Finding 4

Chapter 24

Callum

"Hey Mary," I say to the older woman who's behind the bar.

"Hey love," she smiles at me. "What can I get for ya?"

"Six pints, please." I take out some cash and lay it down.

She smiles and takes the cash, counting through it and then placing it in the cash register. "Six? Make sure you don't get any vomit on my floors."

"Not all for me," I add with a laugh. "I'm on this round."

"Ah," she nods, starting to fill up the glasses. "Wheres that girlfriend of yours?"

My interest peaks at her words.

"Girlfriend?"

"The blonde girl." She sets two pints on the bar in front of me and then starts to fill up more. "The American."

The mention of Marley makes my chest feel tight, but light and airy at the same time. "Oh uh," I huff and look down for a second. "She's not my girlfriend."

"No? Could've fooled me." Mary smiles at her comment and sets the rest of the pints down. Her attention turns to something next to me, and when the smell of vanilla fills my nose, I know why she has the smirk on her face.

"Hey Mary," Marley says kindly to her.

"Marley, love." Mary smiles, "how are you today?"

"Oh you know," Marley shrugs and can't take my eyes away from her face as she talks. "Same ole, same ole."

Mary chuckles, and I know she's laughing at me. "No girlfriend?"

"Okay," I clear my throat and pick up the glasses. Marley picks up the others, a confused look on her face.

Mary continues to snicker at us as we walk away, and towards the table.

"What was that about?" Marley asks.

"Just something stupid." I reply.

The only issue is, it isn't stupid. The thought of Marley being my girlfriend is a thought I've been having a lot here recently. It's a thought that scares me, and confuses me, but also makes me feel this weird tingling feeling.

But then when I think about Marley and I not being together, and how that runs a high risk of losing her. That just hurts. I don't want to lose Marley. I can't lose Marley.

"It's about time you got our drinks." Finley says when I put them down on the table.

I roll my eyes and scoot into the booth, and Marley follows me. As soon as our bodies push together, that same feeling I always get with her comes rushing through my body, taking over every inch of it and making it hard to think.

"You know," Finley speaks up. "I really didn't think you'd be able to do it."

"Do what?" I ask, lifting my beer to my lips.

"Make it to the end of the term without becoming...friends with Marley."

Tierny snorts and lifts the beer to her lips too. I look at her with a suspicious look. Does she know? She can't know.

"I don't think they'll be friends anytime soon." Keely adds, snickering.

It's a good thing this table is tall and the seats are low, because that means nobody can see the way I move my hand to Marley's thigh.

"Friends?" I squeeze her thigh. "Never."

"Eat shit," Marley retorts. "You're the one who started all of this."

"Oh?" My hand moves up. "How come?"

She rolls her eyes and without saying anything else just flicks me off. I smile smugly, and look back at Keely and Tierny, who both have amused looks on their faces.

Except Tierny still looks like she knows something. Something that she isn't supposed to know.

My overthinking gets cut off when a hand slips under my shirt in the back. Marley's hand is cold against my skin, and my muscles tense up, but I don't try and stop her.

Even when her skin is cold, her touch will always make me feel warm.

I'm so royally fucked.

<>

Marley lays on the bed next to me, her hair strewn out under her and her brown eyes focused on the phone in her hand.

She laughs at something on the screen, earning my attention.

"What?" I ask with a small smile at her laugh.

She turns her phone over to show me the video. It's two people, I'm guessing from a movie. The video is going through Willy and Wren core.

Who the fuck is Willy and Wren?"

I think she can see the confusion on my face because she gasps and sits up straight. "You've never seen foot loose?"

"Foot loose?" I watch her face as she turns to me, bringing her knees up under her. I keep my back against the pillow, and my head against her bed frame.

"Oh my God!" She exclaims, placing one of her hands on top of my thigh. "That is a sin!"

I laugh, leaning my head back. "A sin?"

"Yes! Foot loose is like...the best movie ever." There's a beat and then she adds, "what about Friday night lights?"

I shake my head.

She gapes at me "Sweet Home Alabama?"

I shake my head.

"How to lose a guy in ten days?" She keeps listening off movies.

I shake my head again.

"Oh my-" she shakes her head. "That's it. We are going on a movie marathon and educating you on good production."

I laugh again and watch as she climbs off of the bed. She picks up her tv remote, shuts off her lights, and then climbs back into bed with me. This time though, she's closer than she was before, and I can't stop myself from wrapping an arm around her and bringing her into my side.

She clicks on the first movie. Foot loose.

My arm stays around her shoulders, and she takes me by surprise when she scoots even closer and drapes an arm over my stomach, and then lays her head on my chest.

I don't complain though, because I'd rather be in this bed with Marley, wrapped up like this, than be anywhere else. Even the pitch.