Page 37 of King of Clubs

I also promised Mum I would come back soon, which I genuinely meant, however, when I finally got in my car I had never been more grateful to be alone. I waited until I left the street and was out of view before immediately pulling over. It had been almost an hour since she replied and I was unable to hold back the grin that split my face so it was a good thing I was no longer near my intrusive family.

Marlee

Hopefully soon. As long as I don’t eat them prior.

No promises.

I chuckled, my fingers flying over the screen to reply in a move which felt foreign. I despised messaging, finding the time and effort useless when you could make a quick call and be done with it – yet here I was thinking of how I could best prolong the conversation.

Sebastian

They are pretty good. Do you prefer sweet or savoury?

I wanted to know what she had been doing in the three days since I last saw her.

I wanted to know if she had been thinking about me as often as I thought about her, if at all. But mostly, I wanted to knowher- what she hated, what she enjoyed and what I could do to be near her.

Placing my phone into the holder, I began driving home. I hadn’t even left Moorway when her name again illuminated my screen. A slew of text messages before my car could even recite the first. I pulled over like a teenager who lacks all forms of self-control, grinning like a love-sick dickhead.

Marlee

Savoury.

Actually sweet.

Lies. Both. Combined. Like a caramel, macadamia nut ice cream.

You?

Chuckling in the empty car, I glanced out the window. Thankfully it was dark because I was smiling like nobody’s business and if someone could see me now, they would wonder why a bloke sitting alone in his car was looking so pleased. Or if I was some crazed stalker waiting for an unsuspecting victim.

Sebastian

Your coffee order makes more sense now. Savoury for me. Favourite colour?

I got back on the road, pulling onto the expanse of bitumen that would take me back to the city and promised myself that even if she replied I would wait until I got home. I contemplated calling Cooper to check-in as another message distracted me and I didn’t even make it three minutes before I pulled into one of the emergency shoulders along the highway.

The trucks and cars passing caused the car to tremble as I greedily unlocked my phone, hungry to read her words.

Marlee

Unsurprising. Why do you have caramel syrup in your pantry if your coffee order is so boring?

Green.

Yours?

Favourite song?

Her eyes flashed in my mind and I wanted to reply that green was my new favourite colour too. This woman had me by the balls. Her consecutive messages were consistent and another thing I found I liked about her.

Sebastian

You’re observant, Marlee. My Mum has it in her coffee too. Hmmm, probably black.

No favourite, it depends on my mood. Different songs for different occasions.

Driving the rest of the way home had taken much longer than normal because I'd pulled over another seven times to devour her preferences and was not in the least bit disappointed. I couldn’t read fast enough, smiling ridiculously hard as I learned she loved watching romantic comedies from the 90s, singing and sunflowers. She shared that her parents died not too long ago in a car accident and how difficult it had been for her – the sadness behind those eyes making a little more sense.

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