"So come on, what's going on with daddy's little princess?" Gary teased as him and Jay sat on the sofa in his and Dawn's new flat. Dawn placed two mugs of coffee on the coffee table in front of them.
"Sorry?" Jay raised his eyebrow, puzzled, as he turned to Gary.
"Abi Branning," Gary smirked. "She was a right daddy's girl when I left."
"Well not anymore," Jay scoffed as he turned away. "He's now banged up for the murder of Lucy Beale."
"Blimey," Dawn gasped as she sat in the armchair, a mug of tea keeping her hands warm. "I know Max Branning was a womanizer but I didn't think he would be capable of murder."
"Well you live and learn," Jay sighed.
"So come on," Gary prompted. "What's the deal between you and Abi? I mean the last I heard you and her split up and you were after that Lola bird."
"I wish I never went there if I'm honest," Jay sighed heavily, running his hand through his hair. Jay had been friends with Lola since she turned up on the square and never really saw her in a romantic way. Yes, Lola had been interested in him a couple of times but during those times, Jay knew the feelings that he had for Abi were strong and only saw Lola as a friend. He had always had strong feelings for Abi, she was his first love but their relationship had become strained and plus, you were lucky if you ended up having a long lasting future with your first love. He guessed that he screwed that up the minute he saw Lola in a new light and Abi now feels she cannot trust him for as long as Lola is still on the square. He couldn't blame her really even though Jay knew for a fact that he was never going back there with Lola.
"Why? What happened?" Dawn frowned, "To be honest I was a little surprised when you and Abi split up as you were planning on moving to Bolton with her. I take it she's back for the Christmas holidays?"
"No," Jay shook his head. "I crushed her dreams because I fell for her best friend and she ran over her dog trying to go to university in her dad's car when she had already had a bit to drink and her dad refused to take her. In the end, she didn't want to go to university. She now works as a receptionist as a vet and is being trained as a vet. I guess it will all go in her favour in the end, she doesn't need me."
"Jay, I'm a woman myself and I know that Abi still cares otherwise she wouldn't have had the shouting match with you outside Dot's house," Dawn smiled sadly. "If I'm honest, I can't blame her for feeling how she does. Lola was her best friend."
Jay nodded sadly, "Yeah, her and Abs were really close and I destroyed that for them didn't I? I should never have gone there."
"But you and Lola were close too," Gary commented.
"Yeah as friends and it should have stayed that way," Jay exasperated. "I broke Abi's heart. When Abi was with Ben and living with us, me and her became friends but the friendship that Abi had with Lola was damaged! I caused that."
"You couldn't help how you felt," Gary tried to reason. "I mean, you're still young. You said so yourself, you felt that your relationship with Abi was strained."
"No, I just selfish," Jay spat. "Abi was trying to build a life for us, she was trying so hard with her exams so she could get into the right university and even when we were about to move to Bolton so she could go to university, I was still selfish by thinking I would be a spare part when she was going to build a better future for us which was what we had planned all along."
"Well you're a bloke at the end of the day," Dawn teased. Jay looked up at his step mother in which Dawn just responded to by winking at him playfully.
"Tell you what, how about the four of us go over to the Vic? Forget about all this women business?" Gary suggested eagerly, dying to have an East End pint.
"Yeah why not," Dawn agreed. "It will save me from cooking since they now do food over there." She added reminiscing back to hers and Gary's frequent Skype calls with Jay. Even though they had not seen each other in so long, they all still stayed in touch because they felt that it would have been what Jase would have wanted.
It was about 8 'o' clock in the evening when Abi and Jordan were sitting up the bar in the Albert. They happened to be the only ones in there.
"I have a son," Jordan blurted out, worried what Abi might think, "JJ."
Abi's eyes widened, "Really? Wow...I didn't think that was your scene." Abi responded as she took another sip of her cocktail, the alcohol getting to her head.
"Neither did I if I'm honest," Jordan sighed. "It wasn't expected. I was only 17 at the time."
"So JJ's about 3?" Abi guessed.
"Yeah he is," Jordan smiled timidly.
"Well I had a friend who had a baby when she was 16," Abi commented, thinking about Lola and Lexi. Lexi would be the same age as JJ now in which she kind of hoped that her and JJ would not become play mates. That's if JJ ever came to the square. This made her wonder...
Abi gulped, "So where is JJ? Are you still with his birth mother?" She asked, playing with her fingers.
Jordan shook his head sadly, "No, she died."
"Oh Jordan, I'm so sorry," Abi exclaimed sympathetically, squeezing his hand.
Jordan slowly moved his hand away shifty, "It's alright. JJ's staying with one of my mates. Denise doesn't even know that I have a son."
"What? Why?" Abi asked, trying to understand why Jordan is keeping his child as such a secret. It appeared in this generation, everyone was having babies at a young age.
Jordan shook his head, "I'm worried what they might think. I'm messed up Abs. I got my girlfriend pregnant when I was 16 and plus she died from drugs and JJ and I don't live in the best of places- an estate."
Abi chuckled, "Well at least the two of you have some sort of roof over your heads," she said as she sucked up a sip of her cocktail through a straw. "It's not the best of places I must admit, I'm sure Denise will be able to have you and JJ stay with her for a while, just until you get back on your feet and find somewhere more decent."
"Her family can't stand me," Jordan scoffed, "Thinks I'm just like my father, nothing but trouble."
"I nearly had a baby you know," Abi randomly added, nibbling on her straw. Jordan's jaw dropped. "Well, I thought I was pregnant a couple of years or so back."
"Really?" Jordan raised his eyebrow surprised, "Who would have been the father?"
"Jay Brown," Abi quickly gulped.
"As in the red head?"
Abi nodded, "Mhm, well he always says that his hair is African sunset," she recalled whilst rolling her eyes and grinning. "We dated for a good three years on and off and then he decided to take a liking to my best friend."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Jordan said sympathetically, knowing that all Abi wanted was to find her prince charming ever since he knew her.
Abi shook her head, "It's alright. What happened must have happened for a reason. I'm still young, there's plenty more fish in the sea, plus I'm going to New Zealand in just under a week- maybe I will start a new life there!"
Jordan smiled sadly at his old friend which Abi returned. Talking about her possible pregnancy back in summer 2013 made her wonder if her relationship with Jay would have been any different. Even though Abi was being stubborn at the time, Jay did know Abi too well and she knew that. Abi knew that she would not have gone through with aborting their child even though it would have crushed her dreams of becoming a vet but she would have gotten over that once she saw their little bundle of joy. To be honest, her dreams of becoming a vet were still crushed the moment Jay ended their long lasting relationship. If her and Jay did have a baby back then, would the two of them still be together? Maybe they would have been engaged, due to get married or married even? Maybe their child would have made Jay more faithful and stopped him from going astray, leading to his romantic feelings for Lola Pearce. Or maybe they still would have broken up and would have been following a schedule on who would have the child and when. If Abi and Jay did have a child, Abi knew that Jay would certainly stop their child from going to New Zealand with her and he would fight for it. Her subconscious chuckled at that.
"Abi, I'm afraid I'm going to have to close up darling," Sharon sighed as she returned to behind the bar and getting out her bag. "Ben just rang. Phil's just come home in a drunken state."
Abi wriggled her nose, "Really? Well I hope everything's okay."
But she knew things weren't exactly okay. Abi was aware of Phil's drinking when Ben happened to confide in her about it when they were still together. They both knew that something must have happened when Phil was kidnapped by Gavin and his lot.
Abi and Jordan quickly finished their drinks before they jumped off their stalls, bid their goodbyes to Sharon and left the Albert.
"So where to next?" Abi asked as she linked her arm through Jordan's. "We could always go back to Dot's and watch movies, just like old times."
Jordan looked at Abi and chuckled, "Abs, we're not 13 or 14 anymore," he said cheekily.
"Hey!" Abi swatted his arm, "What's wrong with movies?"
"Nothing!" Jordan spoke defensively, "I'm just saying, now that we're legal, we can stay out and go drinking. We could go to the Vic?!"
Abi hesitated for a moment before reluctantly agreeing. If she was completely sober, maybe she would have hesitated a bit more, worrying about who might have been there. But considering that she had a bit of alcohol in her, she was confident enough to go to the Vic and wasn't bothered who she might have bumped into, besides Jay or Ben just may have got jealous seeing Jordan on her arm, even though they were just friends.
Lola entered the Vic with Billy holding the door for her as she pushed Lexi's pushchair through the doors. Honey soon followed behind with Janet and William. Lola looked up and gulped as she noticed her favourite African sunset standing at the bar, waiting to be served.
"You get a table, I'll get the drinks in," Lola offered. "Keep an eye on Lexi won't ya?"
Billy nodded understandingly, as he took the pushchair from Lola. He knew that Lola wanted to put things right with Jay but felt that she shouldn't pressure him back into a relationship after the outcome when she went to Newcastle. He considered that at present, being friends would be good enough.
Lola walked over to the bar and stood beside Jay. She didn't think that he noticed her standing there as he was looking down at the bar.
"Alright," she said quietly.
Jay quickly looked at Lola then turned away again, hoping that Linda would give him his drinks soon.
Lola sighed, "Look I'm really sorry alright, about earlier and how things ended between us."
"I'm not interested Lo," Jay sighed frustratedly.
"I want to put things right," Lola pleaded. "Please Jay."
"Did you not hear me the first time?" Jay growled.
"I just want things to be how they use to be. Lexi misses you. Why don't you come and say hello?" Lola suggested.
"Using your daughter as a weapon eh? Classy," Jay commented spitefully.
"Here you go Jay," Linda said as she handed him his order on a tray.
"Cheers," Jay responded politely. He glanced at Lola who was concentrated on him with her crystal blue eyes. He sighed, "Look I told you earlier, it's over between us. What we had is over, done, finite."
"Jay, I love you," Lola cried as she grabbed his hand.
Jay scoffed as he swiped his hand away before quickly grabbing the tray and going over to the table that he shared with Dawn, Gary and Summer who were sitting near the kitchen counter.
"Who was that?" Dawn frowned as she looked over at the young blonde who was standing sadly at the bar.
"Lola," Jay snapped.
"That's Lola?!" Dawn exclaimed in disbelief, "I have to say Jay, you can do better- looks nothing but a tart to me."
"Thanks," Jay frowned, feeling slightly offended as he was the one that dated her.
"And that's Billy's granddaughter did you say?" Gary questioned. Jay simply nodded which made Gary chuckle and lean back into his chair, "Well his family do have some good genes after all then," Gary commented in which Dawn glared at his. Gary smiled cheekily at his partner before squeezing her hand, "Nothing compared to you though my treacle."
Just at that moment, Abi entered the pub with Jordan in tow and made a bird's eye for the bar. Lola glared at Abi from the other end of the bar, her blood boiling at the fact that no matter what she does, no matter how close she gets to Jay, even if she has something with Jay, Jay always chooses Abi in the end.
"You just can't help yourself can you?!" Lola shouted from across the bar to Abi.
"I'm sorry?" Abi laughed nervously with her hand on her heart as she watched Lola walk over to them.
"Jay," Lola snapped. "No matter what I do, no matter what goes on between me and him, he always seems to want you in the end."
"Well I don't want him," Abi smiled falsely. "You're welcome to him Lola, I mean ever since you arrived on this Square you have always been digging your claws into him."
"But he doesn't want me Scabi," Lola spat bitterly. "He wants you. Perfect little miss Hannah Montana. The perfect Abigail Branning, the brainbox."
"Lo!" Billy shouted warningly.
"Well I don't want him," Abi spoke, raising her voice. "You're welcome to Jay, I'm not intending on getting back with him. I'm sure if you work on your magic charms, you will have him like putty in your hands!"
Lola shook her head angrily, "I really don't know what Jay sees in you. I mean, look at you, you're nothing."
"Alright watch it!" Jordan spoke up defensively whilst having a protective arm around Abi.
"Oh look Abs," Lola smirked. "Looks like you have another bloke wrapped round your finger."
Abi gasped offended, "For your information I have no one wrapped round my finger. For my whole life I have been wrapped round other people's fingers."
Lola scoffed, "Jay has always wanted you. I really can't see why, I mean you're not all that."
"That's enough now," Mick said sternly from behind the bar as everyone folded into the scene intrigued of the outcome.
"And you think you're perfect do you?" Abi spat.
"Well I have always been interested in Jay, I have always shown an interest in him even when you weren't and he still wants you!" Lola cried.
"Excuse me?! For the record, I have always found him very interesting," Abi quickly said in her defence before blushing.
Lola shook her head bitterly, "See what I mean. You just can't help yourself. You and Jay will come crawling back to each other soon enough."
"I don't want Jay, Lola, you are very much welcome to him!" Abi exclaimed, "I'm going to New Zealand and even if I wasn't, I still wouldn't be interested!"
"When you're in New Zealand, Jay will be pining like hell for you, just like he did when you went to Costa Rica and I couldn't even get a look in, I mean not once word had got about that Little Miss Perfect was returning to Walford!"
"Lola will you wake up and smell the coffee?! Jay did want you! You took him away from me after 3 years of me and him being together so you did succeed in taking away what was the best thing in my life!"
"Well I'm not surprised that he got fed up with you yet he still wants to go back for more," Lola snarled.
"Well to be perfectly honest, I can't see why he doesn't want you when you're always dressed like that," Abi commented bitterly glancing up and down Lola's body.
"You got a problem with what I'm wearing?!" Lola demanded, her teeth gritted.
"Not as such but you do realise that it's winter as you're walking around in that mini skirt? I mean that's always what you seem to wear these days," Abi smirked devilishly.
"You little cow!" Lola screeched as she grabbed hold of Abi's golden blonde locks and tugged at them as she pushed her back onto the empty comfy seats that were behind them. Abi squealed angrily underneath Lola as she grabbed hold of Lola's hair and tugged at them tightly. Billy and Jordan rushed over to the scene. Billy grabbed hold of Lola's waist trying to pull her away from Abi which succeeded.
"Lola, out!" Mick demanded as Abi slowly got up breathlessly whilst Jordan rushed over to Abi's side.
"What?!" Lola screeched, "She started it!" She said pointing at Abi.
"I think you'll find that you did Lola the minute you started on Abi," Linda stated firmly. "Now get out!"
Billy led Lola back to their table as they grabbed their things.
"Come on kids, I guess it's McKlunky's for dinner tonight," Billy spoke soothingly to Janet and William as he helped Honey to gather their things. Lola turned round to where Jay was sitting to find him glaring at her. At least he's not looking at Abi, he thought.
Lola took a deep breath before she strided over to Jay, "You heard Abi, Jay, and she doesn't want you. I want you, I have always wanted you. Please just give us another chance, we can be happy! I'm still the girl you fell for."
"I wish I didn't fall for you if I'm honest," Jay said bitterly. "If I didn't, things probably would still be great with Abi."
"You don't mean that," Lola said timidly, shaking her head.
"Oh, just get out of my sight!" Dawn exclaimed, rolling her eyes. "You're seriously pathetic, look at you!"
"Excuse me? Who are you?" Lola said, feeling offended at a woman who she didn't even know insulting her.
"I'm Dawn Swann," Dawn smiled bitterly, "Jay's stepmother. Have you seriously heard yourself? You're literally begging at his knees, desperate for attention! Are you really that low? To be honest, I can't see what Jay ever saw in you, I know your sort."
"Oh yeah and what is my sort?" Lola raised her eyebrow with her arms folded across her chest.
"You think you can just put a bit of lippy on, get your nails done, wear a tight outfit and you think that any boy you want will be dancing round you. Well guess what? Jay's better than that! If you go anywhere near him again and you'll have me to answer to! Get the message love, he aint interested!"
Just at that moment, Billy came over and put a firm arm round Lola's shoulders.
"Come on Lo," Billy said comfortingly as he glared up at Dawn before escorting his family out of the Vic.
"Are you sure you're alright Abs?" Jordan asked worried as he rubbed up and down Abi's arm as she sat on the comfy seat.
"I'm fine," Abi protested as she ran her hand through her hair.
"I'm going to get us some drinks okay?" Jordan said softly like Abi was fragile and breakable. "What do you want?"
"Just an orange juice," Abi gulped. "Put a splash of vodka in it."
Jordan grinned as he walked over to the bar. Abi looked away as she contemplated on recent events. She had never had a fight with Lola before, not even when she first arrived on the square and was causing trouble between her and Jay.
"Abi…"
Abi looked up to find Jay standing in front of her. Abi shifted as she looked up at him.
"Can I help you?" she asked stubbornly.
"I just wanted to know whether you were alright," Jay spoke softly. "What Lola said and did was out of order."
"Yeah well as you can see, I'm alive," Abi spoke with sarcasm dripping out of her speech.
Jay rolled his eyes at her stubbornness- she could be just as bad as him sometimes! "Abi please…"
"Look, I don't need you fighting my battles okay?" Abi suddenly snapped.
"Is everything alright?" Jordan said warily, eyeing up the two of them. He had returned with two drinks in his hand.
"Everything's fine," Abi smiled falsely. "Jay was just going."
Jay rolled his eyes as he stormed away. Jordan placed the drinks down on the table before turning to Abi.
"I'm just going to nip to the toilet okay," Jordan announced. "I'll be back in a minute."
Abi nodded smiling as she watched Jordan wander off to the toilets. She let out a sigh. She could tell instantly that Jay cared a lot about Abi and yes, he may love her in which she feels the same but she just physically and emotionally couldn't trust him. What if they got into a spot of bother and Jay went to another woman like Lola to seek comfort and reassurance? Abi felt that she wasn't enough for Jay all the time. Of course she wasn't otherwise he wouldn't have gone after Lola. She did acknowledge that him and Lola were really close for a long time but chose to ignore it, believing that they were like the friends group on the 'Friends' TV programme and how they were all close and there for one another so thought nothing of it but she did have her suspicions.
There were those odd occasions where Jay would put her arm around Lola and hold her close towards him and she recalled one time where Lola told Abi how Jay had treated her to a bacon sandwich in the café and in her defence, Jay did buy Lola the odd cakes, chocolate and coffees and even bacon sandwiches without hesitation but whenever Abi fancied something nice, Jay sometimes dropped her with the excuse that he was low on money. Yeah because you spent all your money on that blonde bimbo who wasn't even your girlfriend! She thought bitterly.
When he returned from the toilets a couple of minutes later, Jordan was on his way back to Abi when he heard muttering come from the bar. He tensed as he stopped in his tracks determined to hear what was being said as he could have sworn that he heard his father's name.
"You for real?!" Nancy gasped in horror from the bar as she was leaning in closely to Tamwar as she had a conversation with him. "His father kept Denise Fox hostage and told everyone that she was dead?!"
Tamwar nodded sadly, "Yep. Denise doesn't seem to have that much luck with men."
"Yeah, certainly looks like it!" Nancy mumbled, "Let's just hope his son doesn't follow his shadows."
"Yeah, Jordan idolised his dad at the time," Tamwar agreed.
Jordan frowned angrily at their conversation. They had no right discussing his private business. What happened in the past he had no control over and it certainly didn't give him the best start in life. He only had to look at the position he was in now. He couldn't stand being around, not with everyone who was turning their nose up at him and whispering behind his back. He couldn't help who he was.
Jordan hurried over to Abi, "Abs, I gotta go, it was nice catching up with you and all," he said in a rushed tone. "See ya!"
With that, Jordan shoved the doors open to the Vic and scurried out of Walford's local.
"Jordan!" Abi called after him. She let out a sigh contemplating for a moment on what she should do. She had just been stood up in a way even if it wasn't a date. She had just been ditched. Without thinking any further, Abi hurried after Jordan and found him walking by the Square gardens.
"Jordan, wait!" Abi cried as she ran over to him. Jordan turned round and paused hesitantly. "What's wrong?"
"What do you think of me?" Jordan asked nervously, with a gulp.
"What?" Abi frowned. "What's brought all this on? I think you're great!"
"Do you think I'm like my dad?" Jordan suddenly asked which took Abi slightly aback.
"What?!" Abi exclaimed aghast, "That's crazy!"
"I'm nothing like my dad," Jordan announced, shakily. "I'm nothing like him!"
"I never said you were," Abi said reassuringly as she rested her hand on his arm comfortingly. "What's brought all this on? I erm…I don't understand…"
"That's the thing with you Abi, you never understand," Jordan growled as he shoved away from which caused Abi to stumble on her feet and fall back onto the pavement.
"Oi!" A booming and hollowing yell was suddenly heard.
Jordan and Abi turned towards the direction where the voice was coming from to find Jay running towards them from the Vic. Dawn and Gary stayed with Summer away from the scene, assuming that Jay would be okay so they just stayed by the Vic building and watched the scene closely.
"What do you think you're playing at sunshine?!" Jay demanded angrily as he grabbed Jordan by the scruff of his neck and slammed him up against the railings.
"What do you think you're doing? Let go of me man!" Jordan demanded back.
"Do you think you're hard pushing women about eh?!"
"Jay, leave it," Abi said shakily as she sat on the pavement.
Jordan laughed bitterly, "You're the one to talk aren't ya? You were the kid who was always messed up and caused nothing but havoc!"
Jay held his breath for a moment as his blood boiled. He would agree that he did have a rough past but he believed that he was a better person and felt that this was due to Abi walking into his life and made him who he is today. He would never sink as low as Jordan just did.
"Get out of my sight!" Jay snapped furiously as he pushed Jordan out of his reach. Jay took a deep breath and turned to Abi who was staring down at the ground shakily. Dawn and Gary were looking over concerned so decided to approach Abi and Jay now that the show was over. Once Jordan walked towards the B&B, it didn't stop him from looking back at a fragile Abi who was sitting on the pavement, realising the person that he had become. A person who was living in his father's shadow.
"Are you alright darling?" asked Dawn worriedly as she crouched down beside Abi.
Abi didn't respond.
"Abi?" Jay asked softly as he knelt down and touched her knee softly. This made Abi look up at Jay who was looking at her lovingly. Abi couldn't help but notice that was the way he looked at her when they were together and realised how much he had missed his gentle touch. In her fragile state, she couldn't keep her barriers up. She knew how much Jay cared and knew that he would look after her. She felt security. She knew that she would be safe with Jay.
Slowly, Abi shook her head.
Jay sighed sadly, "Tell you what, I'm going back to Dawn and Gary's, how about you come with me eh?"
Abi just looked at Jay, debating whether she should go with him. Was it the right thing to do? It didn't take long for her to think about it when Jay slowly stood up and held his hand out towards her; and without thinking for another single moment, without thinking of the consequences, she grabbed hold of Jay's hand and felt their fingers intertwine together as one.
A/N: I am so sorry for the over two month wait for an update! My life has been so hectic and time has just caught up with me. I have also been going through writer's block which didn't help. Thankfully I got a burst of inspiration and realised how much I missed Chasing Pavements and suddenly became determined to give you all an update!:)
I hope you liked this chapter, please let me know what you think! Like I always say, follows, favourites and reviews gives me a lot of motivation and is always very much appreciated ;)
Until the next time… (hopefully it won't be too long!) x