AN: So I got this idea and couldn't stop thinking about it so I decided to go ahead and write the first chapter. I don't have everything planned out yet, so the updates for this story may not be as frequent as my last story. But I'll try to post the next chapter as soon as I can. I hope you guys like it!
The last time he saw her, she was seventeen. He was twenty-nine. They were in her bedroom; her mum was out with her boyfriend of the month, so she turned up the music loudly. He shook his at her, amused, when Dancing Queen by ABBA started playing. However, he was quickly distracted by her shaking her hips suggestively, dancing and singing slightly out of tune. Then he made the greatest mistake of his life. He broke her heart. He left her, because he was scared. She made him feel so young, too young, so that he hardly remembered that he had twelve years on her. But now, he felt old, so old, overcome by his past and his guilt. She was older too, her face had thinned out, but she was just as beautiful to him.
The last time he saw those honey-colored eyes that were always rimmed with too much mascara; they turned confused, before filling with tears when he told her that he couldn't be with her. But she was stubborn, as always, and wouldn't let him give up on them so easily. So he lied. He told her that she was too young and he wanted someone older, more mature. And her normally trusting, warm eyes turned filled with hurt at his lies. Her eyes were still the same liquid honey, but the mascara and eyeliner lined in a much more subtle manner. The lighting in the bar they were in wasn't very good, but he could tell that her kind eyes that, with the exception of that last time, were always so trusting were guarded. She stared at him, cautiously, and he could tell that she wasn't the naive girl she used to be, who told him everything and loved him openly.
The last time he saw her, her naturally brunette hair was heavily bleached. She told him she wasn't stupid, that she knew she looked like a chav to some people. She defiantly told him that she didn't care that people judged her, that she had always thought blonde hair suited her better than brown ever did. And when she lay on top of him, her bleached hair tickling his bare chest, he couldn't help but agree. Now, her hair looked professionally dyed, the blonde hair much more natural and golden. He couldn't help but think that blonde still suited her well.
John Smith could not believe that Rose Tyler was standing in front of him, nine years after he last saw her. He was still older and more broken than her, more broken than any normal thirty-eight year old. But when he looked at her, she looked a little broken too, more so than any twenty-six year old should be.
It was only when she awkwardly cleared her throat that he realized that he'd been staring at her far longer than what was acceptable. He blushed, actually blushed, something that he hadn't done in years, nine years now that he thought about it. However, he quickly recovered and gave her a small smile. He was pleased to see that she returned it with a small grin of her own.
"Hello, Rose Tyler," John Smith said quietly.
"Oh how do you know Rose?" The man who stood beside her asked, curious about the reaction John and Rose seemed to have with each other.
"Jack, he's an old...friend," Rose told the man.
To their surprise, Jack Harkness just laughed. "It's alright, Rose, you don't have to lie. I know the truth. This doesn't have to be awkward."
Rose's eyes widened and John raised his eyebrows questioningly. "You do?" She asked cautiously.
"Yeah, he's one of your mum's ex boyfriends isn't. He's a little younger than what your mum usually goes for, but I can still see it," Jack said, still amused.
John stood there in shock, and he was slightly aware that his mouth hung open in shock. Rose's reaction wasn't much better and her eyes had widened even more. Simultaneously, they quickly stammered, "Absolutely not, he wasn't my mum's-" "No, her mum and I were not-"
Jack had the decency to look somewhat ashamed at his conclusion, but was more entertained than anything by their reactions. "Sorry, my bad," He said, but was not very sorry at all.
"Anyway, since you already know Rose, I'll let you two catch up," Jack said smirking, "I mean, it's not what I had in mind when I planned this, but things can move along more quickly." Before either of them could respond, Jack left to go talk to a man that had caught his eye, leaving Rose and John to stand there awkwardly.
"Look, I understand, if you want to leave," John offered.
"No, it's alright," Rose said smiling up at him, "We can catch up, like Jack said. Like, it's not every day you get set up on a blind date with your ex, yeah? I know it's been a while, but we could be friends."
"Yeah, of course," John said quickly, returning her smiling with a large grin, his blue eyes sparkling.
He could do this; he could be friends with Rose Tyler. He could suppress the feelings that he still felt after all this time. Besides, it seemed that she didn't feel the same way, only wanting friendship. And that was okay. At this point, he was as far gone as he was with her nine years ago, and he would take anything she offered him, even if being friends was the last thing he wanted.