Grace rattled the letterbox. She was standing on the doorstep hopping from one foot to the other, her lips dipped into the collar of her coat. Rita stood behind her, her hands pushed into the pockets of her jeans, her shoulders hunched against the cold.
Connie opened the door just as Rita turned her face up towards the sky. An odd silence hung in the air, and as she looked up at the stars, she noticed one or two snowflakes beginning to fall.
"We've got treacle tart!"
Grace exclaimed as she pushed past her mother and began unzipping her coat.
"Lovely..."
Connie murmured, watching as Rita eventually looked back down and slipped through the front door, wiping her feet firmly on the mat.
"It's snowing!"
She said as she brushed past Connie, and Connie raised a finger to her lips, gesturing for her to hush, not wanting to excite Grace when it was only a few flakes, surely late October was far too early for a proper snowfall...
"Have we got anything else to eat besides treacle tart?"
She asked, smiling, and closing the front door against the blustering wind. Rita shrugged off her coat as Grace bounded into the sitting room to see Charlie.
"Burgers."
Rita said hanging her coat up.
"Burgers?!"
"And chips. Sorry."
Rita smoothed down her jumper. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold and her forehead glittered from the damp air.
"How very American..."
She cleared her throat.
"How was it?"
She asked. She wasn't worried about whatever it was that Grace had chosen for them for dinner, but she was impatient to hear how they had got on.
"We had a chat."
Rita said slowly.
"Oh?"
She asked warily, holding her hands at her chest as she toyed with the ring she wore on her middle finger, twisting it in circles and raising it back and forth towards the knuckle so that the skin – dry from the drop in temperature – puckered and pulled.
Rita reached out for her, hooking her finger into her belt loop, and tugging her closer so that she could kiss her gently, noticing how when she did so the fidgeting of her fingers stilled.
"I don't think we've got anything to worry about."
She whispered, remaining close, but not quite touching.
"We've talked about everything...I think she's come around to the idea."
She said simply. She needed more time to think over the conversation she had had with Grace. She needed to decide whether or not she should mention Grace's true feelings – and whether or not telling Connie would do more harm than good.
Connie narrowed her eyes but allowed Rita to kiss her for a second time before moving back to remove her shoes, pushing the toe of her foot against her heel to prise them free.
"Shall we go and get dinner ready?"
Rita asked, wanting to change the subject, but Connie caught hold of her arm as she began to make her way to the kitchen.
"I think there's something that you need to do before dinner..."
Rita frowned.
"What's that?"
She asked as Connie released her grip on her and let her hand fall back down to her side where her fingers curled against her thigh.
"You still haven't spoken to your parents."
She said quietly. Rita drew in a breath. All day she had struggled with the thought of it. Every time her brain had reminded her of what she would have to do, she had pushed it aside, hurriedly swept it away and replaced it with another, less threatening thought.
"I don't think I can..."
She said quietly, exhaling as she spoke. She looked vulnerable suddenly, with her eyes wide and her her eyebrows drawn up in the middle with worry.
"I don't think you've got much choice."
Connie sighed.
-.-
This chapter irritated me. It's just one of those 'getting to the next bit' – chapters. Anyway, I apologise for this chapter, for some reason it just didn't come as easily as the previous few.
Anyway, next we'll find out how Rita gets on with the phonecall to her parents. I've also had a request for more fluff...e.g. Pillow fights/tickle fights... I have a snowball fights/tickle fight planned for the next chapter...will that do? :) xxx
Also, I'm amused at how many people would like more sex scenes (already!) you'll wear them out ;) xxx