Peter gazed at the ring sat prominently upon his finger, unable to hold back a smile as he pondered the sentiment and the promise it represented. It had been less than two weeks since he and Carla had tied the knot and, for the first time in months, he felt excited and even cautiously optimistic for what the future might hold for them, even if that meant having to put up with the small cramped quarters of number one for now.
Today was certainly no exception to that with Steve occupying the kitchen, his incessant whistling irritating anybody within hearing distance, Amy scurrying back and forth gathering everything she needed for the school day ahead, and Tracy upstairs in the shower, caterwauling at the top of her lungs and brutally destroying song after song.
Both Peter and Carla proved to be the quietest of the lot with Peter slowly consuming the remains of his porridge and Carla sat next to him, clearly lost in deep thought with her chin resting upon the heel of her hand, a blank stare fixed to the adjacent wall, barely having touched the brew he'd made for her.
"How about some toast, ey? You've gotta eat something."
His voice quickly dragged her back to reality and, with a slight shake of her head, she turned her attention to him.
"No, ta. I'm really not that hungry darlin'. I've got this meeting later today I have to prepare for. I haven't even seen the product yet so I'm just gonna have to pull it out of the bag."
"And here's me thinking I could persuade ya to call in sick, keep you all to meself."
Carla sighed empathically as she watched him shovel another spoonful of porridge into his mouth, she too wishing an opportunity would present itself for the two of them to enjoy some quality uninterrupted time together.
"Oh baby, you know I would but I've really gotta knuckle down and get this order sorted today."
"I know, I know. I don't wanna come in between you and your work love but... I don't know, I just thought maybe some time together might do us both good. We've barely had a second to ourselves since we got hitched."
She could tell just how deflated he was and understandably so; this wasn't the typical honeymoon either of them had been expecting but until he was back on his feet properly there was little that could be done about it. Glancing towards the kitchen she clocked Steve still occupying himself by preparing breakfast before leaning slightly closer to her husband.
"Well, I don't have to be at the factory until lunchtime and I'll tell you what I have got an appetite for..."
A sneaky hand delved beneath the table completely out of sight and settled upon his thigh, giving it a firm squeeze before slowly brushing over the rough material of his jeans, edging closer to his crotch. This alone prompted him to sit upright with a clear of his throat, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"Oh yeah? Well, in that case... who needs porridge, ey?"
"I hoped ya might say that."
Inching closer to him she bit down on her lower lip, attempting to stifle a soft flurry of giggles before pressing her lips to his, her eyes fluttering shut as everything around her simply faded away and her attention fell onto him.
Unsurprisingly, the moment ended quicker than it had begun as Steve sauntered over, bowl in hand, and took a seat opposite them at the table, pulling a face of disgust at the scene before him.
"Ey ey ey, enough of that. People have got to eat here you know and I don't need the pair of you canoodling over me cornflakes, thank you very much."
Peter broke the kiss first, his head spinning to shoot Steve a frustrated glare before raising his hand to brush over his unshaven face, disappointed by just how quickly the mood had been killed. Carla left her hand exactly where it was, her fingertips lightly trailing along her husband's inner thigh as she pondered an alternative, not ready to give up just yet.
"Well, we could always go upstairs, couldn't we?" She leaned in to whisper, only loud enough for the pair of them to hear. "Shut the door and put the world to rights. Ey, I'll even do that thing ya like, you know, where I—"
"Err, I wouldn't count on it. No, ya see, Tracy's got the day off and she's decided to have a clear out, hence the reason I've volunteered meself for the all-day shift so unless you want her as your chaperone I'm afraid you're just gonna have to keep it in your pants."
The somewhat smug chuckle emitting Steve's throat only added to their growing frustrations, Carla soon pulling her hand away as it was clear that given the constant presence of her in-laws there would be no canoodling, or anything else for that matter, happening at all.
"I reckon we're well and truly stuck then." Peter shrugged his shoulders, an apologetic look splayed across his face as he looked towards his wife, completely disregarding Steve's presence. "Unless... well, we could always go to a hotel?"
Carla's eyes widened, her perfectly shaped brows raising almost enough to meet her hairline as she puffed out a sigh of feigned offence.
"Oh, charming! I've gone from wife to mistress in the space of about three seconds."
Immediately recognising the expression Peter's face dropped, his gaunt yellowed complexion almost turning to that of a remorseful grey, prompting Carla to laugh it off, giving his arm a gentle nudge in reassurance.
"I'm only messing with ya darlin', it's not a bad idea... but it's all the fuss, int it? Not to mention the money. I mean, we're not exactly flush as it is." She released a frustrated groan, the thought of being on edge all day whilst having to sit through a mundane work meeting proving to be less than desirable. "I told ya we should have found a place of our own before getting hitched, didn't I? At least that way we'd be starting married life off properly, just the two of us."
"And we'll get there love, we will. I've been keeping me eye on the property listings, made a few calls, it's just gonna take some time."
"Yeah well, that's one thing we haven't got; time."
Narrowing his gaze Peter couldn't help but frown, a little confused by what she meant and instantly assuming that she, despite her previous optimism, had suddenly given up on all hope of him receiving a liver.
"What, you think you'll be picking out wreaths rather than wallpaper samples?"
"Noo, no! I didn't mean it like that... God, me and my big gob, what am I like?" Carla shook her head, running a hand over her face before explaining. "I just meant that when you do get this transplant.. well, you're gonna need all the peace and quiet you can get, aren't ya? The last thing you want is your lot chewing your ear off every five minutes, checking in to make sure you're okay and, if a liver came up next week, that's exactly what you'd be coming home to. I just wanna make sure you're comfortable darlin' and that your recovery comes first, that's all,"
She smiled in an attempt to reassure him, certain that things would go exactly to plan. There was no doubt in her mind that he would make it through this, with her by his side every single step of the way.
"Yeah, I suppose you're right."
"Of course I am," A boastful smile stretched across her lips, glad that she had been able to keep him grounded and remind him of just how much faith she had despite the uncertainty of their current plight. "And anyway, I've already been appointed as your carer so nobody else is gonna get a look in. I'm gonna do a damn good job of it and all."
Closing her hand into a loose fist she gave his arm a gentle nudge, hoping to provoke some sort of positive reaction but she soon noticed the uneasiness in his expression. She knew the transplant had been playing on his mind and his refusal to discuss it simply made matters worse but she didn't want to push him into anything he felt uncomfortable with and cause him further upset. Instead, she placed her hand over the top of his, her thumb gently brushing over his skin.
"Ey, don't be stressing about it. You are gonna get this transplant and we are gonna find a flat of our own. I'm gonna take care of it baby, all of it... I promise."
"How long does it take to find one flamin' sample?! She only dropped it off an hour ago!"
Within seconds Kirk appeared carrying an armful of materials and samples, rooting through them in search of the item Carla had requested.
"Sorry, Mrs. Con— I mean Mrs. Barlow. I had it in me hand a minute ago but the materials for the Robertson order came through and I think it fell into one of the boxes."
"Don't be sorry Kirk, just find it! I've got to be at a meeting in—" A quick tap upon the screen of her phone revealed the time, causing the urgency in her tone to become more evident. "—twelve minutes!"
Kirk scurried out of the office with a panicked nod, mumbling to himself as he retraced his steps to find the missing sample. Carla let out a disgruntled sigh, impatiently tapping the pen against the desk whilst continuously checking the time; each passing second was precious time wasted when she could be selling Nina's latest design to a new client, hopefully summoning enough work to keep the staff busy for at least six months if she was to secure the contract.
She hadn't realised just how much her earlier conversation with Peter had been playing on her mind and how the sheer lack of intimacy in their relationship had affected her mood. She didn't blame him in the slightest for that, and with his current condition she certainly didn't expect him to be raring to go at any given moment but she couldn't help feeling frustrated by it. After all, she was a married woman now and she wanted nothing more than to show her husband just how much she loved him by rekindling the passion in their relationship.
"We can't find it, Mrs. Barlow!"
"Oh, for God's sake!" Practically slamming both hands down on the desk she pushed herself up out of the chair, determined to find it herself. "Why is it every time you want summat doing you have to flamin' well do it your—"
The impeccable timing of Sarah's arrival prompted a sigh of relief from Carla, her temper quickly dissipating as the younger woman came striding into the office with the underwear proudly hung out in front of her.
"It's okay, panic over! I found it."
"Thank God for that, Sarah you're a star! One of these days, I swear, I'm gonna belt that lot. Right, let's have a look..."
Emerging from behind the desk Carla stepped forward and eagerly studied the lingerie that Sarah was holding out, lifting a hand to brush her finger and thumb over the soft mesh fabric adorning the front of the satin thong, checking over each and every stitch before the design of the bralet caught her attention. She enveloped her lips to hide the wide smile that threatened to stretch across her features at the unconventional but incredibly sexy Victorian twist Nina had incorporated into the design, black lace and dainty frills finishing the two-piece off beautifully.
"That, is gorgeous."
It was then that the idea sprung to mind, needing to come up with a distraction to keep Steve and Tracy away from the house long enough so that she and Peter could enjoy a little light-hearted fun that they both deserved after months of trauma and heartache. She needed to keep their marriage alive, not that it was at risk of dying any time soon but this would certainly prevent that from ever happening. Everything seemed to click into place as the perfect solution for their problems became clear and with the guarantee of an empty house what better way was there to surprise her husband by turning up in this little number?
"I've just finished my lunch so I'd be happy to take the meeting for you if you want. It shouldn't take too long to make a few notes of my own and—"
"No no, it's fine. I've got it but ta love."
Unable to tear her gaze away from the set Carla took it from Sarah's hands, any thoughts of the meeting and her sales pitch having already departed her mind as she pondered the look on Peter's face when she arrived home. Retrieving her jacket from the back of the chair she quietly slipped out of the office and into the bathroom, internally praising herself for having picked out one with enough length to cover her body so she could make the short trip across the road without arousing any suspicion, leaving only her knee-high black boots on show.
If being placed on the transplant list wasn't enough of a welcome relief to warrant a smile at the very least from him then she was going to make sure to give them both a reason to smile for at least a couple of days by killing two birds with one stone, singlehandedly resolving their lack of intimacy and privacy.
After changing and admiring the way she sported the lingerie rather perfectly she pulled on her jacket and tied it tight before taking her mobile out from the pocket to make the call, already contemplating colour schemes and decor to suit the vacant flat in mind.
"Steve, just the man I wanted to talk to. I've got a proposition for ya..."
Peter sifted through the many jigsaw pieces splayed across the tabletop, occasionally lifting one and attempting to slot it into his desired choice of space before tossing it aside upon discovering it was incorrect. As pleased as he was to make the transplant list he couldn't bear thinking about it or getting his hopes up, knowing that something could and probably would go wrong at any given moment and so immersing himself in yet another mundane puzzle seemed to be the only thing successfully providing the distracted he desperately craved.
His frustrations continued to grow as time went on, the puzzle keeping his hands focused but not so much his mind. Tossing the piece he held between his finger and thumb aside with the release of an elongated sigh he pushed back the chair and pressed both palms against the table to slowly rise to his feet, allowing himself the chance to stretch his legs for just a moment before relocating to the armchair in the corner, picking up the newspaper and scanning through it in the hope that the contents within would give him something to focus on.
Once again his focus was interrupted but this time in a much more welcome manner with the sooner than expected arrival of his wife, bleating loudly from the hall to alert him to her presence as the front door shut.
"Only me!"
He lowered the newspaper and greeted her with a smile, pleased as always to see her despite knowing their time alone would be short-lived given that Tracy had only nipped next door to the pub. He hadn't stopped thinking about the slightly tainted mood over breakfast, well aware there were things that needed to be addressed in regards to their living arrangements and hoping that his eager attempts in trawling through the property section of the paper would rectify that.
"Hey love. You're back early."
"Hi," She casually dropped her keys onto the unit as she passed it, sauntering into the living room whilst keeping her gaze fixed on him the entire time, deciding to cut straight to the chase given how much she hated any sort of bad feeling between the two of them. "Look, I'm sorry for moaning earlier."
"Ahh don't worry about it. I'm frustrated as well, I mean it's far from ideal, this whole situation."
"Yeah... I do think we should make some effort though, you know, to keep the marriage alive. I just don't wanna pressurise ya, with you being ill and all."
Peering over the top of the newspaper he couldn't help but smirk, picking up on the hint of a suggestive tone as she spoke.
"I'm not that ill."
"Oh? Well in that case," Carla lowered her hands and began untying the fabric belt that loosely hung around her waist, keeping her chosen attire hidden from view; for now. "I've got a surprise for ya, o' husbandy one..."
"Oh yeah? Don't tell me, it's a packet of me favourite crisps."
"Oh behave! And they're not crisps."
"They are." His raised eyebrows paired with the wide grin proved how determined he was not to back down from this argument.
"Face it Peter, I'm always right so you're just gonna have to get used to it."
Peter playfully rolled his eyes with a smirk of amusement before giving her a quick appreciative look up and down, returning his attention to the newspaper soon after.
"Ey, Nina came into the factory earlier."
She slowly began to unbutton her jacket after the removal of its belt, working from the top down. A slight tilt of her head paired with a sultry smile gracing her features.
"Oh yeah?" Peter narrowed his gaze as he focused his attention back to the contents of the newspaper, not yet having noticed the length of time it was taking her to remove her jacket or the slow and seductive fashion in which she was doing it.
"She's done these designs for us, kind of like Victorian, you know? But really sexy..."
Peter simply hummed in response, the typical reply when it came to discussing anything to do with work. Of course he was interested in whatever she had to say, whether it be about work or not, but at that moment reading about the results of the snooker championship seemed far more appealing than whatever frilly garment was under review over the road.
"...and I'm wearing one."
The idea of Carla sporting sexy lingerie and nothing else beneath her jacket combined with the way in which her tone suddenly dropped an octave, laced with lust and suggestion, prompted his hand to slacken and for the newspaper to suddenly fold in half, allowing his gaze to instantly meet with hers. The moment she knew she had his attention she grasped the fabric of her jacket and swiftly whipped it open, revealing herself to be wearing nothing but the underwear, complemented by her favourite leather boots.
His previously clenched jaw muscles slacked, allowing his mouth to drape open ever so slightly at the stunning sight before him, rendering him completely speechless. As much as sex and passion had always been the driving force of their relationship he couldn't remember the last time she had gone to this much effort for him or even a time where he had gone out of his way to ensure the intimate fire between them remained lit. After the last few months, it had become a mere afterthought but he hoped now that with things getting back on track they could finally rekindle the passion they had been lacking, especially with her stood there wearing nothing but that.
"Wow..."
Flicking back the soft tousled waves of raven hair that lay over her shoulders she slowly walked towards him, watching intently with a soft bite of her lip as his eyes flickered over her body before settling on the lingerie, the way it clung to her skin, hugged her body in all the right places and accentuated each of her curves in a way that caused him to feel an instant stir of arousal within his jeans, the newspaper quickly being flung aside.
"Well? What do ya think?"
"I think... I might need to take ya upstairs."
Despite wanting to maintain the sexy demeanour she couldn't help but allow a soft giggle to escape her throat as his smile continued to grow, both of his bushy brows lifting high enough to meet his hairline, not having seen him this focused on anything in months.
"Why waste the energy? Steve's keeping Tracy busy with something, Amy's at school so we've got the place to ourselves, thanks to yours truly... and what better way to make use of it than spending some quality time together, you know, as husband and wife..."
A quick puffed-out breath laced with a delighted chuckle was all he could manage in response, that alone providing her with enough to know her present had been very well received. She couldn't remember the last time he had shown this much enthusiasm towards anything and his sudden leap out of the chair towards her was met with a joyful squeal before their lips collided and they both knew the spark in their marriage was under no threat of dying out anytime soon.