Part Three

The day passed by quickly, each of her friends had popped in as was standard for each day. Izzy had left around nine, ready to drop Timothy off at Nursery.

"A few hours with this little one!" She had squealed on her way out, making cooing faces at Sven in his baby carrier. Her face froze in hope as she looked back at Rae. "Maybe he'll spend it sleeping…"

Chop had popped in next, taking a break from a busy morning at the garage. Rae always liked it when Chop came in, no matter how rubbish her day was he would have her smiling by the time he left. Danny had come in at two, shortly before his shift as manager at the pub started up.

"I'll have a Tix please!" He grinned, as he did every time he came in.

Rae had put a steaming Hot Chocolate in front of him, topped with a pile of whipped cream, chocolate sprinkles and three flakes inserted into the side.

"It's because it's the fattiest drink on the menu, and it sounded better than 'Fatty'." Rae had smiled the first time she'd explained the drink's name, remembering the nickname for her friend.

Finally at 4pm, the door banged open and Rae was greeted with her other best friend; Archie was one of the history teachers at their old college. It was weird how they'd all migrated back to Stamford, nobody had ever stayed away long… everyone apart from Finn anyway.

"Was hoping you'd pop in today!" She grinned at him, tossing the tea towel over her shoulder and readjusting her hair into a tighter ponytail.

"I'm here every day at 4 o clock." He laughed. "You told me that it was pretty much a deal breaker of our friendship when you opened up the place."

"Yeah well," She smiled, sliding over two coffees.

Archie carried them over to the far corner of the room. Placing them onto the table, he got comfortable in the biggest armchair and waited as Rae turned the sign on the door from 'Open' to 'Closed'.

"Archie…" Rae had said after a couple of slurps of her own coffee.

They'd been sitting in silence for a couple of minutes, Archie enjoying the sound of silence as opposed to screaming and shouting teenagers and Rae appreciating the feeling of doing nothing.

"Rachel…"

"So…"

"Just come out with it." Archie ordered.

Rae sent him a cheeky grin, fluttering her eyelashes at him.

"I'm gay – that doesn't work with me. Just cut to the chase." He smirked.

"So, Finn came in yesterday." Rae said, watching his face for any kind of clue that he knew.

If anybody was to know, it would have been him. Finn wouldn't have turned up in Stamford without reaching out to his best friend first. While he may not have talked to Archie about the reasons why he'd left all those years ago, he hadn't abandoned him. Archie always received birthday presents, cards, letters and the odd phone call but Finn had never spoken about his life… or Rae or their friends. Just Archie.

Archie's face gave away nothing; it was blank.

"You knew!" Rae gasped.

"How did you guess?!" Archie groaned, "I tried so hard to keep my face neutral."

"HAH! I didn't but I do now."

"You suck." Archie grumbled, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Why didn't you tell me he was back? Y'know, give me some warning or summat." Rae said, her voice wobbling a little.

She wasn't sure if she was angry, upset or confused with Archie. Normally he'd tell her everything; when Finn had left, Rae had automatically become his leaning post but she knew that with Finn back, that would soon change. Rae had never quite matched up to Finn when it came to Archie.

"Boy code." Archie shrugged.

"I thought that only existed for girls…"

"Er, no."

Rae narrowed her eyes at her friend who was now deliberately avoiding her gaze, she decided to bring out the big guns. "Finn told me where you were when you stood me up…"

Archie's eyes snapped back up to her in astonishment, "Holy Fuck, Rae! That was nearly fifteen years ago!"

"Finn didn't stick to the boy code then…" Rae counteracted.

"Yeah well," Archie said as he stood up, "some things are bigger than standing a girl up when you were a teenager."

Rae gasped again, "YOU KNOW WHY HE'S BACK."

"Yes."

"Tell me."

"No."

"I swear to God Archie…" Rae warned him.

"Rae, I love you and you're my best friend but Finn… he's like my blood brother. You don't betray that bond. Yes I know why he left and why he's back but I can't tell you… that's the way it's going to be." Archie stated as he grabbed his bag.

"You've got his back over mine?" Rae cried.

"Yes."

"Thanks Archie – after all I've done for you!"

"And you know I love you for it, I'll see you tomorrow? Same time?" Archie asked.

"Don't bother." Rae grumbled, biting her lip.

"Is that the way it's going to be?" Archie asked, nervously fixing his glasses as he looked at Rae.

Rae couldn't voice any words but nodded.

"Fine." Archie replied, hoisting his bag onto his shoulder and leaving the café as quickly as he could.

Rae felt the space close in around her. She couldn't quite believe that their conversation had taken such a turning. She couldn't believe that he would let her down like that. They'd had years of living in each other's pockets and now that the crowning glory of Stamford was back, he'd dropped her like a hot potato.

"Twat." She raged as she flung herself around the café, cleaning up as quickly as she could.

She needed to get out of the café, run to the newsagents and purchase as much chocolate as she could carry before going home. It wasn't a binge, she told herself, it was comfort eating. She cleared up in record time and took a look around the café as she turned the lights out. She really didn't want to end up hating it, but Finn had brought back something with him that felt like it was infecting the place with poison.

Locking up, she shuddered as the cold air hit her face. She pulled her coat around her tighter, wrapping her scarf around her neck as a means of protection from the October air.

"Hi." She heard a voice behind her.

She spun around to face whoever it was but she knew, deep down, who it belonged to.

"Finn." She said again, this time harder and not as breathlessly.

"Was thinking we could go for a drink…" He said.

"Are you gonna tell me why you left?" She asked, as he moved towards her.

"No."

"Well then I don't think a drink is a good idea." Rae replied.

"You sure?" He asked, with a smirk on his face that made her heart pound inside her ribcage.

"Yes." She whispered, although she wasn't too sure herself.

"Come on Rae," he grinned.

He was towering over her now, she could smell him close to her. He smelt different to what she remembered, there was still a faint smell of cigarettes and but he wore a new aftershave of which she couldn't put her finger on what it was.

"Drink?" He asked again, gently.

"Ok." She whispered, her heart betraying her head.