This is my first fic, ever. So be gentle! Set on 19th June, 2011, from Christian's POV.

I stand back with a smile as I observe my handiwork. A candlelit dinner for two, to celebrate two years since we shared that first kiss. A kiss that began a year of stolen moments, heartbreak, conflicting feelings, and him. Syed Masood, the man I now know to be my soulmate. I didn't know of real love until Syed, and I know that I would endure all that pain again for him. It's been almost a year since he chose me, and my love for him grows a little every day. My heart swells at the thought of this, and I can't help but grin again.

Knowing that he returns from the salon at 5, I make sure I have everything perfect for his arrival – dinner in the oven; lights dimmed low to allow for the candles to burn fiercely and intensely; rose petals scattered around the table. I'm not a particularly romantic person at the best of times, but when it comes to Syed, anything I previously thought cheesy now feels completely right. If the Old You could see you now, I think. He'd probably be turning his nose up in disgust. But then again, the Old Me didn't believe that he would ever meet someone special enough to do all this for.

I look up impatiently at the clock. 5.05pm. Knowing that the salon is less than a five minute walk away, I expect that he should be here any second now. Wanting to be ready for him when he opens the door, I sit at the table and wait.

5.25pm. Maybe Tanya's asked him to tidy up, I think, despite knowing that the salon closes earlier on a Sunday, leaving plenty of time to clear up. Or maybe he just popped into the Minute Mart. But then he would have at least called to ask if I needed anything. I take out my phone and try calling him. Straight to answerphone, dammit. I consider leaving a voicemail for a brief moment, but decide not to. I'm being silly, he's probably gone for a walk – it's not unlike him. I ignore the fact that it is unlike him to not at least let me know.

6.10pm. Okay, he should have been home over an hour ago. I glance over at the oven; dinner's probably gone cold now. I start to worry. What if something happened to him on the way home? What if he'd run into Zainab and she'd upset him? I make the decision to go and look for him. After trying his switched off mobile one more time, I write him a note in case he comes back while I'm out, grab my keys from the fruit bowl and head out the door.

Closing it behind me, I glance around Turpin Road in case I catch a glimpse of a white masseur outfit; no such luck. I sigh inwardly. First thing's first. I head in the direction of Booty's.

As the sign for the salon comes into view, I notice with a heavy heart that it looks deserted. I give the door a quick tug – yep, definitely closed. Now he could be anywhere. Maybe he did go to the Minute Mart...it's worth a try.

Inside the small shop, I give the area a sweeping glance. No sign. I walk up to the counter, where Denise is looking at me expectantly. I paint a smile on my face.

"Don't suppose Syed's been in here today, babe?"

"Sorry love, haven't seen him. Don't suppose you've tried calling him?"

"I have, yeah. Straight to voicemail. Thanks anyway, Denise."

She nods sympathetically, and I make my way out of the shop. Panic is starting to creep in slightly. I look at my watch again. 6.45pm. I did write on the note for him to call me when he got home, so unless he is home and just hasn't seen it, he's still out and about somewhere. If something's happened to him...no. I swallow back the sudden lump in my throat and blink hard. Don't think like that. He's probably fine, probably just having a coffee in the cafe or something. I make my way to the cafe, trying to calm myself down.

Once I get there, I open the door to the familiar sight of the cafe once owned by my brother-in-law, but I do not see the familiar sight of my boyfriend hunched over a coffee. I walk in further to make sure I haven't missed him. Turning around, I half expect to see Jane behind the till, giving me that knowing look only she does best. She's gone now, though. Left Ian. Bobby. Me. I wish she was still here; she'd be the perfect person to reassure me right now, and tell me I'm overreacting. She might even have made a joke out of it, get me to relax a bit. I suddenly feel like I need to talk to her, hear her voice. I resolve to give her a call later, once I find Syed.

Running out of places to look, I consider the Vic. Would he really go there? I doubt it, but I might as well give it a shot. Before I get there, however, something out of the corner of my eye stops me. The door to the Masala Queen Unit, lying slightly ajar.

Would he really...? Any other day, it wouldn't even cross my mind to investigate. But today, something compels me to make my way over and hesitantly push the door open a little more.

I decide not to call out, in case I startle whoever is here; it may not be Syed, after all; and I don't want to be accused of trespassing. It's dark, and I wonder if anyone is here at all – perhaps whoever was here last simply forgot to close the door behind them.

Before I decide whether to stay or leave, I suddenly hear the sound of slow, deep breathing, coming from the bottom of the stairs, making me freeze on the spot. Now puzzled and intrigued, I carefully make my way down the steps and through the door to the kitchen.

I almost don't see him at first; I haven't been here in over a year, and seeing the place again brings back an onslaught of memories, both good and bad. They come at me, one after the other.

The feel of the cold fridge against my back as he forcefully pushes me against it, lips connecting with mine. The touch of his fingers, in my hair, over my lips, down my chest, following a path towards my groin. The sound of his laughter as I make yet another sarcastic joke. The smell of cooking spices as we work in companionable silence together. The look on his face as he hands me a cup of coffee. The feel of his hand on my chest as I tell him he can have all of me. The pain at seeing him kiss Amira, but the soaring delight as he agrees to come home with me. The realisation that I've fallen too far to turn back. I'm his, and will be for the foreseeable future.

As I turn towards the office, I jump a little, finally spotting him. He's on the floor, back against the fridge, fast asleep. I shake my head, half in disbelief, half in amusement. Not only has he somehow made his way into the Unit without at least letting me know he was okay, he's managed to fall asleep on the cold floor. I feel like I should be annoyed, but I find my lips curving up into an affectionate smile and my heart swelling with love at the sight of him looking so uncomfortable, yet somehow peaceful.

I crouch down in front of him and gently push his hair back behind his ear, letting my fingers linger on his cheek.

"Sy? Wake up, babe, you must have dropped off."

He stirs, twisting his head slightly and slowly opening his eyes. I smile gently, and he sits up.

"Wha...what time is it? God, I can't believe I fell asleep."

"It's just after 7. I was worried about you, why don't you have your phone turned on?"

He frowns, and shuffles around in his pocket, pulling out his mobile.

"It must have run out of battery. I'm sorry, Christian. It was silly of me to even come here, I just felt like I had to. It's two years today since..."

"...since you came onto me," I smirk, seeing him open his mouth instinctively to defend himself before realising there's no point. "I understand, but how did you even get in here?"

Another quick dive into his pockets, and he pulls out his set of keys.

"See this one? It's a key to the front door of the Unit. No one ever asked for it back after I...you know. Left. Granted, to ask for it back would mean they'd actually have to speak to me..."

I manoeuvre myself so I'm sat next to him against the fridge. Taking his hand in mine, I lightly stroke it with my thumb as a small gesture of comfort.

He sighs, and then asks me, "Do you remember the day we met?"

I glance up at him and smile. "How could I forget? You and your lame 'Christian-Muslim' joke. Which I thought was pretty adorable, by the way. As well as you trying to help me carry that particularly heavy box of herbs."

He blushes and playfully hits me on the arm.

"Shut up. I just wanted you to like me."

"There are better ways of going about that, as you very well know," I say suggestively, pressing a small kiss on his neck. "You didn't need to, though. I liked you from the moment I laid eyes on you..." I stop, and make a show of rolling my eyes. "Oh, pass me a gun. I'm sounding like a right old soppy git."

"Aw, Christian...you're not old!" he grins up at me.

"Oi, cheeky." I snake my arm around his waist, pulling him closer. "Two years, eh? Two years since you finally gave in to your feelings for me..."

Expecting some sort of protest in an attempt to retain some dignity, or a sarcastic retort, I am surprised when he simply snuggles up closer to me. "Yeah. No point denying it. I wanted you. And when you grabbed my arm to stop me leaving I just couldn't help myself."

"Well, I'm glad. Wish you'd have done it sooner, though. I had no idea you liked me in that way."

"You mean you didn't notice how I was around you? I thought I was being so obvious, though I tried to hide it as best as I could...bringing you coffee. Laughing at everything you said. Standing beside you closer than was strictly necessary. I tried to be inconspicuous, but I thought I was failing. Seems I was wrong though," he teases.

"Yeah, you clearly were. That kiss was very inconspicuous. Bloody amazing, but importantly, very subtle. Good job, Sy."

He lets out a laugh and rests his head against my shoulder.

"It feels weird to be sitting here after everything. It's like déjà vu."

I lean my head to the left so it's resting on top of his, and let out a contented sigh.

"I guess so. But this time you're embracing your feelings, not denying them."

He shuffles a little beside me, and I feel a little guilty for bringing it up.

"I felt like I had to, like I didn't have any other choice. Besides, it was pretty difficult to pretend I wasn't interested when all I wanted to do was to jump you."

I look at him in surprise and let out a chuckle at the bluntness of this statement.

"Really? Well, if I'd have known that..."

I lift my hands to run through his hair, tighten my grip at the back of his head and pull him in for a kiss, gentle at first, but gaining in intensity. Before I realise it, I have him lying flat on the floor, my hands still in his hair, our chests touching and our crotches brushing against each other.

Pulling back for air, I bring my hands down to his arms and pin him down, watching him as he pants for breath, face flushed and hair ruffled. He looks beautiful, I think to myself.

"How's this for déjà vu? I seem to remember having to pin you down in a similar way after you tried to take me down with a pack of dahl."

"That was a badly judged move. I didn't stand a chance, did I?" he says softly.

The double meaning doesn't go over my head, and I stare down at him, losing myself in the dark brown ocean of his eyes.

"No," I whisper, "and I didn't, either."

He raises his hand to softly touch my cheek, and leans up for another kiss. Time stands still as our mouths battle each other, tongues colliding and moans rising up in our throats. My hand goes to his chest, trying to undo the first button of his masseur outfit, while his hands reach lower for the button on my trousers. I suddenly remember where we are and reluctantly pull back slightly.

"We don't have to do this here, you know. I know a lovely place just down the road, and it's all ours," I say breathlessly into his mouth. "Plus, anyone could come walking in right now. There's no schedule to keep track of anymore, and plus, we don't want to get done for trespassing, do we?"

Propping himself onto his elbows, he gazes up at me.

"Christian Clarke, you tease," he moans playfully. "Alright, then. Help me up!"

I grin and get to my feet, holding out my hands for him. He grasps them and hauls himself to his feet, almost colliding into me; which I certainly don't mind. He keeps his hands entwined in mine as he smiles at me.

"Take me home?"

I start to nod, and then shake my head in amusement.

"What is it?"

"I just got another one of those déjà vu things, that's all," I say with a grin.

I receive an affectionate poke in the ribs.

"Come on, before I change my mind."

"Like that's going to happen!" I laugh, starting to head towards the stairs. I sense Syed starting to follow, but then stop. I turn around.

"What's up?"

He pulls out his set of keys again, and starts to take off the key to the Unit.

"I don't suppose I'll need this anymore," he explains, holding it up in front of me. I reach for it, fingers closing around his.

"Let's just say we keep it anyway, eh? Never know when you might want to pop back in for old time's sake."

I am met with a grin as his eyes sparkle with love, mirroring my own.

"Okay, fine. I'll just put it into our silver toy box for safekeeping..."

Thank you for reading my first attempt at fic! Leave a review if you like :) x