A/N: The last chapter was even more Neela-centric than usual, I know, but I hope you enjoy this one! This is the final instalment of anchovies, but there may be a continuation in the not too distant future. Again, thanks for all the reviews; now I might have chance to catch up on reading some of your work!
Liz
Neela checked her feet to make sure she hadn't put on her ruby slippers.
"There's no place like home!" she chuckled, letting herself in to the apartment block.
Oh God, she thought, he's probably got some skank with him, and I'll turn up looking like a drowned rat holding a sodden bag of comfort groceries!
Neela stood there for a moment, debating whether or not to go up. Well, I'll soon know if he's got someone with him, I'll hear the banging from down the hallway.
Feeling like a trespasser, Neela trod the old familiar stairwells and corridors to the front door of what had been her home. She stood there listening, no thumping of bedsteads or slightly dodgy romantic songs, just the sound of someone playing an acoustic guitar and singing softly to themselves.
Fascinated, Neela leaned against the door, resting her head against it, trying to hear the words, but Ray was singing so softly she couldn't make them out. It sounded beautiful, something he'd written, with such a soulful longing in the tune it caused her eyes to prickle.
She let the shopping bag she'd been holding slide into the door, beer bottles banging into the wood.
Startled, she stood up quickly, trying to straighten her hair and wipe her eyes with one hand. The music stopped abruptly.
"Who is it?" Ray called.
"It's me. Um… it's Neela" she answered.
"Hold on one second" he replied.
There was the sound of frantic scrabbling, like things being hurriedly moved, and clothes being hastily thrown on, then the click of the door being unlatched. Neela took a deep breath.
Ray opened the door wearing an inside out T-shirt.
"I know who me, is." he said, smiling cagily, his one arm resting defensively on the door jamb, his face changing to one of concern when he saw how bedraggled she was.
"Jesus, Neela, you been playing at Gene Kelly again? Come in and get yourself dry before you catch a cold." He ushered Neela into the apartment and went to fetch a towel.
"You know Ray, there's no scientific evidence that getting wet and cold brings on a cold. Anyway, I've got some milk, beer and ice cream here, shall I put them in the ice box?"
"Sure," Ray replied from the bathroom, "at least you still know what to bring round to keep this guy happy."
"Actually I was going to take them back to Abby's apartment." she said dropping the bag on the kitchen counter and slumping over it.
"But her apartment is so cold, the shower is crap, the cable is broken, I'm so lonely and bored and I miss you and I'm so sorry for what I said to you earlier, it was really nasty of me and you've tried to be so kind to me despite the way I've been behaving."
The torrent had started now and nothing was going to stop it, her words coming in between sobs.
"And I'm sorry about Gates and the way you found out about it, but that was just a little bit of nothing that meant nothing and is done and I'm sorry for the way I pushed you aside after Michael died but I was blaming myself and saying things like it was my fault he died, that he died because I started to feel things for you, which I know is stupid, but we think stupid things when bad things happen, and I'm sorry for thinking all the bad things you accused me of thinking which was so wrong of me and you're right, I do know you better than that, so I'm really, really sorry."
Her lungs were bursting. She put her head onto the counter and covered it with her arms, heaving in deep breaths while crying. Ray came out of the bathroom carrying a towel, face serious, and put his hand gently on the back of her sodden coat.
"Come on." He said gently, "Lets get you out of that coat and dry you off."
Still hitching for breath, Neela said "Ray, did you hear what I said?"
"Yeah, I heard and I'm sorry too, lets just say that neither of us has behaved so great over the last couple of months, shall we?" he said, wrapping the towel around her shoulders and leading her over to the sofa. She sat down gratefully.
"Do you want a drink? Apparently I have beer and milk so there are now a wide range of refreshments that I can offer you."
"I'd love a cup of tea." Neela said. They both smiled at each other, holding their gaze for a comfortable while, smiles growing a little.
"Tea I can do." said Ray, breaking off towards the kitchen, looking back towards her to say "I just so happen to have some of your favourite in stock."
"Oh God Ray, not that manky half packet of tea bags I left here all those months ago."
"No these were freshly purchased some weeks ago and still remain unopened." he said, flourishing the foil packet at her to prove it.
"Have a look on the Tivo, there might be something you're interested in watching on there."
"Please tell me it's not the extended edition of Dawn of the Dead." Neela deadpanned.
"Look and find out" said Ray, as he made her a mug of steaming tea.
"Celebrity Poker Tournament, wow, thanks Ray." She almost squealed.
He came over and sat down beside her on the couch, not too close, but not miles away, passing her the mug of tea.
"Well, I never got round to deprogramming the stupid thing, so it just kind of kept on recording." Neela looked at him and raised her eyebrows.
"Okay, okay you got me stuck on the damn thing, not that it was the same without you screaming at people what to bid and when to fold."
Neela grinned and drank her tea. She put the mug down on the floor and snuggled the towel around her a little tighter.
"Wow, these smell fresh, have you actually got a room-mate that found the laundry?" There was a pause. Neela knew she'd touched a raw nerve.
"I don't actually have a room-mate at the moment, none of the guys that applied kind of … met the criteria." He said, not looking at her. "And besides, they all looked like tequila drinkers and I know what that leads to." He glanced sideways at her, grinning, the past few months softening slightly into memory.
"So is it…" Neela asked.
"Yeah, I made a couple of changes, but I think you'll like them."
"Can I see?"
"Sure." Ray watched her shuffle across the apartment, clutching the towel around her head and shoulders, smiling to himself in a satisfied way.
She pushed open the door to her old room and took in a surprised gasp. Her bedspread lay neatly across her old bed.
"Well, I kinda liked what you'd done with the place so… I just copied you." Ray said, nonchalantly.
Her eyes rested on her favourite T-shirt folded up on one of the pillows, and she inwardly winced at the memory of the last time she'd seen it. Sure she thought to herself, just copied.
She turned and smiled at him and shuffled back towards the sofa. "So you still looking for a room-mate then?" she asked
"Depends, know anyone who's interested?"
"Might do." She said with mock caginess as she flopped onto the sofa next to him. Neela let her head flop against his shoulder as Ray settled more comfortably in his seat. She half expected him to pull away at this familiar gesture, but he didn't move, much to her relief.
"God I've missed this." said Neela, yawning,
"Yeah, me too" said Ray, softly.
A few moments later, he heard the sounds of gentle snoring. Neela had fallen asleep.
"OK roomie, time for bed." said Ray, as he scooped her up off the sofa and carried her into her room.
He threw aside the new covers and lay Neela gently down on the bed, taking off her shoes before tucking her in. He looked down at her resting face, a smile drifting across his. He swept a little damp hair off her cheek and placed a light kiss on her forehead.
"'Night, roomie." he whispered and turned to leave the room.
"Ray!" came the half dazed semi shout of the partially awake, "Don't leave me." said Neela.
"I'm only next door, if you need me." said Ray.
"No Ray, I mean, don't leave me …here…on my own. Please?" He stopped, unsure of what to do for the best.
"Please?"
Ray stood in the doorway for what felt like an eternity. He couldn't forget the last few months. All that had happened could not just be swept aside by a drunken apology from a soggy girl.
He made a decision. For tonight, it was ok, but there were going to have to be some serious conversations before things got anywhere close to what they'd had in the past.
Ray walked to the other side of the bed and lay down next to her, on top of the covers.
"Okay," he said I'll stay here 'til you fall asleep, if that helps."
There was a muffled "'kay" from under the covers.
Ray lay on his side, next to Neela, keeping a distance between them, just resting a hand on her shoulder for reassurance, his mind racing. He was trying to be the good friend, thinking to himself, just be a friend, don't ask for anything more, just be a friend, when out of nowhere, a hand snaked out from under the covers, grabbing his hand and pulling it tight around her waist, yanking him close behind her.
Neela made a contented sighing sound and started to snore, the most genteel snore he'd ever heard. Ray lay there, stunned, eyes wide open, his chin resting on top of her head, breathing her hair, which smelt of Ike's, rain and that special oil she used to make it shiny .
"I love you" he whispered, hugging her tiny waist, when he thought she was asleep.
"I love you too, Ray." Neela mumbled. Ray was embarassed and shocked at first, then as he calmed, he began to smile and closed his eyes.
"Neela, if we're going to do this again, there's something you really, really need to know." he half whispered into her hair.
"Wha's tha'?" said Neela indistinctly, giving his hand a squeeze.
"I hate anchovies."
A/N: Well, I hope you enjoyed this final chapter.
Here's a little background as to how this story came about. I've been trying to write the book that's stuck in my head for about ten years and it refuses to come out willingly. A few months back I took a drive out, trying to get some inspiration and some thought space, when the little phrase "I hate anchovies" popped into my head. I knew of course what, and whom, I was thinking about, but I shoved it to one side, because it wasn't what I was supposed to be concentrating on.
But would it go away? No way! By the time I'd driven home, I had the plot sketched out and before I knew it, I'd spent seven hours bashing away at my laptop keyboard and this was the result. I didn't post it, because I knew nothing about fan fiction, thinking it was full of buttons being slowly undone and throbbing body parts! Suffice to say, I know better now!
Thanks for giving me such warm welcome and your encouragment has given me the confidence to carry on. Who knows, one day I might stop borrowing other people's characters and get around to writing my own.
Love,
Liz