Four months later
A soft purr entered my head and roused me from my sleep a wet nose and whiskers pressed against my face as I opened my eyes and seen nothing but black fluff "Good morning Benjamin" I cooed sliding the sleepy cat off my face Chessie lay at my feet and Brooklyn on the dent Brian had left on his pillow. I smiled to myself as I thought about how quietly he was getting up in the morning so he didn't wake me.
Things had been going pretty well we took it very slow for around a month or so after the wedding Joe came back from the Canaries and everything went back to normal.
We didn't get to see Joe as much as he was now a married man and Bessy had recently announced she was expecting. We were over joyed of course and sometimes plans where abandoned for James to take Lynda out on date nights but we got together when we could and shared pizza nights or dinner parties.
Apart from Sal knowing, Q and I kept our reunion quiet from the guys for a while they knew we had made up and became friends but we were always stealing kisses when nobody was looking. We did come clean eventually and after a ton of teasing from Joe things settled and became normal we didn't hold hands or kiss while the guys were around we just weren't that type of couple and we both liked it that way don't get me wrong I was crazy about Quinn but being relaxed was our style.
Sal still wasn't dating anyone I tried to encourage him but he said he was fine being by himself. I think it was starting to take a toll on him He didn't come over to hang out as much anymore I seem him a good bit but he hadn't had lunch in a long while because of date days with Brian always getting in the way. I should probably give him a call soon I thought to myself as I lay stroking Benjamin.
The guys had just returned from a two week tour and I had missed them like crazy I still hadn't seen Sal, Joe or even Murr yet as they had gone straight to filming this morning. I had been waiting with a takeout and a few episodes of Game of Thrones when Q returned exhausted last night "seriously baby I don't want no huge fancy dinner I want just you and you're cute little self to be waiting at the apartment with my 3 babies and we will have a night in together" he had pleaded down the phone a few hours before he got back and that's just what we did.
I rose from my bed and gave the three boys a feed before packing my bag and heading back to Murrs to get my work uniform. I still lived with James although Q sometimes mentioned moving in together I just laughed it off I was perfectly happy where I was.
I arrived at work much to the delight of Sam the shop was packed out with the usual people picking up orders for work but there was also a lot of stressed parents coming in for a release after buying all the stuff to send the kids back to school it was a busy time. I got stuck straight into taking orders by the time my lunch break flew by I felt like I had worked 3 straight days without a rest I had said "Hi what can I get you?" that many times the words didn't even make sense anymore.
Sam stood behind me as I sat out the back of the shop drinking a smoothie and texting Brian "Hey Maggie I know you're dying to get home but could you stay a little while after work there's something we have to talk about" Sam was rarely serious about much but I could hear it in her voice I think she sensed panic when I looked up at her "Don't worry I'm not going to fire you we just need to have a chat"
I mopped the floor while Sam pulled the shutters she made us both a cup of tea before motioning me over to the table "I'm not gonna walk gently around this Maggie but I got a phone call last night"
"Okay..?" I was seriously confused what had this to do with me.
Sam sighed and took a breath "It was from Fallon" she noticed my eyes widen as I bit my lip "now don't freak out she..."
I held my hand up to stop her "Sam I don't want to hear anything please"
"But Maggie"
"Don't Maggie me I'm not listening to anything she has to say" I stood grabbing my bag and throwing it over my shoulder. "She's your sister for Christ sake Maggie!" Sam roared at me before the door shut behind me my chest felt tight I barely knew what direction I wanted to walk in never mind what I was going to do there was only one person I could think of that I wanted to see to feel better. I cycled away from the shop as fast as I could.
I pulled up outside Sals house taking a few minutes to calm myself before knocking he answered immediately and looked very surprised to see me "I didn't even know if you were home" I gasped between breaths.
He could see I wasn't myself "Yeah I just got home about thirty ago, what's the matter?"
"I uhh just came to see you feel like ages since we hung out" he clearly knew this was bullshit but let me in anyway not before I had taken off my shoes though the apartment was immaculate
"oh honey you cleaned" I sang as I walked upstairs to the seating area Sal gave me a punch on the arm before sitting down on the sofa "so what's up" I asked sitting cross legged on the opposite sofa.
Sal raised his eyebrow to me he had become far too good at reading when something wasn't okay "I know you didn't come here to talk gossip Maggie what's going on, have you and Q fallen out? He seemed kind of edgy at work today"
I shook my head "No no this isn't about Brian, wait what? What happened at work?"
Sal shrugged at me raising both arms in the air "Beats me he just seemed distracted that's all, so what is it?"
I took a deep breath "My sister called my work earlier"
Sals eyes grew wide and his jaw dropped "you've a sister?!" he exclaimed
I nodded looking down at my fidgeting hands "whoa, well what did she say?" he pushed for an answer after this new found information
"I don't know" I mumbled "I told Sam I didn't want to know"
"Why?"
"I just couldn't talk to her it's been so long" my eyes started to well up and I pulled furiously at a loose string on my work trousers. Sal stood up and kneeled on front of me making me look him in the eye "look Maggie I'm not going to ask anymore but I don't know maybe you should give her a call back it might be helpful, in the meantime you look like you could use a glass of wine"
"Y'know I would really love one" I chuckled relaxing a little more.
By the time we had got halfway through our second bottle I was lying on the floor struggling to breathe listening to Sal tell a story about life on the tour bus "it really was the greatest thing I'd ever seen" he sighed wiping a tear from his eye still giggling like crazy.
"Aw I have missed this" I exhaled finishing my glass "you don't come around as much anymore Buddy I miss you."
He raised his head and a smile came to his face "you do?"
"Of course I do! Why wouldn't I?"
Sal shrugged and frowned slightly "you're just always so busy with Q, Murr has Lynda and Joe is a married man now I just feel kinda left out like you guys don't want me there."
"Oh my god Sal don't even say that" I crawled over to him pulling him into a hug he felt warm and nice "I will always want you there" I whispered to him his arm tightened around my waist he didn't want to let go "Thanks Maggie" he sincerely meant it I pulled away and sat back down "why not try dating?"
His face grew a little red with the subject "It's not me Maggie, I don't think I'm ready?"
I crocked my head sideways "What's there to be ready for?"
Sal didn't respond for a while he rubbed his head in his hands before looking up at me "Let's just say I also have things I'd rather not talk about Maggie." His voice was a low mumble as his eyes strayed to the floor I swore I could see tears.
I didn't pursue it any more though I couldn't handle any drama. I lay on the ground looking up at the white painted celling and tried to take a sip of my empty glass "ohhhh Salvatoreee my glass is empty do be a darling" Sal rolled his eyes taking the glass from my hand "I think you're drunk Maggie"
"I hope so" I shouted "otherwise the room is spinning on its own you should get that checked out"
Before we knew it the sun was rising the wine had run out hours ago but we continued to sit and chat even sobering up slightly but not much "I think I'd better be getting home" my phone died a while back and I shuddered to think of the amount of missed calls from Murr, Brian and even Sam I felt a pang of guilt when I thought about how harshly I walked out on Sam "I'll call you a cab" Sal yawned sleepily getting to his feet.
The cab arrived and I gave Sal a hug as he walked me to the door "This was great, Love ya buddy"
"Love you too sweetie" he yawned again "Now get the hell outta my house"
"Rude!" I retorted flipping the finger at him. I smiled to myself the whole way home having to stagger in oh to quietly so I didn't wake James. There were a few letters left by the door but I was far too sleepy to read them they could wait till morning I plugged my phone into charge and regretted it immediately as a wave of texts and call alerts came flooding in, they too could wait till morning.