Part 11.

Sian blinked back her tears and remembered to breathe. The sudden intake of air brought her crashing back to reality and the cool air seemed to shudder through her body and she gasped. Loudly. She shook her head slightly and remembered she had been glaring at Michelle. The memory had taken her away from the situation but now she was back, angrier than ever and demanding an answer with her eyes.

Michelle removed her tongue from her bottom lip as she slowly exhaled. She had noticed how Sophie seemed to be retreating, inch by inch, and in a way where she was also waiting for an answer. Michelle had a feeling Sophie was going to run, no matter what she said, that's how upset the brunette looked. Michelle also noted how no one else noticed Sophie's movements, everyone was far too interested in the words she was about to speak. They were fixated on her.

"Michelle!"

Her attention was pulled back to Sian.

"Alright!" She shouted, and stared into the blonde, their eyes were glued on one another. The truth, Michelle thought, time for the truth. Her eyes darted to the ground for a second before she focused back on shiny blues, they were glistening in the moonlight as Sian seemed to plead with Michelle for something... Redemption, maybe? It made Michelle's heart ache, for some reason. This really was nothing to do with her, but everything seemed to rest on this moment, nonetheless. She let out a massive sigh and slightly shook her head. "He was angry, had been for a long time, you know that Sian. He always loved you".

Something spilled over in Sian, a few silent tears fell. She didn't know what she felt.

"He didn't want to hurt you", Michelle continued, seemingly forgetting the audience she had and focused her attention on the upset blonde in front of her. She took a step closer, "I think he just had a crazy moment where he tried to get revenge".

"Revenge?" Rosie blurted out, she couldn't quite believe what she was hearing. It was a lie? All of it? Surely not! The boy must be evil. "How about years of destruction? Do you have any idea what he did to my sister?" Rosie's eyes were wide and she tried as best she could to assault Michelle with her words.

Michelle turned to Rosie. She was un-phased by the harsh tone and kept hers even. "Of course he was wrong, I'm not saying he wasn't, and he is sorry for what he did-"

"SORRY?" Rosie was out of her mind angry.

"Hold on", Kevin stepped forward, trying to get a handle on the situation. "Michelle, you're telling us he made it up. That Sian didn't cheat on Soph?"

Sian spun to him, she would never stop being hurt with that accusation. Her eyes were full of tears and her face seemed unable to keep them in. Her tone was squeaky and her breathing raw. "Of course I didn't".

Kev looked from Sian to Michelle, he felt bad for asking. But it was necessary.

"He said it to hurt Sophie, to take Sian from her like she had done to him. At least that was his reasoning".

Sian covered her face with her hands and cried. She was relieved but completely upset it took this for people to believe her. She still couldn't believe Soph had thought it of her, all these years. And her tears were largely for that. After a moment she pushed her hair behind her ears and tried to hold it together. Her heart pounded loudly in her chest and she felt wretched for the ache there, it was causing her body to hurt.

"And you knew about this? All of this?" Sally had been quiet, taking everything in. It was unlike her but she was having trouble processing all of the new information. She had only just found out why her youngest daughter and Sian had split up, way back when, and she had gone from hating Sian to feeling uncontrollably sorry for her, in the space of fifteen minutes. She placed a hand on Sian's arm and looked back to Michelle, "and you said nothing?"

"It wasn't my place. Sian had gone and Sophie seemed to be moving on by the time he told me. It seemed like it would be, I don't know, digging it all back up again. I didn't know from the start, he didn't tell me for years". Michelle looked at Sian who seemed dazed and completely upset. "I am sorry love, I hope you can forgive him".

"Forgive him?" Rosie was beside herself. How many years she had spent comforting her little sister, trying to talk it through with her, trying to understand what Sian was thinking? And it was all for nothing! Sian hadn't done anything! Well, not really, not in comparison. What must Sophie be thinking!... Rosie tore her eyes away from Michelle and knew before she even looked that Sophie wasn't near her, anymore. "Sophie!"

That seemed to shift everyone's attention.

Kevin took a look around. "Soph?"

Sian turned around and looked across the cobbles. She was gone.

Rosie spun back to face Michelle and thrust a finger in her face. "This is your fault!" Michelle was taken aback. "If anything happens to her.."

"Look I'm sorry!" Michelle shouted back, "but this really has nothing to do with me! I'm sorry for what Ryan caused, but don't pretend everything was fine before he walked into that flat". She looked back to Sian, "because it wasn't".

Rosie was left staring forwards as Michelle disappeared into her house. She looked at Sian who looked ready to crumble.

Sally was still at Sian's arm, "it is her fault alright", she said softly, "for giving life to the pathetic cretin in the first place".

Sian's voice went high-pitched, "I've got to find her!"

"No, I'll find her", Rosie said, shaking her head and closing her eyes, trying to calm herself down. "I might know where she's gone-"

"Then I'm coming!" Sian stepped towards the brunette.

"No!" It came out louder than she meant. She held onto Sian's forearms. "She's gone for a reason, she probably needs some time-"

Sian was close to tears again, "but I didn't do anything, Michelle said.."

Rosie sighed, God how she felt sorry for Sian. She wanted to kill Ryan all over again! Later, she thought. "I know, babe I know. And I'll bring her back", Rosie pushed a strand of hair behind Sian's ear and tried at a comforting smile, "and then you can talk. I promise".

That seemed to do. Or perhaps Sian just couldn't manage anything else. Rosie wasn't sure. She looked at her mother and then ran into the darkness.

"Be careful Rosie!" Kevin shouted after her. He looked at his wife and his youngest daughters ex, who seemed just helpless. He sighed. "I'm going to get a brew on". And he headed to the house.

Sally put her arms around Sian again and pulled her gently towards the house. "C'mon love. Let's get you warm. Won't be good for anyone you catching cold".

Sian sniffed back a breath. "I'll be alright at the flat-"

"Oh no, you're coming home with us-"

"No really Mrs. Webster.." more tears fell from her eyes and her voice was all shaky. She wasn't sure how much more of all this she could take, really. She wanted to curl up in bed, and perhaps stay there forever. She had a feeling Sally wouldn't let her.

Sally took Sian's hand and stood opposite her. "Sally. How many times?" she said warmly with a smile. "Sian you need people around you, and I know we're not your first choice, probably would never be", she shook her head, "but you're coming home with us, and I won't take no for an answer".

That was just about it. Sian crumbled onto Sally's shoulder and let it all out. She didn't know how her heart would mend, after this.

Sally put her arms around her and kissed her forehead. She really had no idea how Sophie had kept all this from her, but then, she was an adult now, after all. What she knew in this moment was that Sian had no one, and so she would be there for her. She remembered back to when Sian had said she had wished she was her mother, and right now that was what she was going to be. "C'mon love, let's go inside". And she gently guided Sian towards the house.

Sophie had ran for what had seemed like an age. Tears running down her face faster than she could wipe them away. And so she had given up. Ryan had done it for revenge, that is all she could remember, and that was all that was going through her head. She didn't know what to do, where to go, how to act, what to think. She was clueless. Lost. Her heart hurt and she felt sick. Her mind was a blur.

She stopped at a bridge. She was at the canal. She used to come here a lot, before. So her feet had brought her here. She leaned on the railing in front of her and stopped. She thought she might throw up, but she hated that, so she wouldn't. There was a horrible taste in her mouth and her eyes hurt from the constant rubbing at them. She was exhausted, and she felt like her head might roll off her shoulders at any second. She breathed out a long and constant breath. She had to get things right in her head.

Probably ten seconds passed. That was all she could manage, before it started.

So it was her fault, then? Sian didn't cheat on her, apart from kissing him. Well, he kissed her first, isn't that what she said? And they only kissed for a minute, or so. Or so she said. Why was he even there in the first place? You were over two hours late, oh yehh, that was it. You were always late, you were never there, when she needed you. You know you weren't. Sophie stood up straight and took a deep breath. If she thought about it honestly, she didn't know how Sian hadn't left her sooner. She had thought about it many times, over the past four years. But the fact that Sian had cheated, kind of made what she had done, less significant, somehow. But now, the only fault was hers. She had drove Sian to leave, because she had stopped being any kind of girlfriend to her. She always thought Sian would love her forever. Be hers forever. How wrong could a person be...?

Sophie found a bench and sat on it and held her head in her hands. She thought about all the time she had wasted, both when they were together and in the last four years. Sian was the one for her, she knew that. But how would the blonde ever forgive her? Or even trust her again not to break her heart? Sophie sat up and leaned back on the bench and sort of, smiled up at the world. Those were the exact things she was considering about Sian, just yesterday, how she could forgive her. And now it was Sian who needed to do the forgiving.

God this was hard.

She heard some steps and knew who it was. There was some panting to go along with it. Sophie continued to look at the sky as she saw a figure out of the corner of her eye, lean against the railing opposite her. "Do you never think about changing out of your heels before chasing after people?" She brought her eyes to rest on her older sister.

"You're not people", Rosie said, breathlessly. "And I'm kind of used to it, after five years". She smiled, happy that at least Soph was cracking a joke, through all this mess.

"You have me to thank for your trim figure".

"No that would be Jason".

Sophie grimaced. "Too much information". They both kind of giggled.

Rosie took a seat next to her sister and breathed out in relief she could take the weight off. "So then", she began, "what now?"

Sophie let out a huge kind of sound. "I have nooo idea".

Rosie thought it was obvious. "You need to talk to her".

"And say what? 'Sorry for thinking you were a dirty ho all these years?'" she looked incredulously at her sister, "I don't think so". She folded her arms.

"Well I wouldn't put it quite like that", Rosie said as she rolled her eyes. Sophie was being stubborn. She shook her head, "but you need to talk. She loves you-"

"Are you sure?"

"Ohmygod yes!" Rosie was nearly out of her seat. "And you love her, so you need to tell her, and sort it out!" She looked at Sophie who just stared back at her, blankly. Clearly she needed more than that. "Look, Sophie", Rosie put her hair behind her ears and moved to sit sideways, facing her little sister. "So what you thought wasn't true, it's a big deal I know-"

"No shit", Sophie mumbled.

Rosie ignored her and continued, "but she's here, obviously she didn't think she cheated on you, so regardless of how you made her feel, how many years ago, she still wants you. She's here, isn't she?" Rosie thought it was completely obvious.

Sophie thought about it.

"She's not back for the scenery, or one of Becky's pints. She wants to be with you and if you let her go again it really will be all your fault".

Sophie was biting on her top lip and hating how much sense her sister was making. She wasn't sure if she preferred it when Rosie was a self-absorbed idiot, in that moment. She turned her head to look at her.

Rosie's expression softened and she placed her hand on Sophie's shoulder. "C'mon babe, I know you're going crazy, but if you need to make it up to her, then do it. It's Sian".

Sophie knew everything Rosie was saying was true. But something bugged her, over everything else. "But why do you think she left and didn't return any of my calls?" she searched Rosie's eyes for an answer, but didn't find one. "I called her like a million times-"

Rosie tilted her head, "I know. So ask her. Not me".

Sophie let out a breath. She was going to have to confront this. But she needed time. Her head hurt.

...to be continued...