***I'm really sorry but i don't have the time right now to read through this and mark my mistakes. And i know if i wait i'll probably forget and won't undate this ages. So here it is, mistakes and all. Just bare with this story, it's going somewhere as you can see from the first chapter.***

Hailing a taxi is an art form. Emily Fitch at 17 would not have been able to get one for a while. But at 26 Emily had managed to bag one in less than a minute. It was a combination of leg and the face of a professional who will tip well. Sliding into the back seat and giving the driver the address she checked the time. With the traffic at this time of night Emily knew she was going to be late. But she knew her husband, he would wait and not complain or moan at being sat alone. She began to think of the sex they would have tonight. And she bit her bottom lip in anticipation. Work had over taken their lives somehow and the honeymoon period of love making on tap had dried up. She couldn't wait to have his sweaty body underneath her as she rode him. Her phone began to ring and it interrupted her pleasant day dream. She didn't need to look at the name, setting individual ring tones made it unnecessary. Ace of spades. Cook. She chuckled before answering it.

"Yes?"

"You on your way." It sounded like he was in a crowded place.

"Yeah just in a taxi." Emily told him as she checked her watch again not wanting to be too late.

"Blow it off." he told her loudly. "Come hang out with me, fuck your husband."

"I hope too." Em chuckled as she heard Cook groan on the other end.

"I'm all alone in the pub and I need my wing man."

"Cook it's my anniversary. I can't blow it out." Typical Cook, he hated sharing. It was her only vice with him and yet she adored it as well.

"I'm in the pub."

"I don't care."

"You can't let me drink alone."

"You won't be drinking alone for long." It was a fact. Girls gravitated towards him.

"Bitch." He grumbled.

"Whore."

"Thank you. Fine but I'm booking you Friday. So pencil it in your fucking diary."

"ooo not sure I-"

"Fuck sake. Cancel it." Emily sighed.

"I'll see if I can move some stuff around, give ya a call tomorrow."

"Damn right you will. Now go get your end wet."

"Your filth."

"Fuck ya later."

"You too." And he was gone. He was her beat friend, understanding her better than one. She did miss him. They were together always during their teens and then adulthood had kicked in and somehow kicked them apart. But she decided then they she would make time for him Friday. She wouldn't admit it to his face but she missed him.

"Did you want dropping off right out front love?" the drivers voice brought her back to reality.

"Yeah that would be great." The butterflies in her stomach started to flap...maybe they were bats. It felt like ages since she'd had a whole evening with her husband, and now he she was. It felt a little bit like her wedding day. During the teen years they had been carefree and laidback, Emily would never have thought they would turn into

workaholics. Yet here they were 5 years on and she almost couldn't recognise herself some days; rather like most days.

"How much is that?" Emily asked as she started to root around her purse.

"£16 darling." He said replied holding out his hand.

She saw the eager look in his eyes and handed over twenty quid telling him, "keep the change." As she scooted out of the cab keeping her knees firmly together.

Walking into the posh restaurant, she scouted around glancing around the room for her husband. One of the waiters came walking over but Emily ignored him as her eyes saw the man she was after. Walking through the crowded restaurant, the man stood up a smile proudly on his face. And the huge grin made Emily feel instantly special as if they were the only two people in the packed room.

"Wow!" He said as she got closer and pulled her into a tight hug placing a soft kiss on the side of her head as he whispered in her ear. "y-you look st-stunning."

Emily pulled back with a smile almost as wide as his. "Stuttering? I making you nervous?"

"You al-always make me nervous. I do believe you will m-m-make me nervous for the rest of my life. I mean I am with t-the most beautiful girl in the room."

"Jay." Her heart started to swell and her eyes almost welled up. He was the best man she had ever meet. JJ completed her in a million different ways. And she loved every part of him. Even his snoring. Maybe he hadn't been the person she'd seen herself ending up with but somehow they had fallen in love and now Emily was beyond happy. JJ pulled the chair back for his wife and gently pushed it in as she sat down and he took his place opposite her. "I was almost forgetting what you look like." Emily joked but watched as his smile faulted and he ducked his head. "I was kidding."

"But you're right I haven't been around enough. I'm gonna change that." He told her as he reached out and squeezed her hand.

"No, it's not just you. I work stupid hours as well."

"We'll work on it." They smiled at each other, and the waiter came over with a bottle of wine. "I got white. I know how red gives you a headache." He commented with a chuckle remembering previous experiences with his wife drinking red wine. JJ had grown into a good man, handsome even. He had always been a slight geek with crazy wayward hair. He was vaguely more muscled than his teen years and his hair was now shorted and combed to the side. Although he always said he was the lucky one, Emily always thought she too was lucky.

"That was once." He looked at her suspiciously. "Okay maybe twice." And a grin broke out on her pale face. "Thanks." The redhead said to the male who had poured them two glasses. JJ wasn't a big drinker, he was still taking some medication which he had been on since he was little. But he had it a lot more under control than in the past. He would only have a few glasses of wine before he allowed his wife to finish the bottle.

JJ picked up his glass and held it out to Emily who matched his gesture. "Happy Anniversary." He said as he clicked his glass to hers and she repeated his words. They smiled like teenagers at each other, and that moment Emily cursed herself for any doubts she'd had over the last few months. She had always been quite practical when it came to love, she knew it wasn't rainbows and sunsets everyday sometimes it involved hard work. And Emily Fitch was accustom to hard work. "Here." He said reaching into his inside coat pocket and pulling out an envelope. "It's paper, you know for our first year." And JJ grinned again.

Emily suddenly felt sick. She had forgotten about her gift, she was going to get her surname changed to Jones, which was something she'd said she never would. But Emily felt like it was a gesture and step she was willing to take. However work had got out of control and she'd forgotten all about it. Emily, was rubbish at relationships. She felt like there was a gene missing that allowed her have healthy relationships and this just proved it. Reluctantly she took the envelope and instantly realised there was something inside. Gently opening it she looked inside to see a white gold necklace, slowly she tipped it out onto her hand, to reveal it was actually a locket. The locket itself was in shape of a heart with swerved line of diamonds down the middle. It was gorgeous and the guilty feeling in the pit of her stomach instantly began to grow swallowing her. Opening it up she saw the one side had a picture of her and the other a picture of him. She remembered when the photo's were taken, their last day of college.

"That was the day I realised I loved you, and that you were the one." The beaming smile he shone at her lit up his face, Emily thought he looked beautiful.

"It's lovely Jay, more than lovely it's perfect. You're perfect."

"I'll put it on for you." More swiftly he got up and moved around to do the clasped up placing a chaste kiss on the back of her neck. "You really like it?"

"I love it." The redhead replied looking down and admiring it some more. "Erm, although the present for you hasn't arrived yet." She grinned at him apologetically.

"Sweetheart that's fine. I don't need gifts."

"But I did get you one, hopefully it'll be here tomorrow." She lied again and she mentally told herself to pick something up tomorrow in her lunch break.

"Honestly Em it's fine." She thought maybe he wasn't shocked that'd she forgotten about a gift, which only deepened her feelings of letting him down. This was their first anniversary it was meant to be special, and she'd ruined it all. Emily Fitch (should be Jones) was fucking up their special moments. Her heart was tightening in her chest as he sat down in front of her smiling. "You are the best present I ever got."

"Did you get that out of greeting card?" She asked him with a smirk.

"Actually it was from a lame film." He reached over and squeezed her hand which caused her to feel slightly better. A grumble escaped from Emily's tummy and JJ couldn't help but laugh.

"Hungry?" Her checked began to burn slightly and for a moment it felt like they were back at university again, when things were easy and the grown up world hadn't swallowed them whole.

"It would seem so. Now the whole place knows it too." The curly haired boy handed her a menu and opened one for himself. "Thanks."

"Hmmm, I'm thinking lobster…or duck…" He mused allowed.

"The roasted veg sounds gorgeous. You should have the lobster." Emily said looking over the top of her menu and catching his eye.

"Why's that?" Jay asked with a lopsided grin.

"I just think you'd enjoy it more." His eyes looked at her suspiciously.

"Really?" The young man continued to question.

"Fine, I want lobster, but I'm watching my weight and if I eat it off your plate then it has no calories." A laugh escaped his mouth.

"Watch your weight? You could put on 20 stone and I'm still going to think your perfect."

"Even when you have to get a crane to lift me out of the house?"

"Even if I had to wash your feet because you couldn't reach them." They giggled between themselves. Even after all the years together they still found each other so funny.

"Well I guess I'll have the duck then…"

"Hey!" Emily protested.

"…Next time I come out and I'll have the lobster tonight." He went on and she smiled widely showing her white teeth.

"So how was-" He words were interrupted by the ringing of JJ's professional ring tone erupted from his jacket pocket.

"Sorry." He began he said shaking his head as he looked at who was calling. "I've gotta take this, I'll be a moment." He read her facial expression. "After this I'll switch it off. No work tonight….Hello…Right, well I closed that before I left, he said he could go to 2.4." Emily watched her suited husband's posture completely change from the relaxed man she'd had sat in front of her one a second before. "When did this happen…Well can't Phil handle it I'm-…It's my fucking anniversary Andy…You'll have to handle it then, we can't deal at 2.1" Emily sighed deeply.

"Go." She said softly to him and he looked up to meet her brown eyes, shaking his head. "Go, it's fine."

"Hold on a second Andy." He said bringing the phone down. "I'm not going anywhere."

"You won't be able to enjoy the evening." Emily argued. It was true, this would only distract JJ and she wanted his full attention tonight. "Go…You can make it up to me soon." Her eyes twinkled and he grinned.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

"I'll be home straight away." The hunger in his voice told her that he had missed their sexual contact as much as she had. "Right I'm on way in." He said before hanging up. Quickly he threw his coat on and placed some money on the table. "I'm gonna be an hour tops." It was a lie Emily knew it but found it endearing that Jay believed his words. She knew better, he would walk through the door after 2 and collapse on the spare bed, not wanting to wake her. "I love you." Kissing her softly yet too quickly on the lips. "I'll see you soon."

The redhead sat there for a few moments finishing of her glass of wine followed by JJ's before grabbed her phone and making a phone call.

*****

Emily walked into the smoky pub that clearly took no notice of the smoking ban and looked around for Cook. Due to the fact it wasn't very busy she spotted him in minutes talking to the brunette. She watched him for a moment and contemplated just turning around but he spotted her. Even though the female was mid sentence to him, he just walked off leaving her confused. Emily couldn't help but laugh at his actions as he came wrapped his arms around her. She could feel his right hand start to stray down towards her arse and she stepped out of his embrace.

"Worth a shot." He shrugged. "I see you picked to have the tits out." She swatted his arm. "Beer?"

"Please." Emily said as they walked towards the bar getting an evil glance from the woman Cook was previously talking to. "Did you even say bye to that girl?"

"What girl?" He asked preoccupied as he called the barman over.

"Erm…The one you were talking to perhaps."

"Oh her. No. Keith can we have two stellas." The guy nodded. "So Gay Jay fucked off."

"He had to work." She agrued, Cook and JJ weren't the best of friends but they put up with each other. Their was a clear jealousy that both men possessed for Emily.

"He's gotta have a fucking screw loose for leaving you when you're dressed like that. We are going clubbing after this so I can show that rack off." He laughed, but under all of his bullshit there was a compliment.

"Just leave it." She warned and he simply held his hands up in defence.

"I just don't want anyone giving my girl shit." Cook told her as he threw his arm around her shoulders. She didn't correct him and inform her best friend that she was no longer his instead leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.

"I'd prefer a cock rub." He returned with a wink.

"I don't fucking think so." Taking a swig the duo returned to a table. Cook began to tell her about a sale he made at work today but her eyes were drawn over his shoulder where two girls were having a heated discussion. She didn't want to stare but she couldn't seem to look away. Then she realised where she'd seen the blonde haired girl before, it was the new HR girl; Naomi. The other girl she was talking to looked as if she was about to cry and Naomi was simply looking at the ground, occasional shrugging her shoulders. Emily quickly glanced at Cook, nodding her head to show that she was listening to him, which she wasn't. She thought how odd it was that she'd only met the girl today and here she was in Emily's local pub. This time when Emily looked past him she saw that Naomi was looking her way, she smiled weakly, holding up her hand in a half heart wave and Emily mimicked the action. However their interaction didn't last long as the other girl took Naomi's chin and brought those blue eyes to face her instead,.

Cook seeing the exchange looked behind him. "Who's that?"

"Just the new girl at work." Emily replied.

"Looks like she's getting a new one ripped. Maybe you wanna get me some pussy with that one. She's fucking sex on fucking legs."

"I don't even really know her."

"Well then lets down these and get moving because unless you are gonna let me bang you the talent in here is non-existent." Emily nodded casting a finally glance Naomi, wondering what was going on. And although she didn't really know Naomi she felt a connection with her at that moment, they seemed to both be struggling with a shit night.

***Thank you all for reading and waiting for an update. And i'm sorry again that it's going slowly but i wanna build this one up a lil. Please let me know what you think as always thanks.***