Intrigue

Chapter 145

Malcolm's POV

Sean turned when he felt a presence behind him. I saw him flinch when he realised that it was me. "Oh, hey," he said. "Would you like me to get you anything?"

I glanced towards the empty bar. No bartender. I arched an eyebrow. "It's fine. I'll get one later." But I didn't walk away, I stayed next to Sean, hands in my front pockets. A hint of a smile played on his face.

"Another whiskey on the rocks?" he asked me. I shrugged, and to my surprise watched him walk behind the bar. He turned his back to me, his eyes skimming until they stopped on something that had caught his eye. His hand reached for the Singleton 12 year old.

"Since when are you a bartender?" I asked him in amusement.

He chuckled. "I know how to pour whiskey better than anyone." He looked up at me. "Two glasses? For you and Paul?"

I frowned, remembering the way he'd looked at me when he'd seen me kiss Paul. "No, I'll get a drink for him later."

If I got a drink for Paul now, I'd have to go back to him, and wouldn't be able to stay here, next to Sean...

I heard him mutter an "okay" and reach for two glasses anyway. He put ice in both of them. I arched my eyebrow as he started pouring a double shot into the first one. Was he preparing a drink for himself? So he was drinking alcohol and had just lied about it?

My brain had to shut itself up with its stupid theories when I saw Sean pour water into the second glass. I thanked my lucky stars that I hadn't passed a stupid comment, like I tended to do. He handed me my drink, as if oblivious about it all. Then he picked up his own glass and made his way back to me. His eyes flitted around, studying everyone. I could tell he didn't want to be here with me. He was just being polite.

"Water?" I asked him, for want of having a topic of conversation.

He met my gaze. "Yeah. I don't drink sodas, they're full of sugar... so..." he trailed off.

"How do you manage to be around alcohol and not drink?" I asked him. He'd literally prepared a drink for me but had successfully resisted taking some for himself. And I remembered how he had been around alcohol. It used to be his biggest addiction.

He shrugged. "I'm around a lot of things I can't have. You sort of get used to it."

I felt my heartbeat increase at his comment. That couldn't have just been about alcohol. I held onto his gaze. He looked back at me, taking a sip from his water. He didn't look away. Eventually I had to, because it felt like it was getting too intense.

I'd noticed something about Sean and eye contact recently. I still got flashbacks of when we looked at each other and he'd always be the first to turn away, four years prior. He didn't do that anymore. He held eye contact now. Because he was being honest now. He had nothing to hide. No guilt.

"How was your day?" I asked him now.

He shrugged. "Good. Jeremy made breakfast. Then we went out for lunch, him and Soph and I."

So they were pretending to be okay with each other, for Sean's sake. Or maybe their hatred for me was so big that their problem with each other paled in comparison.

My mind went back to what I'd admitted to Jeremy earlier, about the way I'd thought I'd be marrying Sean. I needed to learn to shut up. I looked back up at Sean himself now, feeling heat rush to my cheeks. He was watching me in silence. I took a huge sip from my whiskey.

"Found a job yet?" he asked me now.

I exhaled, and was silent for a little while, before I chose to reply. "I'm helping out Frank at the garage," I admitted.