Wasted On You (BWWM)

If It's Not Forever

Marlie sat up when she heard knuckles against glass right next to her head. Peeling her headband back from covering her eyes, she looked out the window and saw a man staring back at her. When she jumped back in fear, her arm hit Coby which jolted him awake too. Both of them looked at each other in shock when they noticed the sun was out.

"Holy shit! Did we stay the damn night?!" He panicked and checked his phone. "It's nine in the morning." The man knocked again and Coby turned his truck on to roll the window down. "Uhm, yes sir."

Face scrunched up in disgust, he leaned his head in and rested his arms on the frame of the door. "This ain't a truck stop. You're taking up a parking space for actual customers. Been watching y'all get wild for an hour now!"

Marlie giggled and covered her mouth quickly when realizing now wasn't the time. "I mean, yes sir. We're leaving now." The man slapped the car door then tipped his hat at a couple walking past. She then rolled up her window and looked to Coby who was fighting back laughter. "You gotta take me home. I took a ride share here."

"No problem, princess."

She lived seven minutes away which made the drive short and convenient. They listened to Coby's playlist the entire way which was three and a half songs. Marlie noted some of them for later use. A thank you and have a good day later, she was back at home to see her parents weren't home. She figured they would be at her fathers check up for the medicine he was taking.

"Things to do when you're alone." She tapped her chin while leaning on the counter and looking for things to get into. Her parents had plenty of board games and movies but she's played and watched them all millions of times. "Can't wait to get away from here."

A pair of shoes could be heard walking up behind her and using an oven mitten as the nearest weapon, she turned and threw it at whoever was trespassing in her parents home. The soft cotton came in contact with Morgan's chest as he stood there unbothered. "Well, I came to see if ya made it home safe."

"Of course I did. Why wouldn't I?"

"Cause on the way out my engagement party, I saw you sleepin' in a car with Coby and he's a shit driver so... just makin' sure." She covered her face in embarrassment then swirled over to a bar stool to get off her feet. "What was that about? My engagement just too boring for ya?"

She wanted to come clean and agree that she was bored out of her mind, but he already looked pissed and adding on to it wouldn't help anyone. "Just needed some air," she smiled. "Congrats though. Glad you had a good time last night."

"Yeah. All the plans worked out. Worth the money." He sat next to her and rested his elbows on his knees to shrink himself to her height. "So do ya like him or somethin'? I see ya two gettin' along well."

She disagreed quickly. "Pft! Coby and I. His head is so far up Hayden's ass that he can't even see a bright ass Orange traffic cone if it flew by his face. Let alone dating or even thinking of... me."

"Heard you hadn't been with a man in three years. It's probably numb down there." His teasing laugh made Marlie punch his arm. "It's all jokes. Don't get feisty." He then took his hat off and set it on the counter just to look at her a little better. "I don't know if I can be honest with ya. I mean, I know I can but I don't think you'd believe me.

Marlie gave him all her attention as the weight on his chest because visible. "You can tell me every and anything. I'm only gonna tell you what's right."

"I know... which is another reason why I don't want to say it." He looked ashamed but he gulped loud enough to kick start the dying conversation. "I ain't ready, Marls. You was right. I was sittin' at that table and I felt like I wasn't even present. Like I was placed there and never got the chance to look at my surroundins'."

She shook her head in shame for him. "Damn, Morgan. What made you do this?" She knew the answer but she wanted to make the path for him to connect. She wanted to see if he really trusted her or was he doing what was convenient for him.

"It was fucked up. A shot gun weddin' was the plan. Then I gave her the ring and suddenly the baby was nonexistent. Now I'm going up to this office plannin' an actual weddin' and my brain hadn't caught up. I think if I keep goin' with the flow. Just keep-"

"-being unhappy."

He chuckled as she gave him her defeated look. "Ya used to be able to get me out of everything. Why do ya look like this is out of your hands?" She huffed out a smile which gave him all the answers he needed. "'Cos it is. I known it. Damn. If ya were here I would have never made such a decision."

"You can't put this on me. You made your own choices. Whether I was here or not. You still made your very own choices."

"Yeah... I know. Just... a part of me was so close to thinkin' she was the one. That's until I seen ya step right back into my life. That's how I knew... it shoulda been you."

Her heart froze in her chest, muscles locked up, breathing stopped, and all she could smell was pure adrenaline rushing through every vein and vessel in her body. It were the words she never thought she would hear and they came so soon.

"I finally know, Marls. Can you forgive me for fuckin' this up?"

She searched his eyes hoping she would see any faulting that confirmed it was all just a dream. She figured she was still in the front seat of Coby's car and the last of the high was escaping her body. She usually has the most unrealistic dreams when she was under the influence. This seemed very similar to one of them.

"I accepted the job in Austin. I start next month."

Taken aback, Morgan sat up in his seat and began to blink spontaneously as if he was snapping out of a trance. He then took a look around and stood up seconds later. "Well, that about says a lot."

"Yeah... I guess it does." The words pained as they left her throat but she couldn't take a single thing back. "People change, Morgan. And I can't stay here."

"I know it... I know." He looked down at his boots. "I meant it. All that I said. Can't take nothin' back now." Marlie stood up from her seat to give him a hug and to her surprise, he let her. "We need to go out and celebrate. You know we used to steal my dads beer at any slight excitin' news." They pulled away from each other with smiles on their face. She wondered if he could hear her heart beating through her chest. "We twenty-two now. No need in stealing a damn thing." Marlie let out a held in sigh of pure happiness. "I'm drivin'."

"You the only one know where we going."

Chasing each other right out the front door, they both hopped into his blue truck and buckled up. It was Andrew's Liquor then to whatever destination Morgan had in mind.