An Unexpected Knight (Parallel NurseryVerse Series)

Chapter 2- "Who Am I To Stand In Your Way?"

Monday morning rolled around much quicker than Marjorie anticipated. She had been clock watching since 4 am. When she had gotten home Friday night, she had begrudgingly called Reece. As she expected, he was absolutely panicking. She explained that she had been with his sister, and that seemed to calm him down for the moment. But it didn’t last. Over the weekend, Marjorie had gone all but silent. She answered messages, but she was very short in doing so. When Reece had asked to come over, Marjorie said she wasn’t feeling well and she didn’t want to get him sick. She wasn’t lying. She really did feel like garbage. Just not in the way that she had told Reece. In reality, she had been holed up in her bed since the moment she had gotten home. She felt guilty. Her boyfriend was worried about her but all she could think about was her boyfriend’s sister. She knew she couldn’t carry on like this. The thought alone was killing her.

When the clock hit 6, she forced herself out of bed. She needed to shower, desperately. For a moment, she found herself smiling at the idea that she would see Autumn again soon. The moment passed as quickly as it came on. Reece would be there as well. She knew she would have to play the part of a loving girlfriend, at least for now. Just until she could find a way to break things off without giving away her newfound confusion.

No more had she gotten dressed when a car honked out front. Reece was parked in the drive of her apartment, waiting dutifully for his girlfriend. Marjorie felt guilty. She knew that it was downright cruel to lead him on, but she didn’t even know herself what was happening in her heart. How was she to tell the one man in the world who loved and trusted her? Reece had saved Marjorie from herself, in ways she could never explain. She was indebted to him for bringing out the best in her.

Another honk brought her out of the headspace she had sunken into. She shrugged her bag onto her shoulder, and with a sigh- she was out the door.

*****
After the meeting had ended, Marjorie was exhausted. She had kept her head down through the entire meeting, avoiding eye contact with Autumn or Reece. Roger’s ramblings about the Nursery’s numbers had only added to her headache. At this point, all she wanted to do was get back into her bed for another 3 days.
“Marjorie-” the voice cut through Marjorie’s solemn attitude, causing her to stop dead in her tracks. With wide eyes, she turned to face it. Standing there in front of her, was not only Autumn- but Reece.
“We’re going to go grab some food, since dad’s lecture ran long past lunch.” Reece stood with his hands in his pockets, his stature towering over Autumn’s. Marjorie suddenly felt small.
“We wanted to see if you wanted to go with us.” Autumn had her arms crossed over her chest. With just that simple stance, every wall Marjorie thought she’ cracked seemed to stand strong and tall.
“Oh- uhm..” Her stomach growled, she hadn’t even noticed how hungry she’d been. It wasn’t just Ratty Roger’s speech that she had been sitting hungry through. It had been the whole weekend. “Why not?” She tried to play off her facade with a laugh.
“We can all just carpool, we have work to return to anyway.” Autumn nodded her head towards the car park. As the 3 of them came up to Autumn's car, a smirk tugged at the corner of her lips. “Sorry big brother, backseat for you today.” She reached in front of Marjorie, opening the passenger door for her. Marjorie was taken aback, the shock clear on her face.
“Aut!” Reece whined. “I’m too tall!” Autumn breathed out a small laugh.
“You shouldn’t have suggested a ‘Staff Bonding Weekend’ then.” Marjorie covered her mouth to stop the laugh from exiting.
“Why you-”
“You best get in before Marjorie and I leave without you.” Autumn put her hand out to the back door. Reece groaned as he folded himself up to fit in the back of Autumn’s sports car. Autumn smiled at Marjorie with a smile Marjorie swore she crafted just for her. She slid into the front seat, feeling rather odd to be there. Autumn drove with one hand dangling off the center console of the car, her other hand operating the wheel. Marjorie knew she was staring, but she couldn’t help it. Something as simple as the way Autumn presented herself while she drove was distracting, enticing even. Autumn smirked, she knew Marjorie was watching her. She’d be lying if she tried pretending that the way Marjorie was staring wasn’t enjoyable to her. Something had shifted in Autumn’s heart, and she found herself feeling something she never thought she would for the redhead sitting in front of her. But on top of that, she felt something she didn’t think she would ever feel again.