The Crew | On Hold

Chapter 19

The fries don't taste the same as they used to, but they are, somehow, even better. Maybe they're seasoning them more now, but their taste is now a thousand times more stronger and present. 

"They are amazing!" I say, mouth full with fries, but Marcus doesn't seem to mind, because he's also enjoying them and smiling back at me. When we were younger, we used to share a plate, and then we'd also feed the fries to each other, but I'm kinda glad we've grown up from that phase. Nowadays, if I see a couple doing that, I almost want to close my eyes and run past them faster.

My phone beeps, and I pull it out of the pocket of my leather jacket. It was overly hard to put it there, so I am a bit annoyed with myself and the person, who's texting me right now, but, when I see who it is, who dares to make me pull out my phone, my annoyance quickly dies down and childish joy takes over.

Andrew: Let me take you out today

For a second I wonder if he hasn't texted the wrong person. That would really be embarrassing for both him and me, if he had. 

Emma: Are you sure you're texting the right person?

"Who's the lucky man?" Marcus asks. I raise my head to look at him, and I find him studying me observantly. He isn't smiling anymore, which makes my smile, which I didn't realise I had plastered on my face, fade.

"He's, uh, nobody. A colleague." I stutter, silently shaming myself for being such a school girl and getting so excited that Andrew has texted me. The fact that Marcus has caught me being like this is even more shameful. Though we've been separated for a long time now, it still doesn't feel quite right to text other boys around him, even if the boy who's texting me is just a colleague. 

Just a colleague. 

The heat from my racing heart moves up to my cheeks instantly as I realise how badly I am deceiving my honest feelings. No matter how many times I can try and tell myself that I like Andrew only as a crew mate, the truth is that I am slowly starting to have a crush on him, which makes me feel even more terrible about myself. How could I even let that happen? How could I let Andrew crawl into my heart, and how could I let myself allow him to?

"Uh-uh." Marcus says. Without releasing his stare, he picks up a few fries, dips them into ketchup and tucks all of that in his mouth. It is obvious that he doesn't believe me, but, as a saviour, Andrew texts me again, allowing me to lower my eyes from Marcus's interrogating eyes. 

Andrew: Pretty sure. Can I pick you up now?

I roll my eyes unconsciously, and realise Marcus is still watching my every move and expression, so I give him a tiny smile, and quickly write up a reply, so I can stop being a bad and rude friend, who spends their time together on her phone. I would be annoyed, too, if Marcus started texting with someone in the middle of our outing, without even explaining anything.

Emma: Can't. I'm out with a friend. And you're gonna have to do better with that invitation. Kinda bossy. ;)p

I turn the silence mode on, and push my phone back into the pocket. The zipper doesn't go up the whole way, but I just give up eventually, after struggling with it for a minute or two.

Marcus is still staring at me with a frown on his face, when I finally face him again. "Are you gonna look at me like that the whole time?" I joke, trying to lure out a smile of him, but he just stares at me in silence.

Giving up after a few tries of joking, I decide to just finish my fries. I throw a glance towards the table Karmen was at, but she's nowhere to be seen, almost making me think that seeing her was an illusion. 

"Are you done with your fries?" I ask Marcus. He is now staring into his Coca Cola glass like the answer of existence lies in the bottom of the glass. There is still a light frown on his face, and his brows are furrowed together, but he seems mostly in a deep thought.

Marcus doesn't answer me, so I pick up two fries from his plate, and quickly stuff them in my mouth. He doesn't react to it, so I take the whole plate, and pull it closer to me. This finally gets a reaction from him. But, instead of smiling or talking, or anything else, he fake-yawns and stands up, putting on his jacket.

"Should we get going? I'll drive you home." Sounding bored, he announces. What happened with him? Did he really think I was obligated to tell him who's texting me? Or did I do something else? Heck, why do I always ruin things?

He starts to move towards the exit, so I have to swallow down my shock at his unexpected personality change. Quickly gulping down my Coca Cola, I grab my jacket from the backrest of my chair and jog after him. 

This time he doesn't offer to open my door. He just gets in, and silently waits for me to get in, too. What happened to him?  "Marcus, d-did I..." I stutter, not really sure what to say. What if it's really my fault that he's suddenly so cold and distant? "Did I offend you with something?"

He lets out a bleak laugh, but doesn't respond. Driving faster than usual, he takes me straight home. The whole ride back he doesn't say a thing, and now I'm too afraid to say anything, too. What if it only makes him angrier? 

I already recognise the familiar neighbourhood, and I know we'll be home in about two minutes. The small supermarket stands there, shining brightly even in these times, when nobody really wants to shop there, besides adult men, who need a dose of beer or vodka at any given time. The tree that got cut down when I was in my junior year of high school is covered with little kids, trying to climb up on the short trunk and sit on it.

I sigh quietly, realising that this is how we're gonna part with Marcus. In silence. 

I feel my phone vibrate, so, with a low huff, I take it out of my pocket, and there are two new text messages, both from Andrew.

Andrew: Sorry, m'lady. Would you do me the honour of taking you out today? It would be the highlight of my shitty day.

Andrew: By the way, I'm outside your house. I'm going to wait for you as long as I need to.

The exact moment I read that, I feel Marcus stop the car, and my eyes instantly move up to search for my favourite pair of eyes on earth. Andrew. Right next to my mother's eyes, who are at the moment looking at Andrew fondly.

Hello, my dear reader! Thank you for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it, that you'll vote for it, and, most importantly, that you'll continue reading the story. :)