done // m.f. & s.m.

e l e v e n

My eyes flutter open and I am hit with the unforgiving rays of the sun. I groan and reach over to cuddle Mark, but am surprised when my fingertips touch the cold bed sheets beside me. I check my phone to see the time. 7:30am. Why was Mark gone so early?

I sit up and rub the sleep out of my eyes. I scope around the room to see if there's any evidence that would explain Mark's disappearance, and I find a sticky note on his computer desk:

hey babe, gotta run some errands today, won't be back till tonight xoxo

I nodded and crumpled up the sticky note, throwing it in the trash and walking out of Mark's vacant room. I stretch my arms as I walk into the kitchen and turn the coffee pot on. As I pour the coffee grounds into the warm pot, a half asleep Seán stumbles into the kitchen, wiping his eyes.

"Ah, good morning Jacky, it's a bit early for you isn't it?" I ask, the quiet humming of the coffee pot in the background.

"I smelled the coffee from my room and it woke me from my intense man-sleep," he grumbled, sitting at the kitchen table.

"So, I suppose that means you want some?" I tease, pouring myself a cup and reaching for the cabinet to grab another. Seán nodded lazily and I roll my eyes, pouring more coffee into a second mug. I grab both the mugs and sit at the table across from Seán, placing the mug in front of him.

"Where's Mark?" he questions, sipping the dark liquid and relaxing in his chair.

"Running errands I guess, he said he won't be back till tonight," I shrug. The coffee mug warms the tips of my fingers, making me feel tired all over again. There is a small silence between us as we listen to the sounds coming through the window. Birds are chirping, and there's a slight hum from the heat of the sun.

After a few moments, Seán breaks the silence. "Wanna do some stuff today? I gotta record somethin' really quick, but like, wanna do something after?"

I flash him a small smile. It's been a while since him and I have really spent a day together. "Of course. Can I help you record?" He nods excitedly and jumps up from his chair. I mimic this action and we both dart into his room, careful not to spill any of our precious bean juice.

We record a quick episode of Google Feud and by the end of it we're crying of laughter. The Internet is so strange sometimes, but it sure does make for good videos. When Seán finishes uploading, it's well into the afternoon.

Seán and I are laying on his bed, scrolling on our phones and showing each other memes as we find them. We sometimes sit up and interject our own jokes or go on tangents about life or our favorite musicians. My heart swells. Times like this with Seán are ridiculously important to me and remind me why we became best friends in the first place.

"Hey, wanna go bowling?" he asks quietly after a few silent minutes of scrolling through Twitter.

I bolt upright. "IS THAT EVEN A QUESTION? LET'S FUCKIN GO!" I exclaim, hopping off the bed and running to grab my keys. I race to the front door as Seán stumbles out of his room. "WHAT are you WAITING FOR? Let's go!" I swing the front door open and sprint to my car with Seán jogging closely behind.

We get to the bowling alley, pick out our shoes, and get into a lane. We competitively play an entire game, and he kicks my ass. "I let you win," I playfully joked and he rolled his eyes. We start the next game and I start off well before he starts beating me again. Clearly frustrated, I forcefully pick up the ball.

"Jax, c'mere," he chuckles, walking towards me. He takes the ball out of my hands. "Hold it like this," he shows me, slotting his middle and ring fingers into the holes at the top and his thumb into the hole on the bottom. I nod and snatch the ball back, placing my fingers as he showed me. He shifts his position so he's standing behind me. "Now, take the ball back like this, and let it go like this," he says softly into my ear, grabbing my arm and swinging it back and forth. His breath sends chills up my spine and his touch is gentle and soft. I shake my head and brush him off of me.

I stare down the pins at the end of the lane. I take a deep breath and try to mimic the technique Seán showed me. I release the ball and watch closely as the ball travels down the lane. It strikes the pins and knocks all of them down.

"HELL YEAH!" I exclaim, jumping and throwing my hands in the air. I turn to face Seán, who has a stupid grin on his face. I run to him, hug him, and quickly release him to return to my competitive mindset. "I mean, it's whatever, obviously that was gonna happen," I play it off, shrugging and rolling my eyes.

"Yeah, you're welcome," Seán shoots back, smiling and picking up a ball for his turn. He mumbles something under his breath I can't quite hear as he tosses the ball and knocks all of the pins over as well.

"Oh, game fuckin' on, Mcloughlin," I threaten, narrowing my eyes.

"I suppose it fuckin' is."

*

hey guys! sorry this chapter was so late, i wasn't sure what i wanted to write for it exactly and kept avoiding it. let me know how you're liking it so far! thanks for reading!!