Aurora
"Hi," I spoke meekly as I held my phone to my ear.
"Hi," Finley greeted me softly.
I caught my bottom lip between my teeth as I tried to form a coherent sentence. I had no idea what to say to him nor how to address the situation. "Er, listen... I'm sorry. About running away," I apologised sheepishly.
"Hey, don't worry about it, love," he told me. I could hear the soft smile in his voice as he spoke. "You panicked. It's a natural reaction."
"I was a bitch," I mumbled, brows furrowing.
"You weren't a bitch," he sighed. I let out a light scoff. "Alright, maybe a little bit," he chuckled. "But it's fine. Someone leaked one of your biggest secrets to the press. I think it gives you a free pass."
"I'll make it up to yer, promise," I mumbled.
He let out a light laugh which echoed down the phone. "You don't need to do that, darling," he assured me. I shuddered. Hearing the pet name from his lips left me feeling unsettled. It was unnatural hearing it from someone other than Sam. "But I do miss you. When are you back in London?"
"Actually..." I trailed. "I've decided to move back to Shields for a bit. Got myself a place an' everything."
"Oh."
"I'm sorry," I swallowed thickly. "I-I just couldn't stay in London."
"You don't need to apologise, Rory," he told me. "You have to do what's best for you. I'm just sad I won't be able to you as much."
"It don't have to be like that," I murmured. "Why... why don't yer come up and visit?"
"Really?" he asked in surprise.
"Aye," I smiled softly. "When are yer free?"
"I've got two weeks off in November?" he suggested. "My last match is on the 10th."
"Perfect," I agreed. "I'll see yer then?"
"Can't wait," he replied.
Sam
"Er, Sam, can I talk to yer?" Harlow asked nervously. I hadn't long arrived at the Low Lights, where Harlow, Dean and Joe were already sitting with their drinks. Jess and Tom were running late and we were expecting Drew, Tom and Rory at any minute.
"Howay, Harls, I've only just sat down like," I grumbled teasingly.
"Please," she coughed, nodding her head towards the door before heading in its direction.
I let out a sigh and pushed myself up from my seat, muttering to the lads that I would be right back before following Harlow outside. "What's wrong?" I mumbled, holding in a shiver as the cold November air hit, my thin jumper not providing me with much insulation.
Harlow rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet. "Er, Rory just called," she murmured.
"Reet?" I frowned.
"She's bringing Finley," she told me, her eyes meeting mine, filled with sympathy. My stomach dropped. How stupid could I have been to think that we were getting somewhere? That our near kiss back at the Surf Cafe last month might actually have meant something? God, I was so fucking stupid. I let the glimmer of hope that night sparked in me blind me. I totally forgot she had a boyfriend. Well. I purposefully ignored the fact.
"Oh," I muttered, averting my eyes to the concrete floor and half-heartedly kicking a crushed can.
"I thought I'd give yer a heads up like," she whispered, rubbing my arm comfortingly.
"It's fine," I shrugged noncommittally. "I'll be fine."
"Sam-"
"Hiya, lads!" Rory's voice cut through our conversation, sending my brain into overdrive. I reluctantly turned my head and immediately wished I hadn't as my eyes fell on Rory and Finley, their hands interlocked as they strolled towards us.
"Hello," Harlow smiled, pulling her best friend into a tight hug and leaving me and Finley staring awkwardly at each other. I shoved my hands in my pockets, my lips pulling into a tight line as I waited for the two friends to part.
"Y'alreet?" I greeted her with a soft smile, a wave of triumph washing over me as she pulled me into a hug, unable to stop my eyes from flickering over to the footballer to her right.
"Aye," she grinned as we parted. "Fin, yer remember Harls, reet?"
"Yeah," he nodded, offering the short girl a small wave. "It's nice to see yer again."
"You too," she agreed. I shot her a look of betrayal out of the corner of my eye at how quickly she had accepted him. I was at least expecting some sort of coldness. Her to be Harlow.
"And this is Sam," Rory continued, her eyes lingering on me as she spoke. "Sam, this is Finley... my boyfriend."
"Areet?" I asked, offering him a short nod, which he returned.
"Ceemon, Dean and Joe are inside," Harlow announced, tugging me towards the entrance of the old pub. "Drew and Tom are on their way and Jess and Tom are running late."
Rory snorted lightly as she and Finley trailed behind us, "Nowt new 'en."
"Shagging probably," I commented.
"Don't be so crude, Sam!" she scolded me teasingly as she shoved me lightly.
"That's abuse, y'kna?" I scowled jokingly over my shoulder.
"What yer gan do about it?" she smirked, the four of us settling at the table.
"Yer gan find oot real soon," I grumbled. Her smile widened as she rolled her eyes, choosing not to reply as she greeted Joe and Dean with hugs and introduced Finley to the pair.
It wasn't long after that Drew and Tom arrived, which I foolishly thought would brighten my mood. It didn't. Drew was immediately taken with the football star, firing off all sorts of questions about the Premier League. A conversation Tom soon delved into when he and Jess arrived. Rory looked elated that her boyfriend was getting on her friends but I felt nothing but betrayal.
I didn't understand why everyone liked him so much. What was so great about him?
"I'm gan to get another drink," I mumbled as I stood.
Rory perked up. "I'll come with yer," she offered. "I need another one."
"Reet," I spoke forcefully, the two of us making our way to the bar silently.
"So..." she trailed quietly. "What d'ya think?"
"Of?" I asked nonchalantly.
She rolled her eyes and brushed my arm with her shoulder. "Stop being a div, yer know what," she huffed. "Finley."
"Oh," I muttered. "He's areet like."
"Areet?" she frowned, her whole aura deflating at my comments. As though she was looking for my seal of approval.
Something tugged at my heart upon witnessing her upset, my mouth spewing out words to amend the fact. "He's nice," I smiled forcefully.
"Yer think so?" she inquired, a look of hope in her eyes.
"Aye," I nodded. "I don't really know him that much like but he seems canny."
"I was scared yous wouldn't get on," she admitted shyly as she rested her elbows on the bar, her thumbs twiddling nervously. "You're my best friend. Would've been a bit awkward like."
Even though they were my words to her just a few weeks ago, hearing them fall from her soft lips felt like a bullet to the chest. Best friend. That's all I would ever be to her now. But that was my own fault. I had no one to blame but myself. "Reet," I coughed, covering it up with a laugh.
"Areet, kiddas?" John boomed as he moved to serve us. I was thankful for the distraction, my jaw getting tighter and tighter at the topic of our conversation.
"Hiya, John," Rory beamed before she rattled off her order, leaving me stewing in my thoughts.
YOU ARE READING
Drop Dead | Sam Fender
Fanfiction'Did you come around here just to start a fight? Drop dead.' Sam's difficulty with relationships stems all the way back to his adolescence. He hasn't had it easy growing up in the Northeast of England but he managed to escape his teens unscathed. Mo...
