As a Jelly fan I felt obliged to write this short story in memory of the story of Jen and Tilly. We're not stupid. We know what true love looks like. What desire and passion looks like.

This story is only gonna be a couple of chapters and is dedicated to Forever Jelly.

As Diane as blowing on her latte to cool it down she observed with interest the black cab as it pulled up outside the new shop that was being done up. Word on the street that it was being opened by a woman in her early 30's from chester who had won the lottery and she had decide to open a small boutique shop selling designer clothes. Diane couldn't wait! She loved shopping and buying new clothes, although she wasn't sure about her growing belly. She had mentioned it to Sinead thinking that there might be a job going, but Sinead had replied with her usual sarcky attitude. That girl had such a gob on her!

Diane took a sip of her coffee as her thoughts returned back to taxi. Maybe it was the new owner? The shop had previously been a launderette and the builders had been in for the past few weeks, ripping out the equipment and re plastering the floors and ceilings. Diane had had a noisy last week when the door was open and they had just started painting the walls white and adding spotlights. It was going to look super swish for Hollyoaks.

Diane watched with interest as the young woman climbed out of the cab and smoothed down her orange dress which stopped above her knees and Diane thought it looked amazing. She had a satchel bag across her chest and a number of bangles on her arms. Her hair was shinny black and cut short. A bit like Frankie from the Saturdays Diane decided, whilst taking another sip of her coffee she wondered if she could pull off a look like that. It was when the woman turned round and started heading towards the coffee shop that Diane nearly spat out her coffee.

At the taxi pulled up outside the pub a feeling of dread flooded through the passenger sitting on the back seat. Dread and doubt... Maybe this wasn't the best idea after all and that the best thing would be to tell the driver that there had been a change of plan and not to stop. To keep going... back to where they had just come from. Back to where things were easier.

The passenger swallowed hard and summoned up her inner strength which they had needed so much over the past few months. Looking at her reflection in the mirror the young woman took a deep breath and started opening the car door whilst paying the taxi driver with the other hand. As she stepped out of the cab she smoothed down her dress and then ran her hair through her recently cut locks. The new hair was much shorter than before. More edgier and it gave her much needed new confidence. She checked her watch. She was 20 minutes early for her appointment and now faced the prospect of hanging around the town longer than she had wanted. Deciding there was nothing that could be done about that now she stood as upright as possible, shoulders back and started walking confidently towards the coffee shop to kill some time. It was at the point she saw Diane setting there. Staring at her mouth open in shock.

"Jen!" Diane exclaimed slightly nervously.
"Hi Diane" Jen coolly responded with a smile stopping beside the table where her former friend was sitting.
"I didn't... I mean... When did you..." Diane blustered
"Get out of prison?" Jen finished her sentence. "Two weeks ago. I was released early given that on the grand scale of things, my crime didn't warrant the cell space". Jen spotted Dianes bump and nodded towards it "looks like you've been busy whilst I've been away!"
Diane blushed slightly "errr... Yeah... Ya could say that!"
"Listen I'm meeting someone so I have to go" Jen said
Diane opened her mouth to speak but Jen interrupted "and no Diane... Before you ask... It isn't Tilly Evans!"
"Oh" was all Diane could manage.

Jen was shaking inside at the encounter but was keen to remain in control and seem calm "good luck with the baby" and with that Jen walked into the Coffee shop and placed an order for two skinny lattes to take Jen stood at the counter she took three deep breaths, convinced that everyone else in the shop was staring and whispering behind her back. How fucking typical Jen thought. First time back in Hollyoaks in months and she just had to bump into Diane. Diane who had treated her like a stupid school kid, who had made her feel so little when the truth had come out. Had looked at her with such disgust in her face. Which was ironic given her past. If anyone should have understood what had happened between Jen and Tilly it was Diane. But no one had understood. No one had got what Tilly had meant to Jen. Still meant a little bit, if she was honest. Got what Jen had meant to Tilly... or so she had thought, but that was all in the past was in the past and there was no going back.

Picking up the coffees Jen was pleased to find that Diane had gone by the time she left the shop, no doubt she was rushing back to spread the news of their encounter. Jen wondered who the father of the baby was. Oh god... A horrible thought crossed her mind... Was it Liam's? Diane had always made it obvious she had fancied him, and he was a sucker for the ladies. Jen felt anger rise in her at the thought of her beloved brother, who she had not seen since she had been arrested by the Police that day. He had not visited her once during the three months she had spent in prison. Three horrid, soul destroying months. Only her dad had visited. Her mum had found it too upsetting.

Jen automatically looked at a scar on the back of her hand. A scar that had been caused by a fellow inmate who had taken a shine to Jen and how reacted badly when Jen had spurned her approaches. The scar would be a constant reminder on her time in prison. A constant reminder of how alone Jen had felt there.. And what had put her there.

She was deep in thought when she heard the sound of a car horn and looked up over the direction of a convertible BMW and the smiling driver who was waving over to her. Jen smiled as she walked over to the car and was relieved to see a friendly face.
"Hey Jen" smiled the woman as she climbed out of the car "ooooh is one of those for me?" Nodding to the coffees, and taking one without waiting for an answer "mmmmmm" she said after a bit gulp "just what I needed. Been at the accountants all morning. SO dull"
Jen realised this was her moment to speak and took it.
"Hey Tina. Am I pleased to see you!"
The woman turned worriedly to look at Jen "why? Has something happened? Are you ok?"

Jen smiled and nodded "I'm fine. Just bumped into my ex housemate and former colleague" Jen paused slightly before adding "the last time we saw each other was when I was being arrested"

Tina interrupted Jen in an attempt to keep things positive "now Jennifer, that is in the past and as I am sure your probation officer will have said many a time, the past is just that. the past!"

Linking her arm through Jens she turned so they both facing the shop before adding "and this is the future!" Tina let out a little excited scream before she started pulling Jen towards the shop and reached inside her huge designer handbag for the keys.

Tina had known it was a risk bringing Jen back to Hollyoaks, back to the scene of her crime so to speak, but in Tina's eyes, Jen wasn't a criminal. She was a super talented artist who unfortunately had fallen in love with someone she shouldn't have.

"You're right" Jen said positively "the future is so much more exciting than the past". Tina reached down and have Jen's hand a squeeze before she pushed open the door to the shop and started the alarm beeping.

As Tina tapped in the alarm code Jen stood in the middle of the floor and looked around at the space. "It looks great Tina" she beamed over to the older woman who was busy inspecting the finishing on some painting that the builders had recently completed. "It's getting there" she replied

"No really" Jen continued enthusiastically "I remember when it was a launderette and you would never know!"

Tina laughed ... "Well I should hope not! This is costing a small fortune" as she walked over to join Jen she added with a cheeky smile "not that I can't afford it of course." Jen laughed "yes how much was it again... I don't believe you've mentioned it today.. Yet!"

Tina playfully bumped her hip into Jens to send her tumbling "hey!" Jen cried in mock surprise. Tina laughed "hey lady millionaire if you DON'T mind!" Tina winked at Jen in jest "oh and in case you had forgotten it was £64million, there or about".

"Ahhhh yes. How COULD I forget?" Jen teased back.

She couldn't believe her luck in meeting Tina who aside from being rich was one of the kindest people she had ever met.

It was during her second month inside when she had first encountered Tina.

The prison was putting on an art exhibition and Jen had been asked to help out by the prison staff. What Jen didn't know that one of the guests was a recent lottery winner called Tina Woodhead who was sponsoring a training programme for young offenders. It turned out that Tina had been attracted to a canvas painting by Jen and had asked if she could buy it. Jen couldn't believe it when the prison guard had told her the news and that Tina, who had been made fully aware of the reason why Jen was in the prison, had requested that Jen get in touch with her to discuss further business.

And so it was that Tina had commissioned Jen following her release to provide her with a number of paintings for a new venture she was opening. Jen had been so grateful for Tina's support and belief in her talent. And so over the following weeks, Tina and Jen had become friends.

Jen loved that Tina didn't judge her past, for having been in prison. Tina had a passion for helping people, and she had taken it upon herself to make sure that Jen was OK. She remembered reading the story of the case in the paper, and had been horrified that the police had followed through with the prosecution of Jen.

Sure Jen abused her position, and she paid the price by losing a promising teaching career, but by all accounts Tilly was no innocent child being abused or taken advantage of. From what Jen had told Tina, they had generally loved each other. When did that become a crime?

"Soooo..."Jen said flipping open her laptop "these are the paintings I've been working on, that I thought might work in the shop". Jen went slightly red as Tina leant in and studied her work

"Oh Jen... They are so good." Tina turned and smiled at Jen "I love them".

"Really?" Jen asked

"Really! Especially this one with the Gormley statue. Is that from Crosby beach?"

Jen nodded, unable to answer vocally as she felt her throat go tight at the mention of the beach that had meant so much to Tilly and her during their time together. The large canvas painting of a solitary status, half submerged my the sea was Jens way of dealing with her feelings.

"Mmm it's sooo intense!" Tina added before clicking onto another painting, this time an abstract canvas Jen had been working on before she had been sent to prison. Her mum and dad had kept her things for her at their house, and through the money she made from Tina buying her painting, and the help from her mum and dad, Jen had been able to rent a small one bedroom flat in Chester once she had been released on probation. Probation sucked, having to register every week, being asked questions about her feelings towards young women. Jen was so angry that she was being treated like this, but it was better than being back in jail.

After an hour or so of the two of them agreeing which painting should go where, they called it a day. Tina had a charity gala dinner to attend that night so they finished up and reset the alarm.

"Wanna lift to the station?" Tina asked.

"Oh that would be great. Thanks" Jen replied as she opened the passenger door.

As Tina turned the key the radio came blaring out of the car. It was beyonce, All the single ladies, and the two women both started singing away to their hearts content. They were still singing as Tina turned the corner and drove out of the village, just as Esther and Tilly walked round the corner, hand in hand.

Tilly missed the car as she was busy looking at her phone typing a response to a text from George, but Esther noticed it. Noticed the car and woman in the passenger seat singing away like she isn't have a care in the world. Jen Gilmore. The name made Esther feel physically sick. What the fuck was she doing back in town?