A single bullet // M.C ✔️

36

An empty coffee cup was perched on the bedside table, a small gold and white marbled coaster under it. Liquid was fully gone as it was drunk while Calum and I spoke, all before he got a call from Margaret needing help in the café. It felt so much better after he told me what happened, filling in the blanks and gaps I desperately needed filled.

Kensie had messaged letting me know she did in fact make her way home, and Luke's actually with her, so I have his own apartment to myself for the night. I swung my legs off the bed, my stomach begging for food as I pushed my body up, legs feeling like jelly, causing me to nearly fall back down. 6 p.m., most of the day was now gone, so there wasn't any point trying to do anything, not like I can.

Step by step, I carried my body to the kitchen, groans and swears finding their way into the cool evening air.

"Fuckin Michael," the words Calum spoke ran circles in my mind as if they were on a carousel,

'He cares about you'

He has no reason to care about me and definitely hasn't shown it since I've met him. The only time was in the club, but Kensie said that without her, he would have ignored it. The going out for food afterwards to get my mind off it, that was just because he was hungry, and food always sobers up a person. There weren't a caring bone in his body, not to me at least.

Michael was completely different towards Kensie and the boys, and I had witnessed it. Almost slightly softer, but without dropping his guard, and jokes could be said to the blonde without a gun pulled on them. (Nine times out of ten). He beat Calum up just because I had uttered the words I love you to him, no one even knows if I meant romantically or another way.

Hands fiddled with the edge of my (Luke's?) jumper as I headed towards the living room, sitting down on the plush sofa. The bandage felt tight against my stomach as I moved; more groans left my mouth as I folded over a bit, letting my body fall deep into the comfy pillows. Tv filled the otherwise quiet room as I didn't bother turning it off or down, leaving it on exactly what was left by me before I was shot, just a random YouTube video.

My mind was running wild, refusing to settle down for just a moment, fingers inching to type something, but my laptop was in a different room. I couldn't bring myself to move off the sofa; the pain would be unbearable. But I needed something to do.

After a while, I returned back to the sofa, laptop in hand, letting my body gracefully fall back into the cushions, closing my eyes and hissing softly in pain. I didn't have an ounce of regret in my bones over what I did. I couldn't have let Calum get hurt because of me... more than he already is.

Calum... shock was filling me as I thought over Calum getting punched so hard he got a busted lip and two black eyes. Because of me.

Luke couldn't even spend the night in my own apartment since I was here; there was no special time with Kensie as I was here. I had messaged her, telling her that she could come back here with Luke and I'll go; Michael said no.

And Michael, there's not much to say about him except I can't figure him out. One moment he's threatening me, and the next he's caring. He let me threaten him!

7 p.m. I pulled my phone off the side of the sofa arm and unlocked it, the photo of me and Kensie in London popping up as my home screen. Nervously, I tapped on the screen and brought the device up to my ear, hearing the annoying dial tone travel through my brain.

"Hello?" I was just about to hang up before I stopped hearing the familiar voice echo down the phone.

"Alex," I breathed out, all doubt of him not answering the phone left me; he would always answer.

"Nicky, you okay?" A loud puff of air left my nose as I sighed, squeezing my eyes shut.

"No," I finally spoke, the noise only just cutting through the air.

"What's wrong?" The level of his voice matched mine, making me want to just burst into a stream of tears.

"I can't tell you."

"Sure you can," he spoke carefully, knowing the state I was driving myself into: panic. Panic.

"No, I can't, Alex," they could be listening is what I wanted to scream. The room could be bugged, and Michael could be listening to what I'm saying, to see what I do when I'm alone.

"Why did you call Nicky?" He sighed now as I refused to speak about what he wanted.

"I just need advice," Alex has been in a relationship for six years and then married for two. He couldn't talk to Kensie about this and couldn't talk to Mom (not since she lost Dad).

"Ok shoot," that word made me cringe as my free hand covered the bullet wound instantly. He can never know.

"I might like someone, but I don't know if I love him as a boyfriend or... or a brother?" My own words shocked me as Alex went silent, possibly thinking over my confession.

"You love someone?" Shuffling sounded down the phone.

"I don't know," I helplessly whimpered. I had never felt like this before. The confusion, the dread of feeling like this. I had never felt like this with any of my ex-boyfriends, so did I not love them?

"Talk to me, Nic," this is why I always know that I can go to Alex. It's 7 p.m. The last time we spoke, we argued as he never turned up to work, but here he is trying to help me sort my own mind out.

"My mind's running wild, Al. I might love someone, but I never felt like this to my ex-boyfriends, and I don't know what to do."

"Nicky, let your mind rest and explain," he was silently begging me to explain, knowing it will help me out, making me sigh, playing with the edge of Luke's (definitely Luke's) jumper, sighing.

"I love him like a brother, Alex, like how I love you. I told him this in front of his friend, and his friend flipped. I think he was thinking that I love him romantically, but this friend... he hasn't done anything to me that shows that he cares in that way, so there's no reason for the jealousy. He really hurt him."

"Shit, Nicky, is this something that needs to be reported?" Alex, being a police officer, completely slipped my mind, making me panic.

"No, no, Alex. I just need my brother right now, not an officer." I begged slightly, not wanting him to go all boss and officer on me.

"Ok I can do that. What happened, Nicky?"

"He beat him up, Alex."

"Nicky!" He gasped before lowering his voice. "Who?"

"I can't say," I cried out. The thought of Luke's place being bugged creeping back into my mind. "I have to go, Alex." I blurted out.

"Nicky, no!" I hung up before he could utter another word, turning my phone off instantly. I might have just sent Alex into a full-blown panic, but I couldn't explain. I couldn't risk him knowing anything about where I am, what I'm dealing with.

It won't be long until Alex tries to go to my home to only see Kensie and Luke. There's a chance he'll think I'm kidnapped and held hostage somewhere; which I guess I am. I might have just dragged him headfirst into something he definitely doesn't want to be involved in...

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