We've all missed you Ruth but none more than Harry,' Jo had said, before adding, 'rather than spend another night in that soulless safehouse, why don't you move in with me?'
A gesture which Ruth had struggled to convince herself she was worthy of accepting because through no fault of his own George was dead and yet still her overriding emotion after two long years remains the same in as much as Harry has never been far from her thoughts and now that she is back not only does she know he is very much alive and still in love with her but she is with him. An emotion fuelled by memories of a kiss and the unspoken declaration that when she had arrived in Cyprus had helped her to maintain the fiction which George had accepted without question that she had been happy under his roof. Happy yes, because she had been safe or so she had believed, but not when she had needed to pretend that she was enjoying his physical attention, when in truth she had found it difficult to breathe because it had made her feel as though she was being unfaithful to Harry.
Now two weeks later stop over thinking everything she tells herself, turning her thoughts back to Harry's suggestion when he had rung her after what he had said he hoped was sufficient time for her to have settle in and then after a pause, during which time she had wondered if he had been expecting her to respond had added he would like to come and see her that evening.
To which she had said yes but without asking what time he was planning to arrive, which amongst other things was now making her wonder how it will feel to be on her own with him after such a long time. More so because she is standing in Jo's kitchen having made herself a cup of tea, wrapped in nothing but her bath robe before having a shower and washing her hair, with Jo having gone to work hours ago. The few belongings that she had managed to salvage before she had left Cyprus strewn across her bed, the intention up until Harry's call that she should make a list of what she needs, a word which has taken up residence in her head despite knowing that like her Harry will still be recovering. Him from days of mental torture and beatings as well as being deprived of food and water and her from not being able to sleep for more than a couple of hours without waking up in a sweat because somewhere in her sleep deprived mind she sees the expression on his face when Mani had said, well I might as well do what I always intended.
What she does know and with absolute certainty is that Harry won't pressurise her into thinking about whether or not she wants to return to Thames House at some time or if ever, given that she is supposedly dead, despite being fairly sure Harry has enough dirt on whoever it is that has the power to get her resurrected, sufficient that it will enable her to see Malcolm and thank him for what Jo has told her was to offer his own life in exchange for Nico's before resigning, which in all honesty makes the grid feel like a far less attractive place to return to.
Thoughts which resurface when the combination of the hot water and Jo's shower gel which she is applying to her scalp because Jo had said help yourself to anything when she had told her that to contribute in any meaningful way would require her to find a way to transfer what money she had from Cyprus or beg a short term loan, is now in the hope that it will allow her to stay awake for long enough to enjoy Harry's company, while the man who has been occupying her thoughts is pondering whether he should call again and offer to pick up takeaway on his way to see her and presuming that she says yes to said takeaway, when he gets there how she will respond when he tells her that Ros has insisted he takes a couple of days off to allow them to get reacquainted? A word with far too many connotations attached, the most sensible of which suddenly feels as though it needs to be caution.
Ros who had balled him out telling him that his own personal life was a walking disaster zone because he hadn't been able to get her father's sentenced reduced, has since in their different ways they have coped with the loss of Adam, become the person he has come to rely on when comes to pointing him in the right direction which is in this case he thinks is not to arrive with preconceived ideas but wait and see how the evening pans out.
Only for her to appear at his office door when it is approaching six and before he drives over to see Ruth he needs to go home, shower and change before picking up the takeaway, 'give me one sodding reason as to why you're still here,' she says with an expression to suggest that she's given up hope, before adding, 'this is Ruth Harry, dark hair and beautiful blue eyes and it's not as though you haven't spent an evening together before is it.'
'That was over two years ago,' he tells her, hoping to buy himself some time, because for some unaccountable reason his nerves have been starting to get the better of him.
'Then you'll have a lot to talk about won't you,' she tells him, before leaning over and shutting down his computer. Her parting shot, 'but not about work Harry, it's a mood killer believe you me.'