A/N: I found this one-shot that I wrote a while ago now, and thought why not post it. It's Sophie and Sian, and includes Kate. Initially it was going to be a fic where Sian returns to the street and her and Sophie gradually reconcile, but we'll see. Hope you enjoy x
Sian PoV
Nobody said it was easy, it's such a shame for us to part.
Nobody said it was easy, no one ever said it would be this hard.
Oh take me back to the...
"Charge device."
I look down at where my phone screen is now black, with just a singular battery icon. I sigh momentarily before tugging my earphones out of my ears, letting them fall into my lap. I plug in my portable charger, annoyed at why I hadn't done that before, before proceeding to tap my fingers on the tray attached to the seat in front of me, getting a disapproving glance from the taxi drivers interior mirror. Resorting to the window, I lean up against my elbow and watch the scenery roll past. Shops, pedestrians, factories, a school, dirty clubs which look like they've been closed for years rather than five days. Well maybe they had been, I wouldn't know, I hadn't been there for six years.
"Victoria street, miss?" He gazes at me again and I snap out of my trance.
"Uh, Coronation street." My voice comes out in a hoarse whisper. "But Victoria street is fine."
We pull into a familiar looking road and I get a rise of nervous tension building in my chest. I try to stop the sour churning of my stomach by grabbing my bag from the seat next to me as the car pulls up in front of the medical centre. All I had to do was get to The Rovers, then all would be fine.
"One hundred and twenty two pounds forty." The taxi man holds his hand out after loading my suitcase from the boot. I turn to him, dragging my eyes away from the pub.
"You're serious?" I raise my eyebrows, pulling out my purse because he didn't seem the kind of guy to joke with me. "You're lucky I got extra out the bank. Keep the change." I slap a pile of notes into his hand.
"Maybe travel on the bus next time then." He shrugs, stuffing the money into his pocket and wiping his nose before climbing back into the drivers seat.
"Well I won't be travelling with you." I shout as he pulls away, pulling a face before dragging my suitcase to the back door of The Rovers. There was no way I was going in through the front, I didn't want to risk being seen, not yet anyway.
Making my way through the ginnel, I notice a smug man stood in the smoking shelter, balding with white hair. He wasn't smoking, just glancing at his phone. He looks up when I enter, cocking his head to the side slightly before losing interest. I wouldn't be messing with him.
I give a long ring of the doorbell, unplugging my phone from the charging block and noticing it has 5%.
Text message
Brad
Let me know you get there safe. I love you x
Text message
Mum
Heard you decided to go in the end then, stay safe xxx
I play with the idea of replying to them before pressing the doorbell again, uncomfortable with the silence between me and the man in the smoking shelter. There's a sound of footsteps and I turn to see Peter Barlow lighting a cigarette as he makes his way towards us. He stops momentarily when he sees me, trying to adjust his memory to match my face.
"Aren't you..." He points at me with his cigarette. "Sophie Webster's ex girlfriend?"
"Yeah." I shrug, shooting down my aims of being associating with something else. "Sian."
"That's the one." He nods. "How come you're back?"
"Well it wasn't for a cosy chat..." I mutter slightly, noticing he hadn't caught what I had said and clearing my throat. "Ryan's funeral."
"Oh... Of course, yeah." His cheeky grin disappears slightly.
"Lesbian?" The guy on his phone turns in our direction. "Wouldn't have suspected."
I toy with the thought of retaliating a witty reply but decide it's best not to. Instead I turn back to Peter, tapping my suitcase.
"Any clues as to where Michelle and Steve are?" I ask, pulling my jacket further over my shoulders.
"Ah yeah they popped out." Peter announces and I narrow my eyes. "Yeah they've gone for a walk or something, take Michelle's mind off it, you know." He pauses momentarily after I don't move. "To be honest, I don't think they're much up to visitors anyway."
"Well I'm supposed to be staying with them." I huff, trying not to be too annoyed under the circumstances. "I tried calling the hotels nearby but there was nothing so last minute, nothing I could afford anyway. So I called Streetcars asking for a taxi but there was no drivers, but Steve offered for me to stay here if I could find a way of travelling up."
"You know there's always a front entrance?" He puts bluntly, probably irritated he got lumbered with my life story. I pause, putting a hand on my suitcase handle hesitantly. "I know it's for the general public but at least it'll get you in there."
"Yeah thanks." I flash a slight smile, before heading off back to the ginnel. I take a deep breath before heading round to the front doors. It would be fine, Sophie probably didn't even live here anymore, I really doubt she would be in the pub, especially as she avoided drinking, if she still did.
"Sian?" I turn at the sound of my name being called out at the bar, greeted with a familiar face. "What are you doing here?"
I force a smile, my heart plummeting in my chest. "Sally, how wonderful to see you."
Sophie PoV
"So were you close to him then?" Kate asks me, sensitivity in her voice.
"We were best friends for a while." I tell her, toying with the tassels on one of mum's cushions. "I mean, he was my ex girlfriends boyfriend for a while, which made things a bit confusing. I guess after we got together, I sort of drifted from Ryan... I saved his life once though."
"Really?"
"Yeah, he went off on one, ran into the road." I explain. "I saw a van coming and pushed him out the way, except I was then the one who took the blow."
"Wow, you're a hero." Kate flashes me a smile and I shake my head.
"Not really." I shrug. "I mean, what does it matter now? I couldn't do it this time."
"No one could have done." She says softly, placing a hand over mine, which I gradually retract. "Nobody could have stopped him from taking the drugs. That was his decision."
"A decision which got him killed." I remind her, meeting her gaze, before her eyes move to dart around the room.
"Why don't we go out? Hey?" She suggests. "Go for a drink?"
"I don't really feel like it." I groan, as she tries to pull on my hand.
"I know, but once you're there, being around people, it might make you feel better." She begs me. "If you really hate it, we can come back."
"Ok." I sigh, as she pulls me up, kissing me on the cheek before following me out of the house. We link hands as the Rovers gets closer, the faint sound of music and laughter echoing from it. Clearly Michelle wasn't in, if this was the atmosphere. But I suppose Kate was right, maybe it would take my mind off things.
"After you." Kate holds the door open for me, and I immediately come to face my mum, who stares at me in surprise.
"Sophie!" She exclaims, and I am about to make some sarcastic comment about how I was legally allowed in a pub, before the blonde girl next to her turns around, and I freeze.
"Sian?" My mouth falls open, unable to say anything else, as I observe the person I had been so whole-heartedly in love with, who had hardly changed one bit. "...What are you..."
"...The funeral." She just responds, a neutral expression on her face and I nod, realising I should have guessed.
"Wait, Sian as in..." Kate trails off, piecing it together.
"Uh, yeah, this is my ex-girlfriend." I try to introduce, despite it not being the most cheery greeting for either of them. "Sian this is Kate."
"Hi." They wave awkwardly at one another. I can't retract my eyes from where she is standing, all the emotions flooding back. All the things I had wanted to say for years since, clustering in my mind. She was my first love, and to be perfectly honest, I was unsure if a hint of that had ever gone away.
Sian PoV
"So how've you been?" I dare to ask, as I lean up against the bar, once Sophie has come up to get more drinks.
"Well that could be a long story." She responds, finally moving to look me in the eye. "You look well."
"So do you." I nod, taking her in, the same face I had fallen in love with all those years ago. I tear my eyes away, colliding them with where Kate was sat in the booth, watching us subtly. "Is she your girlfriend?"
"Who? Oh, uh, yeah." She turns to see where I am looking, flashing Kate a smile.
"She's pretty." I comment, concealing the slightly gutted feeling that sinks inside me. "And she seems really nice."
"Yeah, she is." Sophie nods, ordering her drinks before looking back at me, relaxing slightly. "So, anyone on the scene for you?"
"Oh, I've been with my boyfriend Brad for, well, nearly two years now." I tell her, and I notice the surprise in her expression.
"Boyfriend?" She prompts me, and I can't help smiling at her shock. "That bad was I?"
"No, it just sort of happened." I laugh slightly, which she returns.
"Oh, thought I'd turned you back." She smiles to herself, taking the drinks, as Liz watches us both intently, either listening in or waiting for further orders. "Did you want a drink?"
"Oh." I exclaim, taken-aback by her gesture. "Uh, I'll just have a coke, thanks."
"And a coke." Sophie points at Liz playfully, and she retreats again. "So what are you doing now?"
"I'm an accountant. I did my training when I moved and yeah, I've been working at the firm for a few years now."
"Wow." Sophie nods impressively.
"What about you?"
"I'm..." She pauses, looking slightly embarrassed about her answer. "A window cleaner... Sort of."
"Oh that's cool." I try to sound positive, despite her lack of enthusiasm.
"Not really, don't lie." She grins and it makes me laugh again, as Kate cuts between us following the sound of laughter.
"Has she gone to China to get these drinks?" Kate intervenes, hinting at Sophie to hurry up.
"Depends whether you ordered tea." I joke, which makes Sophie giggle, and Kate clearly doesn't get it. Either that or she just usually has an expression like thunder.
"Six pounds forty." Liz hands me the coke, which I take a sip of, and Kate follows it as I do so.
"Oh, buying the punters them now, are ya?" Kate tries to make it sound jokey, as Sophie passes Liz a ten pound note. "You didn't tell me you got a raise."
"The only raise I get is my tip from Mrs Grovsenor when I clean her conservatory." Sophie scoffs, nudging me. "She gives me an extra thirty pounds to do the roof."
"Wow, that's good going." I tease her. "If you need an accountant for all that money, then I can recommend you a good one."
"Is that a dig?" Kate narrows her eyes at me, although Sophie doesn't look the slightest bit bothered. "Wait, you're an accountant?"
"Yeah." I respond, already not too keen on how she was acting. She seemed slightly spoilt and possessive, maybe just because she was feeling insecure. "What do you do?"
"I'm a waitress." She coughs slightly. "At the Bistro down the road."
"Oh I remember when that opened." I point at Sophie. "Remember Soph?"
"Ok, can we go and have our drinks now?" Kate cuts me off and I pull a slight face as she turns away.
"Uh, yeah sure." Sophie picks hers up, following Kate back to the booth, before flicking her head around to face me. "I'll talk to you in a bit."