After You... (1st Draft)

Chapter 14 - There May Be Trouble Ahead

Hello one and all followers and readers :)

Yes, it's been a long while...

I'm not gonna say much, just that to those who don't follow me, I was a little disillusioned with wattpad after some dickhead copied my other story, so I didn't think I'd update either of my stories on here because I was pissed about it. In fact, I was dubious about putting any more of my work on WP, so yeah, it took a while. But hell, I've done it. I want to thank all those who alerted me to it and reported it. I know all your names, my sister loves you guys too lol

Oh, and I've noticed this but if you prefer Darius, please DON'T apologise for it! Why do you always apologise for it? It's okay, you know! You have a preference between the two, that's totally fine. But honestly I always read a comment prefaced with "I'm sorry but...". Nooooo, don't be lol. Seriously. Darius, Malachy, Bree, which ever side you favour, that's yours to own.

This chappy's long. As always. It took me hours to edit. Yes, it's mighty. That's never really a surprise though is it lol? Anyway...

                              Chapter 14 – There May Be Trouble Ahead

I'd noticed Malachy's hesitance long before we even got in the car. He'd put his jacket on and paused by the door for a moment, his shoulders rising and falling as if calming himself for what was ahead, but he wouldn't elaborate on anything.

Reggie's text had changed the air around him, his demeanor was off, something was stewing inside him and my mind couldn't help but drift in and out of all the possibilities.

"Ready?" he'd finally turned to me, though he couldn't hide the tone in his voice.

I put my jacket back down. "Actually, I think I'm gonna leave my jacket, I'll be fine. Just picking Kibbie up, right?"

That earned me a passing nod, and he turned to the door now as he quietly said, "Right."

Opening the door slightly and holding onto it for a brief moment, he hesitated. I heard him sigh and he slowly shut it again before turning to me. He looked over me briefly.

"Malachy?" I'd said, getting closer to him now. I didn't like what his face was telling me. He was part heated, and part foreboding. He appeared to want to say something but was inwardly surrendering the idea of doing so. "What is it?"

My hands slid up over his shoulders and I tried to settle the expression on his face. But he held my hands off him, "Let's get this over and done with once and for all."

For a moment I'd questioned what he meant by that. Maybe I was crazy but there was something about the way he said it that made me think there was a double meaning in it.

I then wondered why I would think that. It was such an innocuous thing to say, but really, it sort of wasn't. He casually dismissed it though, and I internally speculated on the reason for him being like this.

Could it be that he was annoyed that our morning together hadn't lasted? I would have loved to have told him I was too. I mean, I'd imagined us in bed for moments longer than we had been, him playfully chasing me around the kitchen because I'd had the audacity to flick fresh cream in his face after dousing my waffles in it and him attempting to get me back for it. If only he could realize I was just as gutted about our shortened morning as he was, despite some of the shit he'd witness from me already.

Once in the car, I'd briefly taken in the interior as it occurred to me I'd never actually seen anything that belonged to Malachy before. My eyes drifted over the seats, to the dashboard with a folded newspaper on it, but my gaze soon locked on two dog-tags and a time-worn pocket-watch dangling decoratively from the rear-view mirror.