AN: Sorry this chapter took me longer than expected to post. I had a lot of schoolwork to do. So I originally intended the flashbacks to be pretty short, but they seem to be getting longer and longer. Please tell me if the italics bother you guys because I can change that for future chapters.
Ten Years Ago:
"I'll just be minute," Rose told John through the open window as she stood outside his car. She had giggled a bit when she saw he owned a bright blue car, but refrained from full out laughter when John became extremely defensive about his car. The ride to her flat was quiet, but it was a comfortable silence. "I would invite you in, but my mum's home and she may not like me bringing an older bloke home again."
John raised his eyebrows when she mentioned again. Had she dated older guys before? John refrained from asking what he was thinking and simply nodded his head, watching Rose hop up the steps of the Powell Estate.
Rose kept her promise at not taking too long. About ten minutes later, which was nothing compared to the time it took Donna to get ready, Rose was skipping down the steps wearing a flowing black dress that stopped mid-thigh. John swallowed, he thought she was beautiful enough in the casual clothes she was wearing earlier, but the dress she was wearing emphasized her curves perfectly.
Rose opened the door and entered the door once again, looking a little out of breath from rushing to get ready. "Alright, let's get this night over with," John grumbled and Rose giggled at his tone.
"What?" he complained.
"Nothing. It's just don't you think you should be a little more excited? I mean, I always love hanging out with my cousins," Rose commented.
"Yeah, Donna's brilliant. It's her parents and mine that I can't stand sometimes," John said, grimacing.
"Your parents are difficult? Why didn't you tell me?" Rose said worriedly. "What if they hate me?"
"Rose, don't even think about it. It's only one night," John told her.
"Yeah, you're right. I didn't even think. I just hopped in the car with you and I don't even know you!" Rose said, becoming more agitated.
"Listen, Rose. I'm sure you'll be fine. We'll just avoid my parents and Donna's. Besides, my granddad Wilf will be there. Donna and I have always used him as a buffer between our parents."
"If you say so," Rose said, unconvinced and John thought she heard her mutter something "designated drivers" and "not fighting with them."
After another few minutes of silence, Rose spoke up again, sounding less worried than she had before. "Where are we going anyway?"
"Some restaurant, nothing really fancy. Donna just wanted a public place because there's less of a chance she'll get into a huge fight with her parents," John said, amused.
"It's a shame you too don't get along with your parents. I mean, sure, my mum and I fight but she and I have always been close," Rose told him.
John wanted to ask about her father but knew it wasn't appropriate. Also, she lived in the Powell Estate so it would be safe to assume her father was out of the picture.
Eventually they made it to the restaurant, which was busy as expected for a Friday night. John and Rose stepped inside and John looked around for his family. Sighting them, he put his hand on Rose's lower back and led her towards the table where his family sat.
All eyes at the table were on them at once, staring openly at the pair.
"Happy Birthday, Donna," John said, hoping to break the tension. But he didn't.
"Who's this, John," an older woman asked before anyone could say anything else.
"This, uh, this is my girlfriend, Rose," John said, gesturing awkwardly to her. Rose gave everyone a small nervous smile.
"John, isn't she a little young?" the woman all but sneered.
"Now, Sylvia, let them get settled before you start badgering them," an elderly man, who must be Wilf, Rose guessed.
"I'm just asking. John, you're parents can't make it so I'm sure I'm only asking the questions they would ask," John glared at her, but if she noticed, she didn't care. "So, Rose, tell me, how old are you."
Rose stared at her for several seconds before glancing at John, giving him a panicked look. "I'm sixteen," she said quietly.
John closed his eyes at her statement. He knew she looked like she was in her late teens, but he was hoping for at least eighteen. She wasn't even legal. God, she was young. By the look on Sylvia's face, he could tell she thought so too.
Before Sylvia could make any comments, a ginger haired woman stood up and said, "Hi Rose, I'm Donna. Let's you and me go to the restroom. I need to freshen up."
Rose jumped at the offer to get away from Sylvia's harsh gaze and quickly followed after Donna. Unfortunately John couldn't escape her wrath.
"John, are you mad? She's sixteen, you're twenty-eight!" Sylvia exclaimed. "You're only asking for trouble, spending time with her! What do her parents think?"
John stood there, unable to give his aunt a response. Luckily, Wilf spoke up. "Sylvia, calm down. John is certainly old enough to make his own decisions. I hope you haven't scared the poor girl too much," Wilf told his daughter before turning to John, "She seems lovely."
But Sylvia didn't want to give up that easily. "But-" She was cut off by her husband, Geoff. "Darling, this is Donna's night. Let's let John off the hook tonight. I'm sure his parents will have words with him," he said as he looked a John sternly.
"Great! Now John, come sit down," Wilf said with relief.
Rose couldn't believe she actually told John's aunt the truth. Why hadn't she just lied and said she was eighteen? She knew John was getting the third degree while she was hiding in the bathroom.
"Listen, Rose. Don't worry about John," Donna said, sensing Rose's distress. "He can be daft, but he's had a lot of practice dealing with my parents."
Rose gave her a small smile and then her eyes widened. "Oh, Donna, I'm so sorry! I hope we didn't ruin your birthday dinner! Honestly, I wasn't expecting that to happen."
To her surprise, Donna just laughed. "Don't worry about it, blondie. If anything it made my night better. For once, my mum wasn't nagging me. Actually, it was a bit entertaining to see John with his mouth hanging open. It's always amusing to see him floundering for words."
"You should've heard him when he was trying to ask me to come with him tonight and meet his family," Rose giggled.
"Oh, do tell, blondie," Donna said grinning and Rose returned her smile. She was glad she had at least one ally tonight. She really liked Donna and hopefully after this night she would see her again.
John sat next to his granddad, his eyes shifting towards the restrooms multiple times. Where was she? He really hoped Sylvia hadn't scared her off.
To his relief, a few minutes later both Donna and Rose made their way towards the table, laughing hysterically. John's relieved smile instantly turned into a frown. Donna loved telling everyone embarrassing stories about him and he suspected she was doing just that.
Rose took a seat in the chair beside her and he searched her eyes for any signs of distress. "You alright?" he asked softly.
"Yeah, I'm great. You're right, Donna's brilliant," she grinned, and his eyes were drawn to the hint of her pink tongue that peeked out between her teeth.
To everyone's surprise, Sylvia did not bring up her aversion to Rose's age again that night, but whenever Rose or John spoke she gave them a stern glare.
Eventually, the night came to an end and everyone was getting ready to leave. Before John and Rose could step out, Wilf called out to John. John handed Rose the keys to his car, telling her to wait for him.
John made his way over to his granddad. "I know she isn't your girlfriend," Wilf said, smiling.
John's eyes widened. "What? How did you know?"
"You were just as shocked as we were when Rose said she was sixteen," Wilf said simply. "But listen, she seems like a sweet girl, don't worry about the age gap. She's a special one so take a chance with her before anyone else does."
Again, John was speechless but told Wilf he would think about it. After saying goodbye to the rest of his family he made his way back to his car.
"Rose, I'm so sorry about my aunt," John said guiltily, "I should've asked you how old you were before."
"John, its fine," Rose assured him. "Besides, it was a fun night. I got to hear so much about you from Donna. And you can make it up to me by buying me dinner tomorrow," Rose said cheekily, giving him a teasing grin.
With a smile like that, John couldn't bring himself to say no.
Present:
"Donna, we aren't back together," Rose told her old friend. "Actually, this is the first time I've seen him in nine years. We just have a mutual friend who tried to set us up on a blind date."
Donna looked disappointed. "But still, you agreed to stay here after you found out it was my daft cousin. That's a start."
"We aren't getting back together," Rose said bluntly and winced at the hardness in her tone.
Donna glanced at John and saw a pained expression flicker across his face before he masked the hurt. Donna knew John was still in love with Rose. After all, he hadn't had anything close to a relationship with anyone since he broke up with her. Donna remembered how adamant John was in his belief that he was doing the right thing, letting Rose go, but Donna was just as adamant in her belief that her cousin was a daft git. They hadn't spoken for two years after John ended things with Rose. She was determined to get him and Rose back together as she was tired of seeing John so unhappy. But first she had to see if Rose still loved him.
"Well, blondie, since you and John must not have much to talk about again, let's catch up!" Donna said.
"Actually, Donna, Rose and I have agreed to be friends," John said icily, glaring at his cousin for trying to take away time with Rose from him.
"Well that's just wizard!" Donna said sarcastically, knowing there could never be just friendship between those two daft idiots. "John, you can go make yourself useful by buying me a drink while I talk to Rose."
John opened his mouth to protest but Rose interrupted him, "John," she said softly, "Get Donna a drink. It's no use trying to fight with her; it'll just be a minute."
John nodded and turned to go back to the bar, while Donna snickered. Her cousin never could say no to Rose and she was glad to see that hadn't changed.
"So, Rose, tell me the truth," Donna began and Rose glanced at her warily, "Do you want to get back together with John? Because I think it's pretty obvious he does."
"You don't know that, Donna!" Rose protested, unwilling to get her hopes up, "He pretty much told me he wanted someone better when he dumped me. Besides, I don't want to get my heart broken again."
"Blondie, in case you haven't noticed, John can be a bit thick. He was heartbroken too, and I think he realizes he made a mistake."
"Yeah? Well it's not that hard to pick up the phone and give me a ring!" Rose said angrily.
"Rose, you know him, he thinks he doesn't deserve you or your love anymore. That's why he would be content to just be friends with you even though I know he still wants you," Donna told her friend.
Rose's eyes filled with tears. "Donna, I can't. I can't let myself think that he loves me just to let him break my heart again."
"Rose, I know you're scared, but just think about giving him another chance," Donna persuaded.
"I'm not even sure I can handle being friends with him, Donna. I can't even think about the possibility of getting back together right now," Rose replied, a few tears spilling down her cheeks.
Donna stared at Rose sadly and sensed that it was time to move the conversation elsewhere. "How've you been, Rose?"
Rose took the opportunity to stop talking about John gratefully. "I've been good. I just got a job at the paper. Sarah Jane has been helping me a lot."
"Rose, I'm sorry I wasn't there for you like Sarah Jane," Donna said guiltily, "Like you said, it's not that hard to pick up the phone. I'm a terrible friend."
"It's not your fault. It's mine too. I could've called but the last thing I wanted was to talk to someone so close to John," Rose admitted.
"I guess we both let our friendship fade," Donna said, "But Rose, I would really like to be your friend again; we used to be so close."
"I want that too Donna, I've missed you," Rose said smiling, "And enough about me, what have you been up to,"
"I stayed a temp for awhile, but I stopped after I got engaged," Donna replied.
"Oh, you're getting married? That's amazing!" Rose grinned, happy for her friend.
But Donna didn't her smile. "Actually, I was set to be married last year. But-but he was seeing someone else. That git left me on our wedding day!" Donna said angrily.
"Oh Donna, I'm so sorry," Rose replied, grabbing Donna's hand.
"That's alright, Rose. I've gotten over it. It's because of him I'm not a temp anymore. I met him at the job and now I can't stand the thought of being a temp again. I'm the secretary at the hospital where John works, actually. John, there you are! Took you long enough," Donna said as John approached the table.
"You're welcome, Donna," John said gruffly, but Donna paid him no attention.
"Listen you too, it's been great, it really has, but there's a bloke over there who has been trying to catch my eye so I'm going to go give him a shot," Donna said.
John and Rose followed Donna's line of sight only to be met with none other than Jack himself.
"Typical," John and Rose said in unison, and smiled shyly at each other.
"Aren't you two adorable," Donna smirked, grinning wider at John's glare. "I'll just leave you two be now."
Without waiting for a response, Donna walked away leaving John and Rose alone once again.
"Well, nice talking to you too, Donna," John muttered and Rose laughed.
John couldn't help but smile at the sound of her laughter. "Let Donna have her fun with Jack," Rose said, "I don't think either of them are looking for a relationship so there shouldn't be an issue."
"Yeah, I just really don't want that image in my mind," John shuddered.
"I don't know, Jack's a bit fit," Rose said, glancing at her friend. John couldn't help the flash of anger that ran through him. Rose looked at him when he didn't respond and saw him practically pouting. "Don't sulk, John. It doesn't suit you."
John scowled at her, "Have you two ever-" he blurted out and couldn't bring himself to finish his question.
"Not that it's any of your business," Rose said sternly, "But no, we haven't. Not for his lack of trying, mind you."
John let out a breath of relief before looking at Rose, wincing at her expression. "Rose, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked that."
"Its fine, John," Rose said and she looked at him for a long moment. "It's just kinda surreal, yeah? Us seeing each other again. I mean, I've thought about how it would be, but it's just hard to believe you're here after all these years."
"You thought about me?" John smiled smugly.
"Shut up," Rose said returning his smile. "After everything I just said you only picked up on that?"
"Rose, I've thought about you too," John said sincerely. So much, John thought.
Rose sighed. "Listen, I really want to be friends with you, alright? But it's so easy to be like we used to, and I just want you to know that it won't always be that simple for me." Rose said seriously.
John stared at Rose sadly. "I know I've done nothing but hurt you and I don't even deserve your friendship. We'll do this on your terms."
"Yeah?" Rose asked, unsure.
"Of course, love," John said, wincing at the look on her face when he called her love. He would really need to think about what he said to her.
Rose recovered from her shock at his words before smiling softly at him. "So, where do we go from here? How do we go about being friends?"
"Well, friends spend a lot of time with each other. So, what do you say? We can go get chips tomorrow night?" John asked hopefully.
Rose looked down, thinking of their first date. She didn't want to think about their past and she knew going to get chips with him would do nothing but remind her of it.
"Actually, I, uh, promised my mum I'd have dinner with her," Rose lied. John couldn't mask his disappointed expression. He knew she was lying; she had always been terrible at it. "How about Sunday? We can go get coffee?" Rose quickly offered, seeing the expression on his face.
John's eyes lit up at her offer and he was quick to agree, "Fantastic, it's a..." date. John winced. He really needed to watch what he said.
To his relief, Rose just smiled and said, "I'm sorry but I really should head out. I have to work early tomorrow. But I'll see you Sunday."
"Sunday," he agreed and stood up with her and walked her to the door.
"Are you okay to drive?" John asked, concerned.
"Yeah, John, I didn't even finish the glass of wine. I'll be fine." Rose assured him, putting a hand on his arm and John couldn't help but shiver at her touch.
"Just making sure," John replied. "So, I'll see you later?"
"Not if I see you first," Rose teased, before turning away from him to walk towards her car.
"Rose!" John called out.
Rose turned around to see him jogging slightly towards her. When he reached her, he leaned in to give her a quick kiss on her cheek, and whispered, "I'm really glad this happened."
John's heart soared when she smiled and replied, "Me too."
Up Next: Another Date