Stranger Things Have Happened | Marcus Bontempelli

one-hundred & thirty-four.

The dreaded Monday morning training session had rolled around much quicker than Marcus and I had expected and secretly, we were both hoping it would never arrive. As much as I wanted to be there for him and protect him from the inevitable, I couldn't and I don't think he would've appreciated me offering to hold his hand either. Marcus was an honest man with a lot more integrity than most people I knew but he'd slipped up more than once this year. I hoped to god that his meltdown at the club over Paige going AWOL wouldn't cause more damage to his case.

Either way, I was worried about what the consequences would be for him after the events that transpired in Torquay. All of us were.

To keep my mind pre-occupied, Liv had driven over to our place before work so we could take the dogs for a walk around the reserve next door. It actually helped a lot more than I thought it would and I was grateful to have someone I could vent to that wasn't Marcus – he had enough going on and I didn't want to add to that. I needed to be his rock and I was confident that I could get him through whatever the outcome would be today. Just as long as I could keep my own emotions in check.

"I'll keep my ear to the ground, Sull. Don't you worry about that," Liv reassured me with a smile as we slowly walked back up to the house together, Rocky and Mya immediately sprinting over to their water bowls.

"Thank you and I'm so glad you came around now – that walk was exactly what I needed," I enthused as I opened the door and kicked my shoes off in the hallway, peering around to see if Marcus had come down yet.

The sound of a blender whirring in the kitchen caught my attention and I nodded for Liv to follow me through. Marcus was leaning against the counter dressed head to toe in his training gear, waiting for his protein shake to finish blending with a frown on his face. As soon as he noticed our presence, his mood changed and a smile washed across his face.

"Oh, hey Livvy – didn't expect to see you here this early," He greeted before turning around and flicking off the switch on the blender.

Liv nodded, "Yeah just thought I'd sneak in a catch up with your girl before work and figured you and I could drive in together..." She offered as Marcus glanced over at me with narrowed eyes.

"Uh, sure but it's a bit out of your way isn't it?" He replied suspiciously and grabbed out a large cup to pour his shake into.

"Nah not at all – We were thinking of getting dinner afterwards so it works out perfectly... I'll just go get changed and we can head off," Liv announced before sending me a wink and trotting off towards the bathroom with her backpack.

There was a moment of silence between us while Marcus cleaned out the blender jug in the sink before he cleared his throat, "I don't need a babysitter, you know? I get that you're worried but I have it under control."

I sighed and crossed my arms, "That's not what you said last night and I know you didn't sleep because I heard you get up and you never came back to bed," I accused, knowing that he was anxious about the day ahead.

Marcus shook his head and took a swig of his protein shake, "Being stressed doesn't mean I don't have a grip on things – and you know just as well as I do that whatever happens today is out of my control so I'm doing everything I can to regain some of that, including driving to work... But thank you for takin' that away from me," He replied, brushing past me to put the milk and fresh fruit back in the fridge.

"Then go in separate cars – it's not a big deal. I just thought that maybe you would like some company on your drive in and Liv offered. Obviously I didn't mean to upset you so if I have, I'm sorry..." I apologised, silently cursing myself for getting involved.