2:
Three months earlier…
"What are y' doing tonight?" Lil Al asked monotonously as his gaze was fixated and his slender fingers worked effortlessly on, what appeared to be, a perfect joint; Rae felt her heart beat slowly begin to increase as his tongue lazily left a slick line of moisture across the seal along the paper. Unaware to him, he was driving her mind and hormones insane. He licked his lips, before sliding his tongue back into his mouth, and studied the creation in his hand. "Lighter", He demanded, holding out his hand to her; eyes fixed on the joint dangling between his index and middle finger.
She did as she was told, watching his thumb flick the switch and the flame tower from the small plastic covered by his palm as he brought it to the twisted end of the joint. Herself and Lil Al lounged and vegged out on the long corner couch that sat in the heart of his and her living room; something the pair were familiar with and accustomed to, she shrugged "Nothing, why?" He took a long drag, sighed with content and sunk back into the couch "Everyone's going down the pub and I've said that we're going so…". He then looked at her, raising an eyebrow.
She knew that was coming, but she half-heartily hoped he would offer a night in, "I dunno, I don't feel in the party mood. I mean, we went out last night can't we just stay in tonight and chill owt?" He scoffed "Yeh, but I promised we'd go". She rolled her eyes, this was his controlling side making an appearance. "What are y' rolling your eyes for?" He questioned, she folded her arms "Nothin'", She retorted, not wanting to start an argument. He glowered "No, go on. What's ye problem now?" She shook her head "It's nothing, will Finn be there?" He rolled his eyes and laughed a little "Yes, ye lover will be there", He jokingly quipped.
Now, although he was joking; it made her stomach flip and shiver throughout her entire body, like a firework in mid-winter and it travelled right down to the most sensitive part of her; a place Finn shouldn't, but knew all too well. She sighed, shrugging all dark thoughts off "What time?" "'Bout 9". She glanced at the clock on the wall '7:54' Ticked back at her. She then swung her legs off the couch and went to leave when he grabbed her wrist, quite roughly too; causing her to wince "Where are y' going?" "To get ready considering it takes half an hour to get there and well it does take me longer than five minutes to get ready, Al". He scoffed and sharply let go of her wrist, he turned his attention to the TV and without giving so much a glance, he snapped "Oh and wear that black dress, makes your arse look nice".
Would she fuck be wearing a dress, only time she ever wore dresses were funerals - and even then it was a struggle. The one thing she disliked, like really disliked, about Al was his constant nagging for her to be more girly. He knew what she was like when he got with her, so, why was he moaning now? The fucking knob. Then again, he accepted her insecurites and made her feel like a princess; so, she couldn't really complain.
She rolled her eyes and gritted her teeth together before storming out, trying to calm down. The only thing that stopped her from smacking that smirk from his annoyingly good-looking face was the fact within the next two hours she'd be drunk, high and possibly in an ecstasy of pleasure.
Rae wasn't drunk but just on the peak of tipsy, giving her that hype and boost that she needed so desperately earlier. The pub was quieter than usual, which was strange. The only punters that were there were the perverted men or the locals as they would be known as, causing Lil Al to close in on Rae and place a protective hand on her back, they scanned the pub for their group… Lil Al spotted the gang, he made eye contact with one of the older boys called Johnny and gave a head nod; in which the older lad rose to his feet and wandered off to the toilets.
Lil Al took hold of Rae's wrist gently and lead her off into the direction where Johnny had just sauntered off to, where their buzz would be that they ached and craved for. Well, they most certainly couldn't get their buzz from just alcohol. But the way she got her buzz, was something Finn disapproved of massively. The thought of Finn being angry with her, put her off. But then the fact that Finn wasn't her boyfriend, and Lil Al was; was the push she needed to direct her to the toilets with him and Johnny. Even with the feeling of those same piercing brown irises, burning into her back.
Finn watched her leave, following Lil Al like a puppet on strings; his fists curling into half moons and digging deep within his palms - his pouter more plump than ever. Finn knew she was here, he knew it from the moment she walked through the door. He could scope her out anywhere within seconds, he could feel her vibe and presence as soon as she stepped foot into whatever room they were in together at the time. He felt like a stalker and weird, but he just knew it was her… He just knew.
But what puzzled him is why she didn't come over, he knew she saw him. So, what stopped her from coming over? Not that he cared, but it would've been nice and polite of her to come over and say hello. Especially since both himself and Rae's best mates were there, probably that control freak Lil Al told her not to. As much as he loved Lil Al, Finn despised the way Lil Al treated Rae. She wasn't a fucking dog that had to be kept on a constant lead, she was human. A beautiful human.
Chloe, Finn's "Other half" And Rae's best friend, clocked onto Finn's moody expression and leaned in, asking, "S'matter with y'?" He slowly took his gaze from Rae, gave Chloe a forced smile, "Nowt, babe. I'm fine", She frowned, not satisfied, "Then why d'ya look like ya've got a mard on?" He couldn't be arsed with her whinging, so he snapped, "I'm fine, alright!? Fucking 'ell", She rolled her eyes, folded her arms and sat back in a sulk; mumbling a 'Dickhead'. Finn scoffed at Chloe, taking a sip of his pint and reaverted his gaze back onto Rae and Al.
What shocked both the gang and Rae next, was as Al and Rae walked past the pool table; Al purposely but sneakily knocked one of the balls. Thinking he got away with it, Al smirked and went to walk into the toilets when "Oi". Al paused and turned, to see that eight big, well filled out men stared back at him as they stood around the table. "What?" Al snapped back. "Y' just knocked one of our balls", The scrawniest, but still well built man spoke. He spoke with a common northern accent. Al scoffed "What are y' on about?" The scrawny one spat back "Don't talk bollocks, y' knocked one of our balls. I saw ya". Al rolled his eyes "I think you're seeing things, mate".
The scrawny one went to advance towards Al, when the tallest pulled him back "Leave it", He eyed Al before he turned back to his friend "He ain't worth it, he's just a kid trying to show off". The scrawny one relaxed slightly, but his glare never left Al; and Al stared back, just as hard. That is, until Rae put her hands on Al's puffed out chest and started pushing Al into the toilets. "Al, just ignore them. They're honestly not worth it". Al glanced from her to the men before grabbing her hand and turning away.
He and Rae went to walk into the toilets, when from behind one of them murmured; but purposely loud enough for Al and her to hear "Fat slag". As everyone watched around them, even the barmaid had come out from the back to have a nose. The whole pub grew silent, as they awaited Al's reaction. Al froze and sharply turned, his cocky smirk transcend into a hard, grim line across his lips, and his eyes turned cold. Now, with Al they could call him any name under the sun. But, as soon as someone brought his family or Rae into it; that was it. That was his line that should never be crossed.
"What the fuck did y' just say?" Al retorted, the biggest out of them all sat with a smirk; knowing he now knew exactly how to push Al. The man laughed a little "Nothing, I think you're hearing things… Mate". The man mocked, the other men around him sniggered; trying to hold in their laughter.
Al took in the man's face and body, trying to find out what he was having to deal with. The man stood at least 6' 2", he had not one single hair on his head, his eyes were a cold blue and because they were blue; they appeared like ice, his jaw was strong and long, his nose was crooked; obviously broken a multitude of times from previous fights, and the thing that stood out the most from his tanned face was that he had a noticeable pastel pink coloured scar that ran from the left side of his forehead to right down his cheek that made him appear intimidating and frightening; well he was to Rae anyway. He either hit the gym six times a week, or was on steroids; he could easily be a bouncer at a nightclub or a professional heavyweight boxer. He wore an old and worn out Chelsea football jersey and ratted, washed out denim jeans, and gleaming white Addidas trainers. Al noted that on the man's left fist was a gold ring on each finger, an obvious substitute for a knuckle duster.
But Al wasn't scared, Al was never scared and it showed; as one minute he was by Rae's side and the next, he was pinning the man up against the wall with a pool cue. The man began roaring with laughter, but not in a nice way. His laughter was cackle with a mixture of menacing and wicked. "Oh, y' think you're a big man do ya? Wanna mess with the big boys?" The man laughed harder, before Al pressed the cue harder to the man's throat. Al had never looked or felt so furious, especially since the man had laughed in his face. "Shut the fuck up, or I'll kill y'. I swear to God", He was so infuriated, he even spat when he spoke.
"Al, what y' doin'?!" Chop shouted, in which Al looked over his shoulder and shouted "Showing this fucker how to keep his mouth shut". Bad mistake, as Al turned around the man then headbutted Al which caused Al to fly onto the pool table with a hard THUD and the man dived onto Al; laying punches so hard, you could feel them and it'd knock you sick. Rae screamed his name, she ran over and tried to pull the man off him; in which he pushed her roughly back and one of his lads grabbed her, which infuriated Finn. Now although Rae was a big girl, her strength was no match for a grown man.
"Arch, take Chloe and Iz outside. I don't want 'em seein' this". Archie nodded at Chop's demand before he went to lead Chloe and Izzy out of the pub, when Chloe piped up, "No fuckin' way am I leaving Rae!" Which was codeword for; "I don't wanna miss out on the drama", Chop looked at Finn, who sighed and snapped at Chloe, not having time for this and ready to pounce on the fucker who was holding back Rae, "Chloe, don't be difficult. Just go yeh?" Chloe then glowered before grabbing her bomber coat and storming out, half-heartidly hoping Finn would chase after her - even though he never usually did Chloe still secretily hoped for an overnight change in him and he'd become one of those clingy twats she was so used to dating; despite the fact clingy wasn't Finn's style. Archie and Izzy gave Finn a sympathetic look, Izzy gave Chop a quick kiss before asking, timid, "Y-Y' sure ya gonna be alright?" Chop gave a reasurring smile and rubbed her back, "Don't worry about me, babe. Just wait outside with Archers, yeh? Don't want ya seeing this", She looked at the growing chaos before back at Chop, sighing with defeat and then leaving with Archie; head bowed. Finn, Chop, and a few other of their friends got up and raced over and soon enough; everyone was fighting with everyone. Johnny had now emeraged from the toilets; joined in and was loving every minute of it, nothing better than a good fight entertained Johnny.
The place was being absolutely destroyed, amongst it all; somehow Rae had gotten out of the man's grip and took shelter underneath one of the tables. She watched with wide eyes, jumping every now and again when the sound of a glass was being smashed. Johnny jumped up on the pool table and screamed "LET'S FUCKING 'AVE IT THEN". Before he dived onto the tallest.
Rae, cowering under the table, scanned the room. It was a sight to see, punches flying, bones breaking, glasses smashes... It was a good ol' pub brawl. Chop grabbed a cue stick off the table, snapped it across his knee and whacked one of the bigger men across the back; who was beating the shit out of Al and knocked the man clean out - giving a chance for Al to breathe and get himself together. He looked a state, if it wasn't for his hair then you wouldn't be able to recognize him; due to the amount of blood and bruising across his face.
Rae scanned the room for Finn, she soon found that familiar messy mop of brown hair. He was laying digs and kicks into the guy who had hold of Rae just before, Finn wore a look she knew all too well. It was his look that meant he was loosing it, he was too lost in the moment to stop. He could end up killing the man if she didn't stop him. He then brought his foot down onto the man's, already bloody, face which created a sickening snap; which was like music to Finn's ears, that did it for Rae, "FINN!" She screamed above the noise, he looked up and stared straight into her eyes. The hairs rose on the back of her neck, his eyes were now like black slits, his brow was knitted together, his lips were in a hard, thin line; beads of sweet glistened on his forehead and blood dripped from his eyebrow and lip. He took in her expression which was enough for him to completely forget about the body that laid crumpled on the floor in pain and race over, pull her out from underneath the table; despite her protests.
He grabbed her by the shoulder of her t-shirt as he grew inpatient with her as she kicked and slapped at him, begging him to let her stay as she couldn't leave Al. As much as Finn would've loved to have thrown her over his shoulder, making it easier, he knew she hated that and would've kicked off even more - throwing her weight down which would've been a slight challenge, even with Finn's strength. She dug her heels in and pulled away, shouting over the chaos, "Finn! We can't leave 'im!" Not having time or the patience for this, he snapped, "Rae, we don't have time. Y' either come with me now, I drag y' or ya get the shit kicked outta y'" She folded her arms, not giving in, "No, Finn!" Finn huffed, dancing on the balls of his feet with so much anger and exccess energy before he then stormed out of the pub, dragging a furious Rae into the car park - suddenly finding a new found strength from the adrenaline.
Once they were outside, their body temperature dropped rapidly - refreshing compared to the suffocating heat from inside. The only noise were their feet against the gravel and the noises of shouts and glasses smashing from inside to be heard. The two came to a halt, glancing around for Archie and the girls, who were nowhere to be seen. He then turned to her, only to receive a slap. He kept his eyes shut, trying to restrain himself from hitting her back "Finn, y' fucking idiot. What the hell are ya doing!? Ya could've been killed!" He said nothing and let her rant, his eyes still closed. She then started pushing him with everything she had in her, but they felt like hamster pushes as she was terribly weak compared to broad and filled out figure.
She then started smacking his chest "And you've left the lads, y' selfish fucking prick!" Soon her smacks became weaker and weaker, before eventually they stopped. He opened his eyes "Ya finished?" She panted before she nodded. It grew silent between the two before she took one look at the pub and tears brimmed her eyes at the thought of Al, laying all crumpled on the floor; guilt trickling from her chest and pooling at her stomach - she should've been in there with her boyfriend, "Al he-" "Will be fine", He sternly reassured her, cutting her off "Now, shut the fuck up cryin'. It's makin' me look bad". He joked, trying to cheer her up. She weakly laughed and sniffed "Fuck off, y' cry more than me". He returned her laughter, before he pulled her into a hug. He placed his hands on the back of her neck and kissed the top of her forehead. She wrapped her arms around his mid-section and buried her face into the crook of his neck, feeling safe compared to five minutes ago. Finn always made her feel safe, a quality of his she always had loved.
He broke the silence and moved away from her "As nice as this is, we need to move. I've got a feeling they'll be comin' out of there any second". He moved forward and held out his hand "C'mon". "But Al-" "He'll be fine, now c'mon". She let out a huff, pushed her stubbornness aside and took in his hand in which they made a fast exit away; heading to fuck knows where.