A single bullet // M.C ✔️

66

Water rushed down my back as I leaned my head down, letting the water gushing down my hair wash out the shampoo lathered in it. I turned my head, catching my reflection in the big bathroom mirror, staring down my body.

My body had shifted since meeting Michael and being in this life. My stomach had popped out more, my arms and legs looked stronger. My waist was more defined, and my skin just looked glowing and healthier than before. There were no acne marks, no spots as my skin had smoothed over drastically. Comforted in the life I was in.

"Nic?"

"In here, Mikey," the bathroom door opened, revealing a topless Michael who instantly got a smirk on his face when his eyes locked on me.

"Will never get tired of seeing you-,"

"Naked?" I laughed, spinning around after putting conditioner in my hair and letting it settle before rinsing it out.

"Was going to say happy." I faced him again, smiling softly towards him.

"I'm very happy," I spoke truthfully, nodding once.

"Although I do love seeing you naked," there's the Michael I love... like.

"I love seeing you naked too." I didn't let him say another word before I went back under the stream of water, washing out any evidence of conditioner in my hair before switching the shower off and grabbing the fluffy white towel, wrapping it tightly around my body, before grabbing the smaller one and looping it in my hair so it didn't hang over my shoulder, dripping.

"I think I love this view more," he muttered, shaking his head, running his hand through his hair. "I'll be outside." And with that, he left the room, shutting the door behind him. My body heated up as I processed his passing words, feeling a stupid smile crawl into my face.

"What an idiot," I muttered, shaking my head. I caught sight of my reflection again in the mirror and focused on the changes of my body closer up. It really has changed.

"It's called relationship weight, Nic," Kensie took a scoop of her ice cream, placing it in her mouth, humming at the taste before placing the spoon back in the white and pink tub. "It's perfectly fine to have and/ or do."

"You didn't," I looked at the ice cream as it was calling to me.

"I did, I just lose it quickly. I was so skinny before Luke, do you not remember?"

"Honestly, no." I shrugged before mentally saying, " fuck it," and grabbing a spoon, grabbing some from the tub. "Never even noticed. Kens?" She looked away from the tub, giving me a single nod to let me know she's paying attention to me fully without words: "how did Michael get out?"

The thought had sunk back into my mind before I left Michael earlier after giving him a quick kiss as a message popped up on his phone from an unknown number, just simply saying 'you're welcome,' and that was it. The message was swiped clean off his screen almost as soon as it came through with a small mutter of a swear word and his whole mood shifting. Another kiss had been placed gently on my forehead before he rushed quickly out the door, which is why I had decided to meet up with Kensie for ice cream, to eat my feelings and stress away.

"Someone found the missing chunks of the CCTV, Nicky," she licked at her spoon before grabbing more ice cream.

"I know that, but who?" I pushed for more answers as my brain screamed at me to find some.

"Calm that reporter mind down, Jesus, Luke needs to get you on another case," she muttered, rolling her eyes fondly before sighing: "we don't know."

"What?" I spat out, shaking my head before taking a bite of the strawberry frozen dessert.

"It was just sent to Calum's email with a random email, no name. Nothing. Just literally out of the blue as if someone knew that he would be looking."

"Shit, that means it's someone close, right? If they knew Michael was arrested." I placed the plastic spoon down on the table, now losing my appetite as my mind now ran crazy with a bunch of possibilities.

"We think so... Luke and Ashton have been interviewing me. Here's to see if they sent it and if so, how they got it when Calum couldn't find it. And Calum's been trying to hack and find out the ip of who sent it." She informed me quietly, aware of people that could possibly be listening to us.

"Is he annoyed?" I muttered, talking about Calum.

"I think he's more pissed off that someone else found it over him. Secretly, he wanted to be the one to free Michael. We all wanted something linked to it, but someone swept it out from under our feet." I grabbed a fresh spoon as the previous one was on the table, robbing a spoon of Kensie's chocolate one.

"They messaged him..." I had made a split decision to let Kensie know about Michael's mystery text message I had caught in the split second earlier.

"The helper?" Kensie's full attention was now on me as she leant forward on the table, stopping people watching she was sucked into.

"Yes." Simple and straight to the point.

"Who?"

"If I knew that, I would have said." Arms were crossed firmly over my chest before I sighed, unfolding them and resting them on the table, securing my head in my hands; it was a simple question. "I have a feeling he might show Calum or know the number. It was deleted and swiped so quickly, as if he did recognise it and just didn't want me to see it."

"Did you see a bit of it?" She pushed, making me shake my head sadly.

"Went to quickly, Kensie. If he weren't already holding his phone, maybe I could have. He was in such a good mood before it as well, then he rushed out, and here we are." She nodded once, glancing at her own phone and looking at the time before freezing.

"I have to go."

"Kensie?" She stood up in a rush, grabbing her bag and phone frantically typing.

"I'll message you, okay, Nic?"

"Kensie." Air fell silent as she left some money on the table and left, leaving me sitting in the ice cream shop, all confused and unsure of what was happening. My own phone pinged a few times, making me pull it out of my pocket and glance at it.

Michael
Meet me back at home. I miss you. Sorry for rushing out earlier.

Everyone's acting so fucking weird today.

——