Nick and Carla were walking carelessly walking down Rosamund street. Their legs moved together in perfect harmony as their fingers were entwined and their arms swung freely. They both possessed a beaming smile despite the lack of conversation. They were just enjoying each others company and savouring all of these insignificant, yet extremely important moments together. As they turned around the corner they noticed Simon sat on the bench outside of Audrey's salon.
"You alright, Si"' Nick questioned his rather upset-looking, former stepson.
"No, not really" Simon dully replied. He watched his former stepmum and stepdad stood there, hand in hand. He was looking them both up and down, as if he was examining them to determine whether he approved or not. It was weird how they had ended up together.
"Ooo, Girl trouble?" Carla playfully punched him in the arm, as if she was one of his school pals.
"Could say that" Simon sighed.
Nick and Carla both frowned at each other. They sat down each side of him almost in sync, as if they had planned it.
"What's up, mate? Come on, it's us. You can tell us" Nick was speaking in a soft, friendly and inviting tone.
"Well I've just got back from visiting me dad..."
Carla slightly flinched. She could feel her stomach turning. She didn't mind Peter being mentioned but she did when Nick was around. No matter how much Nick knew of her and Peter's relationship -and he really did know it all- It didn't stop it from being awkward. Mentioning an ex to a new boyfriend was bad enough without them being swarm enemies. Carla could feel Nick's eye on her. She knew he was discreetly checking to see if she was ok after Peter's name had been mentioned. She didn't look at him. Instead, she just pretended as if it didn't bother her.
"And the whole time I were there he didn't even acknowledge me. He was too wrapped up in his new girlfriend" Simon continued.
Carla had well and truly froze. Her stomach was doing somersaults. She could hear her head pounding and the lump in her throat literally felt like she had just swallowed a snooker ball. Her vision was blurred as tear ducts became heavy. She couldn't think but she somehow managed to string something together before legging it.
"This seems like a man's talk rather than having me involved, ha. I'll see you later, Si" She deliberately ignored Nick and spoke her sentence in about two seconds flat. It was obvious that she wanted to get away with how hastily she had spoken, never mind how quickly she had dashed off.
Nick desperately wanted to go after her but he couldn't just abandon Simon. He knew she wasn't okay and as much as she was hurting, as was he. Maybe she didn't love him as much as he thought she did? Maybe he was just a distraction in her poor attempt to get over Peter? He began to doubt himself. In fact, he began to terrify himself.
"Carla!"Nick shouted as he closed the flat door behind him.
He turned around to see that she was slouched across the sofa in her cream dressing gown. Her hair was in a completely tangled state and it was hard to tell whether she had taken her make-up off herself or whether she had cried it off entirely.
"Hey" she said in an almost whisper.
She turned to look at Nick who was taking off his blazer. As he approached her on the sofa he saw the imperfections highlighted on her face. They weren't imperfections due to her faults. No. Carla had no faults as far as Nick was concerned. They were imperfections as they were impure. They were impurities. Her red eyes underlined by her dark circles, Her almost cracked skin caused by the lack of moisture that her tears had absorbed. All caused by Peter Barlow and nothing was more impure than that. She must not of stopped crying since he last saw her.
"Hey" he mirrored her words back to her in almost the exact same tone.
He sat on the opposite side of the sofa to her. He sat and observed her for a few moments almost too scared to speak. What was he doing? This was Carla. His Carla. They had the most open and honest relationship either of them had ever been in.
"Come here" is all he could think to say as he parted his arms for her.
She gave him an extremely weak smile as she held back the tears. She glided into his arms, like she had done many times before, but this was different. She was almost hesitant. Hesitant by nothing more than her own insecurities. She was almost in shock as to how compassionate Nick was being. He was always compassionate when it came to her but this motive was totally different.
As soon as Nicks arms were securely wrapped around her, she began to sob. Nick wouldn't have even known if it hadn't been for her shaking and for the tears that were vastly drowning his shoulder. The room was silent. Carla had cried on Nicks shoulder many times before but he always knew what to say. He always knew that he was her source of comfort but with Peter being thrown into the mix he didn't know where he stood. Is this embrace pointless? Would she rather it be Peter, who was holding her right now? He doubted himself. He was feeling insecure and selfish because he knew that whatever he felt was nothing compared to what she was feeling right now. He always put her first.
Minutes had past. Carla had eventually calmed down now but her head was still buried in Nick's shoulder, too afraid to look at him and too afraid at the thought of having to explain herself. Nick, on the other hand spent the past five minutes debating on what to say, or whether he should say anything at all? He wasn't one to make Carla feel uncomfortable, anything but, however he also wasn't a complete pushover. He needed answers and he needed them now.
"Ha. You know I told myself years ago that I'd never end up here again. Comforting MY girlfriend as she cries her heart out due to having her heartbroken by Peter Barlow" Nick spoke in the softest tone. Making light of the situation was the only way he felt like this subject was approachable. But he was of course, unclearly referring to Leanne.
That comment alone was enough to make Carla spark up. She sharply raised her head up out of Nicks shoulders and stared intently at him, almost in amazement at what he had just said. She was looking deeply into his eyes, almost as if they were her response but of course, Nick needed more than that.
"You really haven't got a clue, have you?" Carla's voice was croaky and quite wheezy.
Their faces were millimetres apart. Nick picked up a stray piece of her her which was dangling over her face. He lightly brushed it back behind her ear and gave her a look so soft, so sympathetic that it was almost patronising.
"I really haven't" he whispered in reply.
Carla was partly mad and partly hurt at Nicks assumption towards her still being in love with Peter but she knew that his reasoning's were not completely out of line. She had spent the past hour trying to figure out her feelings and emotion. She couldn't even barely explain them to herself, yet alone Nick.'So tell me?' Nick appeared scared. His vulnerability made Carla's heart ache even more so.
Carla let out a heavy sigh.
'Y-You know, I. I hadn't stopped thinking about Peter since we had ended. Barely an hour would go by without his name making an uninvited appearance in my mind..or my heart"
Nicks heart sunk and he began to fear the worse. But she continued.
"And you then you came along. Do you know that day you came round to fix my laptop?"
Nick smiled and nodded. No words left his mouth as her didn't want to interrupt her, at all.
"That was the first night I hadn't thought about him. Not even once and that was all thanks to you. Then do remember that wine tasting? I hadn't thought of him once since then. It was you. You corrupted my brain" She very lightly smiled.
"And then I saw him on the day of Deirdre's funeral. I looked straight at him and I was completely fine...until after. After I had seen him it hit me that I hadn't thought about him in months and it terrified me. I questioned myself as to why but then realised that maybe I wasn't completely over him if I still found myself spending hours thinking about him and us"
Carla took a deep exhale as she continued.
"Then today. His name was mentioned and it hit me again, how little I had thought about then it hit me. I didn't care. I didn't care, Nick. There was nothing there. No regrets or what if's or remember when's" Her eyes began to fill up again.
"I never thought I'd be able to move on or be over him, but I am. I really am. I was broken, beyond repair yet you came and you fixed me. I've spent the past, what feels like forever crying because you scare me. How much I love you scares me and to think about everything that's happened and to think that I still have you overwhelms me" She began to cry.
Nick pulled her in closely. Their noses were nuzzled and he could feel her tears on his face.
"I love you too" He practically talks in her mouth.
"No, but I love you. Words can't explain it. It's you. I love you" she clarifies. She doesn't understand the powerfulness of her love for him herself, so trying to make him understand it is almost impossible.
"I do you know. I love you too" He says as she cups her right hand around his face, as if she was grabbing his to mark her territory.
She ever so slightly pushes his head back as their lips find each other as do their tongues. Their kiss is so slow, so soft and so sensual that its barely even as kiss at all.
I love you more" she mumbles in between kisses.
Nick breaks the kiss although their lips remain very pressed together. Their eyes both flutter open as Nick looks straight into her eyes.
"Impossible"
This is the first fic I have ever Uploaded! I hope you liked reading it. Any feedback/reviews would be much appreciated. Thank you :)