I darted off the bus and rushed down the street towards the surgery, surprised when I turned into the car park and found it empty. I’d got here quicker than Rowan? Perhaps he’d been held up. A fine drizzle started to fall, and I pulled my hood up, sitting on the wall as I waited.
It was strange being here on a Sunday. The office was locked up tight, with the blinds down, all dark and silent inside. Usually, it was a hive of activity with patients coming and going. I sighed, looking up at the building. This was where it had all begun. I recalled my first day, seeing Rowan for the first time. I’d found his smile as captivating then as I still did today. I sniffed and looked down at my shoes, willing the panic to recede.
I’d been waiting at least fifteen minutes. I pulled my phone out of my pocket. No messages. I sighed. What was going on? I burned to find out, not least to be out of my misery one way or the other. I opened Facebook, scrolling mindlessly to try and keep myself from overthinking.
“Max?” a voice said, and my head snapped up. A cold shiver coursed through me as my eyes landed on an all too familiar band t-shirt.
“Teegan?” I gasped. “What are you—”
The girl looked down at the phone in her hands and her lower lip began to tremble. “Oh my god,” she whispered. “You’re MM?”
My limbs felt as heavy as lead, but I forced myself to stand. “What are you talking about?”
Teegan held out the phone and I realised with a start that it didn’t belong to her. It was Rowan’s. The screen was open on his messages, specifically the ones he’d sent to me. The contact was stored as ‘MM’. Magic Max. I felt sick.
“Teegan, it’s not what you think. You—” I spluttered, walking towards her. She shied away from me, a large tear dripping down her cheek.
“Are you in a relationship with my dad?” she asked, voice shaking.
“I don’t— I mean, I—” I floundered, tugging my hood down despite the rain. “I think you should speak to your dad.”
Teegan’s face crumpled and a short sob escaped her. My heart broke and I automatically reached out to comfort her.
“No!” she snapped, recoiling. “Don’t touch me. I have to go.” Teegan shoved Rowan’s phone back in her pocket and turned on her heel, striding away.
“Teegan!” I shouted after her, following close behind. “Please, wait.”
“Leave me alone, Max!” Her body stiffened and she hurried ahead.
“Fuck, Teegan. I’m sorry, please just listen to me a minute.”
As we rounded a corner, two older men were approaching. They frowned, glancing between us.
“Is this man bothering you, miss?” they asked.
Teegan glanced back at me with a sniff. She nodded, wiping her nose on her sleeve.
I raised my palms in surrender and took a step backwards as the two men turned to me with a scowl.
“I think you should back off,” one of them warned.
“Teegan,” I sighed. The girl turned away and hurried off and I slumped forward, my hands on my knees.
“Go on, clear off.” One of the men shoved me back in the direction I’d come. “Leave the poor girl alone.”
“Alright, alright,” I muttered, shrugging his hand off me. I returned to the car park of the surgery and sat heavily on the wall once more. I bent forward until my head was between my knees.
“Fuck!” I shouted angrily, sitting up and running a hand through my now damp hair. I needed to warn Rowan. I snatched my phone out of my pocket but froze as I pulled up our messages. Teegan still had his phone.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I hissed, pacing back and forth. I couldn’t just leave this. God knows where Teegan was headed. She might just go straight home, but what if she didn’t? I couldn’t say I’d blame her for not wanting to go back there with everything that was going on. What if something happened to her? I couldn’t live with myself.
“Fuck it,” I growled, running back to the bus stop. There was no other option, I’d have to go to Rowan’s house.
I paced back and forth, willing the bus to round the corner, cursing my inability to drive. After this was all over, I’d finally get around to booking those lessons I’d been putting off all this time. I’m sure Rowan would be happy to help me learn… if we were still together of course. A ran a shaking palm down my face. Where was this fucking bus?
Eventually, my ride rounded the corner and I hopped on, holding my phone to the reader as I paid. The bus was full, windows steamed up by hot, damp bodies. I chose to stand, steading myself by holding onto one of the handles. I jostled against strangers as the bus roared to life, staring blankly out of the window.
What on earth was I going to do when I got to Rowan’s? Just dance up to the door and introduce myself to his wife? Did she already know about me, or had Teegan figured it out first? So many questions.
