Soo here is another little update for you. Thanks for the feedback/hits to the story, I'm kind of at a weird junction in writing that is causing wicked delays of getting this stuff out but I still rather enjoy it.
Also just an FYI on the chapter titles they've been song names or lyrics: 1. My Delirium by Ladyhawke; 2. Golden & Green by the Butchers & the Builders; & 3. Awake my Soul by Mumford & Sons. All amazing songs that I highly recommend!
"You're kidding."
"Nope."
"Digger?"
"Pete?"
"Wow mate, yer fucked. Be nice."
"Try not to kill him."
"Dunham," Digger greeted Pete, a look of disdain on her face while she took a large sip of iced coffee.
"Err, Digger," he replied back, unaware of her surname.
"Its McKenzie, you clearly listen when Dave introduces people," she grumbled back at him.
Eyeing him carefully through oversized sunglasses she couldn't help admire is physique. Even if his personality was shit he was fit and the fact he was currently standing in a wife beater and low hanging shorts didn't help.
At the same time she was admiring Pete behind the safety of her darkened glasses he was casting side-long glances at her. It seemed she got more gorgeous every time they were together and every time they fought it made his attraction grow.
This girl was going to kill him.
"Enough awkward silence…the midget devils will be here soon enough and we're meant to work together for the second half the day so let's get to it," Digger stated matter-of-factly.
"Midget devils?" he asked with a quirk of an eyebrow.
"Do you have a better name for amped up ten year olds during the summer?" she replied seriously and Pete caught himself smiling down at her.
"No I guess I don't," he conceded and miracle of miracles she gave him a blinding smile that he'd only ever seen second-hand. He found he quite liked it.
The sudden appearance of a few of the kids showing up saved either of them from any more awkward encounters and the day progressed quickly. Pete spent the first half of the day with the boys while Digger was with the girls, lunch was spent with all of them mingling (each adult avoiding each other like the plague) and the final co-ed match was spent on opposite sides of the pitch.
All in all they'd managed to make it through the second day with barely two conversations between them.
"I see you made it through the day alive," Jules exclaimed happily as Digger walked through the door of their flat.
"Barely, it's like working with a toddler," she grumbled, gratefully accepting the offered glass of wine.
"Why don't you two just try to be civil?" Jules tried to suggest helpfully but was immediately cut off by a stern glare, "Ooook, I'm just saying that it's weird how the two of you don't get along."
"There's nothing weird about it, he's an arrogant prick that thinks he can get any girl he wants," Digger replied forcefully.
"He never even tried to come on to you really," Jules pointed out in what she thought was a helpful manner but quickly caught the dark expression that followed, "Oh. My. God." She said with sudden realization, "That's it! You're mad he never hit on you and instead went after Ashley!"
"What!" Digger responded in horror, "Absolutely not. Why would I want a bloke like that hitting on me?"
"Because he's fit and you're single and – "
"Enough," Digger cut her off, "Jules – I love you like a sister but I do not now nor will I ever want Pete Dunham to take any interest in me besides managing to get through the next eight weeks civilly."
And with that she snatched her wine glass and stormed into her room, leaving a rather upset roommate in her wake.
"I just don't know what to do, she's never been like this before," Jules said in concern.
Dave rubbed her arm softly, "It's a shit situation but from what you've told me about Digger she's a tough bird and won't let Pete get to her."
"That's what I don't know…Pete seems to really get under her skin. She's grouchy all the time and keeps snapping at me. She was so so excited about this summer football thing and now she's miserable."
"Dunham too," Dave agreed, "He's been a miserable bastard ever since the Abbey incident."
"How is it our best friend's have ended up hating each other?" Jules moaned, "The rest of the boys love her but your stupid best mate can't seem to get his head out his arse."
Dave pulled away from her slightly, "Hey now! Pete's not the only one at fault here."
Jules' eyes immediately narrowed, "You think this is Digger's fault? I've never met anyone that's hated the girl, so clearly it's not my friends fault."
"Oh please," Dave said while pulling back even further before standing and crossing his arms across his chest, "Digger has been completely antagonistic towards him since they met. She likes taking the piss out of 'im and you know it."
"Are you implying that this is all Digger's fault?" she gritted out, leaping to her feet in barely contained anger.
"Not implying, sweetheart, flat out telling you: Digs is being a bit of a tw - "
"Oi! Am I interrupting something?" a voice cut in and the couple snapped around to see the object of their argument standing there, hair a mess with her kit still on and a wrapped up wrist but a smirk on her face nonetheless.
"Er, we were just havin' a chat," Dave mumbled as he went to grab his coat and leave, "I'm headin' out." He said, aiming for the door quickly barely noticing the hurt look on Jules' face.
"Oh Christ – the two of you were screamin' at each other like banshees and yes Dave," Digger fixed him with a gray eyed stare that stopped his path towards the exit, "I have been a bit of a twat lately…that is where that sentence was headed, was it not?"
Dave flushed and turned back towards her, "Erm, possibly…sorry Digs," he said with a sheepish smile.
"Lucky for you I happen to agree," she replied with a grin as she walked forward and pulled Jules into a hug, "But don't get me wrong, Dunham hasn't exactly been innocent…kids about as easy to get along with as Hannibal Lecter."
"I've heard Mr. Lecter was actually quite charming minus the whole 'eating you afterwards' thing he had going on," Dave said with a grin as he shot an apologetic look at his girlfriend.
Jules squeezed Digger's hand gratefully, pleased she'd managed to avert a disagreement that had been headed towards a blowout, "Now how is you've come to his conclusion? And what happened to your hand?"
Digger flushed a brilliant red, "Well…it started out like a normal day…"
"Iced coffee, sunglasses and ogling Dunham until he spoke and you realized you hated him?" Jules supplied.
If possible, Digger turned even redder as Dave barked out a laugh while motioning for her to continue, "Anyways, day started out normal, boys and girls separate. All the usual but in the afternoon the kids wanted Dunham and me to get out on the pitch to play."
"Uh oh," Jules mumbled, knowing how insanely competitive her friend was.
"Yeah, well Dunham seemed to take a bit of an issue with the fact that I could actually play footy and at one point the bastard slide tackled me and I landed awkwardly on my wrist," she held it up for good measure.
"Fer fuckssake, I told 'im to be nice," Dave said furiously.
Digger waved it off with her good hand, "No worries. As I laid on the ground – only slightly crying – Dunham actually seemed upset he'd hurt me so as he offered a hand to help me up I kicked his legs out from under him and he smacked his head on the one rock on the pitch."
Both Jules and Dave burst out laughing at her words while she continued on, "It was then I realized how ridiculous the two of us were being: me with a sprained wrist, him with a near concussion and forty odd ten year olds wondering what in the piss was wrong with us."
"So you two made up?" Dave asked hopefully.
"Fuck that," Digger answered with a snort, "The man's still a right bastard but then, I'm friends with a lot of bastards so I can deal, better than I have been that is. So here's the plan…"
"Remind me again why I'm doing this?" Pete asked roughly as he followed Dave up the steps to Digger and Jules' flat.
Dave repeated himself for about the hundredth time on their journey over, "Because both you and Digger have been twats and its time it gets settled. Sides, the rest of the boys will be here so it's no pressure."
Pete fell silent as he thought back over the past week which had been the most frustrating in his short 22 years on this earth. The disastrous match on Friday was the breaking point as he cringed at the thought of Digger crying out in pain only to inflict some of said pain on him. The tension between the two of them was bound to snap at some point so he did feel some sense of relief that Digger was conceding a bit in fixing their relationship.
Reaching the door to their flat, Dave stopped short and faced Pete, "Now bruv, please make an effort…Digger is a stubborn arse so the fact she's doin' this says a lot."
"Hmph," Pete snorted back but nodded his head nonetheless as Dave sighed as it appeared that was as good of a promise he'd get.
"Aye, aye!" Dave shouted happily as he opened the door to reveal Jules as well as Swill and Ike who'd already arrived. Pete steeled himself for his first interaction with Digger but didn't spot her in the main room of the flat.
Relaxing slightly he greeted the boys with a smack to Swill's head and a handshake for Ike before leaning in to hug Jules, "How are we, love?"
"Good Pete, glad to see you're still alive," she said with a wink while her eyes shot up to bruise on his temple.
Pete managed to give a slight laugh, "I've had worse." He glanced around the room to see a bar type area set up in the corner with liquor and mixers. Making a beeline for it he figured handling this evening required the good stuff as he mixed a Jack and coke.
Drink in hand he moved towards the couch to join the boys while Jules gave a shout to Digger to come out though Pete seriously wished she hadn't, it was much more peaceful without her and he didn't have to be on guard as much. Perched awkwardly on the arm of the chair he took a strong pull of his drink, which was mostly whiskey with a hint of coke, while keeping one eye on the sport highlights and the other on the hall entrance.
He managed to suck down two drinks before the door of the flat flung open and Digger flew into the room, "Jaysus, I thought you were in your room?" Jules shouted at her as the boys leapt to their feet to greet her.
"Oh, I was…but," Digger stood worrying her bottom lip while plunking down a heavy bag of booze, "I went down the fire escape because I had a hankering for a Big Mac and some Jameson and since we only had pizza and Jack I took the initiative," she answered with an awkward shrug, pointedly avoiding looking at Pete while Jules knew this behavior was due to her nerves.
"What're you a ninja?" Swill said with a grin as he snatched the bottle of whiskey from the bag causing Digger to give a slight smile, happy they weren't making too much of her escape act.
"Nah, I'm a bit off my rocker is all, nearly ripped my dress as a leapt down too," she gestured to the long flowing dress as she spoke.
At her movement Pete let his eyes drop down, a big mistake when he felt his breath catch in his throat. Digger was dressed in a long, purple printed dress that dipped low in the front and when she turned to place a bottle in the freezer he saw that most of her back was exposed as the fabric twisted and cut low, showing a hefty amount of bare skin. Her dark hair was down for once and it fell to just below her shoulders while she'd added a bit of makeup as well. If he'd thought she was fit in a t-shirt and jeans he realized now she was flat out gorgeous when she put in even the slightest bit of effort.
Swallowing the lump that had developed in his throat he tried to resurrect his typical feelings of anger towards her but failed miserably when she finally turned to face him, "Hi," Digger said shyly as she held a hand out, "I'm Digger McKenzie, you must be the infamous Pete Dunham that Dave raves about and I've yet to meet."
Pete's eyes widened in surprise as he glanced down at her, trying to avoid sneaking a peek down her top before catching the meaning of her words and taking her hand in his, "Right, pleasure to meet you miss," he said with a true smile instead of his usual smirk.
At his words the hesitation in her eyes disappeared with a wink, "Can I make you a drink, boy-I've-only-just-met? You seem like a whiskey guy."
The rest of the room exhaled a collective sigh of relief at the interaction that neither Digger nor Pete noticed as he locked eyes with her, "I'd love one."
"Toldja you was being a prick," Dave shouted over to Pete as Swill and Ike nodded their heads in emphatic agreement.
Pete rolled his eyes but couldn't fight the grin from his face, "Think you were more inclined to call me a twat if I remember correctly."
Dave laughed, "That was one of the nicer expressions I'd used."
His eyes followed Pete's gaze to see him eyeing Digger who was standing on her tip toes in a throng of people trying to attract the attention of the barman. He watched as Pete smiled softly when she started jumping from foot to foot a bit impatiently until she was forced to stop when she elbowed some bloke square in the chest.
"Well her attitude wasn't exactly the sweetest either, bruv. But I'll admit she is something when she wants to make nice," Pete replied, eyes still firmly trained on Digger causing Dave to wonder if he'd inadvertently made her Pete's next target.
"Just remember, friends only Dunham, I stand by what I said that first night: she's a good girl, I don't want to see her hurt."
Pete scoffed, finally facing the boys and noticing both Swill and Ike shaking their heads in agreement, "You think I can't just be friends with a bird? 'Sides, she's only just stopped being a poncy bitch."
"You've about as much a shot of not falling fer her as I've got in pulling Kate Moss," Ike said seriously as Pete's eyes narrowed but his words died on his tongue as the girls returned with a hand full of drinks.
"That is the last round we're getting," Digger exhaled a puff of frustration, "The lady bar bitch wouldn't even glance at us since we had tits, we had to bribe the bloke next to us to order the round."
Swill snorted into his drink, "Bout time you birds knew how we felt, I always get served last."
"That's cause you're normally too retarded to pass as sober," Digger answered with a smirk while the rest of the table let out a laugh.
"Oi! Yer lucky you're cute or that shit wouldn't fly, I'm a tough guy," puffing his chest out for effect.
"Handsomest bloke 'ere," Digger said solemnly with a twinkle in her eye.
The conversation flowed easily throughout the night and eventually Pete found himself seated right up against Digger. They'd managed to chat collectively with the group but had yet to have any real one on one time though Pete found himself focused solely on her, purely due to curiosity rather than some motivating drive to sleep with her.
At least that's what he told himself.
"So Dave tells me on top of being a football fanatic you teach?" Digger asked him, glancing up through dark lashes while taking a sip of her drink.
"Yeah, History and PE," Pete replied proudly as he glanced down at her. She was wedged in between him and Dave, forcing her to be pressed rather closely to him, "What is it you do full time?"
She blushed slightly at the question, "The camps what I'm doing for the moment. I'm sure Dave described me as spacey but he may not have said what a wanderer I am. Can't seem to settle in one place or position for too long."
Quirking an eyebrow at her, "So what have you done in the past?"
"Christ, what haven't I done is a better question," she answered with a laugh, "Waitress, bartender, nanny, high street retail bitch, City secretary, baker, pizza maker…the list goes on and on."
Pete leaned in, fascinated by a girl who apparently had more lack of direction than even Bovver did, "So what'll you do after?"
"I've always wanted to be a fisherman so maybe I'll try my hand at that," she responded seriously but her face fell into a smile when she saw the surprised look, "Kidding…I'd never be able to stand the smell. I'll probably waitress for a bit until I decide what's next."
Shocked, he leaned back as his alcohol fuzzed brain tried to assess what she'd said. He'd never met a bird that was so undecided on her future but didn't seem to give a tom.
"I do know, that right now, I need another drink – Davey move it," she ordered while trying to get out but Dave was either too drunk to hear her or just didn't care as he was currently engrossed in Jules.
Huffing in frustration Digger rolled her eyes before kneeling on the seat and climbing over the wall of the booth only to land in the arms of some bloke. The entire table turned to see if she was alright while she just stared in shock then broke into a fit of giggles before pulling the guy into a tight hug that caused Pete's blood to run cold.
"Well fuck me, gorgeous, where've you been all my life?" the not unattractive guy stated in a Scottish brogue and at his words Jules jumped up excitedly.
"Gav! What are you doin' in London!" both girls shouted at the same time, chattering away excitedly.
The boys seated at the table all eyed the newcomer warily with Dave looking quite concerned at the kiss the bloke was planting on his girlfriend's cheek while Pete managed to turn his gaze stony as he watched an arm snake around Digger's slim waist, trying not to imagine how her body would feel against his.
"Boys! Meet one of our good friends from uni," Jules exclaimed happily oblivious to the glares the seated men were aiming at the newcomer. He was tall, nearly as tall as Pete, with a mop of dark blonde hair that fell casually into green eyes with the body of a rugby player.
"This is Gavin," Digger finished the introduction while grinning stupidly up at him, "This is Dave – Jules' boyfriend – and his mates, Pete, Swill and Ike. I'm going to grab that round – you lot ready?"
The boys all nodded and she gave them a wide grin before turning towards the bar, her new found old mate following closely behind.
"Oo, this is great!" Jules squealed in delight as she nestled into Dave's side, "Gavin fancied Digs for ages but she was never the dating type – she's always been very closed off when it comes to men," she continued matter-of-factly, "But maybe now she will be open to the idea of a boyfriend, he'd be perfect for her!"
Dave smiled down at his girlfriend and had to agree it would be nice to see Digger happy with someone, though he was unaware that the guy seated next to him was wholeheartedly agreeing that she should be happy but that maybe he should be that someone.
Thoughts? Any&all feedback is welcomed :)
