Sian didn't move. "What are you doing here?" she asked. She had the sudden urge to shut the door in his face.
"I er, well.. followed you. Can I come in? It's about to start pouring out here," said Darren looking up to the sky.
"Darren, I don't think that would be wise, my dad is about to be home.."
"Please Sian, I came all this way to talk to you. I mean you no harm."
Sian looked Darren directly in the eye. He wasn't full of rage or intoxicated. She could always tell which mood was upon him. She hadn't seen him this sober or this clean cut for that matter in a while... if ever. She looked him over. He had put on a bit of weight, but not too much, just enough to fill himself back out. His hair was well kempt and clothes appeared clean. "I just want to talk, I promise. If you want me to leave after what I have to say then fine, I just want to clear the air. Please," he asked in an almost embarrassed manner.
"Look you can come in for 10 minutes okay, but on one condition. Don't touch me," said Sian with an edge in her voice. She had a good life here now, she wasn't going to get dragged into Darren's drama anymore.
"Thanks Sian," said Darren walking inside the flat. He walked into the living room and turned around to wait to talk to the blonde. Sian stopped behind the couch making sure to keep some sort of large piece of furniture between them. She knew she was foolish to let him in her new home, but something told her to give him the benefit of the doubt. It was one of her weaknesses.
Darren noticed Sian's distance and was instantly filled with regret. His actions had made her wary of him. He looked down to start his speech he had prepared when his eyes caught sight of a picture frame on the end table. "Oh aye. Look at this!" It was a picture of Sian's mum and dad and Sian and Darren on a bank holiday about 2 years ago. It was around the time they had started using and both looked pale and thin.
"What do you want Darren?" asked Sian cutting the trip down memory lane short.
"Sian I came to talk to you. I'm in trouble. I got caught in possession. Sentenced to 5 years, it was almost 7 but it was my first offense so.."
"Oh god, about time you got caught. Wait, are you on the run right now? You have to get out of here, I'm not going to be your accomplice!" Sian yelled, heading for the door to open it.
"No no Sian I'm not on the run… well yet. I have until next week, next Friday to turn myself in. I'm actually here to make amends with you. The shit that went down. I know my apologies probably mean nothing to you, but I am truly sorry Sian. How it ended, how we ended, you leaving. I am so so sorry."
Sian stood with her back to Darren, hearing his words, but not really knowing what to think. She had loved and trusted this man, saw a future with him. And now for about half a year she had only regarded him in her past. Yes it was hollow inside of her where the memories with him lay, but now that he was there, apologizing, about to be punished for his crimes and that lifestyle, she couldn't help but be flooded with emotions and sentiment. It was almost as if that's all she needed, an apology that she thought would never come is now here in front of her. And like most people that get exactly what they want but never expect it, she didn't know what to do with it, or how to feel.
"You said you aren't on the run.. yet. What do you mean by that? Are you planning on doing a runner?" asked Sian turning around to face him and meanwhile skirting the issue.
"Well that all depends," said Darren running a hand through his dark brown hair.
"Depends.. on?" asked Sian, curious as to what he was going to say.
"You Sian. It's always been about you. The drinking, the drugs were all distractions. I want you. You and me in the Scottish countryside.. think about it! Three kids, two dogs! Doesn't that sound amazing?" he asked with a laugh.
Sian blinked at him. She couldn't help but laugh, "You really are insane you know that?"
"So you're in?" asked Darren with a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
"No you nutter. My life is here now," said Sian. She wanted to be angry and mean to him but she couldn't help it. He could be downright charming when he wanted to be.
"Thought I'd give it a shot. Anyway, I do have to run. Meeting up with some contacts. Do you have plans later? Maybe I can get you an apology dinner. We can catch up? At a distance of course.. I'll sit on one side of the restaurant, you can sit on the other." Sian looked at him in disbelief. He can't seriously be making a joke about what happened could he? "I know I'm making light of what happened, but I am different now. Once I stopped using, I got all my senses back. Well most of them. Let me show you that I've changed and how sorry I am. Truly."
Sian thought about Darren carefully. "I do have work in a bit. I guess we can talk then. I work at a pub a few streets over." She thought she should bring him out in the open, just in case. "Rover's Return. I work at 5."
"Okay Sian, ta. I'll see you later yeah?" he said as he headed towards Sian standing near the door. She stepped aside as he got close. He looked her in the eye and smiled as he opened the door and walked out.
Sian for her part was in a state of shock. "What had just happened? Was Darren really just here? AND APOLOGIZING?" Sian's inner voice was screaming at her. She had to sit down to calm herself and wait for her heart to go back to beating at a normal pace. She felt a wave of nausea come over her, not because of what he said, but because someone that had come so close to abusing her had been in her home, in her space, in her proximity again. She would hear him out, but would keep him at an arm's length that was for sure. "He knows where I live," she said to herself. Sian reasoned that if he wanted to hurt her in her home he would have already right? Either way, out in the open in public was where they should be. Vinnie and Janet would kill her if they knew he was there. Or kill him. Sian sighed. She wanted an ending to this chapter of her life but at what cost?
Sian walked down Coronation Street to the Rover's with her head down, still in shock over what was going on since her simple visit to Southport. "Can't ever be simple can it?" Sian was brought out of her thoughts by a voice she had missed in 24 hours.
"Alright Sian?" asked Sophie from across the street. "Oh shit. Please don't come into the Rover's tonight Sophie! Shit shit shit!" Sian DID NOT want these two worlds colliding tonight. Sophie was sensitive and sweet. Darren was jealous and moody, and yeah he said he changed but how much? She can't just take his word on it. Not with this. And plus, obviously Sophie is a girl, which up to this point Sian had never considered weird but she supposed to others that knew her before and especially to her malicious and calculating ex, it would look strange.
"Hiya Sophie," said Sian back. "Shit shit shit!" she said to herself again. She didn't know how to act. She was so so glad to see Sophie but how to put out a "Not tonight" vibe out there. She put her head back down and kept walking. Sian closed her eyes for a long time and sighed before opening the door to her work. This was going to be a long night.
Sophie stood overlooking a field with waist high wheat-like stalks with orange flowers on the end of them. There was a farm house in the distance but as far as the eye could see it was flowers. The sun was setting, but it hadn't gone red yet. Everything had a gold tinge to it and she turned around and took a deep breath. It was beautiful. Sian walked into sight smiling at Sophie, and reached out to pull Sophie through the field. Sian stood between Sophie and the sun, the yellow tinge turning Sian's blonde hair to golden strands. Sophie smiled and grabbed Sian's hand to be led wherever she was taking her.
Just then Sophie heard her mum, "Wake up Sophie, you're dreaming." Sophie opened her eyes to see Sally bent over her with a glass of water in her hand. She took some time to adjust to the light streaming into her room. "You've had a fever most of the night, talking in your sleep, been conked out for 13 hrs. I'm about to call a doctor in."
"I'm fine mum, I just need some rest. And a.. sandwich," said Soph rubbing her beyond empty stomach. She took the water from Sally's hand and drank like she was stranded in the middle of a desert. She handed the glass back to her mum and went to lay back down, still smiling to herself about her dream she just woke up from. Then suddenly the vision of the creepy guy from the bar invaded her thoughts. And with that she remembered the last thing that had occurred with Sian and the Rover's.. and Chesney and Ryan. "Ugh god!" she thought to herself, instantly blinking back tears.
Sally stood up. "Are you sure you don't need a doctor Sophie.."
"Yes mum, I'm sure. I've had the flu before. It's no emergency. I just need to sleep it off. I should call Dev about work."
"Already done, dear. I'll be back with a sandwich, and maybe then.. we can.. talk..?"
"Uh, just the sandwich please, thanks mum."
"Okay but if you need to talk about things, you can with me. You said some weird things in your sleep, and I was just curious if…"
"I had weird dreams, that's all. Honest," Sophie smiled at her mom. She can lay it on thick when she wanted Sally off her back.
"Okay, be right back," Sally said as she left Sophie's room.
Soph couldn't help but chuckle about all of this. Of course she was sick now. All the stress, all the drink did her in. She was convinced she fried some major brain cells if she can laugh at all this. Here in the safety of her room and in her bed and in her covers she could shake her head at the constant low that was her love life. There would be time for crying but right now she needed food and some more sleep. First she wanted to check with the outside world, to see if World War 3 had indeed started between her mates.
Grabbing her phone she saw 5 texts. Three from Ryan and two from Chesney. She almost didn't want to read them. She knew she would be put in the middle of this and all for a girl. Again. She had enough girl problems as it was. Or did she? Sophie decided to not have any girl problems anymore. Maybe when she got well enough, she'd actually see if Ben was worth dating, or any other of Ryan's mates. "That's using him though," she chided herself. Well, she hated to admit it, but she was almost sure Ben wouldn't mind being used for such an experiment. She reached up to feel her forehead. Still feverish. She should definitely sleep more before broaching that subject again. Sophie closed her eyes and the first vision she saw was Sian leading her through the field. It was so vivid it was like she could reach out and actually touch Sian. And she wanted to, more than anything. Soph hugged her pillow and dozed back off to sleep.
Sophie spent the rest of the day and night being doted on by her mother. Kevin would poke his head in occasionally but would keep his distance as he didn't want to get sick himself or pass it along to baby Jack. A few times when she had passed out, she could hear familiar voices downstairs and then the closing of the front door. Sally would appear and tell her that Ryan and Ches came by (separately) to check on her since she wasn't answering her texts. She appreciated their concern but wished everything could just be back to normal. No fighting, no Katy, no Sian.
She grabbed her phone.
To Ryan C
"Thanks for coming by mate. I'm doing better thanks."
From Ryan C.
"No bother Soph, sorry that it exploded last night. Just so you know, Katy did ask me to go out with her on Weds."
To Ryan C.
"Yeah okay, but I'd really rather stay out of it. This is between yous two. Sorry"
From Ryan C.
"Yeah okay. Well feel better."
Sophie was going to put her foot down on this one. Now that she knew the girl and knew she was playing them both, she did not want to get involved because to Soph, she didn't seem worth it. She had a similar text conversation with Chesney but he added a question at the end that made Sophie's stomach drop.
From Ches B
"Who was that fella that I saw Sian with on her way home?"
To Ches B.
"I wish I could tell ya mate. No clue. Probably for the best I stay in bed today haha."
From Ches B
":("
Sophie decided to fully torture herself and checked all social media of Sian's. Sometimes she just couldn't help herself. Maybe if she got evidence of who this man was, maybe she could be over and done with it. That is if anything of Sian's was updated. She switched on her computer and checked her phone apps. Nothing. Maybe she was "busy". "Ugh." That made her heart skip a beat. Soph had an idea. She hated this kind of stuff, but sometimes it was a good test and she used to do this with Erinn. Soph got in her bed again and got the perfect angle of duvet, computer with her Beatles home screen, her glass of juice and her socks and took a picture. Posted it on Instagram with the tag "Poorly", and waited. Within the hour she had 20 likes and a few "get well soon babe" comments. Soph was feeling better and was feeling a bit cooped up but didn't want to push it, she wanted to be fully rested to battle.. whatever it was she had to battle.
She browsed around on the computer for a bit, and considering how much she slept she was ready for more. Soph slowly got into bed and looked at the time. Midnight. She checked her phone once more, she wasn't sure why but she did. And there it was. S_Powers28 liked her post. So she is paying attention. Right? I mean what did it all mean? Ugh, sometimes she wished she didn't do such things because she never knew what it all meant. It just confused her more, but it was something. What it was she didn't know. She needed to sleep more and think about it. Maybe, hopefully go back into the dream she was having earlier that morning. Not too much to ask was it? "Probably," Sophie thought before drifting off again.