Kevin was driving back into town with young Jack in tow when he saw her. Or at least he thought he did.
It had been the perfect day for a father and son to go on a ride. Don't misunderstand; Kevin loved his girls. But he also relished the idea that now Jack was old enough to drive out into the countryside and go on a hike. Being an old man Kevin knew that he had to take advantage of these opportunities when he could. He wasn't getting any younger.
Sophie had barely even grabbed a cuppa by the time that he was out the door. She didn't say so, but he could tell that she had not caught a good night's sleep. He knew that she worried, but Kevin was sure that Maddie would be back that afternoon. The young woman could be a gobby mare, but he knew that she was devoted to his little girl. He could tell by the way she looked at Sophie when she thought no one was looking. But he knew that look. It was the same look that he had seen before on another blonde girl's face.
And he could have sworn that he saw that same blonde walking across the cobbles now. She looked a few years older and was dressed a bit more professional. But he didn't believe that it was possible that Sian Powers would ever appear in Weatherfield again.
And yet there she was.
Sophie knew exactly what bench she had meant in the text message. It had been "their" bench for so long that Chesney once joked that he would erect a plaque on it. It was perfectly placed around the corner from Streetcars and near the chippy. Yet it was out of the way enough that it wasn't the center of attention. Sometimes Sophie and Sian had sat there all day chatting, giggling, or sometimes just "being" with each other.
Sophie hadn't returned there for a long time.
And now she saw a blonde sitting in the same spot. Like a ghost from the past, but the closer she got Sophie started to notice the differences. Sian was still as beautiful as ever. That hadn't changed. She was a few years older though. And as she saw Sophie approach she didn't see anything resembling a smile.
This was going to be harder than she thought, Sophie sighed as she sat down beside her. They sat awkwardly for a moment. The weight of the moment seemed to strike each woman mute.
"You're really here" Sophie said more to herself than to anyone in particular. "How'd you find my number?" she asked.
"Got it from some bloke in the Rovers. Said he worked for your dad" she explained.
"Luke" Sophie smirked.
"Yup he even tried it and all" Sian grinned back full of swagger.
The blonde reclined with a self-satisfied look and her shoulders back. Sophie felt herself blush all over her body. Her breath involuntarily hitched and her chest tightened. Her ex-girlfriend still had it after all these years. She was still sexy as hell.
"Well, Maddie already told me everything, so what is it that you want?" Sophie asked.
Sian paused. She looked down into her hands as if they held the answer.
"I should raise hell for what you did to me Sophie" Sian replied with a sad sigh. "But I can't" she said sadly.
"I'm so sorry" Sophie said insistently. "I've never been more sorry" she reached out to grab one of Sian's hands that resided in her lap. The blonde wrenched it away as if the very touch burned her.
"I can't because really, to be honest, I haven't felt anything in years" Sian said with a bitter edge still turned away from Sophie's face. "Not until that girl with her goddamn dimples and soppy picture showed up in my local" she continued in a slow burn. Then she turned toward Sophie and looked at her dead on. Instead of daggers, she surprisingly saw tears. "So tell me this now: How do you start feeling again? How long did it take you? When did you forget me?" she asked.
Sophie clasped her ex-girlfriend's hand. This time it wasn't refused.
"I didn't forget you. I never would. Did you not get all my messages? All my texts?" she asked looking at her dead on. "It took me 11 months before I even looked at another girl. I bet you can't say the same Sian" she countered.
"11 months?" Sian said in disbelief.
"Well Weatherfield isn't exactly crawling with lesbians as it is and I wasn't going to just cop off after what happened anyway. That's not me, it's more like my sister" Sophie responded.
"I should hate you" Sian huffed.
"I wouldn't blame you. I mean I hated myself for long enough" Sophie bowed her head. Her chest clenched thinking back upon those times. Those had been the darkest of days. She raised her head after a moment.
"But if god taught me anything, it was that everything happens for a reason. Mistakes are how we learn. If you never do anything, then you never become anyone. So I had to let it go" Sophie finished.
"It's a marvel how you do that" Sian said angrily. "You still come off as clean as a saint. Nothing sticks to you" she finished.
"That's not true Sian. I'm no saint at all. I did wrong by you. And for that I am sorry. But I can't be defined by something I did when I was 17" Sophie insisted defensively "And neither should you."
Maddie sat on the couch nervously. The telly was on but she wasn't really watching it.
All she could do was think about Sophie. Maddie went back and forth about whether she should have told her about last night's events. She had not known what to expect but it bothered her that Sophie had been so cool about it. It just struck Maddie as too easy.
Maddie only knew some of the broader details of what had happened but it must have been major. Cheating, lies, and a wedding sounded more like a soap than anything her girlfriend could have been involved with at all. "Honesty is the best policy" she said so often that Maddie suggested that she make a shirt with it printed on. She just couldn't wrap her head around the idea that she would ever cop off with another girl either. Not when you had a super model girlfriend like that. It made no sense at all.
The door jarred her from her thoughts. Looking over she saw Kevin and Jack bound in the door. She sighed and tried to push a smile onto her face. Jack lunged into her arms and started babbling incoherently. Maddie just nodded and took it until Kevin took him off her. She smiled at him gratefully. She loved Jack and all, but right now she just wasn't up for it. He set Jack down at the table with a juice box.
"Where's our Sophie?" he asked.
"Out. She went to go get some take-away. We didn't know when you'd be back" Maddie said stiffly.
Kevin could tell that something was bothering the young lass.
"Are you alright?" he asked concerned.
"Yeah of course. I'm fine" she struggled to look him in the face. Turning toward the telly, she tried her best not to move a muscle in her face.
"Did you and Sophie get into a fight? Is that why she's gone?" he asked quietly.
"No. Everything's Fine" she said in a stilted tone.
Kevin might not have women figured out, but he knew that whenever a woman said that then the opposite was more likely true.
"Was it about Sian Powers?" he asked slowly.
Maddie was stunned for a moment.
"What about her?! How do you know about that?" Maddie asked startled.
"I just figured since I saw that she was in town…" Kevin said slightly defensively.
Maddie's face crumbled. She reached for her phone and hit speed dial. After a few rings, Sophie picked up.
"Hiya" Sophie said answering the call.
"Just wondered what was taking so long" she said trying to sound as normal as she could.
"Yeah, Dev kept mithering on about everything" Sophie paused.
"Well just get home alright. Are you at Prima Donna?" she asked.
"Yeah, it's just Chesney tonight and he's slammed but I'll try babe as soon as I can" Sophie replied.
"Okay" Maddie paused "I love you" she said.
"Love you!" she answered back.
Maddie slammed her phone shut. She looked at Kevin and shook her head.
"She's lying" Maddie said bitterly and ran up the stairs.
A/N: It's Thanksgiving here in the USA, so I am very thankful to those who have left reviews. It helps me along and fuels the fire. So feel free to continue to do so.