Drop Dead | Sam Fender

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Three

"Your drinks," the waiter interrupted with a polite smile, placing our drinks down on the table.

"Thank you," I replied.

Sam

"Dean, what the fuck are we waiting for?" I asked in confusion. The two of us were sitting at a table outside one of the many cafes in Tynemouth, where he asked me to meet him twenty minutes ago but hadn't mentioned anything regarding the reason why.

"There yer are!" Dean grinned as he glanced at me from across the table, adding to my confusion. It was only when I realised that he was rather looking past me that things started to click into place. It wasn't a what but who we were waiting for.

"Sorry I'm late," an all-too-familiar voice spoke. Dean stood to greet her as my head turned subtly to study her. She looked flawless as she always did, unbothered by her panicked state caused by her tardiness.

"Don't be daft, yet can't help it if your train gets cancelled, it's not like London's a ten-minute trip like," Dean laughed.

"I haven't even been home yet," she giggled as she pulled away from his hug. "Oh, hiya, Sam."

"Hello," I gulped, my eyes flickering between her and Dean as I tried to work out why we were both there. Was this some sort of ploy he had concocted to get us back together or something? Surely not. "Er, what's gan on, Deano?"

"Reet," he muttered, sitting back down opposite with Rory sitting next to me. I couldn't stop my eyes from drifting over to her every few seconds, drinking in her beauty. Her soft, blonde locks fell in her face in a way that made me want to reach out and tuck them back. The way I used to. But I knew I couldn't. "Yous are both my best mates, ya've been there for us since the start like-"

"If you're gan tell us you're dying, spare us the soppy speech and get on with it," Rory teased.

Dean's mouth fell open as he glared at the girl to my right in disbelief. "Wow, charming," he scoffed. "You've been hanging around Harlow too long."

"Oh, fuck off," she giggled, shoving his shoulder lightly. "Just spit it oot already."

"I wanna propose to Harls," he announced.

It was mine and Rory's turn for our jaws to drop as Dean's deadpan tone mixed with his bombshell announcement hit us like a brick wall. Rory recovered quicker than me, her mouth widening in a happy grin.

"Nee way!" she gasped as she pulled him into a tight hug. "I'm so happy for yous."

"Congrats, mate," I grinned.

"Cheers," he smiled. "I need your help with some bits. I wanna make it special for her y'kna?"

"Of course," I assured him.

"Just tell us what yer need," Rory agreed.

Dean wasted no time delving into the details, explaining each delicate part of the plan to us in great depth. Rory would go with Dean to the jewellers to help him pick out a ring after she found out Harlow's ring size. He wasn't quite sure when he would actually propose but he knew how he was going to do it down to a tee, which I was to help set up the day of.

"Er, excuse me," a meek voice interjected belonging to a teenage girl, who couldn't have been older than fifteen.

"Hiya, pet," Rory greeted with a warm smile that made my heart skip a beat. "Y'alreet?"

"Y-yeah, I'm s-sorry," she stammered, curling into herself as her nerves took over. "I'm just... I'm a big fan. O-of the both of yous."

I studied Rory meticulously as she stood from her chair and brought the young girl into a tight hug, whispering some form of reassurance that was too quiet for me to hear. It was a warming sight that made my heart tighten but I soon snapped out of it when the two pulled away.

Standing from my own chair, I stepped forward with a teasing smirk. "Alreet, Rory, no need to hog her now! She said she was a fan of both of us, not just you," I joked, poking her in the side lightly, which made her jolt.

"Sam," she whined, slapping my arm defensively.

"What's your name, kidda?" I asked.

"Poppy," the teen flushed.

"Nee way! My cousin's name's Poppy!" I grinned. "Are yer as much of troublemaker as she is?"

Poppy didn't reply, although the corners of her mouth tugged upwards in a shy smile.

"Can't wait to tell her yer said that," Rory snorted.

My jaw dropped. "Yer wouldn't dare!" I gaped, earning a subtle smirk from my ex-love.

"I-I didn't realise yous were friends," Poppy frowned, although the slight smile on her face proved her true feelings on the subject matter.

"Unfortunately," Rory teased, her wide, blue eyes flickering towards me, lit up with a warmth that reminded me of back when we were teens. When we were both a lot more carefree than we were now. Her bottom caught between her teeth as I felt her eyes linger longer than they should have. It sent a glimpse of pride rushing through me, although it was completely squashed by my internal reminder that she had been on a date just twenty-four hours before. She had told Harlow, who had shared the information with Dean, who had accidentally let it slip to me. I was deflated, to say the least.

"Would you mind if I asked for a photo?" Poppy inquired shyly, ripping us from our reverie. Rory's eyes tore away from me, a practised smile breaking out on her face as she desperately tried to hide her embarrassment of being caught staring but the pink that dusted across her cheeks told a different story.

"Not at all," I grinned. 

Rory was quick to recover whilst we posed for photos with the young girl, who thanked us another five times before bidding her goodbye.

"She was really sweet," Rory commented as the two of us sat back down around the table where Dean had occupied himself with his phone.

"Aye," I agreed. "Reminds me of Jess when she first started hanging oot with us."

"She does," she laughed. The sweet sound was music to my ears. "Where were we anyway?"