Right, so this is more of a filler chapter...from here things will start to pick up a bit but heres a bit more fluff for ya!
& as always, thank you so so much to any and all reviewers, story alerters etc. You seriously make my day :)
"I could just fuckin' kill him." Pete plopped back down into his seat still seething over the sight of Josie and Bovver standing toe to toe, the sneer on Bovver's face clearly indicated what tone their conversation had taken.
Dave, Swill and Ike looked up with confusion written all over their faces.
"What 'appened down there mate? We saw Bov come stormin' outta the store room, mumbling under his breath then he just took off without a word to us." Dave's reply only served to confirm Pete's worst nightmare that Bovver had clearly been attacking Josie – verbally this time but who knows what might have happened if they had interrupted. Shaking those thoughts from his head, questioning whether Bovver could ever do that he chanced a glance towards the bar.
Josie was currently hiding any emotion quite well; her face had lost most of the color that had heated her face when Pete first saw her – the only sign of nerves left was the way she was biting down on her lip while trying to feign interest in what the old ones were saying to her. She glanced up at that moment and locked eyes with him. Her face colored slightly and she gave him a quick smile before turning back to the men.
"Don't know really – Terry and I interrupted Bov havin' a 'chat' with Josie." Pete cringed slightly while thinking again about the scene he'd stumbled on.
"Ya think he was tellin' her about the GSE? Probably bankin' on it scarin' her away; he's really got it in for 'er." Pete stared in shock back at Ike realizing that was probably exactly what was going on. His eyes shot back up towards Josie and he pushed his chair back in a hurry, leaping up and rushing over to the bar.
Pete stood impatiently waiting for Josie to finish taking the lunch order of the two men sitting at the bar, clenching his hands when he saw them both sneaking peaks down her shirt. He'd have to get her to start wearing baggy turtlenecks to work or he was going to end up killing the whole lot of them.
His breath caught in his throat as she turned toward him and her brown eyes immediately lit up at the sight of him, "Hi you, more pints?" Relief flooded Pete's system as she grinned up at him, there's no way she'd be smiling if Bovver had spilled the proverbially beans.
He reached towards her, grabbing her hand gently, "Nah, I'm actually gonna head out."
Pete watched Josie intently as the smile dropped from her face and was instantly replaced with a frown. He smiled down at her as reassuringly as he could – he didn't want to leave her but he had to get his head on straight and try to figure out just what had happened between her and Bovver.
Josie's brown eyes stared back into Pete's blue ones, "Oh, well…I suppose it is a Sunday; I can't really expect you to stay here all day." She pouted a little before she was distracted by another customer's order and turned to leave, stopping when Pete grabbed her hand again, holding it securely in his.
"But I'd love to see you when you're done work tonight." Inwardly, Pete cringed. He had been meaning to play it cool, let her sweat it out a little but that hurried kiss in the storeroom had caused those plans to go right out the window. He didn't want to wait to see her again.
"Well," Pete dropped his eyes when he saw her biting her lip in concentration Shit, she's gonna say no. "I actually had plans for tonight but…if you don't have anything better to do you can join me."
Pete's face lit up in a huge grin when he caught sight of her bashful smile and his heart thudded painfully in his chest in anticipation of spending another evening with her, "As long as your plans weren't somethin' poncey like the opera, I'm in."
Josie threw her head back in laughter and Pete marveled at the sound of it, "Absolutely not – all you need are a pair of jeans, some sneaks & yourself of course. Come by my place around 7ish?"
"You bet, see ya then." He reluctantly let her hand drop from his and he watched her turn her smile to the waiting customers, wanting nothing more than to stay at the Abbey but he knew he had to talk to Bovver before shit got out too of hand.
Pete tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for Josie to answer the door. Since the time he'd left her at the Abbey everything had pretty much gone downhill. He'd been unable to find Bovver anywhere and had spent the day anxiously searching everywhere he could think of that Bov would run to but to no avail. His mind continued to question just what was going on with him as he stood waiting for Josie.
Finally he heard the sound of footsteps behind the door and the door swung open quickly to reveal Josie in a huge yellow and black jersey with a grizzly bear on the front, hair pulled up in a messy bun and looking absolutely gorgeous. Pete felt his mouth go dry as she wrapped her arms around him in a huge bear hug.
"Soo, ready!?" Without waiting for his answer, she switched the lights of her flat off and slammed her door shut before grabbing his hand and leading him quickly down the stairs. "Hurry, hurry Petey boy or we'll miss the face-off!"
She continued to hold his hand tightly as she marched him quickly towards the tube station nearby her flat and he couldn't help but grin down at her. He gently tugged her hand to slow her down so he could talk to her.
"Oi gorgeous! Mind tellin' me where you're kidnapping me to, not like I mind that is…" Josie huffed slightly and bit back a smile while still dragging him towards the underground. Once they'd reached the stop and they were waiting for the train she finally seemed to relax and turned to stare up into his blue eyes.
His breath caught in his throat as his eyes locked with hers and he tucked a stray piece of her bangs behind her ear, "Hi." Leaning down he pressed his lips softly to hers, relishing in the warmth and he felt her lips turn up in a smile. "Now, just where is it you're draggin' me to in that ridiculous jersey."
"You, my silly English bloke, are coming with me to watch some playoff hockey." Josie's face lit up and Pete couldn't help but chuckle at her.
"Hockey, eh? The only sport for me is football missy, don't go tryin' to change that." Pete tapped her lightly on the nose as Josie's lower lip jutted out slightly in a pout and he leaned down to steal another kiss, growling slightly in frustration when she moved her lips just out of reach.
"I'm not trying to change you, you jerk, I'm just sharing my favorite sport with you…however if you'd prefer to leave you may go." Pulling away from his grasp, she waved him away with a hand before crossing her arms across her chest and setting her jaw stubbornly while Pete stared back at her before tickling her side.
"Come 'ere you, course I'm not leavin'," He wrapped his arm around her shoulder pulling her into the crook of his arm, "Now, tell me where it is we're goin' love." Pete inhaled deeply as the scent of apples assaulted him and he felt his whole body tingle.
"It's an American slash Canadian bar and it's the Boston Bruins in Game 5 against the Carolina Hurricanes. They're facing elimination and this is the only afternoon game which equals the only night game here which means I am going to be a nervous wreck for, ohhh the next 3 or 4 hours."
Just as she finished talking the train pulled up and she linked hands with him as they got on. They joked lightly to each other as they journeyed a few stops until Josie leapt up and again dragged Pete off the tube and shortly thereafter into a crowded bar called the Embassy.
"How clever, the Embassy." Pete smirked as Josie stuck her tongue out at him and shoved her way towards the bar. Once they reached it the huge grizzly bartender glared at him suspiciously before noticing Josie.
"Josephine Murphy! My little bear, you've been missed dearly come 'ere and gimme some suga." Pete placed his arm around her possessively until she leaned up on tiptoes to kiss his cheek softly before leaning over the bar to hug the older man.
"O' Danny boy, how I have missed your big ugly mug." She squeezed his cheeks playfully and grinned back at him then gestured to Pete in introduction, "this is my bo…uh, my friend Pete. He's a first-timer." A dark blush heated her cheeks as she bit her lip and Pete tried not to grin at what she'd nearly called him.
The man looked Pete up and down before offering a grin and a hand, "So, Josie's bo…,uh friend, I take it yer English? And haven't a clue as to what you're getting into with this one?" Danny gave a pointed look in Josie's direction as her face heated again and she responded by giving him the finger.
"Oh piss off, two pints o' lager puh-lease, we're paying customers here and deserve to be treated as such."
"Paying customers, eh? So you won't be hustlin' the opposition at darts so you can drink for free tonight?" Danny laughed at the glare Josie shot in his direction then turned to grab drinks for her and Pete.
"Ah, so the boys weren't the first to fall victim to that angelic face, huh love? Can't say I blame you though, who'd expect a tiny pint like you to be a shark?" Pete stared at her face, loving the color that painted her cheeks in embarrassment. More shouts of her name interrupted the two of them as he realized he wasn't the first guy to have fallen under her spell.
Lucky for his fists, they were all at least 20 years her senior and seemed to regard her as their mascot.
"So Joze, what're you thinkin'? Least the last series got rid of those obnoxious Habs fans. They seemed to take it as a personal affront that you didn't recognize their supposed greatness. But facin' elimination 'ere love - your boys are in some serious trouble." Josie simply shrugged her shoulders at him.
"I have faith in my boys, Timmy won't let me down – I swear it." Pete tried to follow the conversation back and forth however the majority of its meaning was lost on him. He listened silently, choosing instead to watch how easily Josie managed to fit in with a group of older, gruff men that most girls her age would avoid like the plague.
Pete glanced around the room and saw that most of the patrons were wearing jerseys much like Josie's however she was the only one that managed to look gorgeous in an oversized hockey sweater, granted most of the ones in jerseys were men, but still. He turned his attention back to her just in time to see her waving her arms in excitement.
"Oo, open seats at the bar and right before face off too, come on Pete! I'll see you gents at the intermission and if I hear so much as an unkind word towards my team don't think I won't be over here quick as a rabbit." Raising her glass in a slight cheers towards the men she grabbed Pete's hand once more dragging him towards two seats that had just opened up at the bar.
"Amazing, you've been in this country, what? A month now? And look at you, a group of old dirty men pantin' after you like dogs and a bartender who'd give his left eye to see you smile. What a bewitching little devil you are." He grinned down at her and pulled her stool as close to his as he could get it and relished in the way she leaned into his arms, "Now you gonna explain any o' that gibberish you was spoutin' off over there or was that all for show?"
Josie smiled up at him and tilted her head to the side in thought, "Hmm, well what do you want to know Mr. Dunham? I thought boys were supposed to know everything about every sport out there."
"For starters, everything." And with that he leaned in to listen to whatever she had to say.
"Forever blowing bubbles, pretty bubbles in the air. United! Now clap your hands in the air three times." Pete and Josie were currently stumbling their way through the dark streets of London in an attempt to get back to Josie's flat. He had her slight wrists in his hands and was helping her clap while she giggled helplessly and nearly lost her balance.
Josie felt her face flush with happiness and couldn't stop another round of giggles as she stared at Pete's slightly frustrated smirk, "Silly boys who sing songs for sportssss."
"Oi, like chanting 'sieve' at a goalie every time you score a goal makes a wink o' sense." Josie just continued to giggle at Pete and she felt incapable of continuing movement – she had always been a giggly drunk. Finally she felt his arms around her as Pete threw her over his shoulder and began making his way down the street.
Josie started to squirm in his arms as she began to go over the events of the night in her head. Her voice came out muffled into his back as she asked the question she'd had on her mind all night, "I almost called you my boyfriend, ya know? I's so sorry bout dat." She felt her face flush especially when Pete stopped walking and placed her gently on the ground in front of him, his arms still locked around her.
"I wouldn't have fought you on it, Joze." Josie's eyes widened slightly at that and Pete closed the small distance between them, pressing his lips softly to hers, "Now tell me – on a scale of one to drunk, what are you?"
She tilted her head to the side in a daze, trying to process what he'd said through the shock of his lips on hers. She felt sure she'd never get used to the sensation, shaking her head like a confused puppy she smiled up at him, "Just a little tipsy, don't worry – I'll remember every embarrassing thing I've said or done in the morning."
She stared up at him as his blue eyes began to hypnotize her and her breath caught in her throat as he moved closer to her lips again, "Good…cause I'm bankin' on it."
With that he pulled her into his arms, lifting her slightly off her feet while their lips met in a searing kiss, causing Josie to feel lightheaded and as Pete pulled away she bit back a moan of frustration, "So I was thinkin' you'd like to maybe start introducin' me as your boyfriend, this time with my permission, of course."
Josie felt her face flush and she frowned slightly, "You're a charmer, eh? What a way to ask a girl out…" Pulling away from him in embarrassment she began to walk towards her apartment on slightly unsteady feet – whether it was from the booze or the kiss, she couldn't quite tell.
She only managed to make it a few steps before Pete had her in his arms again, sweeping her off her feet and carrying her bridal style down the street, "Nuh, uh missy, not gettin' away quite so quick. My first task as official boyfriend is to ferry you home, nooo walking for my princess."
Josie looked at the ridiculous determination on Pete's face and burst out laughing, "You're a
buffoon ya know that? And you're not carrying me home…I have perfectly good legs."
Pete smirked down at her, "Mm, that you do love, even better than good."
"Pig!"
"Better get used to it love." Pete continued to smirk down at her as his grip tightened and he finished the sentence in his head cause I'm not lettin' you go.
So a bit cheesy I know but hopefully you liked it - but it was certainly necessary so that Pete & Josie could officially get together.
Reviews?