Sophie jumps out of bed, throws on her shoes, and runs out the door. She doesn't know where she's headed, she just knows that she has to talk to Sian. Sophie remembers that Rosie was going to offer Sian a place to stay, so Sophie runs to Rosie's flat. She bangs on the door very loudly and it only takes a few seconds for Rosie to answer.

"What in the bloody hell?!" Rosie opens the front door. "Sophie. God are you mad? You could've knocked the door down!"

"Rosie I need to talk to Sian. Is she here?"

"Sorry babe, you just missed her. She said she was going out for a walk or something."

Sophie doesn't even say goodbye to Rosie. She turns around and sprints toward the train station. Whenever she or Sian "went for a walk" or had to think, that's where they would always go.

Sophie slows to a jog and eventually a quick walk as she sees Sian sitting on the bench in front of the station. "Their" bench. At least it had been for many years. Sophie stops and stares at Sian for a moment, briefly questioning if this was a good idea. But she hadn't come all the way here just to turn around and walk back home. So Sophie slowly approaches the station, not wanting to startle Sian.

Sian can almost sense Sophie's presence. When Sophie is halfway across the street Sian looks up and locks eyes with Sophie. She holds her gaze for maybe two seconds before she looks back down at her legs that are criss-crossed underneath her on the bench. Sophie slowly climbs the stairs and sits on the other side of the bench, careful not to get too close to Sian. It had started to drizzle, but even with her hair all wet and disheveled, Sian still looked absolutely beautiful. Sophie was always jealous of that.

They sit in silence for almost a minute before either of them gains the courage to speak.

"You just gonna sit there and interrupt my thinking all night?" Sian asks impatiently.

"Well you ruined my nap so I think we're even," Sophie replies.

Sian looks at her confused, but Sophie just smirks. Her smile quickly drops though and her face turns cold.

"I need to talk to you Sian."

"Yeah well, right now isn't really the best time."

"Oh really, well could you tell me when a good time would be then?" Sophie replies impatiently. "I can't keep doing this Sian. Running into you and not being able to say what I need you to hear…"

"Funny. I don't recall you ever before caring to tell me how you feel" Sian fires back.

Sophie looks up at Sian and meets her eyes for a brief second. Sian looks away as fast as she can, but not before seeing the pain and sadness filling Sophie's eyes.

"Please, Sian. Give me five minutes. Let me explain—"

"Explain?! Sophie there is nothing you could explain to me that I haven't already figured out. Explaining anything isn't going to make a difference."

"Just let me try. Please."

Sian crosses her arms and sits back with a grunt, allowing Sophie to talk but refusing to face her. Sian just stares out across the street.

"Sian… I…" Sophie looks at Sian and can see that Sian is using everything she can not to look over at Sophie. And that breaks Sophie's heart. She never wanted Sian to be afraid of her.

Sophie chokes out the next few words, forcing Sian to give into her willpower and sneak a look at Sophie sitting next to her. "I am…so unbelievably sorry. I'm sorry that you lost your dad. I'm sorry you had to come back to Weatherfield. I'm sorry you had to run into me. I'm sorry you had to leave in the first place. And I'm sorry that—" Sophie sniffles and tries to pull herself together to continue. "I'm sorry that I ruined the best thing that could possibly happen to me."

Sian slowly turns and faces Sophie, watching her as she continues.

"Sian I know that I don't deserve your forgiveness. I know that I deserve any heartache and any pain that I caused. And I know that you didn't deserve any of it. You deserve the most glamorous life. And you deserve all the happiness in the world. And I don't know why I am just telling you this now. I should have told you this ten years ago because nothing has changed since then. I thought it had. I knew eventually that you had to have moved on. And there was no way to find you. So I picked myself up too, and I carried on. I was able to fake a laugh and smile so much that it almost seemed real. And eventually I couldn't tell the difference anymore between pretending to be happy and actually being happy. So I went with it. And if felt pretty good. And then… you come back. Out of the blue. I turn around one day and there you are, standing in front of me at a kebab shop of all places. And I'm right back to our Wedding Day. Right back to that last moment I saw you, when you told me that you hate me, got in the car and I never heard from you again. But I promise you Sian. I never wanted any of that. I never thought it would get to that point."

"Then why did you let it? Why did you do it Sophie?"

"I was lonely! You were off at Uni and I was left by myself. I could only imagine how many lads tried it on with you…"

"So you didn't trust me?"

"Of course I trusted you! I didn't trust them. You know how they work. They butter you up and get you splattered and the next think you know, you wake up in bed with them. I just…I couldn't handle thinking that you could be with someone else."

"So you decided to get with someone else as punishment?!"

"No! It…it wasn't like that. Amber was just…there. She meant NOTHING. She gave me attention and made me feel like more than just a burden waiting at home…"

"Wow Sophie, that's real nice. You thought so highly of me."

"Sian you were never there! Even when I needed you with all the shit with my family, you were always away. And I couldn't take the stress anymore. I just needed someone to talk to because you just weren't there! And then one night she got me drunk. Intentionally. And she made me open up and be vulnerable. And then…she kissed me. And I kissed her back. I was drunk. And I just wanted to feel something. And that was it! I should have told you as soon as it happened. I shouldn't have rushed into anything. And I shouldn't have proposed. Because maybe if I waited, we wouldn't be having this conversation after not seeing each other for eight bloody years. And maybe we could have worked things out. No, I know we could have. Because if that taught me anything, it was how much I loved you. And how much I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. And none of that has changed, Sian. I can't explain it. When I look at you it feels like someone is stabbing me ten thousand times in the heart but giving me life over and over every time. I love you Sian. I always have, and I always will. It doesn't matter how far away you are or if you never talk to me again. Because you are the only person I could ever love like this. And I know that you probably still hate me. And that's fine. I deserve that. But I promise you Sian that any resentment or disgust you have for me is nothing compared to how I feel about myself. Because you can't possibly hate me as much as I hate myself for letting you go."

Sian stays quiet for a minute, trying to process everything Sophie just said. Sophie's heart is in her throat while she watches Sian think. Finally, Sian looks up at her and sighs.

"I could never hate you Sophie."

"What?" Sophie didn't expect that.

Sian shakes her head, "I could never hate you."

"But you said…"

"Well can you blame me?! I was shocked and embarrassed Sophie! And I just had my heart shattered into pieces ON MY WEDDING DAY. What, did you think I would just say it's okay that you cheated on me and lied to me for months? That it's okay that our entire engagement is a lie?! How did you think I was gonna react?!"

"I don't know Sian! I tried telling you so many times and I just…I couldn't. I didn't want to ruin us.
But Sian you said you hated me. Do you know what that meant to me?! You told me before that you could never hate me!"

"And it's true Sophie! God…I wanted to hate you. Oh I really wanted to hate you. I should've hated you. …But I couldn't. Because, I still loved you. One moment doesn't change years' worth of feelings. "

Sophie listens to Sian, not really able to process everything she is telling her. She doesn't hate her? She never did? Sophie doesn't believe it.

"I said I hate you because that was the cruelest possible thing I could think of. I wanted to hurt you like you hurt me. And I knew that would do it…"

Sophie was speechless. All she could mutter out was, "Wow."

Sian looks down at her hands for a few moments and then takes a deep breath before looking back at Sophie.

"But just because I said it doesn't mean it's true. I could never hate you Sophie...I could never stop loving you, either."

Sophie's heart thudded against her chest. Did she hear that right? Sian might still love her? Sophie's chest filled with warmth and love and she felt like the happiest girl alive. And a second later it all came crashing down. No, it can't be right. I don't deserve this. I don't deserve her.

Sophie's smile faded and as she looked up at Sian tears filled her eyes once again.

"No, Sian, you can't…" Sophie struggled to find the words.

"I don't deserve you Sian. You deserve better. You deserve to love someone who makes you happy."

"Hah" Sian almost laughs, "It's funny cause you make me happy."

Sophie looks to Sian confused.

"I can't help it. I want to be mad at you. I should be mad at you. But then you come to my dad's wake and funeral and you give me a simple reassuring smile but all of a sudden I feel…happy. Almost like old times…" Sian averts her gaze away from Sophie so she can hide the tears threatening to fall.

"Sian. Please look at me," Sophie's voice cracks as tears flow down her face.

Sian continues to stare at the ground for a moment or two but eventually meet's Sophie's eyes.

"Look, I know that nothing I can do or say can change what has already happened. But obviously, we had something. If what we had wasn't important then we wouldn't be here right now and I wouldn't still be completely and utterly in love with you. And you wouldn't still be here talking to me. So it's gotta mean something. Look, I'm not asking for any commitment or anything. I'm not asking for us to pick up where we left off. We're obviously different people now…and I'd like to get to know you again. And I'd really like for you to get to know me again. So please Sian, can we maybe, start over? Completely fresh."

Sian contemplates and Sophie can see her inner struggle play in her eyes.

Finally, Sian looks up at Sophie and stretches out her hand. "Hi, I'm Sian, it's nice to meet you."

Sophie beams. "Hi, I'm Sophie, it's a pleasure to meet you Sian."

Hey, it's a start, Sophie thinks.

For the next hour, they go on talking about their lives now. Sian tells Sophie about her job in London and Sophie goes on about her kids she teaches at the elementary school. Sian catches up on Sophie's family drama and soon it seems as if eight years had never passed.

Neither girl realizes how late it is until the sun starts setting.

Sophie looks at Sian, admiring her beauty.

"Thank you, Sian."

Sian smiles.

"So I don't want to rush anything, but… I'll just say this how I normally would try to pick up a gorgeous bird. Ahem. Sian, I had a wonderful time talking to you. You're beautiful and amazing and I would really love to take you out. Will you go on a date with me?"

Sophie mentally prepares herself for a rejection. It has only been, what, like an hour since they "made up"?

"Yes"

"Wait, really?"

"Yeah, why not? It's been fun talking to you again, Soph."

Sophie smiles at the ground at the use of her nickname. She had forgotten how nicely it came off of Sian's tongue.

"So I'll pick you up at seven tomorrow then?"

"Can't wait."