Chapter 28 #2
“Well, if it isn’t Alex Taylor,” Callum chimed, leaning an elbow on the back of the booth as if he owned the place. “And Rachel Young, as I live and breathe.” He flashed her a smug grin.
“Ugh,” Rachel sighed, slumping back in her seat. “Of all the ice-cream shops in Belrose, you have to keep walking into mine.” She pinched the bridge of her nose dramatically.
“Shouldn’t you be on that side of the counter?” he smirked, pointing lazily toward the till.
“Shouldn’t you be somewhere chasing a ball?” she shot back, rolling her eyes so hard her head tilted with it.
“Sorry about him,” I interjected quickly, stepping forward before Callum could escalate. “Hi, Alex.” I gave him a small smile, scratching the back of my neck.
“Hi,” he muttered, shifting slightly in his chair, his fingers tightening around his milkshake glass.
“So, what brings you here on your day off?” Callum asked Rachel, folding his arms as if settling in for a chat.
“We’re on a double date,” she said, glancing at Alex. “Well… we were.” Her shoulders dropped, sadness flickering across her face.
“What happened? Did you get stood up?” I asked before I could stop myself, leaning in a little, concern tightening my voice.
“Uh, no. He just had to leave,” Alex said quickly, sitting up straighter.
“Good riddance,” Rachel muttered under her breath, flicking her eyes away, and Alex shot her a warning look.
“Anyway, this is Dan,” she said, gesturing to the guy beside her. Dan lifted his spoon in a small wave.
“I’m Callum, and this big fucker is Kai,” Callum said, tapping my chest, and I rolled my eyes. “Do you go to Westley? Haven’t seen you around.” He eyed Dan mid-spoonful.
“Oh no, my school days are long behind me,” Dan said with a laugh, shaking his head.
“Oh, an older gu-”
“This milkshake is really good. Have you tried it?” Rachel cut in sharply, practically shoving the glass into Callum’s face.
Callum blinked, then took it - obviously - and started drinking, confused but committed.
“I need to talk to you. Over here. About that thing.” Rachel grabbed him by the arm and hauled him out of the booth, dragging him toward the corner like a misbehaving toddler.
I watched them go, baffled - but also relieved when the space beside Alex opened up.
“Mind if I sit?” I asked, nodding toward the empty spot.
He shook his head and scooted over, making room. “Thanks,” I said, sliding in beside him.
“That was weird, wasn’t it?” Dan said, eyebrows raised as he looked between us.
“That? No, that’s just Rach being Rach,” Alex said, though something in his expression tightened like he was hiding the real story.
“If you say so,” Dan replied, still wary. His phone buzzed loudly on the table. “Oh - it’s work. I have to take this.” He stood and headed outside, already answering.
I turned back to Alex. “Okay, that was weird, right?” I said, amusement tugging at my mouth.
“Yes. Very weird,” he laughed, shaking his head. “She told him she was nineteen and Callum was about to out her.” He whispered.
“Oh,” I laughed with him as he took a sip of his milkshake. “What’s she done that for?” I pressed a hand to my forehead, still laughing.
“I wish I knew.” he shook his head, smiling. “But that’s just Rach.”
“Are you close then?” I asked, leaning back a little.
“Yeah, she’s my best friend,” he said. “And she told me to lie if she asked, but I feel so bad. He’s super nice.” He tugged at his hair a little before lifting his milkshake again.
“Yeah, he seems alright, but you can’t break the best friend code,” I replied, putting my hand on my heart for dramatic effect.
Alex laughed. “Yeah, I guess not.”
“So how did the meeting go yesterday?” I blurted out, way less casual than I was aiming for. The words tumbled out before I could stop them. I wanted to know so badly. And if I were being honest with myself, it had been all I could think about.
He shrugged. “Well, I’m not expelled, so that’s a win, I guess.” He let out a breath, shoulders loosening.
“That’s good,” I said, nodding. “What did you get for it then?”
“You’ll find this funny,” he said, smiling. “I have to help Coach with the football team on training days.” He pressed his lips together, shaking his head.
“That’s a literal nightmare for you, isn’t it?” I laughed, nudging him lightly with my elbow as I shifted closer on the booth seat.
“Pretty close,” he said, grinning wide, his shoulders lifting in a helpless little shrug. It was nice seeing him outside of school. It felt different. Spending time with him that wasn’t disguised as studying.
It felt… nice .
“I’ll do my best to make it more bearable for you,” I said with a smile.
“I don’t know how you could make handing out bibs and collecting cones bearable, but you’re welcome to try.” He laughed, his brown curls bouncing with the movement as he tipped his head back.
God, I loved that laugh.
“Why do I feel like that’s a challenge?” I raised an eyebrow, folding my arms as if preparing to defend my honour.
“Trust the football guys to always make everything into a competition.” He shook his head, though the corner of his mouth twitched like he was fighting a smile.
“Nothing wrong with a little competition.” I winked, tapping my fingers lightly against the table.
“I guess not.” Alex’s cheeks warmed, a faint flush creeping up as he ducked his head for a second.
“Well, for what it’s worth, I’m glad they didn’t expel you,” I said it softly, my foot brushing his under the table before I could stop it.
“You are?” he asked, eyebrows lifting slightly.
“Yeah, of course,” I nodded. “You can’t leave me to do the history project alone.”
“I feel like you’d get more work done without me,” he said, honestly, eyes trained on his milkshake as he stirred.
I laughed lightly. “Yeah, I guess we didn’t get too much done yesterday, huh?”
“It’ll be better next week,” he said. “Now I don’t have to worry about school. I’ll be better to work with.”
“I think you’re just fine to work with,” I said, and he smiled - a real one.
A small silence settled between us before I decided to break it.
“So… your mum seems nice.” I tried to sound casual, but the second the words left my mouth, Alex dropped his head into his hands and groaned.
My stomach sank.
Shit.
Why did I think that was the question to ask?
His embarrassment radiated off him.
“It’s fine,” I said quickly, lifting a hand in a small, useless gesture, trying to soothe the tension I’d just caused.
“It’s not.” He shook his head again, sitting up straighter this time. “She doesn’t mean to overstep.” His jaw tightened as he spoke, like he was bracing for judgement.
“She didn’t,” I said - even though she definitely had. I forced a reassuring smile, hoping he wouldn’t see through it.
“She invited you round to a drug party,” Alex said deadpan, lifting his eyes to mine with a look that said come on, be serious .
“Yeah, I guess she did overstep a little,” I admitted, holding up my fingers to show a little . “But she still seems nice.” I shrugged, trying to soften the blow.
“She is,” Alex said, his voice gentler now. “Sometimes a little too nice.” He swirled his milkshake slowly, watching the chocolate spiral around the glass, his eyes dropping as if the movement was easier to look at than me.
“So is that, like, normal for her? To-”
“Flirt with my friends? Pretty much.” He nodded and took a sip.
“I was going to say ‘be so friendly, ’ but sure, that works too,” I said, laughing softly. “Is it just her at home? And your brother?”
He nodded. “Yep.” Popping the ‘p’.
“I’ve got a single mum too,” I said. “My, uh, dad died a while back.” I rubbed my palms together under the table.
“Oh,” Alex said gently. “Did you like him?” He looked up at me with those saucer eyes.
I blinked - thrown.
What kind of question was that?
“Well… yeah. He was my dad,” I said with a small chuckle. “He’s the whole reason I got into football. I know you don’t know teams or anything, but he was kind of a big deal at one point.”
“Oh, that’s cool,” Alex mused, looking genuinely intrigued. “What happened?” he scratched at the back of his neck. “If you don’t mind me asking.”
I shook my head. “I don’t mind… It, it was a car crash,” I said quietly. “I was eight. So it was a long time ago.” I shrugged, though the memory still tugged somewhere deep.
“That still sucks,” Alex said, voice soft.
“What about your dad?” I asked, taking the chance while he seemed open, leaning my forearms on the table as I watched his expression carefully.
He shrugged, eyes dropping to his lap. “I never knew him.” His fingers tightened around his glass, knuckles whitening.
“Did he pass?” I asked gently, softening my voice as I tilted my head, trying not to push too hard.
“No. I mean. Maybe… I don’t know.” He tapped his thumb against the side of his glass, the rhythmic sound betraying nerves. “My mum doesn’t talk about him.”
“Oh, have you ever asked about him?” I shifted slightly closer, trying to keep the question light.
“I used to, but the stories kept changing.” He let out a humourless breath, eyes flicking up for a second before dropping again.
“How do you mean?” I asked, brows pulling together as I rested my elbow on the table.
“Oh, like, first she said she met him at a concert, then it changed to the pub, then she said his name was Richard, and then it was David.” He lifted his hands briefly, as if presenting the absurdity of it all.
“Shit. That is confusing.” I leaned back, running a hand through my hair as I tried to wrap my head around it.
“Yeah. Honestly, I doubt she even knows who he is.” He shrugged again, but this one looked heavier, like it cost him something.
“Would you ever want to find him? Like on ancestry or something?” I asked, tapping my fingers lightly against the table.
He looked up, brow raised. “What, that DNA thing?”
I nodded, folding my hands together, but he shook his head immediately.
“I’m probably better off without him.” He said it flatly, but his jaw clenched as he looked away.