English Rose - liam gallagher fic

38. wanting was enough

"We'll have a drink up here," he said as we exited the stairwell and walked into an empty, but definitely open bar.

"Is this not what I got told off for doing with Rob?" I said with a grateful smile.

"Yeah well, we've actually done everything we need to do," he said with a knowing smirk. "Sit down, I'll bring a drink over."

It was quiet in here, and being able to see the trees sway in the dark out the window helped a little. After that godawful chat with Blur I was starting to feel claustrophobic down there. I sat at a table next to the large window, into a comfortable chestnut leather chesterfield sofa, and I observed Marcus from the other side of the room. I didn't want him to come back over and ask what's wrong, mainly because if he did I don't know how well I'd be able to hold my tongue. I was upset and tired and I didn't want to be here anymore.

"Heineken for the lady," he said with a cheeky smile, placing a pint down on the place mat in front of me.

"Thank you," I said, and immediately picked it up to take a sip.

"Yeah, job done. We've got the rest of the night to enjoy ourselves," he said, shuffling around till he had pointed himself inwards to look at me, and slung his arm across the top.

I shot him a confused look. "It's only 11:30."

"I'm good at my job," he shrugged and took a swig of his pint. "What happened with Blur then?"

I was taken back with his bluntness, bypassing the question of if I was okay and it reminded me that he was here on behalf of the agency - not me.

"Nothing," I said. I wasn't technically lying.

"Fuck off," he told me with a laugh. "The way you spoke to that tall one told me otherwise."

I winced, not realising he had seen that, and that was the opposite impression he was wanting me to give them. I pondered over what to tell, before I realised the truth was probably the excuse that made most sense.

"I just don't like him," I shrugged. "The others are fine."

"What happened? Is there history?" He said, but I thought I noticed something different in his second question and in the way his eyebrow quirked. Maybe I wasn't wrong earlier.

"Oh no," I laughed at the suggestion, waving him off. "Definitely not. Just a very rude man."

"Noted," he said. "The others you're alright with."

"Yeah," I shrugged. "Fine."

"How do you know them?" He asked, taking another drink and leaning back into his side of the sofa.

"We live in the same area, run in the same social circles, you know, how you usually know people," I said with a smirk. No way was he getting it out of me.

Marcus' eyebrows quirked upwards in amusement. "Clever. Why wouldn't you say if you already knew them? Would have made that introduction a lot less fucking awkward."

"I don't think that would have made a difference," I chuckled, thinking how most of the tension was caused by my frostiness towards Alex.

"He can't be that bad," Marcus huffed in entertainment and sat forward, understanding who I was getting at. "What about the others then?"

He was relentless and the smug look painted on his face was infuriating.

"Why are you so bothered?" I challenged. "You're not my manager."

He smirk faltered and he paused for a second, before sitting back in his chair. I picked up the smirk he dropped in knowing I finally had one up on him.