Thank you for the reviews.
So we are on S03E19, which pretty much goes the same way as it does in the episode, bar the few things that I have changed here.
Just a Bit of Good News
It had been just over a month ago that Rachel had told Eddie that she didn't believe him when he told her that he loved her. Not only could she safely say that wasn't the case anymore, but she would have told him off for the bunch of flowers left on her desk. That was if she wasn't secretly enjoying all the attention.
She had obviously discussed it with Jane and Sally and they seemed to try and convince her that it was a good thing. Mainly because, and Rachel preferred the way that Sally said it, it was the most romantic thing that anyone had done for her. Jane's was more than he was a man and she could try and get as much free stuff out of him as possible.
Rachel couldn't stop herself from biting her lip as she made her way over, dropping her bags by her desk before she found the card, wondering what he had got her this time around.
Forget-me-nots. Means true love, fidelity and deep compassion. E.
True love. She could agree with that. She had never been in love with someone like she was in love with Eddie. She knew that he was still waiting for her to be completely comfortable before he spoke about going public with their relationship. Although she suspected that a few people may have already guessed that was what had happened between them. It wasn't that she didn't want to, she was just weary still about having a relationship at work. Even if they had been sort-of dating for three months.
She didn't expect him to walk into her office with a coffee in each hand, something else that he had been doing a lot as well. She was touched by the gestures. Even if she felt like this was going on for too long.
"Eddie. Honestly." She said, reacting to her last thought.
"I told you. I am going to do it until you believe it."
"And what if I do already believe it? I am being genuine now. I do believe that you love me."
"Then you are just going to be getting gifts every day."
She shook her head at him. He was definitely her soppy sod. It was why she knew that she had taken him by surprise as she walked up to him and kissed him. She was sure that he would have pulled her closer to him if he didn't have the coffees in his hands.
In truth, if there was anything that happened between them, in the safety of her office, during school time, it was usually him that started it. That was whether it was a shoulder rub or just holding hands to almost making out on the sofas. If she was being honest with herself, she loved it. He called her a tease and she definitely loved teasing him.
So, to tease him, she took her coffee off him before walking back to her desk and sitting down in her chair, knowing that he would have loved to reach out and pull her toward him.
"We are in for a long day." She said with a sigh before she took a sip of the coffee.
"I think it will be fine."
"Yeah but you know what Steph is like. I just hope she hasn't messed this up."
"Well, the guy has come here from France."
"Just because he is going to be here doesn't mean anything. She only asked me this morning whether she could have a welcoming committee for him." She sighed. "We would just do with some good news for a change."
"That is just the natural worrier in you. Today will go smoothly and we will have enough money for these language labs. Just you see."
The weird part was that she did actually believe him.
Eddie knew that she had smiled and joked with Monsieur Legard but he knew that it would be after he had gone that what had been said would hit her. He returned from showing Monsieur Legard out to her tapping the cheque against her desk. He knew that she hadn't heard him and that her vision had glazed over.
He sighed, knowing that she wasn't okay. That Steph's actions had caused her to take a step backwards. And just when he thought that she was getting back to normal.
"We'd better tell her." He said, hoping that would get her out of her state.
Rachel nodded at him but he wasn't convinced that she had heard what he'd said.
"You almost didn't take it off him, did you?"
She blinked a couple of times before she turned to him. She offered him a smile and he gave her one back. It was clear that she hadn't heard anything that he had said.
"Maybe we should tell Steph."
"Good idea." He said, not going to tell her that he had already suggested that. "Are you okay?"
"I suppose we got the money."
"Rachel."
The way she hesitated made him think that he was going to get an answer to the question that she hadn't heard.
"I almost didn't take it. Whether her heart was in the right place or not."
"I gathered."
"She'll be in the bloody pub."
"I'll buy the drinks. We can have one, tell Steph and then I will get you home."
"Leave my car here again?"
"Unless you want to drop it back at yours and then jump in my car."
"Suppose we could do that."
"Come on. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can put today behind us."
It was the way that she sighed and smiled as she shook her head. Eddie knew that today would stay on her mind for a little while.
Rachel knew she had to say something to Eddie before he pulled up to the house. The only problem was that she was replaying the day over in her mind alone with Steph's words.
So I flashed a bit of thigh. So what? Don't tell me you've never done it?
Those were definitely not the words to say. Adding to her thoughts that no one at Waterloo Road, save for Eddie, knew or had a clue what she had to do in her youth. They probably all thought she was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. She wished.
"Stay." She said as she placed her hand over Eddie's on the gear stick.
He briefly turned to her before he turned back to the road.
"Of course."
"I'm not joking when I say that I have got used to you sleeping next to me. The nights when you aren't… I can't fall asleep and… I don't feel like I sleep well."
"Don't worry, you have the same effect on me as well."
There was just enough room on the driveway for his car and she added maybe her moving into his to the list of things that she thought that they needed to talk about. Maybe at the same time they spoke about making their relationship more public.
Of course, Jane and Sally were wrapped up together on the sofa when they popped their head into the living room. It was nice to see and Rachel didn't feel the same jealousy that used to fill her when they were like that. Maybe it was because she had finally found her Sally.
"Did you get the money?" Jane asked.
"We did. Just not with the methods that I could condone."
Rachel didn't want to go any further than that and she knew that Eddie would pick up the slack when both Jane and Sally gave them blank looks.
"I think the way that Steph tried to… explain herself was with the statement 'So I flashed a bit of thigh.' which also turned into the question, aimed at Rachel, of 'Don't tell me you've never done it?'."
"Oh. Not great then." Sally said.
"Eddie's going to stay over. If that's okay." Rachel said.
"Honestly Rachel, you have been here for seven months. It is just as much your home now as it is ours." Jane said. "We did save you some dinner. Obviously we didn't know that Eddie was going to be here but there might be enough for the both of you. If you haven't already eaten."
"No, we haven't. Thanks."
Rachel had only taken a couple of steps and she knew that Eddie hadn't moved as she turned back to him.
"We forgot the forget-me-nots." She said.
"Today was forget-me-nots? What do they mean?" Sally said.
Rachel smiled at Eddie, allowing him to tell them and be the romantic that she knew he was.
He cleared his throat. "True love, fidelity and deep compassion."
"Honestly Eddie, we think that everything you have done is the cutest thing ever. No one has gone to this much effort before for her."
"Well, she is worth it."
Rachel just shook her head at him before she grabbed his hand.
"Come on, you soppy sod. That is enough of that."
They weren't totally out of earshot before Sally said anything.
"Oh come on Jane."
"He still needs to ask for my permission before he asks to marry her."
"Stop being an awkward sod."
Rachel only shook her head at Eddie before she closed the door on their conversation, knowing that it would only end one of two ways.