My home was with you
Rose did not want to talk about it.
"You weren't ill were you?" he asked her as she suddenly went for his shirt buttons.
Rose shook her head and began to take his shirt off.
"Talk to me Rose."
"Later Alec, I've not been alone with you all weekend," she replied as the shirt came off and she went for his school trousers.
"Well okay then, you have to tell me afterwards," he gave in as he helped her.
In just their underwear, they lay on the bed, Alec getting the spare bedspread and trying to cover Rose, who was not obliging as she kissed her way across his chest. It didn't take long for them to get engrossed in each other until knowing they didn't have a lot of time, Alec flipped her over.
"Rose, whatever's wrong, you know I love you."
"Please Alec, I'll explain but right now, we don't have a lot of time. I want you."
He leaned closer and whispered, "I want you too Rose, do you want me to go further than usual?"
Rose nodded. "Yeah, I want all of you Alec, please."
"Rose, we never talked about that," he reminded her as he went for her underwear and she for his.
"I don't care Alec, we don't have time to talk about it. Can we at least try?"
"If you are sure. You have to give your consent Rose."
"I am givin' it," she replied as they scrambled out of their underwear and he landed on her, making her squirm. "Geez Alec, you know why I want to."
They both felt different as Alec moved off her, Rose had held onto his back and was sure she'd make some marks but Alec didn't seem to notice. It had felt amazing and Rose was trying to recover.
"Rose, we have to get dressed," he reminded her as she turned to him. "You know my dad expects us to be at least on our way downstairs."
They had taken a little longer than normal but Alec thought it had been worth his dad catching them. Rose was still in a giggling mood.
"Aw, we can come up with an excuse. You made me forget why I was off school today, that was really amazing. I wish we had longer."
"So do I Rose but we haven't. Get dressed then you can tell me. I missed you at school today, we all did."
"Who's 'we'? You mean John and Sandra?" she asked as she went to kiss him.
"Rose, we have to go. Yes, John and Sandra missed you but Billy decided to try his luck annoying me because you weren't there. Let me up please, you know we would stay longer if it were possible."
"Yeah, I know, sorry. It's just, well. Alec, it may be the last time."
"What?" he asked as he tried to find his shorts but got Rose's knickers instead. "What do you mean the last time? After what just happened? Because I am pretty sure we both had our first real time just now."
He went to sit on the edge of the bed, Rose tempted to pounce on him like she sometimes did and go for him as he stood up. He scrambled into his jeans and grabbed a t-shirt from the top of the dresser and turned back to see Rose getting dressed.
"Yeah, I think we just did, it was different. I love you Alec, ya know I do but the reason my mum kept me at home today, well I wanted to go to school."
"Then why did you stay at home Rose?" he asked, putting his socks and trainers on.
"Bob's gone away," she reminded him, tempted to say they just wanted a day together.
"Yes, I know," he replied, throwing the bedspread in his wardrobe to see to later. He knew it was very close to the time his dad got home. "Why are you reminding me? What aren't you telling me?"
She went up to him, putting her arms around his neck then going to whisper to him, "Alec, I have to leave."
Alec tried to step back but she held onto him.
"What? What are you talking about? You're leaving, now?"
"I didn't mean just leaving you Alec. I'd never do that, not just like that and not voluntary. Mum's leaving Bob."
"She is?" he asked, somewhat relieved but what did that mean? Was her mother just leaving Bob or leaving altogether? "Hold on Rose. You mean she's found you somewhere else to live?"
"Not exactly. Alec, I don't know how to say this."
She went to sit on the edge of the bed, putting her head in her hands. Alec took a chance and sat next to her, knowing this wasn't like her.
"Rose, you've been trying to get her to see what's going on."
"Yeah but it's worked too well," she replied tearfully.
"Exactly how?" he asked, waiting for his dad to shout up that he was back, which meant why weren't they downstairs and they had better have a good reason.
"She knows what Bob and his friends are up to but she's not telling me. Alec, I meant I'm leaving because she's taking us back to London."
Rose couldn't hold back the tears any longer. She couldn't let him think she was just leaving him out of choice. He moved nearer and put his arm around her and she sobbed into his shoulder.
"Rose, please stop crying and tell me exactly what happened. Maybe we should just go down so you can tell my dad as well?"
"No Alec, I have to tell you first because you know I don't want to leave?"
"Yes, I know that. So, why can't she find a place to live here? She knows you were going to stay with my aunt."
"Yeah, I reminded her about that," Rose replied, still with tears in her eyes. "Alec, she did something. She signed an agreement with Bob to say he had some say about me until I'm eighteen. She didn't say exactly what was in this agreement but if we stay, he'll stop me from seeing you outside school and probably make me leave at the end of the term, then he'll stop me seeing you altogether."
"Rose, you're old enough to leave home," he reminded her.
"Alec, you don't get it. She agreed he'd be responsible for me, until I'm eighteen, I can't leave home without them both agreeing. She says it's moving back or another two years of Bob and his creepy friends and I won't be able to see you."
She broke down and sobbed harder into his shoulder. Alec jumped at the sound of his dad knocking on the door.
"Alec, you know the rules, you should be downstairs by now."
"Dad, Rose is upset," Alec called.
His dad opened the door to see Rose crying into Alec's shoulder.
"What's wrong? Rose?"
"Dad, her mum is making her leave, she's leaving Bob," Alec tried to explain.
"Well that's good, surely?" he was asked. "It's what we wanted so that means she knows what Bob is doing. Rose, does she know?"
Rose managed a nod, Alec's dad not saying anything that Alec was holding her. He had an idea what they got up to when they were alone. If that was the case, no wonder she was so upset. She wasn't upset to be leaving where she had been living or the town.
"You're going back to London?" he realized.
"Yes, that's what she told me," Alec replied for an even more tearful Rose. "Rose said her mother admitted she signed an agreement over her, that Bob is responsible for her until she's eighteen."
"Why did she agree?" his dad asked Rose.
Rose tried to dry her tears.
"Because she got talked into it, that it was better for me, I don't know why she agreed but Bob has a copy of it and so will his solicitor. She can't get me out of it, she says it's leaving or another two years of Bob telling me what to do and he'll make me stop seeing Alec and probably either changing schools or making me leave."
Rose buried herself back in Alec's shoulder, where she felt safe.
"Why did he get her to sign now?" his dad wondered. Rose shook her head. "Bring her downstairs when she feels able and we'll talk further. I'll call John," his dad told him.
When he called John, his nephew wasn't so surprised.
"Yeah, I had this awful feeling when she didn't show this morning," John admitted. "Mum was just wondering if Rose was having to leave. Call back if you want me to come round."
"I will. How was Alec at school, without Rose?" he asked John.
"Like a lost sheep," John had to laugh.
Alec's dad smiled to himself and set about getting something to eat, hoping Rose wouldn't run away when she came down. Alec had looked devastated at the news she was going away but they'd not said anything even though he gathered it was going to be soon, maybe even tomorrow by the way she was crying. She wasn't in her school uniform either, which had suggested she'd not been there today.
Alec was trying to get her to tell him the rest so she managed tearfully.
"So, you're leaving early in the morning?" he asked her, hoping he'd got it wrong. "Is that why your mother wanted you back early?"
"I tried to tell her Alec, that I could stay with your aunt but mum said legally, because she signed, he can make me go live with him."
"Tell me she's wrong about that Rose?" Alec asked, a lump in his throat. "That's why she won't stay here? What else did she agree to then?"
"Alec, if she stays here, the chances are he'll get her to go back and he'll wave the agreement at her reminding her I have to go back as well. He thought of everything, didn't he? That if she left, I had to stay. She never said what else she agreed to but maybe she didn't read the rest of it?"
She couldn't remember what her mother had said, she was too upset. She just held on to Alec until he said they should go eat.
"I can't eat anything Alec," she told him as he helped her up.
"Rose, you have to try. If you don't, you'll be as skinny as me," he tried to joke.
That got a smile out of her.
"Yeah, I'll have to go round looking for size skinny clothes," she replied, taking his hand. "Alec, you know I have no choice over it. I want to stay with your aunt."
"I know you do Rose. Come downstairs and tell my dad the rest."
"He can't do anything Alec. You know I don't want to leave."
"I know, please, stop crying. Why does your mother insist you leave in the morning though? Not that it will make it any easier whenever you go."
"She thinks Bob may come back early, she even thinks he might tell us to leave or worse still, get another woman with a teenage daughter and move them in. She said when she told him she had a thirteen year old daughter, he was keen to meet me. She thought it was going to put him off."
"Well, we know why he chose your mother," Alec replied, trying to get her downstairs.
"You all said that all along. I knew you were all right. I wanted her to do something about it but not this."
"I know. I'm sorry Rose. After tea, we'll talk about what happens. When you're eighteen, you can come back."
"Alec, you were going to the police college. You may not even be nearby."
"Well I can try for the one in Glasgow, it's the most popular one though. Rose, we will work this out, I promise you."
They stood in the hallway and hugged.
"I know we will Alec but we shouldn't have to. All this time when I wanted my mum to see what Bob was doing and now she has, she's taking me away from you."
"Rose, this changes nothing between us, you'll be free when you're eighteen," he reminded her. "If there's a way for you to stay, we'll find it."
"I wish there was Alec but I think Bob thought of that. Mum's not telling me something, I know she's not."
"Maybe it's best you don't know?" he wondered as he opened the kitchen door.
"Have something to eat Rose," his dad offered as he put the plates on the table.
Rose knew she should make the effort, it would be the last time she sat down and ate with them. After they'd finished and cleared up, they didn't feel like going out so they went to Alec's room.
"Rose, I told you, this is not over between us, understand?" he asked her. Rose nodded. "We will find a way and we can write all the time and when you get settled, we can call each other. I can maybe get John to take me down but when you're eighteen, you can come back and at least staying with my aunt, it won't be as far for me to see you, if I don't get in the Glasgow academy."
"Maybe if you put your name down now?" Rose wondered.
"I'll see if I can find out, now it's more urgent. Is there anything else that your mother said?"
"You're making a start," Rose tried to laugh. "I told ya everything Alec. She went out to call her relatives so Bob wouldn't know where she was going. The first thing he'll do is try the school, to see if they know where we've gone, that's why I can't stay there Alec. If I'm not in school, he knows your name, mum will have mentioned it. He'll find me if I stay Alec."
She began crying again, which upset Alec. He just held her, putting his chin on the top of her head. He had no idea what he could say to make her feel better.
"Want to go say goodbye to everyone?" he wondered.
"Yeah, I should go round, they've been so good to me," she agreed. "I don't want to stay long, so we can come back for a little while."
Alec agreed and they walked the short distance, John letting them in. She surprise him by giving him a hug.
"What was that for?" John laughed.
"For being so good to me. I'd never have got so far in school without you two."
"Well, you'll get a good report from me," he told her. "I'm sorry Rose, really I am. If there's anything I can do? It seems she may have taken me seriously, when I talked to your mother."
"It's not your fault. She's just realized what's been going on. I think she maybe already knew but didn't want to admit it?"
"Maybe?" John agreed. "We wish you could stay, I already told them," he nodded to the living room.
As soon as Alec's aunt saw her, she got up to give her a hug.
"Rose, I'm so sorry. I wish we could do something."
"I know Mrs Smith, you've all been so good to me. I was so happy yesterday and Saturday night when Alec took me dancing."
"We know you were. Alec's dad told John what happened. "You can come back, when you're eighteen."
"I'm going to put my name down for the Glasgow police academy now," Alec told them. "That way, I stand a chance of getting in."
"That's good Alec," his uncle agreed. "We're sorry you have to leave Rose but in my experience, though I don't practice family law, if your mother signed something that was legally binding, that's it. She knew what she was doing, well so she'll be told, he was very careful."
They left a short time later, going back to Alec's house.
"I shouldn't be late back," Rose told him. "You have homework to do as well."
"Hey, don't remind me," he replied, another lump in his throat. "I can't tell you how I feel right now. It's like a light has suddenly gone out. I can't explain how much I am going to miss you Rose."
"Don't make me cry again Alec, please? It's bad enough as it is. You know this is hard for me? I told you I would never leave you Alec."
"Don't blame yourself Rose, it's not your fault. You did the right thing making your mother see what was going on. Look what happened when you first arrived here? You barely spoke, you thought everyone would pick on your for not coming from here."
"Yeah, don't remind me. I only spoke to you."
"I know. You were also unhappy at home. Your mother has finally seen Bob for what he is and she's protecting you Rose."
"I still think I could stay, Bob can't make me go back."
"Rose, you don't know what else your mother agreed to. Did she say she might have?"
"I don't remember Alec. All I can think of is she signed without him letting her see the rest of it."
"Rose, I promise you, when I join the police, I will find out. I was thinking, maybe if I get into Glasgow, well maybe John and I could share a place and you could come over?"
"Alec, ya have to get accepted there. Maybe ya could persuade him to take ya to London to see me?"
They kissed again, lying on the bed and Rose giggling at what had happened earlier.
"You felt different as well?" he asked her.
"Yeah, like I wanted to explode," Rose smiled, her hand under his t-shirt.
"I noticed. You made it easy Rose, I never thought it would be this soon."
"Neither did I Alec, I thought we had a bit more time, maybe a couple of years? It just goes to show that when ya think ya have all the time in the world, it's gone."
"I wish we did have all the time in the world. Maybe we need a time machine," he tried to make her laugh.
"Alec, I need ya to do something for me."
"Anything Rose."
"Come back with me and take my records, I can't fit them in my case and I don't want to leave them. Will you take a few other things as well?"
"Sure. Hey, why don't you get one of the photo albums and take a few photos?"
"Yeah, I can do that. We were so happy Alec," she told him, touching his cheek.
He kissed the back of her hand.
"Yes, we were. I know you were looking forward to going on holiday again. Maybe you could still go? John could come down for you."
Rose's heart was leaping.
"Do a think he would?" she asked excitedly.
"Well I think he was coming with us but there's no reason why he can't. See, it's not so bad after all."
Rose put her arms around him, putting her nose next to his.
"I love you Alec, we will make this work."
Feeling slightly better, they went downstairs so Rose could say goodbye to Alec's dad, who had always been there for her since her first day in her new school. He had let her go round every night, made her something to eat and encouraged her to tell them everything that was going on where she lived. She had trusted Alec and his family and they had made her feel at home.
"Rose. Your mother is doing the right thing," Alec's dad told her. "If you stay, he will find you through school. I'm sorry, I wish things could be different and you could stay."
"I just wanted to thank you, for all you've done for me. You all made it bearable being here, when I was so mad at my mum for dragging us all this way."
"You're more than welcome Rose, we are all going to miss you but about the holiday?"
"Dad, I said to Rose that John may go down and get her," Alec told him.
"I was going to suggest you and John go down and get her," his dad smiled. "I can make my way there and get things sorted, maybe you could go down the night before?"
"Thanks Dad. See Rose, I told you things weren't so bad," Alec told her.
There was still Christmas and new year to get over but Rose thought if she got a part-time job after school, she could save up the fare and maybe Alec would help her out with it.
"I should get going Alec, you have to get those records," she reminded him.
"You should have waited and got the CD's" he teased her.
"So, see your for the holiday then?" his dad asked. "It's not so far away, I'll call John and arrange it all."
"Thanks Mr Hardy. If your phone bill goes up, I'm to blame if Alec starts calling me," Rose smiled.
"Where are you going to stay?" she was asked.
"Mum's called round our friends and relatives, then she'll go to the local council and spin them a tale about how she followed her boyfriend to Scotland then he threw her out."
Alec's dad had to smile back.
"Just take care of yourself Rose. We'll see you in a few months."
She and Alec were about to leave when Rose ran back to give him a hug. They walked back to the apartment then Alec let them in and despite the cameras all around, they kissed as they got in the lift.
"Hey, promise me you won't come back here once I'm gone," she asked him. "You have to promise not to confront him, I don't want him getting nasty with you, if he wants to find out where we've gone."
"Rose, the only time I'll come back is when I'm in the police. I would never let him know where you've gone. You have my phone number, call me when you get settled."
Rose let them in, almost dreading Bob had decided to come back by getting out of working away but her mother was watching TV on her own.
"Mum, Alec's with me, he's gonna take my records and a few other things. Is everything okay?" she asked as her mother turned the volume down on the TV.
"Yeah. Rose, I'm doing it for you," she reminded her.
"I know Mum and Alec and his family guessed what Bob and his friends were into. Did ya really not know?" Rose asked her.
"I thought it was what friends did, they didn't tell me everything," Jackie defended herself. "Bob wouldn't let me hear half of it but when the others stopped coming round, I should have known."
"Mum, he fooled ya, it's not your fault, is it Alec?" she asked him.
"Rose is right Mrs Tyler, she's been telling us what's been going on and my dad wanted to do something about it but she wouldn't let him. I know she wouldn't because of you. I hope everything works out when you go back."
"Yeah, me and Rose will be okay, we were before. I was trying to give her a better life and I did. She finally started paying attention at school, because of you Alec. Will ya keep in touch with her?"
"Mum, of course he will and I'm still going on holiday with them, his cousin will come and get me."
"We'll both come down for you Rose," Alec corrected her. "I'd best get going."
"I'll come down with ya," Rose told him.
Rose showed him where the box of records and the box containing her other things were, Alec looking around her room.
"This was never my room Alec. I never felt at home here."
"I know that Rose. You're finally going home."
"I never wanted to come here but you changed all that. All those excuses I used to make to go to the library to see if you were there," she smiled.
"I used the excuse there was a book I needed and I was waiting for it to be returned," he replied.
"I know, I thought ya were gonna grab it from my hands," she laughed.
Then she suddenly went to put her arms around him.
"Rose, you don't have to see me out," he told her. "I could come round in the morning and see you off, if you want?" he offered.
"Alec, what then? I can't say goodbye twice. Please, don't come round."
"Not if you don't want me to? It's only for three months Rose," he reminded her.
"Yeah but then we'll have to wait until Christmas."
"We can manage Rose, I know we can. You can stay the whole holidays."
They shared another kiss, lasting longer than they'd done before, then he went to pick up the boxes.
"I'll look after these for you, until you can come back properly."
"Thanks. We'd better go downstairs," she told him tearfully.
Alec knew it was no good delaying, it would only make things worse. They had been so happy over the weekend, now, her mother had come to her senses and was taking Rose away instead of subjecting her to what Bob had planned and what she had inadvertently signed to say what control he had over her.
As he pressed the lift button for the last time, Rose had her free arm in his and they rode downstairs silently. Once at the door, Alec offered to take the box of records from her.
"I used to love dancing with you to these," he told her.
"Then play them and pretend I'm there. I'll miss you so much."
He put both boxes down and they held on to each other. They kissed one more time then Rose opened the door for him, choking back the tears.
"I love you Alec."
"I love you too Rose, it's not so bad, the time will soon pass."
"Yeah, I'm sure you're right, just like your stories. Bye Alec."
"Bye Rose, for now, have a safe journey home.
"My home was with you," she replied, not being able to hold back her tears.
