Peter blew smoke out of his mouth as his father came to join him as he smoked in the garden. It had just gone eleven o clock on Sunday morning, he yawned as Ken started
"Are we going to talk about last night then son?" He asked Peter looked back at him puzzled
"What about last night?"
"Well it's obvious that you and Carla have had a little more contact then I had realised. How are things between you two?" Ken asked Peter who took another drag and shook his head
"Well I thought we were on good terms I mean we'd talked for ages at the factory on Friday night" he said
"You thought you were on good terms?"
"Yeah but other than then she hasn't really wanted to talk about us much. If I'm really honest with you Dad it's seems like she's only interested in the sex" he admitted Ken raised his eyebrows at his son
"Well it's not just sex though is it? I mean you both clearly still love each other" Ken added as Peter took one long last drag of his cigarette before stamping it out
"You think she still loves me?"
Ken nodded
"She said so last night didn't she?"
"Yeah well she was half cut and throwing chips around I'm not sure we should take any thing she said seriously Dad"
"I think you and I both know that sometimes drunken words can actually turn out be our true feelings" Ken said, Peter took a deep breath
"Yeah well that doesn't exactly fill me with much hope Dad, I mean if that's true then she also thinks I'm gonna hurt her again"
"Then you have to make damn sure she knows you won't" Peter nodded at his Father who then added
"She woke up about five minutes ago"
"How did she seem?" Peter asked
"I think she's pretty embarrassed, She's gone to sort herself out upstairs in the bathroom," Ken said and he and Peter made there way into kitchen where Deirdre was in her dressing gown buttering toast
"Morning Deirdre" Peter said
"Morning love" She said looking around and then back at Peter
"Your Dad filled me in on last nights events" Peter nodded and made his way to the dining table
"Great… wait did you warn" he stopped talking as his sister entered the back room, She did not look impressed
"What is she doing in our bathroom?" She exclaimed sitting down at the table
"I mean the state of it"
"Morning Tracy" Ken said sitting at the table with a cup of coffee Deirdre joined him with a plate of toast Tracy looked around at her family who were all going about their normal breakfast routine, She waved at her brother slowly trying to get his attention
"Errrr Hello? Peter what is she doing here?" Peter shrugged
"She turned up here last night drunk so I let her stay on the sofa to keep an eye on her, is that a crime?" he said Tracy shook her head at him
"Oh well that's just great, she decides to get bladdered and then make her recovering alcoholic ex watch over her" She tutted
"She didn't make me do anything Tracy" Peter sighed wishing his sister didn't always have so much to say
"How was everything after I went upstairs Peter?" Ken asked, Peter sipped his drink
"She fell straight asleep on the sofa thank god, that kiss she gave me almost did me in to be honest, you know the taste of alcohol on her breath and that" he wondered if Carla would remember kissing him or if she would remember the things she'd said to him.
"Yeah well that doesn't surprise me. Peter I'm telling you that woman is poison" Tracy spat
"Tracy what ever you think about Carla, she is still family" Ken said as Carla appeared in the doorway her hair still wild, Peter spotted her and gave her a small smile. Despite what his sister had said she still looked just as stunning as she had done last night only now she had dark circles under her eyes and her skin was slightly paler than usual, Tracy who was sat with her back to Carla continued
"Pfft not for much longer with any luck, you should get on with that divorce you were talking about on Friday before she sucks you back in again." Peter looked at Carla as Tracy said the word divorce, She was staring ahead as Tracy continued her rant
"The woman is a train wreck. You're lucky you're still alive mate, with her history of men" She smirked getting up out of her chair. She walked into the kitchen still unaware that Carla was in the doorway. Peter peeved at his sisters ignorance stood up and offered his chair to Carla but she just shook her head at him
"Oh I'm not stopping" She said softly which prompted a
"Good" to come from Tracy in the Kitchen, Ken shhh'd his daughter
"Well she obviously doesn't want to be here Dad, good riddance to her" Tracy called out.
Carla swallowed, her head was pounding and her eyes were stinging, She felt like just running straight out of the Barlow's house but she didn't want to be rude. She cleared her throat and eventually managed to get out
"Ken I'm sorry for last night" Ken shook his head at her but she continued
"No I really am, I'm actually quite embarrassed to be honest" She wouldn't look at Peter at all but she could feel that he was watching her
"It's fine Carla honestly" he said smiling at her, even Ken could tell something was wrong. She nodded back at him and stood up. She pulled her dress down a little and then she picked up her bag and shoes, which had been left at the end of the sofa.
She nodded awkwardly at Ken and Deirdre before leaving the back room Peter followed her, He reached out and took her hand but she pulled it away from him
"Carla you don't have to go" He said she nodded still trying her best not to give him proper eye contact
"Yes. Yes I do, I shouldn't have come here last night Peter" She said
"I were just so drunk and it was like all I wanted to do was speak to you. Guess old habits, die hard and all that"
"No Carla honestly it's fine" Peter began he shuffled on his feet for a moment wondering the best way to ask her about last night
"Do you remember much of last night?" he eventually asked deciding not to beat about the bush, She instantly shook her head at him and said
"No and it's probably for the best really" She finally looked at him properly
"Look if I did or said anything stupid and or embarrassing I'm sorry about it okay" Peter wondered if she was telling the truth about not remembering, He swallowed and said
"Okay" Carla nodded at him and then began walking towards the front door
"Carla" he called, She sighed and stopped, She turned to look at him
"I think you and me need to sit down properly and talk at some point" he said Carla rolled her eyes
"Do we have to?" She groaned and this irritated Peter quite a bit
"Oh I'm sorry" he said sarcastically
"Did you think we were just going to keep having sex and that's it?" Carla tutted and then sighed again
"You're still not saying anything?" he muttered
"Well what exactly do you want me to say?" She said, he shrugged at her
"I dunno, just something, something about how you're feeling"
"I feel like crap Peter" She said referring to her current hung-over situation although she knew he wanted her to talk about her emotional feelings
"Carla that's not"
"Okay fine!" She interrupted him and her tone told him this wasn't going to be a positive thing
"You wanna talk? Well why don't we talk about this divorce conversation that you had with Tracy then?" He looked down at the ground, He was annoyed that Tracy had even mentioned the tiny little conversation that they had had before he'd gone to the factory on Friday, It was about how he thought Carla would probably want a divorce but it was certainty not what he wanted at all.
She didn't wait too long for a response from Peter
"Right well I'll have my solicitor contact yours and we can get the ball rolling yeah" Carla said bluntly her eyes still fighting back the tears she watched Peter's face crumple
"What's that face for? According to your sister you wanted a divorce so I'm just giving you what you want right?" Peter shook his head
"I never said no such thing and anyways since when did you let Tracy get under your skin?" he took her hand
"Carla I don't want a divorce, not if you don't" He looked deep into her eyes she closed them not wanting him to see how close she was to crying, She took another deep breath and opened her eyes
"This is not going the way I planned at all" He mumbled looking back at where his parents were sat and then back at Carla.
"Carla I just want to know… What you want?"
"I don't even know what I want right now Peter. Me head is killing me and I'm exhausted, I think I should just go home to be honest with you"
Peter nodded not wanting to push the situation further
"I'll give you a call or text later yeah" She said giving him the best version of a smile she could. He gave her half a smile back and then she opened the door and left.
As soon as she shut the door behind her Carla breathed out deeply as the air hit her, She gulped as a tear dribbled down her cheek. She had no Idea why she'd taken Tracy's comments so serious it was nothing she'd never heard before well except for the divorce part. Carla couldn't seem to understand why the thought of a divorce was upsetting her so much when the same time last week it was probably what she wanted, what she thought she wanted anyway.
She had tried to walk past the rovers as quickly as she could but was caught out as Michelle came bounding out the doors in her dressing gown her hair was up in a messy bun on her head. She was squinting at the sun as her hangover was in full affect when she saw her friend try to sneak past
"Don't you even try it Carla Barlow!" She shouted as if she had been waiting for Carla to pass
"This is the second time I've caught you doing the walk of shame" Carla turned around to face Michelle, her eyes brimming with tears and she was trying to keep it all in by biting her bottom lip.
"Carla" Michelle said sympathetically and put her arm around her friend and ushered her into the pub.