Realised in my haste to upload the Carla/Michelle chapter I had forgotten to upload this chapter! grr so this now chapter 11 I apologise for any disruption and I hope you enjoy :)
"Just a coffee please Roy" Carla dumped her bag down on the counter and rummaged in her bag for her purse.
"I'll get this Roy and the same for meself ta" Peter leant forward and smiled cautiously as he placed the money in front of Carla.
"You didn't have to do that Peter but thank you"
They took their coffees from Roy's and headed outside.
"Carla look the other night..."
"Peter forget it"
"I was drunk and I'm so sorry if I hurt or frightened you" Peter looked devastated and Carla felt sorry for him but also slightly pleased teach him for turning up bloody hammered.
"Don't worry Peter it's not your fault that I'm a damaged wreck is it" Carla smiled a wry smile and let out a humourless laugh which Peter didn't return.
"Don't say that you're not damaged you suffered a trauma and your recovering slowly it's not instant you know". Carla shuffled uncomfortably and Peter slowly slid his arm around Carla and pulled her into a one armed hug. "Still friends?"
Carla smiled at the uncertainty in Peter's voice and she gave him a squeeze as a silent yes. Carla smiled at Peter and let out a small laugh at the look of relief on his face. "So did you get yourself home alright?"
"Well I got home but I'm still on the couch Leanne wasn't impressed with me one turning up drunk and two wittering on about you"
"Serves you right for being naughty boy" Carla chuckled and Peter for a moment felt like he could stay all day just chatting in this moment. It was the first time in ages that they had just had a carefree conversation.
As if she knew the thought that had just ran through his head Peters mobile began to ring as he fished his phone out of his worn leather jacket he inwardly groaned at the caller i.d. Leanne. "Sorry love I'll just have answer this" Carla sighed as she heard Peter arguing with Leanne and when she heard him say "I bumped into Carla" she actually cringed at his stupidity as the volume of Leanne's shouting became more pronounced. Turning back to Carla with a face like thunder Peter motioned to his phone and sighed. "I'm going to have to go love lea is giving me grief" Peter leant forward gently embraced Carla and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. As he turned the corner of the road he waved back to Carla but cowed slightly when he noticed Michelle was now standing with Carla and sending an inquisitive glance his way.
"Hope he was apologising" Michelle linked Carla's arm with hers as they set off towards the factory.
"Michelle like I've already said he didn't do anything" Carla was definitely not going to share with Michelle exactly what had triggered the memory of her ordeal at the hands of Frank. Michelle raised her eyebrow at Carla and frowned "Well you've never freaked out like that with me love"
"Yeah well you're not a bloke are you darlin unless there's something you're not telling me!" Carla's cackle echoed in the street and as they arrived at the factory the pair of them were holding one another up as they were laughing so hard.
Settling behind her desk Michelle smiled as she looked at Carla face flushed from laughing and her eyes bright. It was nice to see Carla looking more like her old self and Michelle prayed that life was on the up for the pair of them. As she was watching Carla's phone bleeped indicating she had a new message. Michelle saw Carla's eyebrows raise and a smirk appear as she hurriedly replied back still smiling Carla placed her phone back on her desk and stretched feline like against her chair. Standing she held her mug up and pointed "Coffee? Considering I forgot get you one from Roy's"
Michelle nodded in agreement pretending to be busy looking in the order ledger. Once she heard the office door click shut signalling Carla had left Michelle was across at Carla's desk in two strides. Picking Carla's phone up in her hand Michelle paused as she fought with herself over what she was doing look or leave she felt wrong prying and snooping but she was sure there was something happening between Peter and Carla. As she heard the kettle boil Michelle hurriedly opened the last message in Carla's inbox and began to read.
"Think Michelle might still hate me! By the way forgot to tell you before you're looking good, gorgeous in fact glad you seem to be on the up! :) x"
Michelle raised an eyebrow at the chatty flirty tone of Peter's text and resigned herself to the fact that she was going to have to bring this up with Carla she just couldn't leave it. Seeing Carla approaching Michelle quickly placed the phone back down on the desk. As Carla walked in she smiled at Michelle still engrossed in the ledger and placed the coffee down gently next to her. Sitting back behind her own desk her smile faltered slightly as she noticed the deep frown on Michelle's face "Chelle darlin you ok?" Carla leant forward and tried to catch Michelle's eye. "I'm fine let's just crack on shall we" shrugging her shoulders Carla settled herself back in front of her computer screen and tried to ignore the nagging feeling that something had upset Michelle.
"So come on what's going on with you and Peter?" Michelle's voice was slightly strained and she took a large gulp of wine to try and hide her uneasiness. She had been building up to this all day and when they had carried on working well past closing time at the factory she thought she was going to miss her chance. As they had made their way back to the flat Carla had mentioned having a nightcap before bed and Michelle had steeled herself for the conversation. Looking back up she noted the look of shock pass over Carla's face before she settled into her trademark smirk
"Peter? as in Peter Barlow? God nothing's going on there"
"Listen Carla your my best friend and I know you better than sometimes I know myself so don't insult my intelligence there is something there I know it I just don't know what" Michelle got up to pour herself another glass of wine. Bringing the bottle back to the coffee table she leaned back and locked eyes with Carla she wasn't going to back down from this she needed to know. Quite why Michelle hadn't worked out but an uneasy feeling settled in the pit of her stomach at the thought of Carla and Peter together and Michelle didn't really want to closely examine that feeling just yet.
Carla looked at Michelle and could see the steely glint in her eyes there was no way she was going to drop this and Carla didn't think she had the heart to lie to Michelle not after everything they had gone through recently. Carla gave a big sigh and settled with fiddling with her wine glass she knew how pathetic this story was going to sound and she wondered whether Michelle would be disgusted with her for falling for another taken man.
"I'm not lying when I say there is nothing happening between me and Peter" Carla took a deep breath and squared her shoulders "But I would be lying if I said that I haven't thought about it, wanted it" Carla glanced at Michelle from under her curtain of her hair and noted that Michelle didn't look at all surprised. Michelle leaned forward and slowly rubbed soothing patterns on Carla's knee "Carry on, when did it start?"
"When the wanting a drink became a need for a drink and the addiction became all consuming. At first we were just friends but when I started becoming dependent on his friendship to beat the booze I think it was then that I started falling for him" Carla fidgeted under Michelle's intense gaze and struggled to organise her thoughts.
"I have kissed him I have told him that I love him but he has always maintained that I am only a friend and that he won't ever leave Leanne" Michelle moved closer to Carla so that there shoulders were touching silently communicating that she was there and giving her support. "It was the reason I accepted Frank's proposal if I couldn't have Peter better to have the next best thing but hey look how that turned out" Carla let out a humourless laugh and the tears began to build in her eyes. "Peter told me Frank was a good man and that I would be happy with him if I gave him a chance"
Michelle slowly tucked a piece of hair behind Carla's ear and carefully asked the question that Carla had never answered. "Is that why Frank did what he did to you?" Michelle's anger grew when Carla's head whipped round a look of shock and anxiety marring her face "He raped you because you told him you had feelings for Peter it wasn't just because you called of the wedding" As the tears began to slowly make their way down Carla's face she nodded slowly and Michelle sat stunned. "He told me he was going to get Peter out of my mind and then he raped me" As Carla began to cry Michelle pulled herself together and pulled Carla into a gentle embrace. "The worst thing is Michelle is after all that's happened I don't even know if I want Peter anymore so I suppose in a way Frank has succeeded. He has driven all those thoughts from my mind"