endearment (Jesse Lingard & Marcus Rashford)

Part 1

Jesse pov
I was just sat on my couch bored in my living room.
All my friends are busy doing things and I'm just stuck watching a film on my own in the dark.
Sad I know, you'd expect a footballer to be doing the opposite but I guess we don't.
It's pouring down with rain outside.
Well it is Manchester so I don't know what I expected...in winter especially.
Suddenly I hear a knock on my front door.
I don't react first time as it could just be the wind or rain hitting the door or something.
But the knock occurs again.
I stand up to go and answer it.
I open to the door to be met with my best friend Delilah.
She's stood there in tears, make up smeared all over her face presumably from crying not to forget she doesn't have a jacket on and is drenched from the pouring rain.
"Oh my god what's happened Lil? Are you okay?" I say as I put my arm around her to bring her into my hallway away from the rain.
Before I can ask anymore questions she throws her arms around me and sobs into the crease of my neck.
I wrap my arms around her rubbing her back trying to reassure her everything is going to be okay even though I don't have a clue what's happened or is currently happening.
She pulls away from me and I hold her hands.
"You're shaking like mad" I say worriedly staring down at her trembling hands.
"Come through" I say escorting her to my living room.
I put her on the couch and fetch a blanket from behind her and drape it over her.
"Would you like a drink or a towel to dry yourself?" I ask her kneeling down.
"No! Please just stay here" she says looking alarmed.
"As you wish" I say stroking her hands with my thumbs
Delilah or 'Lil' as I like to call her has been my best friend since we were 18.
I met her at a footballers party. I don't quite remember who's party it was and nor does Delilah as we were drunk out of our brains. She went to high school with said footballer but they weren't friends they were just mutuals. We have a similar personality, she's always the one willing to do crazy dares with me and dance with me in clubs and such. Let's say we are the wild pair of our group.
Marcus does do stuff with me but he's quite a chicken when it comes to public stuff like dancing and dares.
"So go on tell me what's happened" I say as I realise her crying has calmed down.
I scootch onto the couch right beside her and she shuffles so she's facing me.
Still not breaking our grip of each other's hands.
"Josh..." she trails off.
"Right where is he" I say feeling my blood boil and my body tense up. Josh is her boyfriend. When she introduced us to him he was alright, he used to get involved in Marcus & I's banter. I would call him one of the Broski's now but if he's caused Lil's this much pain then he is dead to me.
"Jesse... I felt like I could only come to you because I thought Marcus wo-" she starts before I cut her off.
I cut her off my placing my finger over her lips.
"Shhh" I say.
She smiles and looks down.
"Did he hurt you? Physically or mentally?" I ask.
"Both" She says almost starting to cry again.
"Delilah I've never seen you like this..." I say seeing the hurt in her eyes.
He must've done something bad... really bad.
"He! -He!-" She says stuttering.
I give her a sympathetic smile.
She throws herself into my arms and weeps onto my chest soaking my t-shirt in tears but I won't complain.
I wrap my arms around her and hold her tight. I feel her relax.
She wipes her eyes before she continues.
"He- well I caught- Marcus- Emily" she says not making sense.
"Sorry I think you dropped a few verbs on the way in" I say hoping to calm the situation.
I feel her laugh against my chest. She sniffles and says "how do you even make me laugh in situations like this?" She asks laughing lightly through her tears and sniffles.
"Anyway what does Marcus have to do about this?" I ask going back to what she earlier said.
She goes silent.
"Lil's I need to know will this hurt Marcus as well? Is that why you didn't go to him?" I ask rubbing her shoulder gently.
She sits up releasing herself from my grip.
She looks down at her hands and starts twiddling her thumbs.
"Well I walked into MY apartment to find him doing it with Marcus' girl Emily on the couch. He then saw that I saw them and he sent Emily home and locked me in th-" she says
"That little bastard" I mutter under my breath.
"I haven't finished yet" she says rolling her eyes smiling at me.
"Mhm sorry" I say clenching my fist as I just want to kill Josh. He's hurt both of my best friend in one night.
"He locked me in the kitchen and threatened me and tried to strangle me and he gripped my wrists so hard Jesse..." she says holding back the tears.
I gently grab her hands and turn them to see her wrists. They're all blue and purple in the shape of finger tips. I feel a lump in my throat as I just glare at the bruises.
"Right I'm off" i say shooting up off the couch feeling my anger taking over me like a burning fire raging through my body.
"No sit I still haven't finished" she says pulling my back onto the couch by my left arm.
I get really fidgety and tense as I just want to go and smash his head in.
"I grabbed a pan and I kind of- well did hit him over the head and he dropped to the floor and I ran straight to you"
I smile to myself and look at her fingers fiddle together.
"That's my girl" I say under my breath.
She must've heard as she cracks a weak smile.
"Is he still there in your apartment now?" I ask
"Ummm that's where I left him. I don't know if Emily was still there, it was all a blue to be honest" she says looking in my eyes.
"You're staying here tonight, I'm not letting you back there whilst he's still alive" I say standing up from the couch.
She whispers "thank you"
I walk into the hallway to get my car keys.
"What- what you doin?" She asks appearing behind me in the hall.
"I'm going to see where that bastard is and I swear to god if I find him-" I say before she cuts me off.
"No please don't do anything violent because it will ruin your career, I'm not having you wreck your reputation because of me" She says placing her hand on my arm.
"Right well I can't promise anything" I say opening the front door.
"Well I'm coming with you" I demand
"No you're not" he laughs "you're staying here"
"No I'm coming with you, I won't have you doing anything stupid" I say following him out of the door.
"Right well you're staying in the car, you're not coming in to your apartment in case he's there" he says unlocking the car.
"We'll see" I say smirking getting in the passenger side of the car.
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Delilah pov
We pull up outside my apartment block.
"Wait here" Jesse says to me.
"No I'm coming in" I say stubbornly.
"Right fine but stay close behind me" he instructs.
I nod my head and we get out of the car.
I look up to my apartment and the lights appear to be on.
"Jesse" I whisper behind him.
"Yeah?" He asks tilting his head.
"My apartment lights are on" I say with my voice quaking.
"Stay very close behind me. You'll be fine I'll protect you, I won't let anything happen" he says reassuringly.
We walk up to my apartment, it's only on the second floor so not too many stairs to climb.
We reach the door.
Jesse tries the door.
"It's locked" he whispers turning around to me.
"I have the key" I say rooting in my pockets.
Eventually I pull out my key and hand it to Jesse.
I stay close behind him as we burst in.
There he is. Josh stood in my kitchen.
He turns his head towards us. The anger that fills his eyes. I've never ever seen him like this.
I grip onto the back of Jesse's jacket.
Josh aggressively stomps towards us.
Jesse moves to block him and holds his hands out to prevent him from coming closer.
"Mate back off. You dare try anything else and you won't see another living day" Jesse says protectively.
Josh seems taken aback and takes a big gulp.
Jesse peers over his shoulder and says
"Lils go pack your stuff"
And with that I gingerly walk to my room to pack a back very quickly.
Jesse pov
"Why is she packing a bag?" Josh asks me sounding genuine.
"Are you right in the head? You think you can just attack her and then pretend it's normal and think she will want to stay in your company?" I spit folding my arms in front of him.
"She's not going anywhere!" He demands trying to push past me presumably to get to her in her room.
"Yes she is. There's nothing you can do about it so cool down man" I say restraining him.
Not long after that Delilah appears with two giant sports bags filled.
"Also before you get any ideas you can't squat here as this isn't your apartment, if you're not out by the end of the month I'm calling the police. That's being kind" I say sternly pointing my finger in his face.
"Guess me and Emily will have to buy a place of our own" Josh says with a grin on his face.
That smug face, I just want to knock him out.
"How long has you and Emily been a thing?" Delilah asks keeping her distance.
"9 months" he says with the smuggest grin I've ever seen.
I turn to look at Delilah and I can see the pure hurt in her eyes. I feel so bad for her.
And for Marcus.
"You've hurt my two best friends, and you will NOT get away with it" I say to emphasise the 'not'
"Oh yeah?" He questions smirking
This guy is so cocky. I wonder why he just changed, he was so cool and chill it's like he's just changed overnight. It's weird.
"Don't push it!" I warn
I escort Delilah out closing the door behind me.
I turn back around to be met with Delilah giving me a huge hug:
"Thank you" She whispers into my clothing.
"Anything for my best friend" I say rubbing her back.
I grab one of her bags and she takes the other.
We walk down the hallway towards the stairs
"How do we tell beans?" She asks.
"I honestly do not know" I say sighing walking down the stairs.
"I think we should drop my his place right now in case he messages her and makes a fool of himself or something" she says
"Yeah the sooner he knows the better." I say
We reach the doors that lead outside.
We approach my car and I open the boot.
"And to think I was at Marcus' house yesterday and he was talking about Emily and his' future." She says places one of her bags in the boot.
"Man this will break him" I say placing the other bag in.
As I close the boot she says
"But he has the best friends to get over this"
"Are you sure you're okay?" I ask walking round to my side of the car.
"I'm a strong girl Jesse I'm okay now, all thanks to you" She says with a bright smile stepping into the passenger side of the car.
I smile to myself and then get in the drivers side.
Now we have to tell Marcus the woman he loves and thought he was going to marry has been cheating on him for 9 months with one of the broski's.
Man this is going to be TOUGH!
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