Hello again everyone :-) apologies this took me longer to upload than I thought. I figured out how to do it and got distracted, and then I decided to change some of the details of the story so I had to edit and re-write some of this chapter. I also need to point out something else that I didn't mention in my little note and that is that Peter did leave Leanne for Carla, but Simon is Leanne's child and so he is living with her, but Peter does visit him. I think that was everything I needed to point out, I'm not sure how good (or bad) this fiction is going to be, it's my first so it's a bit of a trial. The last thing is a huge thank-you to technicolouredninja and lastrequest for taking the time to leave me comments. :-) PS, please be aware before you read on that this chapter has fairly strong references to rape.
Part One.
Such a lot had changed over the past few months for Peter Barlow and although things were hard for him he wouldn't have changed a thing. He had just stepped out of the shower and after securing a towel around his waist he had walked through the living area of the flat into what was probably his favourite room that it held. Peter had just left his wife for someone else and he knew almost everyone that he knew disapproved of it, but he didn't care, he had stayed with her for too long for the sake of their son and he knew it had gotten to the point where it had stopped being beneficial to any of them involved. He had left his wife, Leanne, for Carla Connor, someone who he now knew was the love of his life and it saddened him to remember how long he had denied that for.
However, as Peter entered the bedroom to find Carla having now made her way into the middle of the large bed they shared, he smiled. A smile that was genuine and one that was not forced like so many had been before her. They had by no means had an easy time of it, but, in moments like this he knew it was all worthwhile. They had been sharing the flat with Carla's sister-in-law Michelle which hadn't been ideal for any of them, but they had made it work. Carla having made it quite plain to Peter that she would never throw her out and he couldn't blame her. But now even that situation had changed, a few months previously Peter's cousin, Frank had moved to just outside of Weatherfield where they lived and on finding out he was in a similar business to Carla, he had bought into the factory which had been struggling for a month or so, and on doing so he embarked on a relationship with Michelle who was now living with him.
Peter ran his hand over Carla's raven locks gently and it caused her to stir in bed, mumbling something incoherent, her voice groggy from sleep.
"What was that Mrs Connor?"
Carla nuzzled into the pillow as she yawned before whispering to Peter. "what time is it?"
"Half seven."
Carla groaned "and you have showered already?"
"Can you not tell? I've used that special shower gel."
Carla laughed quietly as she fondly remembered the memory that he had subtly referred to with that comment, however, after a few seconds her expression fell more serious and she sighed quietly before whispering. "I don't want you to go..."
"I know love but I've promised Simon and I think we really need this trip away. Just the two of us, I'm hoping that it's going to make things a bit easier."
"I know I know I'm just being selfish."
"You're not, I understand. If I was you I'd miss me as well."
"Well one thing I won't miss is your massive ego."
Peter grinned and Carla found herself smiling back at him in spite of herself.
"Have you got time for a cuddle?" Carla whispered, shuffling a little closer to Peter who nodded. "With you? Always."
Carla smiled as Peter moved so that his arms were wrapped around her, her head was rested against his chest and they were cuddled close. Carla understood fully his need to spend some one on one time with his son, though she knew it wouldn't make her miss him any less and with knowing this she had arranged to go out for a few drinks with Michelle the following night in the hope of making the time pass a little more quickly. Carla moved slightly so that she could catch Peter's lips with her own in a tender kiss, and when she felt him press his lips a little harder against her own, she moved her hand to let it rest on the back of his neck. Peter rolled her over onto her back and as he laid over her she felt his hand move higher on her thigh and up under her nighty.
After making love, Carla lay in bed with Peter, savouring what little time they had left together before he had to finish off getting ready for the weekend trip away he was taking Simon on.
-
Carla had reluctantly said goodbye to Peter before making her way into work where she had been rushed off her feet all day. She had been left to cope on her own by Frank and had gone through a meeting, managed to secure another order with the client before helping to pack up an order that had needed to be out that day. The one day that she needed an extra pair of hands was the one day Frank had decided to go AWOL and she was not happy about it. Carla had stopped off on the way home and got herself a bottle of wine, and on getting back to the flat she had ran herself a bath and was currently laid in the warm water trying to relax. She let a small smile tug at the corners of her lips as she remembered that morning with Peter and got the familiar butterflies in her stomach whenever she thought back to them together. In a way it was still very surreal for her, it had only been mere months before they'd had had to hide their relationship and now they could walk down the street hand in hand and kiss in public without having to worry about being caught out. It was a good feeling and one that she had gotten used to very quickly.
Carla reached out for the glass of wine she had on the side of the bath and had a sip before putting it back down, frowning when she heard her buzzer sound through the flat, indicating that someone was at the main entrance of the apartment block she lived in waiting to be let up to her flat. Why was it that she couldn't have a moment to herself? It was seconds before Carla silently decided that she would ignore it, whoever it was could wait, and if it was that important then surely they could call her or something. She settled back down into the warm water in her bath and let it cover her body when the buzzer sounded twice more and she frowned, maybe she was just supposed to be stressed that day. The only thought occurring to her at that moment in time was that she should have bought another bottle of wine. A quiet sigh passed her lips and she stood up, getting out of the bath before wrapping a fluffy white towel around her tanned, slender frame. She hurried out of the bathroom on hearing her phone ring and wondered if something was wrong. It was Frank. It occurred to her that something could be wrong with Michelle and she answered the phone quickly, the anger she felt towards him for his absence at the factory earlier that day was momentarily forgotten.
"Frank? What's wrong? Is Michelle alright?"
"Yeah, why wouldn't she be?"
Carla shook her head, forgetting that she was on the phone and that the gesture would be completely lost on him. There was a moment's pause as the information registered before she spoke again, her tone snappy. "What do you want then?"
"I'm at your flat, where are you? I wanted to speak to you."
"You're speaking to me now."
"Are you in?"
"Not for you no."
"Oh come on, don't be like that."
"Like what?"
"Awkward. I want to explain..."
"What like it wasn't awkward when you didn't turn up for work today when I was rushed off me feet?" Carla shot back "why you decided to take the day off when you knew we were going to be busy, like I had to explain why you didn't show your sorry ass for that meeting we were supposed to have with Rory this afternoon."
"Oh yeah, how did that go?"
"You have some cheek do you know that?"
"Oh come on Carla just let me in, I have a perfectly good reason why I wasn't there I just don't really want to tell you while I'm stood on the doorstep."
"You'll have to give me 10 minutes." On finishing her sentence Carla ended the call and put her phone on the kitchen counter before walking through into her's and Peter's bedroom.
Carla walked out of the bedroom a few moments later, and after tying her dressing gown at the side she walked over to the small white phone that was by the door and pressed the button so that the main doors would open, before opening the flat door so that Frank could enter on arriving. She refilled her glass and raised her head a little as he stepped through the door and closed it.
"Do you want a glass?"
Frank nodded "thanks."
Carla poured a second glass and handed it to him before she picked up her own and walked across the room to sit down on the sofa, with Frank soon joining her. Once he had sat down she wasted no time in getting to the point. "So what was the excuse then?"
"You say that like you don't think I've got one."
"I don't."
"I phoned an old contact and I was setting up a meeting with him, but it was harder than I thought and it took longer than I thought it would. Then when I was on my way into work Michelle come home..." he sighed "and to cut a long story short we had a huge row, I was already late and I would have been no use to you today, believe me."
Carla paused for a moment and had some of her wine before speaking up in answer to what he had said, finding herself worried about one of her closest friends. "What did you argue about?"
Frank frowned "is that your business?"
"You don't have to tell me, I'm just asking."
"I'd rather not talk about it."
Carla nodded once "fair enough..."
There was a moment of silence and Carla began to feel uncomfortable, but her train of thought was broken as Frank spoke up again. "Where's Peter? I wanted to know if he fancied coming to the pub for a while."
Carla frowned "he's away... You know he's away, on a trip with Simon?"
"Oh sorry, I completely forgot... My head's a mess today... I..."
Carla interrupted, sitting forwards a little. "Frank you can talk to me you know, I know you haven't known me that long but I like to think I know 'Chelle... Maybe I could help?"
Frank sat forwards himself and when he raised his head it made Carla realize just how close they were and before she knew it he was moving in for a kiss. She sat back quickly before getting up off the sofa, shaking her head as she did so. "What are you playing at? I am with your cousin, you, are with my sister. You think you can come around here and try to put it on me, some kind of family you are."
Frank got up himself and scoffed, his hands clenching into fists at his sides and on noticing this was when Carla first felt the change of the atmosphere in the flat. She felt vulnerable, alone and the complete loneliness of a woman who was at the hands of someone else and could do nothing about it. "You were all over me. You instigated that Carla, do not try and make a mug of Me." he snapped.
"Get out." Carla swallowed hard, finding her throat now very dry and tried to keep up the mask portraying her keeping her cool when inside it was far from how she felt. She walked to the door but just before she could open it she felt it slam closed and a vice like grip on her shoulder, forcing her to turn around and before she knew it she had been slammed against the door for the flat. Her breath hitched in her throat and she lost all control of her senses, it was that moment of being caught off guard that Frank chose to throw her onto the floor. She landed awkwardly on her arm and immediately knew the inevitable, she squirmed, fought and pushed against him but it seemed as she was losing strength, he was gaining it and there was nothing she could do to move him. His knee was between her legs and she was crying then, really crying, while begging and pleading with him to stop before it all went too far. She could feel his hands on her body, touching her in places that only Peter should have, tugging at her clothes. She knew that he wanted to make her feel like nothing and he had succeeded.
-
Carla lay against the cold floor of her flat, her clothes ripped and her skin covered in bruises. She tried to hold what was left of her clothes to herself though it was pointless, she pulled her knees to her chest and flinched as Frank walked past her, utterly terrified that he was going to do something else. She could smell him and she knew that it was a smell that would never leave her nostrils. Her stomach churned and she sat up slightly before throwing up, and her doing so caused Frank to turn around and raise his eyebrow a little as he spoke. "You're not regretting this already are you?" he laughed. "Imagine what Michelle would say if she found out about this? Or Peter... Peter thinks he's found the girl of his dreams only to find out that she's nothing but a cheap little tart... He's a bit funny is Peter, always was even as a kid." Frank did his belt up which caused Carla to wretch once more and he continued his sentence, an underlying tone of menace in his voice. "He'd never think of you in the same way if he was to find out I can tell you that. He used to have this toy, a favourite toy, took it everywhere with him and one day it got broken." he shrugged. "His dad tried to fix it but he wasn't interested in it after that. Know what I mean?" he sneered and Carla was almost sure that she had felt her heart break inside her chest. "It was your fault, you started this." Were his last words before he exited the flat and left Carla in a broke mess on the floor.
As he walked out of the flat and down the stairs at a rather fast pace Frank ran his hand over his hair and pulled at the back of his neck slightly. He was glad when he had reached his car and there didn't seem to be anyone around, he highly doubted that Carla would say anything but he was ready if she did. There would only be one person that would come out on top and it wouldn't be her, as he had just proven. Frank sat in his car and when he found that his phone which he had left in the passenger side of the car was flashing he sighed and knew he needed to go and find Michelle. What he hadn't told Carla was that the reason a row between him and Michelle had started was due to her having a miscarriage, something which they had both taken very badly. He had felt as though everything had been taken away from him that night and he had passed that feeling over to someone else in the worst way imaginable and he didn't feel even close to as bad as he should. As far as he was concerned Carla had got what she deserved after trying to make a mug of him, putting it on a plate and then knocking him back.
Carla hadn't moved from the spot in the living room, the feeling of humiliation washing over her as she heard the door slam. He had taken every shred of decency she had left and she knew neither feeling would leave her for the rest of her life. The sound of the landline of the flat ringing caused her to jump and her heart to race so fast she could hear it ringing in her ears. She turned in the direction of the phone and broke into sobs as she heard Peter's voice fill the flat.
"Hey baby, it's me. I'm guessing you've gone to bed and that's why you're not answering the phone. This is just a quick call to let you know that I'm missing you like crazy and I can't wait to get back. Simon's having fun, we went to a football match this afternoon and I took him for dinner. I think the next weekend away will have to be a romantic trip for two. Anyway I will try and call you tomorrow, I love you. Sweet dreams..."