CHAPTER SIX
"Slide Out The Window."

"Shut up!" Marlene whispered while covering Elijah's mouth with her hand. They had just made out. In her kitchen. Marlene didn't know what would've happened if they hadn't been interrupted. They had run directly to her room and locked the door before Kate came into the apartment. They were currently in front of her bedroom door with their ears pressed to it. They were trying to figure out who Kate was with.

"It's someone from the male species. Kate was out with a guy!" Marlene whispered and yelled to Elijah, who just had a grin on his face the whole time.

"Why is this such a big deal?" Elijah questioned the erratic girl in front of him.

"Kate doesn't hang out with guys alone... ever. Oh my god, do you think she was out on a date?" She said it excitedly while pressing her ear to the door once again. Elijah shrugged.

The sound of the door closing made them both jolt away from the door. Then the sound of Kate making her way to Marlene's bedroom made them run around in circles, trying to look as normal as possible. They ended up sitting down on the floor on her pink rug, pretending like they were on their phones.

"Hi Marls," Kate said as she opened the door, then stopped to do a double take at Elijah. Marlene prayed that Kate wouldn't give it too much importance.

"Oh, Hey Eli." She said this with a raised eyebrow and a pointed look at Marlene. "Hi," they said in unison.

"I just came in to let you know I brought you dinner... I didn't know you had company." Kate said it suspiciously. Marlene knew that this was Kate's way of apologizing after being rude to her this morning. Kate was more of a show than a person.

"Thanks! Elijah and I were just hanging out, and we were going to watch a movie." Marlene replied, and Elijah nodded rapidly, looking as guilty as ever. Kate furrowed her brows at the action, then nodded.

"Okay then... I'm going to shower. Bye." She said, still looking at Marlene, that she was definitely going to question her about all this when Elijah left. She left the room and closed the door. Both Elijah and Marlene looked away from the door to each other and tried not to laugh.

"Okay, so I guess that's my cue to leave." He said this while wiping his hands on his jeans. The reality of the kiss had not seeped in yet, but it definitely was now, and Marlene was flushed pink.

"Sure, I mean yeah." She squeaked while trying not to make eye contact. "I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to."

"It's okay, I still have to go over the set list with the lads, but I'll see you soon, yeah?" He got up from his spot on the floor, but before leaving, he awkwardly ruffled the top of her head. Marlene could not believe him.

He snatched his hand away and brought it to his neck, scratching it nervously. The door closed with a click when he left.

When Marlene had made sure he was out of her apartment, she flopped herself on her bed and screamed into her pillow. Kate came in immediately.

"What. The. Fuck! Why was Eli here? And why did you both look so suspicious?" She questioned her as she crawled onto Marlene's bed. She was still face-down on the bed.

"W' might' made' ow'." The words were muffled by the pillow, and Kate pushed her arm to turn her around.

"Speak like a normal person!"

"We might've-you know..."

"No, I don't fucking know! That's why I am asking!"

"We might've made out..." Marlene let out, and Kate's jaw instantly dropped. Then she screeched like a hyena.

"Oh my god! Oh my god! I am going to die." Kate shook her best friend as she shouted in excitement. "So, what does this mean? You guys have been in love for so long."

"I don't know... I don't think it meant anything to him." Marlene answered and looked down at her hands.

"Of course it meant something to him! He loves you, Marls!"

"No... I mean, I know that, but maybe it's not romantic. I mean, he quite literally ruffled my hair before leaving. Maybe he was just horny or something."

"That bleeding eejit! Marlene, don't worry; that doesn't mean anything." Kate comforted her friend while rubbing her arm. She didn't want her to overthink this and then pull away from him.

"I don't know..." Marlene said, blinking rapidly, then flopped onto the bed again.

"Wait, what do you mean, horny? Was the kiss hot? Oh my god, I bet it was!" Marlene groaned and turned on her side, trying to get away from the pestering questions.

"Tell me, or I'll just ask Elijah myself." Marlene quickly turned around and narrowed her eyes at her best friend. "You wouldn't." She replied sharply. Kate grinned mischievously while grabbing her phone and going straight to her call log.

"I would," Kate said with a defiant look.

"Well, I haven't asked about the guy you were out with, so how about we talk about that?"

"How do you know I was out with a guy?" Kate replied with an arched brow. She refused to look nervous about that question. She shouldn't even have a reason to be nervous. There was nothing wrong with her being out with Robert. Except for the fact that she had a better time than she cared to admit.

"I heard you two when you were by the front door."

"It was no one." Kate replied and scratched her head.

"I'll give you the details about the kiss if you tell me about who you were out with." Marlene tried to bargain, and Kate shook her head.

"How about we have some wine, and you give me details regardless?" Kate shot back.

"Fine, I can't really pass out on that offer." Marlene relented and got up from bed, dragging Kate along.

-
In the morning, she had woken up to a wine hangover and a raging headache. There was also a loud ringing sound that her brain couldn't process. Then she realized it was a phone call. From Inhaler's manager. She pressed the answer button and tried to contain herself.

"Ello?" She greeted her and then shut her eyes due to the light peeking out into her room.

"Hello, Ms. Walsh. Sorry for calling so early. I have business to discuss with you." The man on the other line said that, and Marlene cleared her throat.

"No, it's fine! I was already up!" Marlene replied, obviously lying, and she heard a chuckle from the other line.

"It's 7 in the morning, and you sound like I woke you up."

"Yeah... I might've been fast asleep. It's okay! What can I help you with?"Marlene replied gingerly. She looked around her room for the case of aspirin she knew she had somewhere.

"Well, I just wanted to let you know I have made a decision about your application." He said that, and Marlene stopped in her tracks.

"Oh! Okay!"

"I believe you will be the best fit for the band. You have a great technique. Obviously, you would have to come in later to sign some paperwork, but I wanted to inform you before hand." He said, and it was like a weight was lifted off her chest.

"Oh god, thank you! I'm extremely grateful for the opportunity! I can't wait to start." She said it excitedly, and they got off the phone. She was extremely excited to start taking pictures of everything. The places she would see while on tour. Her first instinct was to call Elijah and tell him the news, but they hadn't talked about the kiss, and she felt awkward about it.

She put on her favorite hoodie (a Taylor Swift one) and walked out of her bedroom. She heard a knock on the door, which was weird since she wasn't expecting anyone. She opened the door.

It was Elijah.

With the most beautiful bouquet of flowers she had ever seen.

"Conrad told me he gave you the job. I had to congratulate you." Elijah said it with a small smile and a shrug.

"Oh my god." Marlene's eyes welled up with tears as she grabbed the flowers from him and placed them on the small table they had for their keys. She jumped into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. Elijah stumbled back a bit but wrapped his arms around her lower back immediately. Her feet lifted from the floor. She murmured a thank-you into his shoulder. He put her down but didn't let go of her. He wiped the tears off her face and gave her a smile.

Once again, Elijah found himself wanting to kiss her so badly.

He didn't.