Rose shuts her laptop with a heavy sigh, dropping her head down to her desk with a thud This paper will be the death of her, she's sure. It isn't due until next week, but she really wants to get it done before Friday when she goes to James's house. So she started today, Monday, hoping to work on it between classes and shifts at H&M. She gets up, resolved to get some dinner in her system so she'll feel better about writing late into the night.
When she steps out of her room, Martha instantly catches the look on her face.
"Time to finally right that paper?" she asks, already grabbing two mugs. Rose nods and Martha ushers her towards the table and makes them each a cup of tea. "I'm just finishing up dinner. How does shepherd's pie sound?"
"Lovely," Rose says with a grateful smile, sipping at her steaming tea.
"Micks should be home soon. You know him, soon as dinner's out the oven, he's in the door," Martha says, fussing with the oven. Usually it's Rose or Mickey who cooks, Martha hardly has the time being in pre-med. When she does get the chance, though, her housemates never turn it down. "We'll have a nice supper before you really buckle down and get into that paper."
"I dunno what I'd do without you two," Rose says. Martha rolls her eyes with a smile, turning the oven off and taking the pies out carefully. Right on time, they hear the front door open and Mickey clomp into the flat.
"Something smells amazing," he says, taking a deep breath. Rose and Martha laugh, and she can't help but be thankful for her little family here. They talk and laugh and eat, filling Rose with a warmth that she sometimes misses being so far away from home.
But soon enough, she has to get back to her paper, and Martha and Mickey have work of their own to get to. They all settle into the living room with laptops and notebooks and textbooks, working and complaining together.
RTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRT
"No, Mum, I've got a shift today. Yeah, we'll Skype tomorrow, I promise. I know. I'm sorry," Rose says. She sighs, telling her mother she loves her before hanging up. It's been a while since they've had a chance to see each other, longer than normal, and Jackie is getting antsy. Rose quickly puts a reminder in her phone so she doesn't accidentally make plans over her Skype date with her mum. With that done, she shoves her phone in her pocket and walks into the building to start her shift.
As she's rushing back to the staffroom to put her things away, she feels her phone buzz in her pocket.
You working today?
She smiles though her brows furrow in confusion. She types back a quick reply, hoping he'll answer before she's officially on the clock.
Yep why? :)
Her phone buzzes again within the minute.
Just wondering :
Before she can answer him, her boss barks at her to get to work.
RTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRT
A couple hours into her shift, she spots a familiar head of thick, unruly brown hair heading in her direction. Her heart skips a beat, pathetic as it is, when she catches sight of his face. He's talking to one of her coworkers, but when he spots her, he gives Jen a charming smile and excuses himself. Rose can't help but laugh at the dazed look on Jen's face as she walks away.
"Now I see why you were just wondering," she teases, tongue peeking out the corner of her mouth. He matches her grin and swoops her up in a giant hug. She buries her nose in his neck, breathing in the familiar scent of watermelon and something warm and woodsy. She never gets tired of it.
"You promised you'd help me pick some things out, remember?" he says as he sets her back down on her feet. She laughs, agreeing. They'd talked about it what feels like ages ago now, when they met on their fluke of a first date.
"So, what are you looking for today, Doctor?" she asks, looping an arm through his and dragging him towards menswear.
"Oh, a few ties, maybe a shirt or two?" he says, lifting an eyebrow at her. "Think you can help me out with that?"
"'Course I can," she says confidently. "What do you need them for?"
"Y'know, teaching… office parties, stuff like that," he says, glancing down at her. She wonders what exactly he was thinking that made the tips of his ears pink. She clears her throat before her imagination can run off, pulling him in the right direction.
"I'm sure I can help you with that," she says, patting his arm with her free hand. "Have you got anything in particular coming up that you need something for?"
"Well, I've got the Christmas party coming up, I suppose, but it isn't for a couple months." He glances around at the racks, reaching out to brush his fingers against the colourful silks. Her head swirls with possibilities of all the things they could do with these ties. She clears her throat again, reining her thoughts back in. She really needs to get a hold of herself.
"What do you think about these?" she asks, pointing to a rack of pastel coloured ties. He shakes his head and she directs them to some darker silks. A dark brown one with navy and light blue stripes seems to catch his eye. Rose unlinks their arms to grab the tie. She hangs in on her own neck, turning to him to untie the one he has on. Slowly, she pulls it from his collar. He swallows hard, looking up at the ceiling to avoid eye contact (and exposing his neck). The two freckles she loves so much are on full display.
She bites her bottom lip hard, taking the tie from her neck to loop it around his, lifting his collar. Her hands drag down his shoulders to the front of his chest, taking the two ends of the tie between her fingers. She ties it slowly, meticulously, keeping her eyes on her work. When it's perfect, she smooths his collar down and finally looks up at him. She finds him staring intently down at her. It takes a split second for him to register that she's looking at him, and he jumps a little in surprise.
"Shall I?" he asks, a little too loudly, pointing at the mirror behind her.
"Oh, right," she says, stepping out of his way. He walks a few steps closer, observing his reflection. After a second, he hums approvingly.
"Yeah, it's nice," he says. He looks back at her for her opinion and she returns his nod with a smile.
"It looks great on you," she says.
"That's that then," he says, grinning. "Tie one found."
He undoes it himself and drapes it over his arm, and they step back to the racks, going through tie after tie, looking for the perfect ones. They bump shoulders and hips, easy conversation flowing between them.
"How about this?" he asks from across the isle. She turns to see him holding up a chocolate brown tie with little blue flowers all over it.
"Flowers, huh?" she teases. He shrugs, holding it up against his neck for her to inspect.
"It looks lovely, Doctor," she says earnestly. He preens, back straightening. She rolls her eyes at him, laughing. "You ready to take a look at some shirts?"
He glances down at the small pile of ties on his arm, contemplating for a moment before saying yes. She extends her hand and he links their fingers, pulling her closer so that they're pressed right up against each other.
"You aren't going to get in trouble for all this, are you?" he asks squeezing her hand to let her know exactly what he means. He looks around for signs of a peeved boss.
"I might, actually," she admits, glancing around with him. He quickly unlinks their fingers, creating a few inches of space between their bodies. She misses the warmth of his side pressed against hers instantly. "Long as we act normal we should be fine, though."
He relents, but doesn't seem satisfied, looking around shiftily every few seconds, jumping at every noise.
"You aren't exactly being subtle, Doctor," she whispers, poking his side. "If I didn't know you, I'd think you were trying to lift something."
He laughs, making a real attempt to relax his shoulders and look casual.
"Honestly, we're fine. As long as we don't, like, snog against the cologne display, I doubt anyone will suspect anything."
"Okay," he says easily, rolling his shoulders. "I just don't want you getting told off because of me."
"I can take care of myself," she promises him. He grins sheepishly, bumping her shoulder with his. Finally, they arrive at the button-downs and set to finding him a couple.
"You know, you don't exactly need my help with this," she says after a few moments of silence looking through racks.
"Hmm?" he murmurs, still looking in the mirror at the green shirt he has pressed against his front.
"Well," she says, walking over to inspect it for herself. The deep emerald looks good against his skin, she can't deny. "You dress really well, to start. I doubt you need my opinions on what to buy. And… I'm sure you can afford to shop somewhere a little pricier than H&M."
Rose had seen his Armani and St. George ties herself, after all. She knows he doesn't need to be shopping here. It isn't that she doesn't want him here, not at all. She's just curious.
"Maybe you're right," he admits, clearing his throat. "Maybe I just wanted the company."
Rose bites her lip to keep from smiling like an idiot and tilts her head at his shirt, telling him she thinks he should buy this one for sure.
"Yeah?" he asks, looking at himself again. "I never thought green was my colour."
"No, it looks good on you," she promises. He smiles, draping the shirt over his arm without another word.
"You could've got a basket, you know," she says. She offers to take the ties from him and free up his full arm a bit. James laughs at himself, handing them over and shaking his arm out and rubbing it dramatically.
"That's better," he says, thanking her.
"What do you think about that brown one?" she asks, pointing to a shirt on a rack opposite them. He hums, looking it over.
"I think I've got one just like it at home," he admits. "You've got my tastes down, at least."
Rose laughs, draping the ties he'd handed her around her neck to keep her arms free. She sees him lick his lips and look away from her quickly, and she can't help but wonder what ran through his head.
"How about this?" she asks, holding up a sky blue one. "I think we even picked out a tie that would look nice with it."
"Oh, I like that one," he says. She tosses it over to him and he hangs it over his arm without even looking in the mirror. He catches sight of his watch and swears. "I promised my sister I'd be at her house ten minutes ago."
"Oh no," Rose says. "If you want, I can hold this stuff for you so you can get going."
"Nah, I'll just buy it now," he says, already turning to walks towards the register. "Donna's already going to have a go at me, may as well finish what we started here, yeah?"
Rose laughs, nodding. "I suppose so. I've gotta get back to my section, anyway. I'll leave you to it."
She hands him his ties and he stops, leaning down to press a kiss against her cheek before practically sprinting to the front of the store. She spends the rest of her day getting lost in her thoughts of the coming weekend.
RTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRT
"Oh, it's so good to see you, love."
"It's good to see you too, Mum." Rose says, a wide smile spreading across her face. "How was your day?"
"You know, same old. Millie asked about you today," she says, her pixelated face grinning brightly. "Told her how good you're doin' up there. Said she misses you, she did."
"I miss everyone there too," Rose says. "I think Millie just misses me babysitting for free, though."
Rose and Jackie laugh together, and she suddenly realizes how much she's missed her mum since she last saw her. It's been over a month now. Rose promises herself not to let them go so long between calls in the future.
"When are you gonna visit?" Jackie asks, eyes pleading. Rose sighs, her shoulders sagging.
"I probably won't get to until Christmas," she says. Jackie squares her shoulders and puts on a brave face.
"Not so long. It'll be here before we know it," she says, nodding determinedly. Rose lets out a relieved breath. She always worries that her mum thinks she isn't coming back home on purpose. She really isn't, between work and school, she hardly has a chance to catch a train back to London. Really, though, Jackie has always been good about it. Better than Rose ever hoped. She knows her mum is proud of her for trying to make something of herself.
"I can't wait," Rose says. Jackie smiles again.
"Now, tell me about your classes," she demands, sitting forward to listen intently.
"They're really good," Rose says enthusiastically, mirroring her mother's posture. "My Religion and Crime class is definitely my favorite, even though we've got a massive paper due Monday."
She goes into detail about all of her classes, telling her mum about professors and idiot students who think they have to make their opinions known and nice, quiet students that she's made friends with. She tells her about the dreadful group project she'd just finished up. She had to do all the work, of course. Then she moves to work, telling her all about the awful people who yell at her and the nice old man who always slips her a tenner for helping him find just the right things for his wife. Jackie listens to every word, and asks questions about pretty much everything.
"Oh, your voice has gone all weird, Mum," Rose says, cringing at the sound. Jackie groans, reaching over to smack the Wi-Fi router.
"You know the internet here, always going out on me," she grumbles. She'd only gotten wireless since Rose had left for Uni, when Rose taught her about video chatting. She still doesn't quite get that smacking the router around doesn't do anything for signal.
"S'alright, you're back to normal now," she says. Her phone lights up beside her and she flinches hard, reaching over to turn it off before her mum can see.
"Who's that, then?" Jackie asks. Rose sighs, caught.
"Just James," she says casually, hoping she'll drop it. She drops her phone on the desk beside her and pretends not to care about it.
"James?" she asks, arching an eyebrow.
"Yeah, I've told you about him," Rose says confidently. At Jackie's glare, she shrinks back. "Haven't I?"
"I don't think you have," she says shrewdly. "Who is he?"
"Just this guy I met a little while back… We've been out a few times." Rose chews on her thumbnail anxiously.
"Oh, that's nice! How long?"
"'Bout a month now," she says.
"A month?! You've been going out with someone for a month and haven't told me?!" Jackie exclaims, looking like she might explode soon. This is exactly what Rose had been trying to avoid.
"Mum it isn't like that! I've just been swamped with work and school, we haven't even gotten to Skype since I met 'im," Rose tries to soothe her. Jackie huffs, but seems to calm down a little.
"You could've told me over the phone," she grumbles. Rose smiles.
"I'm sorry, Mum. I just figured you'd want to hear about it face to face." Jackie purses her lips for a second before relaxing.
"You're right," she admits. "Why'd you try to hide 'im from me just now?"
"Because I was afraid you'd overreact," Rose says wryly. Jackie tries to keep a stern face, but breaks after a moment. They laugh again together until they've got tears in their eyes.
"Well, tell me all about him," Jackie says once they settle down.
Rose takes a deep breath and starts at the beginning.
RTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRT
She looks at the menu at Martha's favorite deli, trying to decide what she wants for lunch.
Martha laughs, shaking her head. "You always act like you aren't gonna get exactly the same thing."
"Oi," she objects, putting the menu down to glare at her friend. "I'm gonna get something new this time."
"Uh huh," Martha says, still chuckling. Rose playfully kicks at her leg under the table. They chat while she looks over the menu, reading the same few options over and over again.
Their usual server comes back with their drinks, setting them down.
"You ladies ready?" he asks, pen poised over his little tablet.
Martha looks at Rose, arching an eyebrow. Sheepishly, Rose nods. Martha orders her usual and takes a sip of her drink while Jasper turns to Rose for her order.
"Turkey melt?" he asks with a grin. Rose nods, rolling her eyes at herself. "Coming right up."
"You'll get something new next time," Martha says, sounding genuine.
"Everything at this place is great," Rose says. "I wanna try it all… but that melt is the best sandwich in this town."
Martha nods. "I know. I always tell myself I'll get something new next time, but I never do."
"One day," Rose says.
"One day," Martha agrees. "How's your paper coming?"
"Oh, it's almost done," Rose says. "I'm gonna finish it up when we get back home, actually."
"That's good," Martha says. "I know you were at it late last night."
"Ugh, yeah," she groans. "I'm exhausted today. I've just gonna finish editing it now, though. It'll be ready to go so I don't have to fuss with it this weekend."
"Big plans this weekend, huh?" Martha teases, raising her eyebrows.
"You're as bad as Mickey, you are," Rose complains.
"That's rude," Martha says with a laugh.
"It's true! You're both always riding me about James," Rose says, looking up at the ceiling in exasperation. After a split second, she realizes what she said. She looks down sharply at her friend. "Don't say it."
"I wasn't going to say anything!" she insists, though Rose sees the laughter behind her eyes. "You're gonna tell me all about it when you get back home, right?"
"'Course I am," she says. Martha's her best friend, there's no way she'd be able to keep it all from her.
"Great," Martha says, seeming satisfied.
"Can we drop it now?" Rose pleads.
"I suppose so."
Jasper is back with their food before they know it, placing it in front of them and dashing off just as quickly.
RTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRT
Rose gets to James's house as soon as she can after work Friday afternoon. He cooked her yet another delicious meal from his mum's cookbook. They clean up the dishes together, trying hard to resist more splashing, and then they make their way to the living room. James turns down the lights and pops the first movie into the player.
Rose settles into the couch against his side. The room is dark and cool, the only light coming from the television they're sat in front of. He wraps his arm around her and she turns her face into his shoulder, breathing in the scent of his woodsy cologne. He grabs the remote from his thigh, pointing it at the telly.
"You ready?" he asks. She nods against him and he presses play. The iconic music fills the room around them and Rose smiles widely and the nostalgia that rushes her.
"I haven't seen these in forever," she admits. He tuts playfully.
"Shame on you, Rose," he says. They giggle, both giddy already.
"I see you're in one of the shirts we picked out," she says, plucking at one of his buttons. It's the gorgeous green one that she'd loved so much.
"Oh, yeah," he says, eyes on the telly in front of them. "Thought I'd give it a go. How's it look on?"
She smiles. "Well, I can't see much in the dark, but I thought it looked lovely at dinner."
She feels his chest puff up with pride beneath her cheek and she wraps her arm around his middle, cuddling closer to him.
"What house are you?" he asks, looking down at her.
"Always thought of myself as a Gryffindor," she says. She knows it's the most boring answer, but she always connected with Gryffindor House most of all. "What about you?"
"Ravenclaw," he answers, entirely confident.
"I should've known," she says with a grin. He laughs.
"Am I that obvious?" he asks.
"Maybe a little bit," she says. He shifts, angling his body so that he can look directly down in her eyes. She shivers at the heat she sees in there.
"I bet I've got a few surprises up my sleeve," he says, licking his lush bottom lip.
"Oh yeah?" she asks, turning so that her back is against the arm of the couch. "Prove it."
She isn't sure what to expect from her goading, but he scoots forward slowly, giving her time to back up, just like always. When she doesn't go anywhere (of course she doesn't go anywhere), he closes the rest of the gap between them. One hand comes up to cup her jaw, tilting her head up just enough for him to reach her lips. Their lips slide against each other, and James shifts, moving even closer to her, as close as they can possibly be without lying down.
Rose moans, encouraging him. His hand slides back from her jaw to tangle in her hair, holding her to him. Just as her lungs are beginning to burning from lack of air, he breaks the kiss with a smack. He tilts her head up, peppering kisses down the underside of her jaw. When he finds a place he particularly enjoys where her jaw meets her throat, he pauses. She bites her bottom lip hard when he sucks on the spot. He releases it after a moment, soothing it with his tongue. His mouth moves again, stopping on her pulse point this time. She can feel her heart fluttering against his lips and he chuckles, his breath brushing against her neck. She shivers again.
Her hands finally come up to join the party, diving into his thick hair. Her nails scrape against his scalp, just hard enough to get a reaction out of him, and he nips her throat lightly with his teeth.
"God," she groans, tugging on his hair. He growls, coming up from her throat to reconnect their lips. The kiss is harder, messier than the first, or any other one they've shared, she thinks. She wiggles, trying to get him to slide further down the couch. He doesn't pick up her hint, though; he just runs his tongue teasingly along her bottom lip. She almost forgets what she had been trying to do, her mind completely clouded with everything that is James. When the arm of the couch digs into her back again, she remembers. She breaks their kiss this time, panting. He rests his forehead against hers, gasping for breath right along with her.
"You okay?" he asks gently. She nods.
"Yeah, just," she starts, scooting down a little further and hoping he'll follow her example. She sees the light bulb go off in his head and can't help but laugh.
They both wriggle down the couch until they're lying out flat, him on top of her. He braces himself on his forearms, but most of his weight rests on her and it lights a fire low in her belly. She's very grateful that his couch is wide enough for them to comfortably lie on this way.
She slides her hands down his chest, fiddling with his top button. He nods when she looks up into his eyes for permission, and she begins unhooking his buttons as fast as her fingers can go. When his chest is bared to her, she scores her nails lightly down it. She revels in this shiver it pulls from him.
Next, she finds her favorite blemish on his neck and runs her tongue over it. His hands clench into fists near her head and she takes it as encouragement to give him a mark of her own. She sucks on his neck, and his hips buck against her. She releases him with a wet pop and leans back to look at her handy work. There's a beautiful light pink mark on his throat where her lips had been. She hopes that it'll still be there in the morning.
One of his hands is suddenly beneath her shirt, sliding up her stomach to cup her breast. His thumb and forefinger manage to find her nipple through her bra and he tweaks it, pulling a gasp from her.
"This would be easier without your shirt," he whispers, peppering kisses across her cheeks. She lets out a breathy chuckle and agrees. He sits up on his knees and helps her tug it off, dropping it on the floor beside them.
James lies back out on top of her, dropping his head to kiss the tops of her breasts. She throws her head back and he takes the chance to descend on her neck again, nipping and biting and sucking his way down it. It leaves her head spinning.
She tugs him back up to her and presses their lips together softly. They slide delicately against each other, noses brushing together as he changes the angle. He pulls back a tiny bit, eyes clenched tight and his forehead resting on hers again.
"I haven't felt this way in a very long time," he whispers, so quiet she would have missed it if he were any further back. She caresses his cheek, brushing her lips against his without comment.
After a moment of silence, Rose gets an idea. She pushes lightly on his chest, just enough to get his attention. His eyes open and look at her questioningly. Somehow, she manages to smoothly switch their positions so she's straddling his hips. From this angle, she can feel him beginning to harden in his jeans. She grinds down against him, leaning down to kiss him again. Just as her hands are about to go down to his zip, her phone chimes.
"Shit," she whispers. "I thought I put it on silent…"
"It's fine, do you need to check it?" he asks, though his pupils are still blown wide with lust. She thinks for a moment before shaking her head. They can wait. He grins, hands on her hips and she's about to get back to his zip when it chimes again. And again. She drops her head down to his chest, sighing.
"I don't think they're gonna stop," he says cheekily.
"Just let me go put it on silent," she says, climbing off him. He sits up watching her walk to the table to grab her phone. She checks the texts quickly and switches it to silent. "It's just one of my friends worrying about our Crime and Religion paper. No big deal. I already finished mine."
She's walking back over to James when something seems to occur to him.
"You know," he says, "I don't think I've ever asked… Where do you study?"
"Oh, I think you're right. I go to Oxford."
All the colour drains from his face in a mere second and Rose panics, walking quickly over to him. She sits next to him gently on the couch, reaching out to place a hand on his bicep. He flinches and she takes her hand back like she'd been burned.
"James… are you okay?" she asks, trying to look in his eyes.
"You," he begins, choking on his words. He pauses and tries again. "You go to Oxford?"
"Yeah…" she says, more worried by the second. "Doctor, you look like you're about to keel over. What's wrong?"
"I'm a professor at Oxford, Rose," he whispers, finally meeting her eyes.
It crashes down on her like a tonne of bricks. Of course he teaches there, what had she thought? He lives minutes from the school. How could she have been so blind? How could he? What does this mean?
"I thought… I don't know what I thought. That you studied online somewhere or – or – I dunno. I don't think we can do this, Rose." He looks down at the floor, biting his bottom lip.
"What? Just like that?" she asks, brows furrowed. "You're done with me?"
"Rose I don't want," he begins, still not looking at her. "We can both get into a lot of trouble here. Your degree. My job. Both gone just because you're here with me like this."
She knows he's right. Of course he is. He could lose his job. And she can't imagine giving up her place at school here. But the thought of cutting ties with him, it pulls at something in her chest. Twists it cruelly. After a moment, she sniffs and nods, head held high.
"You're right. This is your dream job. You can't put that at risk for me."
"It isn't just me," he says, swallowing. "It's you too. You could get kicked out of Oxford. You might not be able to get in anywhere else if that happens. You'd kiss your dream job goodbye too. I think you should go, Rose."
She nods again, grabbing her shirt from the floor and tugging it over her head. James finds his own shirt and slides it on, buttoning it up while she finds her shoes and puts them on. When his buttons are done up, he rubs at the back of his neck, still not looking at her. Once she gets her bag and grabs her phone, he stands to walk with her to the door.
When they reach it, he opens his mouth, expression unreadable. With a sigh, he closes his mouth and opens the door for her. He swallows hard and meets her eyes one last time.
She bites her lip, leaning up on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek gently. She feels his breath ghost against her face just as she pulls away. With that, she walks out the door and doesn't look back.
RTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRT
When Rose makes it home, she realizes she can't remember the drive at all, too wrapped up in her thoughts to have been paying attention. She sits in the silence of her car, not looking forward to going in her flat and facing Martha and Mickey. Before long, their door opens and she can't avoid it anymore.
Mickey walks out to the car, confusion in his eyes. "Rose? I thought you were spending the night at James's. What happened?"
She shakes her head, not trusting her voice to be strong enough not to waver. Mickey doesn't push any further; he just grabs her bag and nods toward the flat. Rose sighs, getting out of her car and walking up their front steps.
"Micks? Was that Rose's car out front? Did she forget something?" Martha calls from what sounds like the bathroom.
"Yeah, it was Rose," he replies. He turns to Rose, handing her her bag. "Don't worry about us. We'll talk to you in the morning, yeah?"
She nods, already heading to her room. When she gets inside, she takes a moment to plug her phone in before going to take a long, hot shower. When she gets out, she dresses in a daze, pulling on her most comfortable pyjamas and climbing into bed. When her phone buzzes beside her, she nearly jumps out of her skin. Was it him? Did he regret their decision? Did he want her to come back and spend the weekend after all?
She grabs her phone cautiously, flipping it over. Her heart sinks when she sees the text from her mum asking about how her day was. She tosses her phone back on the nightstand without answering, squeezing her eyes shut tight. Before she can stop it, a tear rolls down her cheek. Then another. For a moment, she lets them fall and revels in the release it brings her.
Eventually, she manages to drift off to sleep. Her phone doesn't make another sound all night.