All four had their eyes widened at Manitoba, all for different reasons.
"Mike's Australian?" Ethan seemed excited.
"Mike's a flirt?" Paige was cringing a bit.
"Mike, you're dating Zoey?" Emin seemed far more shocked than the others. While walking out of the shop earlier, Emin thought Mike was putting up the sly and flirty act for… him. Otherwise, why did he start it without Zoey there? Something didn't feel right.
Manitoba was about to correct all of them for using the wrong name, before Zoey jumped in right as he opened his mouth to speak. Her nervous laughter cut him off. "Haha! Guys, this is Mike! I'm so glad you all are finally meeting…" She looked straight into Manitoba's eyes while linking arms with him. "My boyfriend." Her glare was subtle, but Manitoba was great at understanding his surroundings. He got the hint.
Well, he had questions. And any other personality put in this situation would cross their arms and stubbornly frown until everyone got their name right. But, Zoey was clinging on to him, and that was good enough for Manitoba- especially after that look. As long as she knew who he was, Manitoba was willing to roll with it.
"Dude, no way, it's great to finally meet you!" Ethan gave him a playful smack on the shoulder. "We've been waiting to meet 'Zoey's boyfriend' since forever. I'm Ethan." Manitoba laughed and stuck his nose up in the air. "Well then, Zoey's boyfriend you wanted and Zoey's boyfriend you got. Pleased to meet ya' as well." He looked towards Paige, who had her hands stuffed in the pockets of her oversized purple hoodie. "And who might you be, Sheila?"
"Paige." She responded bluntly, looking at Manitoba up and down like she was analyzing his every move. Ethan nudged her a bit. "Chill out Paige, you're gonna creep him out!" The look on her face didn't budge. Zoey continued smiling nervously as Paige then looked at her. "I thought he was only Italian."
"He is, but he… um… moved to Australia when he was younger. And now he's here! Aha!" Zoey was definitely digging herself into a bigger grave than necessary. She didn't know how else to handle the situation- why did Manitoba have to come out right when they were all meeting? "Isn't that right, Mike?"
Manitoba smiled back at her, milking everything he could out of the moment. "Of course, love." Zoey's face went pink as she watched him wink at her friends. "Straight out of Straya, I'm a True Blue."
Ethan was laughing. "Dude, that's so crazy! We both speak English, but I literally have no idea what you just said!" The three laughed a bit, while Paige looked over to Emin, who was standing behind Mike the whole time. She forgot he was there.
"You're Emin, right? I've seen you a few times in school before. Aren't you the kid who tripped on the stage during that one assembly?" Emin was already a bit red, but now, he was as bright as a tulip. "Damn it! People still remember that…?" The group laughed as they began walking through the mall. Zoey stayed clinging onto Manitoba. She knew it would fuel his ego and keep him from spilling out the truth.
"No. Way." Ethan pointed at a beach-themed shop, which was having a huge sale on their outfits. Mannequins at the front were posing in what they advertised as the 'freshest beach looks', and apparently, that was enough for Ethan to be sold.
"We have to go! I need to dress my best friends up in cute bathing suits!" Paige looked at him with downturned lips. "Are you kidding? It's fall! What are we going to do with those?"
Ethan put his arm around Emin and laughed, ignoring how much the smaller boy tensed up. "Wear them next summer, duh! Mike already has a girl, but me and Em here need to get the ladies! And there's a sale!"
"Yeah, because it's fucking fall!"
Instead of questioning the new nickname Ethan assigned him, Emin looked at Zoey and Mike's arms hooked together while mumbling under his breath. "Ladies…?"
Manitoba smirked and looked down at Zoey. "I wouldn't mind seeing you all dolled up in a pair of cute bathers. Only if you want to, of course." Zoey sighed a bit with a smile. She knew she didn't have a choice anyway. Against Paige's will, they all headed in the store.
The small shop wasn't too busy, as Paige and Manitoba sat on the seats in front of the changeroom. Paige not wanting to try one on, because she "simply refused", and Manitoba not wanting any wardrobe accidents that might get him stuck in his subconscious. Ethan was the first to come out in yellow trunks that had two black stripes on them. He posed dramatically. "Come on, this was made for me! Just look at it!"
Paige hadn't seen him in a bathing suit since high school. Ethan had gotten a lot broader since then. She quickly facepalmed to avoid from staring for too long. "Have you not heard any other colour pallet? You don't always have to look like a bumblebee!" Manitoba laughed at her remark. "Quite a stinger you've got there yourself, Sheila."
Paige looked at him sternly. "My name is Paige, not Sheila." Ethan proudly crossed his arms, ignoring her stubbornness with both the outfit and Zoey's boyfriend. "See? Mike thinks I look good!" Manitoba cackled a bit. "Don't be a drongo, mate. I said no such statement." Pouting in defeat, Ethan looked at himself in the mirror. "You guys are crazy. It's not that bad."
The squeaking sound of a door in the middle of the changeroom hallway caused the three to turn their heads to it's direction. Emin poked his head out, his face red. "I, um…" Manitoba leaned back in his seat. "Crikey, don't be shy now, I can't even see you! All I see is a face as pink as a Galah!" Emin practically looked like a tomato after he said that, causing Paige and Ethan to exchange suspicious glances at each other.
Emin stepped out in brown plaid beach trunks, which showed off his relatively thinner body. It matched with his beanie, which was still sitting on his head. Manitoba nodded. "Now you see, that's what classy looks like, yeah? Unlike Ethan over here, you know how to pick em'!" The boy looked like he was malfunctioning as Mike looked at him. He did his best to keep himself composed.
It took a few more minutes before Manitoba stood up and headed down the hall of changeroom's to the one Zoey was in. "Bluey?" He called out, knocking on the stall she was in. "What's taking so lo-" he yelped as Zoey quickly opened the door and pulled him inside.
Paige and Ethan took the opportunity to look at Emin. Ethan didn't know how to start, so Paige did the honours.
"Emin! You're totally crushing on Mike!"
Emin looked back at them with red ears. "No I don't! I mean, no I'm not! Wh-Who told you that?"
Ethan chuckled a bit. "Dude, it's written all over your face. And you've been especially quiet since you blurted out that you didn't know they were dating."
Emin frowned. "How come everyone knew that but me? Did I just never see them together like that? Well, the thought crossed my mind, but I thought I was just being jealous-" Paige snickered a bit before Emin realized what he said out loud. "I-I mean- No! I'm not jealous! I don't have a crush on him! He has a girlfriend!"
Emin scolded himself in his head. That's right. He has a girlfriend. Who cares if he's acting weird? Keep it in your pants! He couldn't help but feel more flustered at the sly Australian accent that was suddenly into play.
Meanwhile, in the light pink changeroom, Zoey had a hand on her hip while holding her other palm at the side of her neck. "Bluey?" She repeated with a questionable tone, causing Manitoba to smile.
"That's what we call redheads, love. It's i… ronic." Manitoba trailed off as his eyes slowly wandered down at Zoey, who was in a deep blue one-piece swim suit, that had a frilly skirt at the bottom. His lips curled into a smirk as he winked at her. "You look stunning in that, m'lady."
Zoey blushed at his compliment. "Yeah, yeah! Look, you can't keep this act up forever. It's only for today! When we get home, I need to have a conversation with the real Mike! Then, he can explain the situation the way he's comfortable with." She kept her voice low and hushed. Manitoba rolled his eyes when she mentioned Mike, but then nodded with a smirk. "Anything you want, beauty. You don't have to be so stressed."
As Zoey looked off the side in embarrassment, Manitoba stared at her hand, which was still unusually hiding something on her neck. "What happened?" He asked, reaching over to take her wrist. Zoey took a step back, her shoulders stiffening. "Nothing! Now get out of the changeroom! Someone will hear us and get the wrong idea!" Zoey looked at the mirror next to them. "I don't know what I was thinking. I can't let the others see me like this!"
Manitoba's smile had turned down. At first, he thought she was insulting her body, but he realized her gaze wouldn't leave the part of her neck she was holding. "It's nothing? You can't think I'll really believe that lie, now can you?" Reaching over, he held her wrist gently, but didn't force her to move it. He was still a gentleman after all. Zoey's cheeks were on fire as she held her breath, before letting him put her arm down.
Manitoba looked down at her neck, inspecting the soft skin that was covered in dark scarlet love bites. His instinct was to be jealous, but he held it back. "Crikey, someone really went at it. How old are those?" Zoey tilted her head back a bit as Manitoba softly ran a finger down her neck, grazing over the strawberry marks. "F-From last night. Vito was drunk."
His frown deepened. "That wombat! Doesn't he know not to treat a lady like a Root Rat?" Zoey didn't know any Australian slang, but she had a good guess for what that meant. Manitoba leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Don't worry love, I'll lasso him up when I see him again."
That's when Zoey remembered something on her mind. "Hey, you know Vito pretty well, I have to know… You've always shown me you've liked me since day one. But Vito was never interested in me. He doesn't even seem like the type of guy to be interested in me. Yet when someone tried to attack me, he called me his girl in front of everyone. And he did it when we got home too. Suddenly he was okay with cuddling, and even… this. Even though usually he gets fussy with being touched 'without an appointment'. Do you have any idea why?"
Manitoba took a moment to think about it. "Well, That one definitely has a few screws loose in his head. Has a hard time trusting anyone for long since Vinnie, so, he usually takes quick kisses and goes on his way." He raised a brow as he looked at his girlfriend. "He's scared of how committed we are to you. So if you got him being lovey dovey, you must have done something right." Right as the words left his lips, a knock came at the door from Paige, who ended up pushing it open, since Zoey never shut it closed. She had been too focused on pulling Manitoba in at the time.
"I hope you guys aren't doing what I think you're doing in there." Paige's eyes were shut tight, not wanting to see anything she wouldn't be able to wash off her eyeballs. Manitoba crossed his arms. "Of course not, Sheila. I would never fiddle with a lady when she's getting dressed." He pulled Zoey out the changeroom with him, forgetting why she was hiding for so long in the first place.
"Ma- Mike!" She stuttered, before the three looked at her. Ethan had a wide grin on his face. "Oh wow. That suits you! I didn't think someone so red could pull of blue."
Emin and Paige obviously noticed the elephant in the room before he did. "Her neck certainly thinks red is her colour." Page mumbled, loud enough for all of them to hear. Zoey blushed horribly and tried to cover it with her hand once more. Ethan laughed, putting his arm around Emin, who was too frozen to say anything. Em's eyes moved from her neck to staring at Mike's lips.
"No freakin' way! Is that what you guys were doing in there?" Ethan continued laughing. Zoey shook her head frantically. "N-No! Of course not! They're from last night! Why would we be doing it in there!?"
Even Manitoba couldn't hold back his snicker at the way Zoey worded that. She looked at him, begging with her eyes for him to say some sort of defense, but he was enjoying the moment for a bit longer. Emin finally spoke. "You were over last night? At… her place?" He questioned aloud. He wasn't sure he wanted an answer.
"Oooh, drama! What did you guys name the CD?" Paige shot Ethan a death glare for that joke. He probably already forgot Emin, as much as he denies it, definitely has a crush on Mike.
Zoey couldn't possibly get any redder. "N-No! We weren't doing that! Mike and I live together, that's all!" Emin's eyes widened at the information as Paige shrugged. "Oh, right. I think you remember telling me that when we were on call last week."
Manitoba pat Zoey's head as he looked at her. "Now now, you've been embarrassed long enough. Since you look so breathtaking in that adorable outfit, how's about I buy it for you already? Then we can all get ice cream and call it a day." Everyone smiled a bit at the idea of cool, refreshing ice cream. Even Paige.
As everyone walked through the mall licking their McDonalds ice cream cones, they waved bye at each other before Emin lead the couple to his car to drop them off. Manitoba went out of his way to open the door for Zoey, mentioning how she shouldn't 'strain herself', which caused the usually shy boy to roll his eyes. Thankfully they didn't catch it.
The three drove in silence, Zoey crunching the last of her ice cream cone happily, before she gave directions to their apartment. As she got out, she said bye to Emin with a happy smile, who only hummed back a bit. Zoey assumed he was tired already, after all, he did seem pretty introverted. She headed to the garbage can at the entrance to throw her napkins away.
As Manitoba clutched his grip on the handle, he didn't even manage to say goodbye before Emin forcefully swiped the hat he bought him off his head. Manitoba took a deep breath in, gasping for air before Mike blinked his eyes open again.
"Wow. No need to gasp, drama queen." Emin's eyebrows were furrowed.
"What the-" Mike rubbed his eyes for a moment. He looked around at the street, then looked at some sort of shopping bag that was in his lap, before looking back at Emin. "What happened?"
"What happened? What happened was that you're a total jerk! You act all friendly towards me only to get all flirty with everyone else too? Who the hell does that?"
"Emin, wai-"
"No! You didn't even tell me you and Zoey were dating! Let alone that you lived in the same room together! You just went along with your stupid act to mock me, didn't you? Just like everyone else used to do in class!"
At this point, Emin's eyes were watering. Mike could see Zoey from the corner of his eye, standing outside and waiting patiently. There was no way she couldn't hear at least a bit of the yelling through the car.
"Emin, Lis-"
"I said, no! I'm not listening to what some stupid player has to say! I should have never spent money on this for you!" Em threw the hat in his back seat before starting his car up again.
"I can explain!" Mike yelled a bit, trying to get him to calm down. Well, he could explain his disorder. He couldn't remember anything else that could have rubbed Emin the wrong way. But, his frantic yelling didn't result in anyone being calm at all.
"I don't know why I thought you could ever like me! At first, I thought you were just a cheery and sweet person. But now I know it was just to build up this stupid comedy act! So why don't you get out of the car already and go to your stupid girlfriend? Go chew on her neck some more and make it the same shade as her hair! I don't even care!"
Way too much was being thrown at Mike. He had no idea what to say. "Please, Emi-"
"Get the fuck out!" Emin's eyes shut tight as tears fell down to his lap. Mike stared at him with a stunned look for a moment, before he slowly opened the car door and got out, taking the small yellow bag that was his lap before closing the door. He stood in the middle of the empty street and watched Emin drive away.
"Mike!" Zoey called out with a look of concern. Her voice was enough to make him snap out of it. He headed straight to her, eyeing down the red turtleneck that she said she wouldn't get hot in.
"Mike, what happened?" Without saying anything, Mike reached up and tugged the side of her thick turtleneck down, revealing the dark hickey's she swore to herself she would discuss when they came home. Mike had a frustrated look on his face.
"I don't know, Zoey. You tell me."