entire time, their bodies tense multiple times hearing the gaps that should have been filled by Jamie. He wasn't here.

Why, why did this have to happen to her? Everything was going to go to ruin and it'd be her fault. The thought flowed through her, down to the feeling in her hand which wormed its way through her bag and finding her flask with ease yet again.

She watched Alex frowning while his eyes were fixed on his own playing, following the way he moved, feeling like she was committing a crime by just looking at him. She thought she might've said something wrong earlier, how could she even dare to say anything in front of him?

With Alex so wrapped up in her mind she'd hardly noticed the hands gently pressing on her hips, sliding up to her waist.

"Is me catching you with a flask just coincidental or is it down to the fact you bring it out so often?" whispered Theo's familiar voice near her ear. It crawled up her shoulder, trailing to her ear like a bad kiss. She turned to him harshly.

"What the hell are you doing here, Theo?" she hissed under the music, stuffing her drink into her bag again. "Guests don't start arriving until later."

"I am well within my right to see my girl whenever I please. Who cares if I'm early?"

"I care! I'm doing way too much at the moment and-" she stopped, seeing his surprised face.

"-I'm sorry. I don't mean to be so busy. I am the maid of honour and all. There's-a lot I have to manage." She smiled at him, forcing it for his consolation.

Theo smiled, glancing once over to the band. "I must say you're doing it looking incredibly delectable." He gestured to her violet-coloured dress, one forgot had a tendency to expose the entire boob region.

Marina sighed. "Thanks."

He smirked, looking at her up and down like a piece of meat. Then he saw the notepad she'd been holding.

"Did you steal that from work?"

She shrugged.

"I wish you didn't, to be honest. Those were in short supply."

She considered she hadn't had the time to talk about stealing notebooks with him right now. It wasn't good for de-escalating another argument.

"Okay, sorry," she sighed again.

And he brought her in tightly, holding her in all the places that used to spark electricity but now withered the second they touched. She noticed he'd been looking at her a certain way which, by now, had signalled that he wanted to kiss her. From the squinting eyes and the opening mouth. Pressing against him, she felt an imprint of a book-like object in his coat's inner pocket. She hoped to god it wasn't his notebook.

Theo reeled her in to nose-to-nose contact until a shrill feedback sound reverberated across the room, repelling them apart.

Marina held her hands by her ears, turning towards the stage where the sound came from.

"Sorry about that, lovebirds, turned the knobs on me guitar too loudly."

Alex had been focused on his guitar playing and now was staring at her with that similar intensity. He'd popped his leather jacket back on and while she'd really felt like yelling at him, she'd been too distracted by the coat's existence, the way he must've put it on before he got here and how he would look ripping it off and throwing it to the floor. Her heart squirmed. She felt an urge to grin stupidly.