A/N – the next few chapters will contain an element of a song Rose likes and will lead to them to getting closer
Rose switched the kettle on.
"I thought we'd established that?" she smiled.
"Well yes, I suppose we have then. So you considered me a friend even though we had only sort have gone out twice?" he dared ask as he took his jacket off.
"Well yeah but I suppose it just came out when I got mad over my parking space," she admitted as she put teabags in two mugs.
"Remind me to get you that traffic cone then?" he joked.
Well Rose thought he was joking, she couldn't tell if he was or not and he'd taken it seriously that she'd told a bloke she was seeing someone and he thought she meant someone else and not him. He wasn't the only one who was confused. What had started out last week as fitting him in late was becoming something else.
"So, hope you're gonna like my cooking and not have to resort to going to the takeaway again?" Rose joked back.
"I'm sure whatever you make will be fine Rose. I could have gone home first."
"Well it's not really worth it, have you far to go?" Rose asked him.
He knew she'd been trying to find that out since Monday.
"Not far, just down Dorchester Road, though why it's called that when it's nowhere near the town," he admitted.
"I suppose at one time it might have been a good idea? Loads of streets and roads are nowhere near any of the towns they're named after. I saw a programme set in Wales and there was a Filey Road," she laughed.
"You have a point. You've been trying to find out since Monday if I went out of my way to go to the store below and I've already admitted I did. I was not trying to avoid giving my address but I saw no need, it was easier to collect the photos."
"Most people prefer to have them posted, you were one of the rare ones. I see you put it in your car, the one you just collected?" she asked, thinking that was rather obvious.
"I've decided to get a frame for it and place it on my desk. I never intended ordering another one, it was the only excuse I could think of for being outside your studio on Monday. I never intended to scare you or make you think I was there just to catch you coming out."
"Well I was a bit surprised to see ya there, never mind, I wasn't gonna ask for your address to stalk ya or anything," she smiled.
"I never thought you would Rose," he smiled back as she handed him the mug of tea. "When you said earlier, about putting that delivery guy off, well I have something to admit."
He thought he may as well confess, since she'd used him as an excuse to fend someone off. She may just tell him to leave now.
Rose sat opposite him. "Well you may as well tell me then?"
"Those who work in the office, they think I have been acting oddly the last few days."
"Really? Well I suppose you have, hanging around here and finding excuses to come back, like offering to put that webcam up for me," she teased him.
"Do I need another excuse for that?" he asked.
"Maybe not? Now we've established a few things?"
"We have? Right, that we are seeing each other? Well about that then. They started betting I had a girlfriend so I put a stop to it."
Now she did wonder about him.
"So what was all that we just talked about then?" she asked, about to get up.
"You misunderstand Rose, I told them I did not know if you would agree, since we had only met a few times."
"You meant me?" was all Rose could think of saying.
"Who else? They noticed the difference in me," he had to admit.
"Why, were you a grump or something?" Rose tried to smile.
"Or something. So, are we both agreed that we are seeing each other at least?" he asked, hoping he'd made a start.
"Yeah, I think so. I'd best start making something to eat or you will be going back to the takeaway."
"I don't mind Rose, if you don't want to cook?" he replied.
"Well you'll have to taste my cooking sooner or later, won't ya? So are ya asking me to be your girlfriend?"
"Do you object?" he asked as she got up. He grabbed her arm as she was passing. "You could do worse than me Rose."
"Like Steve from the print shop? I just said it on the spur of the moment Alec, sorry. I didn't want him to come in every morning and keep pestering me. If he had, I may have had to call the manager and get someone else to bring my orders round."
"That is exactly what I meant by you getting a security camera Rose," he reminded her. "Working on your own, well I would be worried about you now, not that I wasn't before. I will feel happier once you get one installed."
"I said I'd get one Alec, I'll go into town on Saturday. Maybe I could meet you there?"
"I see Daisy on Saturday lunchtime, sorry. I just got her used to it. I doubt she will want to tag along buying webcams?"
"It was just an idea, I can ask in the store. So does she stay the weekend?"
"Yes, it took me a long time to get her to stay overnight, like I said, I missed a few years of her growing up and I'm trying to make up for it," he told her as he let go of her hand, having moved his from her arm. "I was trying to persuade her to stay on Friday night as well, she's thinking about it. If she does, we could meet earlier and I can go collect her maybe?"
"I don't want to be in the way Alec, not if you're trying to get her to trust you again? Was it so bad, why you left?" Rose wanted to know.
Alec indicated for her to sit on his lap, Rose doing so and putting her arm around his neck.
"It was a bad split from my ex, I got too involved in the case I was working, she sought company with another team member, I found out eventually but she turned Daisy against me," he explained.
Rose rested her head in his shoulder.
"Sorry, it must have been difficult? That's why you went away?"
"Yes, I was also ill but I hid it from everyone. I finally came to my senses and got myself fixed and came back. Now though, Daisy got into trouble and she needs a fresh start and I'm trying my best to give her it."
"Well you're doing your best Alec, no-one can say you're not. We don't have to see each other every night."
"Well I think Saturday is enough, give me time to talk to her about Friday. Maybe you could come to my place and meet her next Friday?" he suggested.
Rose looked up. "Maybe then? See what she thinks but I don't want her to think I'm butting in."
"She was teasing me last weekend, she'll not be that surprised. When I last spoke to her she teased me then as well," he admitted.
Rose giggled and put her other arm around him.
"Well we'll just have to make plans then? We still have our first real date to get through tomorrow night. I'd best get something to eat, I only got pasta and sauce though."
"That's fine, really, you only had short notice. About those photos you took of me though?"
"Oh, what about them?" she smiled as she tried to get up, his arm still around her.
"You won't go using them will you?"
She rested her chin on his shoulder and eyed him.
"Okay, I promise. We have to swap phone numbers though, before you leave."
"Naturally Rose, I expect you'll want another picture then?" he smiled.
That agreed, Rose got up to prepare the food and Alec wandered into the lounge and switched on the TV to catch the news. After they'd eaten, he helped her clear up again and they went to sit on the sofa, Alec putting his arm around her shoulder. Rose reached for his hand.
"We could walk up to the pub?" Alec suggested, at a loss of what to do next since he was out of practice.
So was Rose as she agreed. "Yeah, we could see what food they do, if we're going there tomorrow night?"
"We could go further away tomorrow night, I will look up some other places. I can only have one drink though, not that I drink that much except the odd occasion."
Rose got her jacket and a small shoulder bag after quickly getting changed and they walked up the road. Alec found out what she really liked to drink and she had two to his bottle of light beer. They set off back just after nine thirty, Rose now with her arm in his and relaxing more as they talked.
"It's been ages since I went out like that," Rose admitted. "Going with my ex when he came to help me set up didn't really count."
"So you are just friends?" Alec asked, wishing she'd put her arm around him instead.
"We stopped being more a long time ago, not that we were really serious, growing up together on the same estate as teenagers. You've nothing to worry about from Mickey."
Alec was glad to hear it. Rose let them into her flat, hoping Alec wasn't going to be leaving early, well not without kissing her anyway. She'd been dying for him to do something while they'd been out but all he'd done was kiss her cheek and run his finger down it as they talked about everything and nothing such as what she liked and disliked, which he agreed on most of it.
Rose decided she wasn't going to let him go just yet as she indicated for him to take his jacket off.
"Wanna dance with me?" she smiled as she went to the mini hi-fi unit and chose a CD from the pile, one that had slow tunes.
"I am somewhat out of practice," he admitted as Rose put the CD in and set it to play random tracks.
They swayed to the tunes for a while, Alec resting his head on her shoulder and Rose leaning into him, her arms around his back until Alec saw his chance as she looked up at him.
"May I?" he asked as Rose was a fraction away from him.
She could only nod then gave in as his nose touched hers and she angled her head to touch his lips briefly. That gave way to a short kiss, making Rose gasp for more.
"Alec, do that again?" she asked.
"With pleasure Rose."
The kisses became longer, the music still playing as they stopped to get their breath back, Alec thinking he'd never have been able to do that a few years ago and not remembering kissing Tess like that. When he thought about it, he and Tess had been pushed together by working in the same station and time off being difficult, had latched onto each other.
He'd thought at the time better her who was in the police than someone who wouldn't understand he worked all hours that he couldn't go on 'dates' as such, well not back then, he'd learned his lesson since.
"Mmm, that was nice," Rose smiled as a song came to an end.
She was about to suggest they sat down when her favourite came on – 'Dream a little dream of me' and she began to sway in time to the music again, joining in the words and looking at him. Alec smiled as she sang along, seemingly knowing all the words as she sang 'sweet dreams 'til sunbeams find you'.
That being the last song, Alec led her to the sofa. It was getting late and they both had to work the next day.
"I should be going Rose," he regretted, going to kiss her again.
"Yeah, I had a nice evening Alec. You can text or call me when ya get home, if ya want?" she asked hopefully.
"Of course but you forgot to take a photo of me," he smiled.
Rose got up for her phone and took his picture, Alec doing the same of her.
"Night then," she smiled as they walked to the door when Alec put his jacket on. "Don't forget to dream a little dream of me, will ya?" she teased.
"How could I?" he asked, trying to remember the words she'd sung to him.
They kissed goodnight as Rose reminded him. "Say nighty-night and kiss me then?" she smiled.
As Alec unlocked the door, he turned back to say, "Sweet dreams Rose."
She watched from the balcony until he got downstairs and he walked over to his car, turning to wave to her before he got in. Now he was more determined than ever that despite him leaving in a few weeks, he'd somehow convince her to remain his girlfriend, he could manage a long-distance relationship if she could but first he had to tell her.
At least he'd made a start he supposed by saying Daisy needed a fresh start but how was he going to justify going with her? Maybe he should make a start tomorrow night by saying she was going away to college and why her mother had wanted the photos of her, which if she'd not asked for, he'd never have met Rose. He'd already made his mind up on Monday he was going to make a play for her and he'd thought earlier someone had beaten him to it and he hadn't liked the idea.
Would he have just kept making up excuses until he'd worn her down? He saw Rose watching as he reversed out of the parking spot and waved to her, Rose waving back and decided first thing tomorrow, he would go to the traffic division under the pretence someone was pinching his parking spot and maybe he'd admit it was at his girlfriend's place, not his own.
As Rose watched him drive off, she then locked the door and sat on the same chair Alec had done while she made herself a hot drink and waited for him to call or text her when he got home. She now knew he didn't live that far away, she'd passed the road on the bus a few times. Was he wanting to be serious she wondered? He'd sounded like it, saying Saturday's were out but she couldn't expect him to let his daughter down now they were getting close again.
She just hoped the teenager wouldn't think she was trying to take Alec away from her. She'd not spoken much to Daisy the other day but she hoped they could be friends. Was he intending to come round every night, well expect for Saturday and maybe Friday next week, if Daisy didn't want her there? The kettle boiled, she made some hot chocolate and was just taking it into the lounge when she got a message.
Alec had got in and was debating to call or text her, she'd said either. He put his specs on and sat at the kitchen table, thinking of what to say. Thinking she would think he'd forgotten already, he started to compose a text, suddenly remembering some of the words she'd sang earlier – 'Sweet dreams 'til sunbeams find you as well, my fair Rose. I will be sure to dream of you – Alec xxx.'
Rose got the message and smiled. He'd been so nice and not taken too long to ask her out but she knew she wanted something with him so she just wrote back – 'Nighty night, wish you were still here to kiss me – Rose xxx.'