Rowan frowned and immediately patted down his pockets, hunting for his phone.
“It wasn’t you. It was Teegan. She’d got hold of your phone and had set up the meeting as a way of tracking down the person she thinks you were having an—” I couldn’t bring myself to say the word ‘affair’ out loud. “She’s still got your phone. When she discovered it was me, she got upset and I tried to follow her but—” I spluttered, my voice cracking.
“Where is she now?” Rowan asked, his face more serious than I’d ever seen it.
“I don’t know. She was heading off into town. I tried to follow her, but she told these guys I was bothering her, and they stopped me. I didn’t know what else to do.”
Rowan nodded and turned to shout over his shoulder. “Christina!”
A muffled, angry reply came, and I saw a flicker of frustration cross Rowan’s expression.
“I don’t fucking care. Get your head out of your arse and get down here. Teegan is in trouble.” I shuffled nervously on the doorstep, watching as Rowan quickly shrugged a jacket on and grabbed his keys.
“What’s going on?” Christina asked, appearing in the hallway. If looks could have killed, I’d have been six feet under.
“Teegan has my phone. She knows about Max, and she’s upset, on her own somewhere in town. Get your keys, two of us out looking is better than one.”
Though Christina still glared at me, she obediently grabbed a coat and another set of keys. Rowan must have told her about me. Whilst she wasclearlydisapproving of me being on her doorstep, she didn’t seem shocked or even really upset now she was face to face with me.
“Max, I need you to get out of here,” Rowan said quietly. “As soon as I’ve got my phone back and I know Teegan is safe, we’ll talk but for now I can’t be worrying about you too.”
I shook my head. “No, it’s fine. Go. Can I do anything?”
Rowan’s expression softened a little. “No, just go home.”
Christina finished locking up and pushed past me to her car. “This is all your fault,” she hissed at Rowan, and I saw him physically recoil from her. "It was your idea to keep Teegan in the dark, and now look what’s happened.” He didn’t argue, just quietly got into his car.
I stood, still on the doorstep, watching them both reverse onto the street and away into the steadily darkening streets. Once they were both out of sight, I broke down. A soft sob escaped me, and I hurriedly rubbed my eyes, willing the tears to recede. Everything I had been afraid of for months had seemingly come to fruition all at once. How was Rowan ever going to be able to look at me again after this, never mind consider a relationship. I’d ruined his life… all of their lives.
???
That evening had been one of the worst of my whole life. On the way home, I’d called Becca to fill her in. She and Oliver had been at her mother’s house, celebrating her wedding anniversary, otherwise they’d have come home to be with me. As it was, I told them not to worry, and I’d be fine. I was most certainly not fine.
It was getting late, and I still hadn’t heard from Rowan. The worry was eating me alive – had they found Teegan? Was she alright? What was happening? I stared at the TV but wasn’t watching a damn thing. My mind hummed like white noise, the same panicked thoughts whirling over and over. When the buzzer rang, I jumped out of my skin. I paused the television and got up.
“Hello?” I said through the intercom.
“Max, it’s Rowan.”
My heart stopped and I pressed the button to release the door locks. As I waited by the door for him to make his way up, I fought back nausea. Why was Rowan here? It was gone eight – surely a quick message to let me know things were alright would have sufficed? I’d have understood that he couldn’t be with me with everything that was going on. That was unless everythingwasn’talright…
He knocked the door, and I opened it. I held my breath until it burnt in my lungs. I’d never seen Rowan looking so exhausted and defeated. He was pale, and the attractive smile and sparkle in his eyes were missing.
“What’s happened?” I asked, voice barely more than a whisper.
“Can I come inside?” he asked, and I quickly side-stepped for him to enter. He dropped a holdall onto the floor, and I looked at it, my heart heavy in my chest.
“We found Teegan,” he said. “I’m not sure she’ll ever want to talk to me again, but she’s safe and that’s what matters.”
As he said that last sentence, Rowan’s voice wavered with emotion and I broke the tension, stepping forward to wrap my arms tightly around him. Rowan buried his face in my hoodie. He squeezed me so tightly; I could barely breathe but I allowed it. I pressed my lips together, fighting to stay strong as my own emotions threatened to overwhelm me. Though he was quiet, save for the odd sniffle, Rowan trembled against me as he cried.
I wasn’t sure how long we’d stayed that way, simply holding one another, but eventually Rowan pulled away and scrubbed a hand down his face.
“Sorry,” he smiled sadly, nodding his head to the wet patch on my shoulder. I simply shrugged. “They both know everything now,” Rowan continued, clearing his throat. “No more secrets. Christina has thrown me out, so that holdall is all I managed to grab at short notice.”
“Fuck, I’m sorry,” I sighed. “Stay here with me. As long as you like.”
“Thanks, Max.” He sniffed.
