The evening sun shone its luminous red aura over the buzzing and lively streets of Canley. Clouds were dotted and smudged over the sky like dust, some getting caught in the sun's rays and turning a lovely shade of misty pale purple. The gentle humming of bees could just be heard over the sound of people running and talking, and the engines of cars roaring, and it blended in perfectly with the soothing whistling of the wind.
Stevie tilted her head up and smiled at the beautiful picture that had dawned above her, sending her into a state of perfect tranquility. She loved sunsets, especially on a spring evening. Ever since she was little, she was fascinated by the closing of the day, and the idea of the sky being alit a rich shade of red in contrast to the cool blue colour that was painted on it during the day. Whether she was with her friends goofing off, or whether she had her head laid on the chest of her latest boyfriend, she always stopped and looked up at the sky. As the years went on, she never failed to be drawn into the moments of twilight in the evening, like a bad habit that she never managed to shake off, and didn't want to for that matter. It made her feel good, and for a moment, even if it was only a mere moment, her worries would wash away with the sinking sun.
There was something about them that made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and they made the usually hard-to-shut-up detective go all thoughtful and quiet, even if it was only until the sun had disappeared from the horizon and the moon lit up the night sky in its place. She momentarily closed her eyes and listened to every single detail of the sounds around her. The park was relatively placid and peaceful, bar a few kids laughing as they played a ball game.
Stevie sighed and rubbed her still closed eyes with the heels of her palms. Oh how she missed the innocence and naivety of childhood.... She missed going with her friends to the hills every day after school when it was sunny, and she missed it when she'd return home, knees and shins patched with mud and bruises, to her mother's cooking..... sadly that was one trait of her mother's that she didn't inherit, Stevie was an awful cook, so to say. She could almost smell the humble scent of her mother's cooking though the air.... no, she was getting side tracked. Enough reminiscing, Stevie, she thought as she mentally shook her head. Those days are long gone.... back to the present now, and stop daydreaming about when you were young..... urgh, I sound like my mother.... shut up brain, shut up! She made a little groan at the back of her throat, and focused on another sound.
The faint rustling of leaves blowing in the wind could be heard in the distance. Stevie could imagine the picture in her head – an ancient oak tree half way though once again sprouting its lush green leaves for the summer months. Birds would land gracefully on a branch and rest there, each singing it's own unique song and they all mixed together in perfect harmony to create a calming orchestral wave of tweets that sounded throughout the park. Stevie leaned further back in the bench and let one arm droop lazily over the edge as it hang in the air. Now this beats an afternoon in the station any day!
As her first day off in a good while, Stevie decided to take a peaceful afternoon walk in the park and to catch the sunset – something which she hadn't done since God knows when, her promotion to sergeant meant that she had less time for herself and had to dedicate more time to paperwork, often resulting in her coming home late (after a quick pint down the pub that is.) when the sun had already left the sky. She used to watch them quite a lot, when she had more time of course. Well, technically, being undercover didn't mean that she had that much more time, however she was always able to squeeze in the sunset at the end of the day, as did he.
Stevie growled and rubbed her forehead. She was letting her mind trail off again, she had to treasure the moment at hand before it disappeared before her, she didn't know when she'd get the chance to witness a sunset again. Not that she didn't want to think about him, it's just that it wasn't exactly the best time for him to pop up into her head. The unmistakable scent of freshly cut grass sat in the breeze and gracefully wafted over to her, as the smell reached her nose, thankfully replacing him in her mind.
She breathed in heavily and allowed the scent to swirl around her head and into her lungs. She felt a pair of strong arms circle around her stomach from behind her and a trail of light kisses being laid along her neck.... she relaxed against someone's strong chest and allowed them to continue with their playful assault on her body by tilting her head, stretching out the skin on her neck. She gripped onto the edge of the bench as a tingling feeling arose in her stomach....
Stevie jolted up and opened her eyes, frantically scanning the area around her. There was nobody there; no one who could of pulled her into an embrace. She scratched her head and put the brief feeling of confused joy down to a trick of the mind. That's all it was, just your mind playing tricks on you Stevie. She took a deep breath, and breathed out slowly, as if she was banishing him from her mind. She turned her attention to the still lingering fragrance of the grass and closed her eyes again.
However, instead of the natural aroma flowing through her passages, there was something else.... something not quite as natural, but just as nice and comforting. The new aura invaded Stevie's senses and tugged at her conscience, it's some-what familiar smell whirling around her memories like a hurricane as she scanned through them to try and make some sense of it. That weird feeling, also with a sense of familiarity, resurfaced in the pit of her stomach as Stevie threw her plan of focusing on things happening around her out of the window in favour of the things happening in her head.
Her eyes shot open as something clicked in her mind. That scent.... it's him, I'm certain of it.... Yeah, 100% certain. I'd never mistake that scent anywhere.... never. Stevie looked up to the sky, and her spirits sunk as she saw that the sun was nowhere to be seen. Due to he fact that she'd turned her attention away from the falling ball of light meant that she missed the moment it crossed the define line of the horizon.
Stevie sighed and shifted in her seat. The laughter of kids could no longer be heard, who'd most probably dashed off home as quickly as they could to avoid a lecture from their parents over staying out too late, something that Stevie heard far too many times herself over her years of youth. However, the mellow blowing of the wind could still be heard, along with the patter of the spring leaves, some being picked up in its path and dancing away and a mini whirlwind.
'Stevie.... Stevie....'
Stevie only just registered her name being called, as the voice was quiet and mixed in with the sound of the wind. She repeated the procedure of scanning the park area, to find that there was no one there but her, albeit a group of blackbirds gathered on a patch of grass. Birds can't call your name.... can they? Ugh, why would you even think that?! Stupid brain!
'Stevie.... Stevie....
Stevie growled when the velvety tones of the voice reached her again, calling out to her and drawing her in.
'Go away....' she muttered to herself, knowing that no one could hear her. 'Leave me alone....' Truth be told, Stevie didn't want the voice to go, but she was annoyed more than anything. Missing the sunset due to the tricks her mind was playing on her hadn't placed her in a good mood, combined with the fact that she had no idea when she'd manage to get a chance to catch the sunset again hadn't lightened her spirits. Why can't I get you outta my head? God, you're being very persistent, aren't ya?
'Stevie.... Stevie....'
She slammed her hands down on the bench, cursing under her breath when a splinter became wedged in one of her palms, and jumped up from her seat. Screw it, I'm leaving. Sunset or no sunset, I'm getting away from here. Whether it was the park or not that was bringing him to the front of her mind was a puzzling matter. Stevie couldn't recall spending time together in a park, therefore not having any memories of being in a park with him. Then why was he brought to the front of her mind?
Stevie began to march along the path, intent on getting home as quickly as possible, and disturbed the small gathering of birds as she walked through them. She had had enough, and was quite looking forward to returning to her flat and an episode of EastEnders. She walked out of the park and took one of the side roads to get home quicker – she didn't fancy being out in the dark, despite it being spring, the nice weather hadn't exactly arrived yet, the nights still being chilly, and she also wanted to get home pretty quickly, an early night doing her the world a good in a week of late nights.
Stevie paced down a quiet street, the dull orange glow of the rusty streetlights making it possible to see her surroundings, however the artificial beacons didn't even come close to the superior light from the now set sun – in colour and in brightness. It was then when something caught the blonde's eye. Something.... peculiar. Something that made Stevie stop suddenly, disrupting her plan of getting back home before EastEnders started. But.... EastEnders would just have to wait for a while. No, it can't be, can it? It's impossible, no, wait, it's not impossible, s'not like they're extinct or anything.... brain, you're being stupid again! They're roses for goodness sake!
Stevie slowly approached a flower shop, very badly named "A Stalk Of Roses" (she couldn't help but groan at the terrible pun) – still open, despite it starting to late. She neared the window, and peered at the beautiful arrangement of flowers set out in a display in front of her. There were various vibrant colours popping out at her – bright yellows, deep blues, burning reds, the list was endless. But none of these caught Stevie's eye, no, something less flashy, and a lot more discreet and hiding itself from the world, or, rather a vacant suburban street in the middle of Canley.
Her heart skipped a beat and did a little flutter as she realized that what she saw wasn't a trick of the mind. Take that brain! Ha! A bunch of white-grey roses were allocated to the end of the display table, where they sat there like they'd been forgotten and just shoved to the side, hardly noticeable to the human eye. Further into the circular shape of the roses, the petals would turn a pale shade of pink, the whole gradient being strikingly beautiful indeed. Stevie smiled – the same smile that grew on her face when she first looked up at the radiant sky not too long ago.
Stevie made her way into the shop, and carefully picked up the bunch of flowers that she'd been appreciating outside and placed them down gently on the till. The lady there wrapped them with a pink bow and attached a tag to it, with the words 'Grey Pearl' written on it in some fancy writing, which Stevie would have had difficulty in reading and understanding – if she didn't already know the name of the flower off by heart. She repeated the name over and over again in her head, until it sounded funny, however still managing to make her smile, like it was something that never wear off or tire on her. She admired the way the petals curved out gracefully, and the way the layers overlapped and fitted into each other neatly and perfectly, really showing the gradual gradient of white and pink.
'Someone special?' The voice of the woman serving her napped Stevie out of her thoughts, and looked up, turning slightly red that she's been caught daydreaming about a bunch of flowers. She pointed to the flowers and raised an eyebrow, obviously intrigued by the petite woman, for a reason Stevie didn't quite understand. She was possibly the only customer she had had all day – a small flower shop tucked away in barely walked road in Canley was hardly going to be booming. 'Those. Y'know, someone special.' Stevie frowned at the usage of the word 'special' – at a loss of what to say.
Sure, he was special at some point – as everyone has had at least one special person in their life. But, was he special to her anymore? He had a place in her heart, like it was reserved for him. When he returned to Canley, her feelings for him re-ignited for him, like a dormant volcano as it waited for the right moment to erupt, causing a whirlwind of emotions as it did. Or was it part going back undercover, resuming her position of his girlfriend that re-ignited her feelings, not love? Well if it is that, just why the hell are you buying these flowers girl?! If you don't love him, what's the point? Besides, s'not like you're gonna see him. An irritating voice piped up in her head. .... 'Cause they're pretty, got a problem with that? However, Stevie knew that wasn't the case. There was something, if anything, still there. Like a lingering sentiment.
'Err.... yeah.' she said quietly before clearing her throat. 'Someone special.' Her smile fell and she ran a hand through her hair before picking up the bouquet of flowers and held out her hand for the change to fall noisily into her hand, clanging together as they landed. The woman gave a laugh, and came from behind the till and patted Stevie on the back.
'Ha ha! Good luck with that!' She grinned, and Stevie gave a brief smile. 'You see those flowers you got in your hand? Well, they're some of the rarest flowers you can get – incredibly hard to grow, and you need a hell of a lotta luck!' She rubbed her chin and glanced down at the roses in Stevie's hands. 'They're also known as....'
'The Mouse.' Stevie said quickly, cutting off the other woman, whose grin broadened. At this point, Stevie would have rather been at home than listening to someone she hardly knew babble on about information of a breed of rose which she already knew about.
'Yeah! That's the one!' Stevie rolled her eyes when she continued to droan on, and on, and on. Okay, Stevie had a reputation for not shutting up, earning herself the somewhat affectionate nickname of 'Blabber-Mouth' down at the station from various colleagues (along with the usual references and teasing about her height) but this woman was in a league of her own! However, she was probably only being sociable and friendly, despite her acts of kindness not having the desired effect. Stevie just nodded her head at the appropriate times and agreed with what she was saying.
'Hey, you listenin'?!' Stevie looked up to find the woman glaring down at her with her arms crossed, as she caught her dazing off again. Her face softened and she let her arms fall lazily by her side. 'Ah.... I know what it is!'
'Um.... what is it then?' Stevie said slowly, deciding to play along, just for the sake of keeping the woman happy.
'It's your fella, ain't it?!' she exclaimed excitedly. Stevie sighed. 'Blabber-mouth' was completely unrelated to her.... 'fella', but still, getting home was better than staying there yakking on for the next couple of hours.
'How did you guess?' Stevie asked half-heartedly, not really caring about the (more than likely) elaborate answer she was going to get.
'You can tell! Duh! It's the same with every girl who's thinkin' 'bout their man!' Stevie chuckled and smiled. She'd seen that look in question on some of her colleagues faces many-a-times, whether it was Grace thinking about the DI, or Jo thinking about Commander Kennedy – who Stevie had taking a bit of a personal dislike to, not that she was going to let it show at all to the team.
'That's right.' she said truthfully. Stevie tucked her roses under her arm and shrugged her shoulders. 'Well, I guess I better get going. You know, places to be, people to see.' Technically, that wasn't true, but any excuse to get back to her flat would have been sufficient enough at the time, whether it was the truth or not. She muttered her goodbyes and thanks, then almost ran out of the shop before the woman could start goading on again.
The darkness of night had settled in nicely, the moon's glow reflected in one of the small puddles on the road. The wind had picked up and pieces of rubbish were carelessly being tossed around the place. Old receipts, carrier bags, crisp packets, you name it, it was probably caught in the air somewhere. Stevie momentarily looked up at the sky, where some grey clouds were slowly forming, and dashed down the street with the wind whipping at her heels. The side streets had remained quiet, yet to be inhabited by the usual bunches of know-it-all teenagers that usually roamed the streets at night. The only sound that could be heard was the clomping of Stevie's heels and the splashing of puddles as she ran through them.
A few turns down more alleyways and a quick run down a few slightly more homely streets later, Stevie arrived at her flat. She kicked her shoes into the corner and shrugged out of her coat, which she let just fall to the floor, and went into the kitchen where she laid down the roses on the counter. She hopped up onto the yellow stool on the floor, and reached into one of the higher cabinets, from which she pulled out a painted yellow vase with red patterns trailing all over it – a 'house warming gift' from her mother when she moved down to London.
Stevie hastily filled the vase with cold water, clumsily spilling some out onto the counter and the floor, cursing under her breath as she did so as she got her socks wet. She carefully put the vase down – as not to spill any more water, and ripped off the fancy tag declaring the name of the flowers. She gently tugged at the pink ribbon holding the roses together, and the clear wrapping unfolded itself and the various roses stumbled out from their neat bouquet formation and rolled along the material.
She stood still for a moment, staring at the gathering of roses that lay lifelessly in front of her. They drew her in, drew her into a trance, drew her into her memories. Memories that were long forgotten to a corner of her mind, not meant to be unearthed simply for her own sake.
*
The light flooded into the room as the curtains were flung open. The rattling of the railings could be heard along with someone's footsteps tip-toeing around the room, the floor creaking in the process. A grunt came from the bed, and someone retreated under the duvet, tucking it around them. The person sneaking around the room stopped and surpassed a grin. He slowly, as not to make any more noise or to alert the person lying peacefully (if not hungover) in the bed, walked over to the bed in the center of the room, and plonked himself down on the edge of the mattress.
The woman underneath the duvet remained still as she felt someone perch themselves near where she was positioned. The two of them remained still for a moment – each of them waiting to see who would make the first move.
Suddenly, the duvet shooshed from above her and a pair of hands swiftly descended onto her waist, which only he knew to be her 'ticklish spot'. He began to tickle her with expert fingering as her head tilted back and her uncontrollable laughter bounced off the walls and invaded every corner of their flat.
'Wakey wakey sleepy head!' the man teased, his voice could only just be heard over the woman's laughter.
'No.... Rob! Please....! Rob!' she managed to gasp between her giggles as she kicked playfully against his chest However he didn't obey her commands, and increased his tickling ten-fold. 'Rob!' she almost screamed. 'Rob! I'm.... I'm bloody hungover! Q-quit it!' Rob chuckled and let go of her waist. A pillow promptly hit him on the head. 'It's your fault I'm hungover – you got me drunk.' He mocked gasped, receiving a snort from the woman.
'Oops.' he retorted sarcastically. He moved his arms around her waist and pulled her into a gentle embrace. 'Stevie, I didn't make you drink it all, you could have said no.'
'And have had to answer one of your questions? No thanks, I'll pass.' Stevie had a vague memory of playing a game the previous night, involving Rob asking her questions about herself, and if she didn't answer she had to take a forfeit – the forfeit being a shot of alcohol. Perhaps the blonde had one shot too many.... the details of the night were blurred, very blurred.
'Oh come on, hardly like I was going to ask you anything outrageous, was I? And I answered all your questions. Even the drunken ones.' Stevie moved a hand to her forehead and rested her head on Rob's shoulder. A packet of headache tablets appeared under her nose and a glass of water. 'Thought you might want them, you know, essential part of a remedy to hangovers.' Stevie practically snatched the items from his hands, spilling a bit of water onto the duvet, which Rob didn't seem to notice.
'Want them? More like need them!' she exclaimed, mentally cursing herself when a persistent throbbing banged slightly harder in the back of her head. She popped out two of the tablets and couldn't get them in her mouth quick enough, forcing them down her throat with a gulp of water. Rob got up and walked towards the door, he stopped and tilted his head in Stevie's direction.
'Right then, I'll be making breakfast, same as usual I take it?'
'Mm hm.' Stevie replied as she snuggled down further into the duvet and momentarily closed her eyes. Rob smiled happily to himself before leaving the blonde recover in peace.
It wasn't much later that Rob's strong Manchester tones sounded through to the bedroom, announcing that their breakfast was ready. Stevie dragged herself out of bed, her headache almost non-existent due to the effects of the tablets, shivering when the cold hit her. She picked up Rob's brown dressing gown, which had lazily been discarded onto the floor, and wrapped it around her tightly. The warm material rubbed against her skin nicely, giving her the extra heat she needed.
Stevie plodded into the kitchen where Rob with his back to her, making up two, very good smelling, bacon sandwiches. She grinned and gently squeezed his shoulders, spinning him round and pulled him down by the neck, passionately capturing his lips with her own. She slowly flicked her tongue over his bottom lip, and his mouth opened a little wider so she could slip her tongue inside. He pulled away and placed a finger on the tip of her nose.
'Not until after breakfast.' Rob turned around and picked up the two plates behind him, carrying them over to the small table in the center of the room. 'Besides, I thought you had a hangover, missy?' He turned around to face Stevie and leant against the table. He ran his eyes up and down her petite figure, before leading her to the table. 'And why are you wearing my dressing gown....?' he questioned, receiving a impish giggle in return.
'I was cold, and this was the closest thing to the bed.' She shrugged and rolled up the extra long sleeves that went way past her hands before sitting down at the table.
'Well, needless to say, it doesn't suit you.' Rob sat down with her and started buttering his bread. 'But I know what would suit you....' He looked up and gazed lustfully at the woman sitting opposite him. She raised an eyebrow quizzically, and then rolled her eyes as she got the gist of what he was on about. Bloody typical.
'Don't you dare say 'naked would suit you', Robert. I know what you're like.' Stevie muttered darkly with a mouthful of bacon. Rob grinned cheekily at her, the grin which sent her stomach into an acrobatic routine every time it was sent in her direction, before tucking into his own sandwich. They both ate the rest of their sandwiches in peaceful silence. Rob finished his first, and said something about going to get something. A few minutes, and washed dishes, later, he returned with his hands behind his back. Stevie felt a gentle tap at her shoulder, and met the soft, deep eyes of Rob Towler.
'I got something for 'ya.' he said, not breaking their eye contact as he tucked a piece of her hair safely behind her ear with one hand. Stevie narrowed her eyes slightly and linked her arms around his neck. He pulled out a beautiful bunch of roses from behind his back. Stevie's breath caught in her throat, and tears of happiness began to form in her eyes.
'R-Rob. They're.... beautiful. Wow....' she whispered breathlessly, the beauty of the flowers clearly taken her away. She changed her gaze back to Rob, who pressed his forehead against hers, the roses being positioned between their bodies, still being held up by Rob. Stevie bit her lip and sniffled, trying to conceal her tears from him. The last thing she wanted him to think about her was that she was such a softy, just a bunch of flowers were enough to make her cry. But.... they truly were the definition of beautiful.
The pure white petals on the outside blended in perfectly with the innocence of the pink petals on the inside of each of the flowers. And the shape – perfect. The way they curved and swirled was simply breath taking, thus that effect showing on Stevie. Rob brushed away a stray tear that had leaked out of the corner of her eye, and kissed the end of her nose.
'Do you know what these roses are called?' he asked as he gently rubbed her shoulder.
'W-what?' she managed to quiver, her voice wavering slightly.
'Grey Pearl.' Stevie's face lit up at the name, and another few tears escaped her eyes. Rob kissed away the newly formed tears, before cooing to her – something which you wouldn't normally do to a fully grown woman, but something told him it was right. Right to comfort her.
'Beautiful. Just.... beautiful. Like the flower itself.' Her voice was still a whisper, and she didn't take her eyes away from him, not even once.
'But Stevie, do you know why I picked these roses?' Stevie frowned, as she racked her brain for a rational answer, but nothing came to light. She shook her head against his, and sighed. She was about to say something when she was silenced by Rob.
'Your eyes, Stevie.' He whispered gently into her ear. 'As cheesy as it sounds, your eyes are like Grey Pearls, beautiful is the only way I can describe them.' Stevie's sobbing became more apparent now, as she didn't hold back the tears falling freely and her breathing was shaky. 'And.... the problem is Stevie, every time I look at you, it's like.... my heart.... it's like it skips a beat. And to be honest, that feeling, it always happens. It's strange, like it's never going to go away. I'm starting think it's something else.... I think I've falling in love with you.' Stevie gasped, and clung on tightly to the man in front of her, who was now proclaiming his love for her. It wasn't meant to happen. It shouldn't have happened. It wasn't allowed to happen. It should have felt bad. But it felt so good. It felt so good in his arms.
'Whoa there, Ste! You might squish the flowers!' Stevie held him at arms length, and allowed their fingers to intertwine.
'I never expected this to happen.... to me or to you. But.... I've already fallen.' Stevie began crying harder now, and finally managed to gasp between her tears, 'Rob Towler, I'm in love with you!'
*
What was the point? He was gone, never to return. Why bother unearthing feelings that were never going to become re-fulfilled? Stevie sighed before gently pulling at the chain around her neck. His voice and smell had invaded her thoughts like a whisper and left an empty echo, imprinting on her heart. The silver dragon necklace shone up at her in its glory. She hadn't taken it off once, the cold emblem forever resting upon the place where her heart beat. Sure, it wasn't meant to happen. It shouldn't have happened. It wasn't allowed to happen. It should have felt bad. But it felt so good. It felt so good in his arms. But it happened. And boy did it feel good. Loving Rob Towler was the best thing that ever happened to Stevie Moss.