Rhona was sat on the arm of the sofa with a bottle of beer in hand, trying to look like she was enjoying herself. Paddy, Dave and Charity were in the kitchen seemingly making the best of a bad situation, drinking and ploughing through the pizza Marlon had cooked.
She'd ended up watching children's TV with Marlon and April...which was not how she'd planned to be spending her evening. She didn't feel like she could leave though because Marlon looked so sad. He'd spent the last half an hour sulking and she really did feel bad for him.
There was a knock on the door, so she got up and swung the door open to find her best friend on the other side. Vanessa breezed in, dressed in light blue blouse and skinny jeans, oblivious to how much of a disaster this had all been.
"Sorry I took so long" the blonde vet apologised, "I had to get Johnny to me dad's before I could even get ready..."
Vanessa halted when she saw the complete lack of party atmosphere and raised her eyebrows in confusion.
"This looks like a really shit party" the vet declared.
"Jessie left as soon as we arrived" Rhona explained, throwing a sympathetic look in Marlon's direction.
"Oh" Vanessa replied blankly, before a look of dawning appeared on her face, "Ohhhhhhh I see."
The blonde now looked as awkward as Rhona felt and the two of them stood between the door and the sofa looking like lemons. The three from the kitchen walked back into the room, led by Charity, who Rhona suspected had heard Vanessa's arrival.
The blonde vets face practically lit up at the sight of Charity Dingle. Rhona still couldn't quite get her head around the two of them being a couple but there was no denying that Vanessa felt something very real and strong for the Woolpack's often brash landlady. From the look that flickered across Charity's face when she laid eyes on Vanessa that feeling was mutual. Rhona could only describe it as warm and happy...perhaps even a bit adoring.
"Hey babe" Charity greeted fondly, "I have vodka."
The taller blonde had opened the drink whilst in the kitchen and was swigging it straight from the bottle. Rhona would have probably disapproved if it wasn't for the lack of life in the building. She would gladly drink something a bit stronger than beer right now if it would help get some sort of party atmosphere going.
"Things are looking up" Vanessa declared.
The two blondes seemed to just naturally gravitate towards each other and they pecked each other affectionately on the lips. It was followed by a mutual happy giggle that seemed foreign coming from Charity Dingle.
As they pulled out of the kiss Vanessa snatched the bottle of vodka and the piece of pepperoni pizza that Charity was carrying in her other hand.
"Hey!" Charity protested light heartedly.
Vanessa gulped down a mouthful of the clear liquid, so Charity took advantage of the situation by wrapping her arms loosely around her girlfriend's waist, trapping her in, and taking a bite out of the end of the stolen piece of pizza.
Vanessa laughed at her girlfriend's antics and hooked her vodka carrying arm over Charity's shoulder. The blonde vet took a mouthful of pizza before angling it again, so Charity could take another mouthful. They looked...happy. It was the brightest she'd seen Vanessa in days; certainly, ever since the tranquiliser had been stolen. It may have been the brightest she'd seen her since their university days. Rhona had NEVER seen Charity look so free and happy.
Paddy had told Rhona about them showing PDA to each other in the pub before now, when she had questioned Vanessa's choice of partner to him, and he'd defended them as a couple. At the time she'd been frustrated with him and presumed he was only defending Charity because she was his girlfriend's cousin. She had never seen them be affectionate for herself and now she was witnessing it she felt...differently towards them.
It didn't completely assuage her fears that Charity Dingle would one day break her friends heart, but it did make it clear that Vanessa actually had the power to cause the same amount of destruction. There was one thing that she could now say for certain. The two women were in love, whether they were ready to admit it or not.