IRRESISTIBLE | ABBY ANDERSON x FEM OC

Chapter 18: Stalemate

Hi!!
I snuck in some time to write a chapter during the exam period so I hope you enjoy. Also, this is kind of a filler chapter (not much goes on) but I still hope you like it!
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The morning after the party I woke up with one thing on my mind. Abby. The way she held me, the way she displayed her jealousy...how she left me soaked in a pool of my own desire.
After Abby left the room I found my way back to the party next door. I watched her for the rest of the night hoping she'd steal me away once again and finally finish what she started, but disappointingly she didn't. I couldn't rip my focus away from her. To really shove it in my face she'd occasionally glance back at me with a twinkle in her bright blue eyes, further mocking the state of frustration I was in. I refused to beg her for pleasure this time around, I'll show her i can do just fine without her attention.

Purposefully avoiding her, I geared up and chose Jordan as my partner for the morning shift today. Manny wasn't on shift this time so he sent us on our way with a quick "May your survival be long..."

The group replied in unison "...and your death be swift". I smiled at him and rode alongside Jordan. He was an alright guy to talk to, pretty chill, but he wasn't very entertaining. Although he was a rather dull guy, he'd have to do. There was no way I'd partner up with Abby again; I wanted her to come to me. Marlow was also not an option, it was practically a death wish as I'd piss Abby off even more.

During our normal patrol I used the lack of conversation between Jordan and I to poke around the thoughts in my mind. It had been a week since I'd experienced a nightmare or zoned out but i still thought about my past almost everyday. Even though we were technically still in an argument, I felt guilty about not telling Abby the whole truth...why I got my tattoo. I wanted to ask more about how she lost her father but I would only feel like a fraud asking her to pour out her honest heart in return for half-truths from myself. 

We strode on our way and returned to the group after a couple of hours. The wind suddenly picked up and chills crawled up my spine. My neck was exposed to the sharp cold air and i suddenly regretted not chossing a top that would cover my neck this morning. I felt my cheeks heat up when the sensation of the wind on my skin reminded me of the obvious hickeys placed there just the night before. Abby marked me with purpose and spite towards anyone else even looking in my direction.

Marlow rode over on her brown horse and placed the blood red scarf she was just wearing around my neck. "There" she smiled "don't want you catching a cold now". The scarf was already around my neck before I had the chance to decline Marlow's offer. Her constantly coddling me was starting to become annoying.

I pushed my annoyance for Marlow aside but it was only replaced by a sentence Abby practically yelled at me yesterday:
"She's clearly in love with you!"
I began second guessing every interaction I've ever had with Marlow, including what she did just moments ago. That was just a friendly gesture...right?
I didn't know why but I felt sick to my stomach, Marlow couldn't possibly be in love with me! And if she really was, there have been so many opportunities over the years to confess to me, waiting this long would be utterly pointless.

Satisfied with my dissection of the situation I took a deep breathe and focused on getting back to base.

We were about twenty minutes away from base and a thick silence clung to the fresh air. No one dared to interrupt the resting period we indulged in after our strenuous shift. I caught a glimpse of Jordan beside me, sweat trickled across his flushed face and clung to the camouflage print hat he always wore. His clothes were stained in sweat patches and his chest rapidly moved up and down from exhaustion. His fatigued state reflected the rest of the groups appearances, although, I did keep an eye on one person in particular.

Her large hands rested on the horse reins and her gaze was fixed straight forward. I had the perfect view of her side profile. The peaks of her face glistened with sweat in the light of the sun. I smiled upon admiring the features that made her so beautiful: the cute bumps that formed the shape of her nose, the high arches of her full eyebrows, her surprisingly long eyelashes and the sprinkle of freckles on her face that seemed to darken as summer advanced.

She too seemed to have taken a physical toll from the shift. The shorter pieces of hair that framed her face fell out of her braid and clung to her temples and forehead . Her face and neck reddened as she breathed heavily and I found it kind of cute seeing her all flustered. A layer of sweat had accumulated on her face and arms and all I could do was gawk at her in awe before reminding myself I was supposed to be mad at her.

She seemed to have noticed I was looking at her and smiled until she saw the scarf around my neck. A light scowl formed on her lips before she turned away to catch up to the other soldiers riding at the front of the group.
What could she possibly be mad about now?
Marlow's gesture was completely justified- although the sun was out it still was quite cold outside and it seemed to be a completely platonic action...she's always looked out for me like that, even before we met Abby.
Could it be more than that though? Could Marlow have feelings for me like Abby said last night?
My mind echoed to Abby's words from yesterday and I came to the conclusion that I had to find out what was going on, this immature cycle of jealousy between us was tiring.

The idea of confronting Marlow was tempting but potentially throwing away my friendship with Marlow based on a hunch was risky.
I was at a stalemate; confront Marlow and risk ruining our friendship or don't and risk damaging my relationship (whatever that was) with Abby.

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Thanks for reading! This was not proofread btw I just wanted to get it published asap so I might edit some things later but nothing too major :)
Btw once I finish writing this story I might consider writing another Abby fanfic, should I?? 🤷‍♀️