"Tinkerbell's kicking me," Roxy murmured, tiredly. The sisters were lying next to each other beneath the covers on Ronnie's bed, wiling away the day with conversations about anything and everything interspersed with short naps.
"Imagine what she's putting me through, if you can feel it all the way from there," Ronnie replied, sinking deeper beneath the covers and stretching her legs. She let out a soft, content sigh before looking to her younger sister. "I'm glad you stayed, Rox."
Roxy just smiled in return. "No biggie."
"Except it is when your older sister calls you at three in the morning, telling you to drag yourself out of bed and get over to her place."
Roxy shrugged. "Yeah, well. I've spent the whole of my life being bossed about by you, so why should that change now?" She paused for a moment, looking into Ronnie's face. It had been a week since Ronnie had come back from France and besides that initial conversation, she refused to bring it up again.
That's Ronnie all over though, ain't it? If something hurts, she buries it and never talks about it. God – Jack is one prize wanker. If he ever comes back to Walford, I swear, I'll kill him.
"So missy, what are your plans for today?" Ronnie asked, making no attempt to leave the warm bed.
"Oh, y'know – might show my face at the Vic otherwise Phil's gonna be like a bear with a sore face." Roxy grimaced at the thought of her cousin berating her.
"Don't you mean 'sore head'?"
Roxy raised her eyebrows and shook her head. "Nope, definitely sore face." Ronnie caught her sister's look and burst out laughing before groaning dramatically. "What?"
"I have to move, don't I?"
Roxy nodded her head. "Yes, yes you do."
Ronnie sighed. "When does Aunty Peg get back?" She enquired, pulling the deliciously warm covers away from her body and slowly swinging her legs over the side of the bed.
"This evening. Well, that's what she said, anyway."
"True – when her and Aunt Sal get together, they're terrible," Ronnie agreed before lifting herself from the bed.
"Come to the Vic, please? Keep me company?"
Ronnie scoffed. "I dunno how good I'll be at that, I tend to fall asleep at eight."
"Well, keep me company until 8 then. Just say you'll be there tonight. Pleeeease, Ronnie? For me? Pleeeeeeease?"
Ronnie frowned for a moment, confused by her sister's sudden desire for her to be at the Vic. "Yeah, yeah – I'll be there. Happy now?"
Roxy nodded, a broad smile on her face. "I am now."
Ronnie sat at her dressing table, staring into her reflection as she dragged a blusher brush across her cheekbones, smiling slightly as the soft pink minerals were deposited against her skin, making her cheeks shimmer. She loved blusher, a tiny bit could so much. Even if you had the worst hangover in the world and you felt like you were dying inside, a little bit of blusher could make you look fresh and rested.
Putting down the brush, Ronnie slowly lifted herself from the low chair and walked over to her open wardrobe. She picked up the dress that Roxy had explicitly told her to wear, letting the midnight blue satin fall through her fingers.
Ronnie smiled as she remembered her sister's excitement. She's throwing me a baby shower. She'd instantly thought. And with all the texts and phone calls since Roxy had left, that conclusion became more apparent.
"I'll just have to act surprised when I get there," Ronnie told herself as she slipped out of her black dressing gown and shimmied into the dress. Thank god the zip's on the side! She thought to herself before suddenly being swept up in a memory of a long time ago.
"You look beautiful," Jack breathed as he came into his bedroom.
Ronnie turned to face him, raising an eyebrow as she did so. "I'm not even dressed yet," she replied, waving her hand in the direction of the outfit she had laid out on Jack's bed.
Jack just smiled. "Exactly."
Ronnie rolled her eyes before returning to doing her make up in the mirror. Her eyes followed the reflection of Jack's movements and moments later, she felt his hands caress the sides of her arms. She shivered slightly at the contact.
"Cold?" He asked, his breath warm and tantalising across the back of her neck.
"No," she answered, clearing her throat as she attempted to control the pit of warm liquid that had begun to spread through her.
"No?" Jack whispered, his lips now tracing their way from Ronnie's neck to her collarbone, his fingers trailing from her arms to her waist.
Ronnie shook her head, discarding the memory. She couldn't think about that. She couldn't think about him. She could get through this. She could get over him. I've gotten over worse.
She smoothed out the dress against her form, smiling as her baby bump proudly stood out from beneath the empire waist and took in her reflection in the full length mirror.
"I've gotten over worse," Ronnie said out loud, echoing her thoughts.
Placing her feet into simple black pumps – no heels for her until after the baby was born – she grabbed her phone and her bag before leaving the flat. Closing the door securely behind her, a gust of wind swept at Ronnie's hair and gave voice to a silent thought.
You're not over it.