Hey guys as promised the new chapter of My Happily Never After!
At 2:53 AM ... I have GOT to get my sleeping schedual back on track!
Still I'm in a really good mood because my best friend's text me today that he's coming back from Wales soon for the Christmas holidays and I've missed him loads! So YAY! Plus I just spent the day Christmas shopping nad I've gotten almost all of that out of the way *mini party* now I can just relax and be excited for Christmas! I usualy get my shopping done about two days before Christmas so this is a HUGE improvement for me :P
Anyway I'm going to let you read now :) PLEASE ENJOY::
::My Happily Never After::
Chapter Eighteen: Knowing Who’s A Bad Guy
“Move.” The order was direct and cut, and it made me scowl.
I stood firmly in the coffee shops entrance, not budging. I’d been planning this attack all day.
Standing my ground I tilted my head back to glare up at Mackenzie defiantly. He gave me an unimpressed glower in return. I didn’t move an inch from where I was standing.
He wasn’t having it. “Seriously, get out of my way Taylor.” He said moodily.
I shook my head, not letting him leave. “Not until you tell me.” I said sternly.
His glare deepened. “Not until I tell you what?” He asked, his annoyance seeming to grow ten-fold.
I swallowed. He was still intimidating as all hell when he glared like that. “Whatever it is I’ve done that’s pissed you off so badly.” I said.
Two days. That’s how long Mackenzie had been acting weird for – and I couldn’t for the life of me work out why.
“You won’t move out of my way.” Mackenzie said flatly.
I glared back at him. “I’m being serious here, Mackenzie.” I said. “You’ve been acting really weird for the past two days.” I said crossing my arms tightly.
“What makes you say that?” He asked. His jaw twitched slightly, belying his cool exterior.
“You’ve been walking around everywhere with a thunderous expression on your face.” I answered. Plus, he’d barely even said two words to me – not even to have a go at me for something trivial like he usually always did. “Be honest, have I done something to upset you?”
He sighed. “No you haven’t. Now can you move?” He asked.
I hesitated.
“What now?” He asked, hurrying me along.
“Even if it’s not me something is bothering you, right?” I asked. He didn’t say anything. “Do you…want to talk about it?”
He gave me a look of utter disbelief. “What?” He asked, incredulously.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I repeated, feeling my cheeks heat.
“Why would you even care?” He pressed.
I shrugged, diverting my eyes. “…A problem shared is a problem halved and all that.”
Mackenzie rolled his eyes. “You believe that?”
“Actually, yes.” I told him. He raised an eyebrow at me doubtfully.
“Well tough. I don’t.” He responded flatly.
I let out a frustrated sigh. “Look. As ridiculous as it sounds, and as annoying as you are, having you know about me being in love with Isaac was actually somewhat of a help to me.” I said sincerely. If I was being perfectly honest with myself it had been eating me up inside ever so slowly, and I hadn’t even realised. Some of that pain had left me a little once I was able to talk about it out loud.
“So yeah, if you want to talk, I’ll listen.” I finished.
For a long moment Mackenzie didn’t say anything, and neither did I. And then eventually Mackenzie let out a defeated sigh. “It’s not anything serious, or whatever you’re thinking.” He said. “I just…did something stupid.”
Okay, I wasn’t going to lie, that piqued my interest.
It must have shown on my face because Mackenzie rolled his eyes. “Oh for Pete’s sake.” He said with aggravation. “I’ll tell you on the condition you do not tell anyone else. Ever.”
An easy enough condition to follow. I mimed zipping my lips shut.
Mackenzie shook his head slightly, and I smiled knowing he was probably thinking I was being childish again.
“Fine then.” He agreed. “It’ll be easier to just show you.”
My eyes widened ever so slightly as he reached for the bottom of his shirt, but didn’t say anything as he revealed the skin on his right hip.
I had to bite down on my lower lip to hold in my laugh. There, just above the waistline of his jeans, was a tattoo no bigger than the size of half my palm of just two simple words and a couple of love hearts beside them.
‘Lisa 5eva’
Silence hung around the both of us, as I fought to hold in my laughter.
Gaining enough composure to talk I looked away from the Tattoo back up to Mackenzie’s face.
“So…Who’s Lisa?” I asked, conversationally.
Mackenzie didn’t answer for a long while. “…I have no idea.” He confessed, dropping his shirt back into place.
That was the end for my attempt at empathy. I started to laugh loudly.
Mackenzie didn’t say anything, only gave me a flat look until my sides started to hurt, balancing out my need to laugh with pain, but my lips were still stretched into a wide smile.
“Laugh it up.” Mackenzie said. “Do you have any idea how expensive tattoo removal is?” He asked, the same moody expression he’d been wearing for the past two days returning to his face.
Now if I was a better person, more like Rachel, I would have regained some of my compassion and tried to empathise with him. But I truly wasn’t.
Instead I feigned horror at his words. “Wait, you’re having it removed?” I asked wide-eyed. “What happened to ‘5eva’?” I asked him.
He didn’t find it amusing if his expression was anything to go by. “Has anyone ever told you the more you talk the more annoying you become?” He asked.
My grin widened to the point my cheeks started to hurt. “Lisa and Mackenzie sitting in a tree…” I sang.
“Well that’s mature.” He said cuttingly.
“K.I.S.S.I.N- Hey! What are you doing?” I asked in horror when I saw him move towards the counter, picking up the book I’d left lying there.
“Putting your book in the blender.” He answered, moving behind the counter.
“Wait no!” I cried, running after him. “Let’s not do anything drastic.” I said. He’d already opened the lid of the blender; he spared me a quick look over his shoulder.
“Done?” He asked expectantly, a cocky grin once again back on his face.
That was more like the Mackenzie I knew.
I eagerly nodded my head. “Yup. I take it all back.” I said. The smart me would have stopped there, but I clearly wasn’t feeling very smart. “I shouldn’t have poked fun at yours and Lisa’s love. ‘5eva’ is a really serious commitment.” I continued.
“Right, say goodbye to Sarah J Maas’s ‘Crown of Midnight’.” He said, reading the title of the book as he lowered it towards the blender.
I leapt across the counter, gripping onto Mackenzie’s elbow to stop him. “Wait. Please don’t. I take it back – seriously this time.” I promised.
That book was too perfect to let it fall into such a horrible death.
Mackenzie looked down at me as I hung shamelessly off of him, my feet still stuck on the other side of the counter, dangling in mid-air, as the counter edge dug into the upper part of my legs.
“Don’t hurt the book for my sins.” I pleaded.
The way his lips twitched let me know he was holding back a smile.
“No apology?” He asked.
“…Not if you want a sincere one.” I said grinning impishly.
This time he did laugh. But even without the apology he gave me back the book, which I instantly started to hug on return.
“You and your books.” Mackenzie said rolling his eyes. “I don’t get it.”
I looked up to face him. “What do you mean?” I asked.
“You always have your head in a book.” He said tapping the cover of my book as if to prove a point. “I don’t get it. Books are so boring, wouldn’t you rather be watching a movie?” He asked.
I gasped loudly. “Take that back!” I demanded. “Books are amazing! Movies rarely give justice to them!”
He looked thoroughly amused by my reaction, as his eyebrows rose closer to his hairline. “Books just yammer on.” He said with little interest. “Movies at least have action in them.”
I stared at him blankly. “Books have action!” I argued. “They have suspense and thrill and emotions! You get a real glimpse into the mind of the characters, especially if it’s well written.”
He shook his head. “But you can’t actually see it happening.” He argued. “Plus movies take up less time. People can waste so much of their lives just reading.”
“It’s called imagination, idiot. And reading is not a waste of time!” I huffed loudly. “How can you even think of saying that?” Eviler words had never been spoken.
Mackenzie’s only reaction to my mini-outburst was to shake his head slightly. “Are you really going to get so worked up about this?” He asked.
“Yes.” I told him bluntly.
Mackenzie sighed. “Girl’s confuse me.”
“That’s sexist.”
“Fine. Nerds confuse me.” He corrected. “…And girls. So emotional all the time.”
I hit him on the arm with my book.
“Ouch.” He complained.
“Deserved it.” I said.
“That’s it – give me that book back.” He said taking the lid off of the blender again and reaching for the book in my arms.
I curled protectively over it. His fingers dug ever so slightly into my sides making me squirm away with an involuntary laugh.
Mackenzie grinned triumphantly. “You’re ticklish.” He said with a gleam in his eyes that had me backing up.
He caught me by my arm, pulling me back towards him.
“Wait no!” I pleaded with a loud laugh when he started tickling my sides. “Can’t. Breath.” I wheezed out, between each bout of laughter. He didn’t stop his attack, one arm around my waist to stop me running away.
Wrapped up in our fight, neither of us heard the sound of the door opening behind us. Not until we heard the sound of someone clearing their throat uncomfortably for attention.
Mackenzie stopped tickling me. “We’re clos-” He started to say, cutting himself off as he turned around.
I twisted to see who it was, and my eyes widened in surprise when I saw Isaac watching us both with a very confused expression.
My cheeks burned red, and I had no idea why. Luckily they had already been flushed from laughing so hard, so it wasn’t so easy to tell. “Hey. What are you doing here?” I asked him, stepping away from Mackenzie.
Isaac’s eyes focused on me. “I was nearby and I thought you might still be here.” He explained. “Thought we could walk home together…”
I felt a small tug in my heart.
I glanced to Mackenzie, wondering if I should say ‘no’ due to his first ‘rule’. Looking to him for help turned out to be useless. Mackenzie was wearing a completely blank expression on his face, and wasn’t even looking at me anymore – his attention was purely on Isaac.
I held in a small sigh. “Yeah okay.” I said to Isaac. It wasn’t a long walk home, plus we’d be walking in exactly the same direction anyway. “Let me just get my stuff first.”
I ducked into the backroom, leaving the pair of them in awkward silence.
Better them than me.
Returning to the main room with my bag over my shoulder I said a short goodbye to Mackenzie, who returned my friendliness with a bland look. Rolling my eyes I took hold of Isaac’s arm, rushing him out of there.
Once we were through the door I instantly dropped his arm again, letting it fall back to his side as he gave me a weird look.
I grimaced a little. “What?” I asked.
“Nothing.” Isaac shrugged.
I pulled a face. “Okay then.” I said, not believing him but letting it drop.
“Okay a small something.” Isaac admitted, changing his mind. I stayed silent as I waited for him to continue. “I thought you and Mackenzie didn’t get along.” He said.
“We didn’t.” I agreed. “Still don’t on the most part.”
“But you definitely get along with him more than before.” He stated.
I nodded my head even though it wasn’t a question. “Yeah. He’s actually helping me with something.” I admitted, keeping my explanation vague.
Isaac frowned deeply, his head angled down in thought as we walked. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” He asked eventually.
“What do you mean?”
Isaac’s frown deepened. “He seems… I don’t know. I just really don’t trust the guy.” He tried to explain. “He seems like a bad guy, and he’s always glaring at you.”
I smiled a little at his protectiveness. But him worrying himself was pointless.
“As I said, we don’t always get along.” I continued. “But Mackenzie’s not actually a bad person. You might even like him if you knew him.”
The crease between his eyebrows grew more pronounced, as he turned to look at me again. “I really doubt it.” He said, his eyes not wavering from mine. “Be careful around him, okay Tay?” He begged.
“Honestly Isaac, there’s nothing to worry about.” I told him seriously.
I may not like him, but I had a certain amount of respect for Mackenzie. He’d gone out of his way to help me on more than one occasion.
I saw Isaac’s eyes tighten slightly with concern, but I didn’t say anything because even if Isaac didn’t I did somewhat trust Mackenzie.
Just no longer with my books.
I shivered inwardly at the thought of losing a book to a blender.
“You’ve not known him that long.” Isaac said, snatching my attention back. “You shouldn’t be so easy around people you don’t know.”
I laughed. “Paranoid much?” I asked teasingly. “Plus Mackenzie’s been Jake’s friend for years.” I pointed out.
“Jake’s a guy.” He stressed.
I turned to look at Isaac in shock. “That’s what you’re worried about?” I was going to put a stop to that thought right there. “Trust me when I tell you Mackenzie had absolutely zero interest in me.”
“And you?” He asked.
“And me what?”
“Do you have an interest in him?” He asked.
I stared up at him dumbfounded. No you idiot. I’m in love with you. I kept the thought to myself.
“No. I don’t.” I responded firmly, smiling wryly at the disbelief in Isaac’s eyes.
“You both seemed pretty close.” He said.
I shook my head, wondering why we were even talking about this. I could almost understand his confusion, but that didn’t stop me from feeling incredulous over the fact the guy I’d been in love with for years was questioning me over whether or not I liked someone else.
“Why does it even matter?” I asked him.
Isaac paused, before shrugging. “As I said, I don’t trust him.”
I sighed. “But I do. Now can we drop it?” I said, hoping the conversation would end there.
Isaac let out a long drawn sigh. “Yeah, you’re right.” He agreed. “I’m sorry. I’m just worried about you, Tay.” He apologised gently. “You’re my best friend.”
Ouch. Friend zoned.
I smiled up at him. “Sucks to be you, I like Rachel better.” I teased.
Isaac’s lips broke into a smile as he let out a laugh, and everything flipped back to normal in that second.
“I’m heartbroken.” Isaac joked with me.
I sighed in relief, and gave him a ‘what can you do about it’ shrug.
Isaac shook his head. “You love me really.” He said assuredly.
I scoffed, pretending his confidence was unwarranted. “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”
Isaac chuckled as we crossed the road onto our street. Turning forwards he noticed the small red car parked in my driveway before I did and stopped walking mid-step.
“Hey isn’t that…” He trailed off in surprise.
“My mum’s car?” I finished his guess for him. “Yeah. It is.”
He gave me a smile. “She’s back.” I assumed it was Rachel who told him my mum had been gone in the first place.
My return smile came out as more of a grimace.
Not that I wasn’t good to have her return, but I wasn’t looking forward to the yelling match that was bound to come with her return.
It was going to be a long night.
___
That's it for now guys! Not my best chapter but there you have it <3 Let me know what you guys think! Any guesses on what's to come?
Next thing I upload will be Coffee Shops and Christmas, I've also put time aside to write Stumbling Through tomorrow, so unless something unexpected pops up I should have that up at about the same time :)
But you know expect the unexpected and all that jazz ... CARD CAPTORS OF THE CLOW! EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED NOW! Going to stop now or I'll probably I start quoting Sailor Moon at you guys next (because you know you're cool when you start making Sailor Moon references)
STAY BEAUTIFUL - LikkleAngel x