Part 9.
Sian looked at Sophie. Her eyes were confused and her mouth was open. She didn't quite understand what had happened or what was being said, to be fair. She made one shake of her head, and tried to peer through the alien expression on her ex-girlfriends face. If it was hate she saw, she never wanted to see if from Sophie's eyes again. She took a breath in and spoke for all she was worth, "I never!"
Time had seemed to stand still..for everyone in the room. It felt like no one dare move, not even breathe, as Sian's statement literally hung in the air and no one could make head nor tail of it, especially Sophie.
Rosie darted her head over to her little sister, took note of her totally baffled expression and moved it back to Sian, who looked, in all honesty, completely shocked. Then her eyes came back to rest on Sophie who had screwed up her face in some kind of blind refusal, as if it were the gatekeeper refusing to let in this new information as it desperately tried to gain entry. Rosie didn't even think her sister would entertain it, to be fair. And she was right. Rosie blinked and it felt like somebody, somewhere had yelled 'action!'
"Don't lie!" Sophie scoffed, as if it was the most absurd thing she had ever heard. In her life. She was shaking her head and she took a few steps backwards, away from the sofa. She was rejecting the information Sian was giving her and she had no idea why the blond would lie. Still a coward then, was all that went through her head. The irrational part of Sophie's brain was laughing at her ex, condemning her, seething at her. Is this what Sian had become? Because her parents were in the room she would lie like this? Make it all out to be Sophie's fault. It was absurd. "We know what kind of girl you are Sian!" she spat, as she gestured towards her parents, who were standing motionless, staring slack-jawed at the scene in front of them. "..so don't pretend you've got any integrity! Everything you had you lost then!"
Sophie stopped backing away when she reached the stairs. Her head was buzzing she was that angry. Her insides were bubbling and she had no control over what was coming out of her mouth. She felt like she was justified; she knew exactly what had happened, way back when, and there was no way Sian was wriggling out of it. Sophie felt like she was tingling, all over, and she held her hands in fists at her sides, running her thumbs across all four fingers as she breathed heavily, not knowing what had happened to the girl upstairs, who had wanted this liar and cheat back.
Sian was confused, she wasn't even sure she was hearing correctly. Cheated on her? Her mind searched.. When? She thought maybe she had missed something..but she didn't miss the force of her ex's words. Sian brought her eyes to meet Sophie's and she couldn't stand what she saw there. Her mind was doing summersaults, how could Sophie even think that? There was no way she would ever cheat on her, like that. And with him.
Sian spoke with as much force as she could find. She had an audience and she was nervous. Her hands were shaking. "Sophie, I would not do that".
"Liar!" Sophie had tears in her eyes.
Sian moved towards her ex but the brunette seemed to hunch herself up in an act of defiance. Sophie jutted her chin out and Rosie came to her side. Sian stopped behind the sofa. She was shaking her head and her tone was firm. "I wouldn't, couldn't do that to you Soph.." she sniffed back a breath, "there's just no way! How could you even think it?"
Sophie's reaction was to spit out another line of insults but Rosie got in the way. She grabbed her sisters arm to delay the oncoming verbal assault. "But", Rosie interjected, before pausing a little to make sure she got it out right. Her eyes were towards the ceiling and then they rested on the blonde. "If you didn't, then why did you run?" Rosie was confused. It didn't seem to make any sense to her. She didn't believe Sian would lie, and she really, really wanted to believe she hadn't cheated. But why on earth did Sian disappear, if it wasn't true?
Sian fidgeted on the spot. This wasn't the time for this conversation. Especially in front of Sophie's parents. They needed to be alone and the situation needed to be considerably less heated. She tried to calm herself with a deep breath and she licked her lips nervously. She seemed short of breath, all of a sudden, and the anxiousness in her chest was really not going anywhere. Sian looked at Soph who was intently waiting on an answer. Her eyes were all shiny and she seemed to be holding back, whatever it was she felt. Sophie was angry, Sian could see it and she desperately wanted to make it all better. She had to choose her words carefully, but she wasn't sure her emotions would let her. This could take a long time to explain but she knew that time was running out. Everyone looked at her. Expectantly. Even Rosie was desperate to hear it. The blonde knew that what she said now could either make or break her. As broken as she already was.
"He kissed me", Sian said slowly, and her eyes filled up. "And I kissed him back". All Sian could see was Sophie, no one else in the room mattered. She swallowed as she saw the brunette flinch at the confession. "Not because I wanted him", she was shaking her head, tracing patterns on the top of the sofa. The texture seemed to ground her, somehow. Connect her to something solid. She looked away and her brow furrowed, as she considered what she was going to say. She looked back to Soph. "..but because he wanted me. I'd forgot what that felt like".
There was silence. Everyone was still looking at Sian. Apart from Sophie, who had looked away. It was something she didn't want to hear.
Rosie had raised her eyebrows. Sian's admission was..heartbreaking. She felt awkward, all of a sudden. As if intruding on a private moment.
Sally shifted where she stood. "Don't be ridiculous. You don't sleep with someone else just like that, you have to decide to do it. No one forces you-"
Sian hadn't moved her gaze from Sophie. Her expression was pained, and it pleaded with her ex. "I didn't sleep with him. And I left because I felt ashamed. And because you didn't want me anymore".
Sophie was looking anywhere but at Sian. She knew the words were true but she didn't want to acknowledge them. She knew she had neglected Sian back then, made her feel second best, to just about everything else. She just never expected any of this to be the result. She didn't want to admit her part in it. At all.
Rosie was still staring at Sian. "But that still doesn't really answer it. You just disappeared.."
Sophie looked back to Sian, at that. Somehow her sister was asking all the right questions, and so all Sophie had to do was listen. She was still holding back the tears, there was so much she wanted to say, but this needed to be answered first. Why had she gone, if she hadn't really cheated?
"I thought you would chase me". Sian bit on her top lip. "I thought, if you really wanted me, you would come get me back", she breathed in and seemed to hold it. As if holding back all her emotions, as well. And then her pitch went high. "But you didn't".
Sophie couldn't stand it. Was it really all her fault? Had she demolished, absolutely everything? She hadn't ignored her that much, had she? She always told Sian how much she loved her, didn't she? She hated the fact that she couldn't remember. Her mind was a mess. And she refused to believe it. No. Sian had cheated. And that was what had ruined it. The tears were almost falling. She shook her head. "No. You slept with him. I saw!"
Sian was adamant. "What did you see? When?"
"I saw you with him!"
Sian was animated. Her hands were out in front of her, furiously trying to reinforce her point. "Tell me what you saw Soph! Because we were both fully clothed. Tell me exactly, how you think we slept together!"
Sophie's blind refusal caused her to blurt out whatever came to mind first. "On the sofa! You and him! Together! You were touching him!" Rosie turned to look at her sister, she seemed to mirror what Sophie was feeling, at least that was what played out on her face. Had they both so easily fallen for what Ryan had said? Sophie didn't even want to have to say the words.
Sian was becoming more confident, and more forceful in what she was saying. "What exactly, did you see on the sofa Sophie?" She took a step closer and maintained direct eye contact with her ex. "Tell me".
Sophie seemed to squirm. "Well", she hurried, "you could've put your clothes back on-"
"Yeah well you were two hours late-" Sian had to stop herself. She was getting angry now herself, too. At the bottom of it all, she couldn't believe Sophie would think that of her. She didn't understand where it had come from.
"Hold on a minute", Kevin spoke up. He took a step forward. Sophie was glad for the interruption, and everyone turned to look at him. He held a hand out, and seemed to suddenly be the voice of reason. Sophie relaxed assuming it was now her dads turn to have her back. Instead he spoke to her. "So you caught them at it?"
Sophie looked incredulously at him. What?
"I mean, you saw them? That's your proof?" Kevin knew all about lying to cover up cheating. And he didn't see that in Sian's eyes. She loved his daughter, he knew that. And he hadn't believed the accusation as soon as Sophie had screamed it, a few minutes ago.
"It was Ryan", Rosie breathed. She looked to Sian. "He told us".
Sian's eyes shot wide and Sophie raked a hand through her hair. That was all it took. The brunette straightened her back and took a breath...ready for more of her ex's lies..
Sian was mortified. "And you believed him?"
"You weren't there to deny it, were ya?" Sophie physically spat. "And I did look", she added, as an afterthought. "But you'd gone. You were nowhere". Her eyes were digging into Sian, like she was a wall she needed to beat down. "You left me! So what else was I supposed to believe?"
Sian needed to accept that. However much she didn't want to. But she honestly didn't think this is what Soph had believed, all these years. She was even more disappointed in herself, for kissing him, and for letting him do this, to them. "Well where is eh?" she demanded. "Ask him! Ask him now, see if he lies now!"
Sophie's back was up again. She felt like she might explode. She didn't know what she preferred to be the truth. Sian lying or Ryan lying. She knew the one that she had believed to be true. But the one she wanted to believe meant that she had been wrong all these years, and the reason for originally hating Sian four years ago, had all been a lie. Then it would've all of been a waste. And Sian really had left her, because of the reason she had said just now. And that made Sophie feel wretched. She just couldn't accept it.
Rosie looked from Sophie to Sian. "He's not here".
Sian was still fuming, "find him then!" She was almost out of her skin she was that irritated. However she thought if she did see Ryan, she would kill him. Someone should. She was certain no one would miss him.
It only took a few seconds for Sophie to decide what to do. She was certain the truth would come out on her side. And when it did, she didn't really know what she would do. But at least she would be right. She stormed past Sian and flung open the front door. She bee-lined across the street, the air cutting past her which served to sober her up, a little. If Ryan wasn't around, she knew exactly who to ask.
Sian had watched Sophie move past her and she followed, having to jog a little to keep up with the enraged brunette. She was going to sort this out, one way or another. Rosie was running in her 6-inch heels trying to keep up and Sally, who would be damned if she was going to miss this brought up the rear, with Kevin reluctantly tagging along to keep his wife in check. Or at least attempt too.
Sophie thundered on a door, almost knocking it down with her fists. A solid object on which to take out her anger. Sian caught up and looked from the door to her ex. She didn't say anything, but was half expecting Ryan to appear from behind the door.
No one answered. "C'mon!" Sophie shouted, as she continued to pound on the door.
"Alright, calm down", a voice said to Sophie's right. "It's not going to answer if no one's there".
Sophie turned to face Michelle square on. No words seem to form and she just breathed heavily, the tears apparent in her eyes and the emotion forcing the breaths out of her.
Michelle came to a stop a few feet away. "Alright Sophie love, what's the matter?" She seemed concerned for her neighbour, and then she caught the rest of the Webster clan hurrying down the cobbles and she wondered for a second what the hell was going on. And then her attention stopped on the blonde. "Sian!" and her smile quickly faded as she experienced a sudden sinking feeling in her chest.
Sian regarded her with a bitter expression and Michelle suddenly wished she hadn't of left the Rover's so early. Or even had come back to Weatherfield. She anticipated what was about to come. She had no idea how she was going to play it.
The Webster's had caught up.
"Michelle", Sophie began. She looked like she was going to burst into tears, at any moment. "Where's Ryan?"
Michelle began to shake her head. Slowly. She exhaled. "Sophie love-", she began.
"I really need to know. I have to ask him something. Please", Sophie swallowed, "it's important". It felt like her heart would break. And it read on her face.
Michelle's resolve broke. "He's in Edinburgh, you know that".
"Then get her to tell ya!" Sian pushed forward. "She'll know!"
Sophie's breath caught in her throat and she didn't think she could honestly get anymore words out. This whole thing was just far too much.
Sian continued, "Ryan told her I slept with him, four years ago! He was lying!"
Michelle breathed out anxiously. She glanced between all the people looking at her, and she really wished she was somewhere else. Anywhere but here. She was genuinely fond of Sophie, and had always liked Sian. And she had thought they had made a great couple, as much as her son had hated it.
Sian was getting more angry by the second, and Michelle's silence wasn't helping. "Tell her the truth!"
"Look this hasn't anything to do with me-"
"But you know! You must know!" Sian was practically screaming, "and if you don't I'm going to drive up to Edinburgh, drag him back here and make him tell her the truth!"
Sophie had begun to inch away, as everyone else was inching forwards, as if closing in on an enemy, backing Michelle into a corner. A tear fell from Sophie's eye and she didn't stop it. She didn't want to comprehend what was happening. This is what she had held onto for the last four years. What if she had made a mistake? What would she do, then?
Rosie stepped forwards. Sophie was now just behind her parents. "Michelle if you know please just say", Rosie offered, she looked at Sian and then flicked her eyes back... "did he make it all up, or was he telling the truth?"
Five sets of eyes were on Michelle. And she felt it through and through. She looked between Sian and Sophie and honestly didn't know what to say... Someone she was about to crush. She loved her son but hated the position he had put her in. She wished he hadn't of told her, what had happened, way back when. But he had, and she supposed she had to be honest. She flicked her tongue across her bottom lip, bit on it lightly and took a deep breath.
Oh God.
To be continued.