This wasn't a situation that Carla could have prepared herself for.
She had never expected to see this girlfriend of Peter's again and yet here she was, sat at a table in the pub with her.
Jessica.
Carla thought that she was even more beautiful close up and at first, she couldn't help but wonder if Jessica had come for some sort of fight.
That Jessica had found out what Peter had been doing with her for months on end and that she was now coming to make a claim on her man.
Now Carla would like to think that she would be able to tell Jessica that she was welcome to Peter Barlow.
That she had no intention of fighting for this man, who had messed her about so much but deep down she knew there was no way that she was going to be able to properly let him go.
She knew that if Jessica was going to start a war with her over Peter that she'd fight until the end... even if she didn't have any intentions of getting back with him.
Even if he didn't want her... He wasn't allowed to be with anyone else.
Michelle had offered to come and sit down with Jessica and Carla.
She didn't know who Jessica was of course but she knew that she was someone that Carla wasn't particularly keen to speak to, so in a true best friend fashion Michelle was ready to be there but Carla just shook her head at her gratefully and took Jessica over to a booth in the corner of the pub.
Jessica was sat opposite her and there was a very long and very uncomfortable silence between the two women in Peter Barlow's life.
Carla racked her brains and tried to think of something clever to say but she couldn't she was too busy wondering what the hell this woman was doing in her local pub and why she was asking for her.
Jessica on the other hand, was the one who was brave enough to break the horrendous silence.
"Do… you know who I am?" She asked Carla, who was staring her with a very stern expression, one that she had put on to show Jessica that she wasn't to be messed with.
After all Carla didn't know this woman from Adam and she wanted to make sure that Jessica knew that she wasn't going to take any of this lying down.
"Yes." Carla said, swallowing after speaking and then nodding. "I know who you are."
"Okay…" Jessica said, taking a deep breath. "Did Peter tell you or?"
"No… I errr saw you both." Carla said stopping there and not wanting to admit about the whole airport thing because she was still majorly ashamed of it. She then sighed and let her face soften a little when she realised that she had been having an affair with this woman's boyfriend and that she probably owed her some sort of explanation. "So... how do ya know about me?" Carla asked, intrigued if Jessica had been doing some digging of her own.
Maybe Jessica has been through Peter's phone and seen messages.
Maybe she had smelt some of Carla's perfume or found one of her hairs and that's why she was here.
These were possibilities in Carla's mind at first but she soon shook them away, she didn't think Jessica seemed like the type to go through phones and clothes... then again Carla wasn't the type to go hunting round airports for a man so it seemed that people could be changed.
"Well… I knew your name. He told me it. I knew you lived around here... well near his Dad and I knew that you were ridiculously beautiful... so I just asked around." Jessica said, "I didn't take me long really."
"Right." Carla nodded, feeling incredibly awkward but also feeling a little thrilled that Peter had obviously told Jessica that she was beautiful.
It was a cheap thrill but it was one that made her feel just that tiny little bit better about things because Jessica had seriously been making her feel totally inadequate.
Then came along another silence. One where Carla tried to work out just how much Jessica knew.
Did she know about the affair? She must do. Why else would she be here?
Jessica seemed to be able to read Carla's mind and nodded at her before saying,
"He told me. Peter. He told me all about you and him. All about the past two months, about the affair."
So, she did know.
Carla looked down at her lap for a second and then back up and into Jessica's bright blue eyes apologetically now.
"Look…" Carla began, "I need you to know that I am so sorry for… everything… Peter... he didn't tell me about you. I had no idea he had a girlfriend. As I said I saw ya both and that was when I found out."
"I know. I know and you really don't have to apologise to me… he played both of us." Jessica sighed, tucking some of her red hair behind her ear and shaking her head.
"Yeah… well it's not the first time he's done it to me… I should ave known better." Carla said, feeling a little more at ease with the situation now. It seemed like Jessica was feeling rather calm about things… for now anyway, Carla still wasn't too sure about her but she could tell that she really didn't seem like she had come to cause trouble.
"I know… he told me everything..." Jessica began, "When I met him... we were at work and he told me all about you and what he did... what he put you through."
"Really?" Carla asked, surprised to hear how honest Peter had been with Jessica and surprised to hear that somehow they both ended up together.
"Yes. I chatted to him first. I approached him... it was all me really. This was in Antigua. We had both been sent out there and I guess I was happy to see someone from home. We got to talking and he just poured it all out to me… He told me all about you. That he cheated on you and that you were the love of his life… well that you are the love of his life…. So I guess I should ave known better too." Jessica explained.
Carla nodded slowly and took all of this information in.
First she wasn't used to being called the love of Peter's life again so that knocked her for six and second she couldn't work out why Jessica would have gotten with Peter after knowing all this information about him and knowing that he supposedly loved someone else.
"So… if you knew all this…" Carla began delicately but Jessica quickly intervened.
"Why did I get with him right?"
"Yeah…" Carla said with a shrug, clutching onto the glass of wine Michelle had given to her for dutch courage, for dear life.
"I don't know… we just got along really well, he's stupidly funny, we were in a foreign country and… it just happened… we both knew it wasn't going to be forever... it was just a casual thing at best." Jessica said, making Carla's eyes suddenly widen.
"Was?" she asked, swallowing down some wine and waiting with bated breath.
Did this mean...
"Yes. He ended it with me. In China actually." Jessica explained, raising her eyebrows and looking slightly peeved at the thought.
"Oh charming..." Carla exclaimed, shaking her head at Jessica. "He ended it with you whilst you were on holiday together?"
"Well it wasn't exactly a holiday. I mean it was for work actually. He was supposed to go on his own but they made him take someone with him to help out, so it made sense to invite me I guess." Jessica explained.
It was like the more she said, the more relieved Carla felt.
So he hadn't actually booked a holiday with Jessica after all.
They weren't a serious couple, casual at best and he'd actually broken up with Jessica as well.
It began to seem as if the whole time that he was away and when Carla was thinking that he didn't care about her, that he really did care.
"I knew something was different with him. I think I knew it from the moment you and him slept together again… We'd gone out for a meal and he had this look in his eyes... I guess I just didn't know what is was at first. As the weeks went by though I started to realise that he was hung up on someone else but I really didn't care. I was happy to have him around I spose so I said nothing and then our first night in China he admitted it all." Jessica said, picking up her own drink and sipping it to ease the tension. "I'm not mad at him… not really. I wish he had just been honest but… I knew. He's not totally to blame."
Carla had finished her own wine a good few minutes now. There were two things that she couldn't stand about this situation.
The first was that Jessica was pretty much sticking up for Peter right now. That she was taking part of the blame and that he was going to get away with this.
The other thing that Carla couldn't stand, she couldn't stand or bear to hear anymore about Jessica and Peter's relationship.
Even after everything, she was still incredibly jealous of this woman.
"So… I don't mean to be rude ere Jessica but… what do ya actually want?" Carla eventually asked. Jessica smiled at her in a way that Carla just couldn't comprehend and then said,
"Because I've seen him. I've seen him at work and he is utterly miserable."
"Yeah… well that's not down to me is it?" Carla asked, although she couldn't help but feel guilty, she had been beginning to think that she could have tried harder to keep him around but it was too late to think that way now, so she carried on because she still couldn't get what Jessica was doing. "Besides, you've just found out that the man has been cheating on you for months, why do you care that he's unhappy?"
"Because I still care about him and so do you." Jessica replied.
"Please..." Carla scoffed, not convincingly enough it seemed because Jessica raised an eyebrow at her.
"Yes you do... I can tell by the look on your face." Jessica sighed, staring at Carla intently.
"Don't try to read me..." Carla snapped, "You know nothing about me."
"Maybe so but I know Peter." Jessica replied, starting to look a little angrier now.
"No you don't!" Carla cried, shaking her head. "You may think that you know him but you ave no idea! If you really knew him then you wouldn't be sat ere with me acting as if everything is all fine n dandy... You would be absolutely devastated that he had ended it with you. You would be in bits because even though he is a cheating son of a bitch... he is the most amazing man you've ever met and you aren't sure exactly how life is supposed to go on without him." Carla stopped what she was saying and sniffed hard so that she wouldn't start crying in front of Jessica.
She took a deep breath and shook her head as if she was trying to get back to her normal state of mind.
Jessica watched her calm down and then said a very calm,
"Look... I understand you probably think I ave something up my sleeve, that I came to pick a fight but I didn't... I just came here today to tell you not to give up him."
"What?" Carla said hoarsely, "Did he send ya ere? Did he tell ya to say that? Did he ask you to put in a good word or…"
"No." Jessica insisted, shaking her head at Carla. "He has no idea that I'm even here but I am here... and I am telling you that that man loves you and soon... really soon, he is going to need you."
Jessica's words had shut Carla up for a moment.
She sat in front of her and went through them over and over again in her head.
"Why?" she asked staring at Jessica with tears in her eyes. "Why is he going to need me?"
"Look… I… shouldn't." Jessica began making Carla slam her hand down on the table in front of her.
"Are you being serious?" Carla cried, "You sit there n tell me that Peter needs me but that you're not going to tell me why?" For weeks she had known that Peter was keeping something from her, she didn't have a clue what and she was beginning to get rather concerned about it, Jessica wasn't helping the situation either.
"Yes… I really can't tell you. I swore I wouldn't tell anyone. I'm a woman of my word Carla. I still work with the man and I don't want to make things more awkward then they already are." Jessica began again.
"Yeah... because this is awkward for you?" Carla rolled her eyes at the red head, who was sat opposite her.
"He'd hit the roof if I told you Carla... you know what he's like." Jessica said, making Carla start to get cross again, making it seem like they had some sort of connection."You know how stubborn he is… and from what I can tell... you and him are like two peas in a pod... all I can tell you is that he's going through a hell of a lot and that I really think that he could do with your support..."
There was another silence.
One that was full of short and sharp looks.
One that Carla was going to end by just getting up and walking away from Jessica but before she could she heard Jessica say,
"The last thing either of us wants from this is for him to start drinking again."
"He..." Carla swallowed, "He told you about that n all?" She asked, stunned once again.
"Yes... I think it got quite lonely for him out in Antigua and talking to me was like... some sort of release for him" Jessica explained, "I know that he hurt you... I can't even begin to imagine what on earth he put you through... all I know is that right now... he needs someone and that someone is not me."
Carla still looked infuriated.
She still looked like she wanted to get up and walk right off but she couldn't help but let her face soften towards Jessica once more and say,
"He gets under your skin doesn't he?"
"Yeah… he really does." Jessica said, with a soft smile. "He's a good guy Carla... I know you don't need me to tell you that because I'm sure you've seen it in him plenty of times before." She then finished her wine and got up from her seat. Looking like she was the one who was going to be the first to leave. "I'm sorry for intruding your day like this... I just had to meet you and tell you that me and Peter were over… the rest is up to you… I just really really hope that you talk to him soon."
"Thanks… I guess." Carla said, shaking her head in disbelief as Jessica gave her an awkward goodbye.
The moment she left the pub, Michelle ran over to Carla and sat in the seat that Jessica had been in.
"So…?" Michelle asked breathlessly, "Who is she?"
"That was Peter's girlfriend Jessica." Carla said blankly. Going over everything that she had just been told in her head and not paying Michelle too much attention.
"What?" Michelle cried,
"Or… ex-girlfriend as it seems." Carla said, exhaling and then looking at Michelle properly.
"Ex?" Michelle said, "So he dumped her… or she dumped him? Carla come on I need answers babe."
"He ended it… he told her everything." Carla explained, still in awe from Jessica's arrival to the pub and everything that had come with it.
"So what the heck was she thinking coming ere?" Michelle asked in confusion.
"She wanted to tell me not to give up on him… to tell me that he's going through something and that she wants me to be there for him." Carla said, Michelle just sat in silence for a moment and stared at Carla. Eventually she moved closer to her best friend and asked,
"So… what are you gonna do?"
"I dunno Chelle…" Carla sighed, "I… really don't know."
"Okay, let me rephrase that… what do you want to do?" Michelle asked, watching her best friend and being able to tell that she was still besotted with her husband.
"I want… I want to talk to him… I should talk to him…" Carla nodded, "Right…? Chelle help me out ere."
"Carla… I can't make this decision for ya." Michelle said sympathetically, "This is something you have to figure out for yourself."
Michelle was right. She couldn't tell her what to do.
So Carla went back to her flat and tried her hardest to figure it out for herself.
She went over everything that she had found out today and all she could think about was this "thing" that Peter was supposedly going through.
Whatever it was sounded serious and like something that was really affecting his life and Jessica was right, Carla really really didn't want Peter to start drinking again.
That was what gave Carla the strength to pick up the phone.
She had to use the phone because she had no other option.
She didn't know where he lived, where he worked or even where he was right now, so calling him was her only option.
As she pressed the call button on her phone she wished that she had of got Peter's address.
She wish she had asked Jessica for it before she left and most of all she wished that she knew what on earth she was going to say.
Peter's phone rang and rang and Carla knew she would have to end up leaving a voicemail.
First all of all she thought that she should just tell him about this afternoon.
That she should just tell him she'd spoken to Jessica but then Carla didn't want to make things more awkward for her after she had been so nice, so she just left it at that.
Carla then wondered if maybe she should leave Peter a short and sharp message instead, one saying that she definitely needed to speak to him and that he better not mess her about but then she realised it might come across as angry and it might make the situation even worse.
Carla dithered as she knew the phone would stop ringing any moment now.
In the end… When his message tone started, She decided to just speak from her heart.
"Peter… it's me.
Look… I understand why you're not answering my calls. The argument was... well it was awful.
We both said stuff I'm sure we didn't mean.
I understand why you walked out and left me. I should ave begged you to stay and I didn't.
I don't blame you for going… maybe we both needed that time apart but it's been days now… days.
I… well if I'm honest... I can't stop thinking about you… I miss you.
I should have told you… I ended it.
I ended it with Nick before you came back from China. I was too scared to admit it before but I ended it with him… because I don't love him… I still love you.
I really do.
I love you like mad Peter Barlow and despite the fact that my love for you is totally insane and stupid… it feels so good to admit that that's how I feel.
Now I don't expect you to come running.
I don't even expect you to call me back.
but Peter… I know you're going through some stuff... stuff you won't tell me about and I really really want to help you.
I accept that you might not want to talk but... Peter...
I'm ere… I'm ere and I'm not going anywhere so if you need me… Just… let me know.
Bye."
That was the message Carla left on Peter's phone.
That was the message that he played just moments after it had been left.
He played it four times in a row in fact.
He wanted to reply.
He wanted to reply more than anything in this world.
He wanted to call her straight away but he couldn't.
He couldn't even begin to think about Carla right now.
He had managed to get her out of his head today.
Well not completely but she was at the back of his mind, ready to emerge when he was alone and allowed to break down.
When he was allowed to be weak and let go of that strong persona he had been putting on for weeks now.
It was neither the time nor the place for Peter to have a melt down.
He couldn't lose it right now.
He couldn't lose it because of where he was and who he was with, because of who was sitting across from him and who was depending on him right now.
It would be selfish for Peter to start getting himself in a state over Carla right now.
Someone needed him not to be selfish and that is why he just shook his head and put his phone away...