There are times when a girl needs to call home, not to speak to her family, but to her friends.
"It's me," Rose said as the phone was picked up.
"Mickey told me," is the immediate response. "Everything."
"Right."
"Nice to hear it from him."
"I'm sorry, Shir, I just…"
"Forgot about your family, your boyfriend, and your best mate to go 'travelling'?"
"Summat like that," Rose said with a small grin.
"An' I can hear that smile from here," Shireen said. "So where… when are you?"
"Nineteen Eighty… something," she said, feigning ignorance. Somehow even she couldn't tell her best friend that she'd met her father. And saved him. And nearly destroyed the world.
"Hey, could you like leave a message and I'll look for it? Scribble something on a wall or summat?"
"The Doctor'd never let me."
"Ah, The Doctor," Shireen said. "Can't believe I'm last to hear about this new man of yours."
"New man?"
"Oh, you can fool anyone but me, Rose, an' you know it."
"There's nothin' going on."
"Sure," Shireen mocked. "This from the girl who lived a safe little life."
"I did not!"
"It took almost a year before you went on holiday with Mickey. Two minutes with The Doctor and you're running off into God knows what."
There was something about how Shireen said 'The Doctor' that made it sound like a joke, like it was code for 'the man you want to shag senseless'.
"We're mates, Shireen," Rose heard herself protest.
"Sure you are."
"Why does everyone think there's somethin' going on?"
"'cause we know you," she said. "Rose, hon, you… You barely know this guy."
"I know him well enough," she said.
"Maybe now, but before? Why'd you go with him?"
"Dunno," Rose said. "Felt right."
"Felt right?"
"Yeah. He grabbed my hand, told me to run… and it felt right."
"You sure it was his hand you were holding?" Shireen teased.
"Hey!" Rose giggled.
"You're really into this guy, aren't you?" Shireen said, suddenly serious.
"I…"
"This is me, girl."
"I… dunno," she said.
"You don't know?"
"Things are a little complicated."
"No, complicated is the world trying to put itself back together after supposedly nearly being attacked by aliens."
"What time is it for you?" Rose asked.
"I know you're not asking if Neighbours is about to start," Shireen said. "It's been two days."
"That it?"
"How long's it been for you?"
"Longer," Rose said. "I think. I dunno, it's hard to keep track when you're forever jumping about in time."
"That's gotta be cool."
"Has its moments," she smiled.
"And I'm sure the company helps."
"In that he knows what he's doing, sure," Rose said, determined not to rise to the bait.
"Rose!"
"Shireen!"
"Just admit that you like him."
"I like him," Rose said in her most neutral voice.
"You know what I mean."
"Yeah, I do."
"Do what? Know what I mean or like him?"
"Look, I should go."
"Don't you dare, Rose Tyler!" Shireen screamed. "Give a girl something! You're off out there, quite literally, and for people like me, stuck at home with your mum and Mickey…"
"Yes, Mickey," Rose said. "My boyfriend."
"Doesn't stop you falling for someone else."
"Goodbye, Shireen."
"I'm gonna kill you when you get back, you know that?"
"Talk later, yeah?"
"Yeah, OK. Look, have fun, OK?"
"Will do," Rose said.
"And remember what I said; just 'cause you're still with the idiot..."
"He told you about that?"
"Yeah, I like it. Might take it up."
"Shireen!"
"Just 'cause you're still technically with Mickey, you can still fall for this Doctor guy. And I know you, girl."
"Goodbye, Shireen," Rose said forcefully, willing this conversation to end.
"You know I'm right."
"You're a hopeless romantic, that's what."
"Nah," Shireen said. "I'm your best mate."
Out of the corner of her eye, Rose saw The Doctor walk around the console, looking at something.
"Stop checking him out," Shireen said.
"How did you…?"
"You never said anything."
"To what?" Rose asked.
"Exactly."
"I'm really going now."
"Fine," Shireen said. "But remember what I said."
"Yeah, whatever, but you're wrong."
"If you say so."
When Rose finally got off the phone (and he'd been grateful that she'd not gone as far as the "you hang up" routine), The Doctor looked up at her. "Wrong about what?" he asked.
"Oh, nothing," she said, looking at him.
"You OK?"
"Never been better," Rose replied with a grin. "So… where to now?"
"Nowhere you fancy going?"
"Nope. Your choice."
"You trust me?" he asked.
"Completely," she replied.