Hot off the press chapter 3
"Fuck's sake Steve!" Kate replied angrily. "What am I gonna do acting as your wife?" Kate asked. "How is that gonna help this investigation?".
"I know! I know!" Steve retorted just as angrily. "I've already had the gaffer tell me how stupid it was,".
"So I'm not going home am I?" Kate asked.
"No. We've got an undercover house,".
Kate slumped back in her seat and folded her arms angrily. "Some home coming, this is turning out to be," she muttered.
"I'm sorry, ok?" Steve said. "What would you have said in the reverse situation?" he challenged.
Kate didn't answer. She didn't want to admit she didn't know what she would have done.
The drive to the house was done in silence. Kate just sat and sulked, looking out her car door window for the journey as Steve drove until finally they pulled in to a driveway. The engine being turned off caused Kate's attention to turn to the house in front of her and she studied it in silence. It was a modern detached house that didn't look too bad a place to spend her time for the foreseeable future.
"Are you going to give me the silent treatment for the whole of this case?" Steve asked.
"No," Kate finally admitted. She'd been thinking about what she would have done in Steve's situation and realised she'd probably have said the same thing.
"I really am sorry, Kate," Steve apologised.
"Me too," Kate admitted. "I think I took some of my anger at my mum out on you," she explained. "I'm just upset she ditched me as soon as she was able to walk around without even saying thanks. Like I don't really matter,".
"So we're good?".
"We're good," Kate admitted. "I was just really looking forward to that bath and pizza,".
"You can still do that," Steve pointed out. "There's a massive jacuzzi bath in there," he informed Kate.
"Really?" she enquired, interested.
"Yeah," Steve Said. "I'll even answer the door to the pizza delivery guy so you won't be disturbed," he offered.
Kate smiled. "Are you paying as well?".
"I'll pay," he agreed.
"I think I'll get some garlic bread and some sides in that case," Kate threatened.
"You can have all the sides you want if you'll forgive me," Steve said, "because I really need your help, mate. I'm pretty sure Luckie hates me,".
"What did you do?".
"Tried to crack a joke,".
"Now will you believe me that you aren't as funny as you think you are?" Kate asked. Steve didn't reply. "It'll be fixable," Kate promised before switching topics. "You better show me around my new home," she said as she undid her seatbelt.
"There's just one thing I need to do before we go inside," Steve told Kate.
"What?".
"Close your eyes," Steve instructed.
"What?" Kate asked. "Why?".
"Because I said so," Steve bantered back. Kate kept her eyes open. "Please?" he tried. Kate smiled before doing as he requested.
Kate felt her heart beat increase with anticipation as she wondered what Steve was going to do. She could tell his face was really close to hers and for a brief moment she thought he might kiss her. But it quickly passed when she felt him take her left hand and slide something on to her ring finger.
Steve's heart was also beating fast as he placed the fake rings on Kate's finger. He had never given much thought to settling down until after his assault when he'd reevaluated his life and what was important to him. Kate had always seemed out of his league and unavailable until recently. He'd let his mind wander down that path but then he'd remember his impotence and it brought those ideas to a screeching halt. No woman would ever want him now. He was going to make the most of this play acting.
Kate opened her eyes to find two rings on her finger - a matching platinum wedding set. An elegant square cut solitaire diamond ring and a wedding band with small diamonds decorating it. "Oh my god, Steve," she said a bit shocked as she studied the jewellery. It was something she would pick for herself.
"They're not real," Steve informed her quickly, feeling embarrassed for some reason. "Thirty quid from Argos,".
"Just what every girl wants to hear!" Kate teased.
"I got the matching male band," Steve said as Kate saw him retrieve the solid silver coloured band from his jeans pocket and put it on his left ring finger.
"Isn't Superintendent Luckie going to notice you're suddenly wearing a ring?" Kate questioned.
"Told him it was at the jewellers getting resized," Steve said proudly. "We're newly weds by the way,".
"Right," said Kate as she tucked that bit of information away. "So can we go inside now?".
"Yes," Steve agreed before they both got out the car and made their way to the front door. Steve unlocked it. "Actually I've just remembered something," he said as Kate went to walk inside. Before she knew it, Steve had picked her up bridal style.
"What are you doing?" Kate screeched as Steve walked them both in to the house.
"Carrying you over the threshold," Steve said with a grin, easily resuming their friendship
"Put me down, you idiot!" Kate said, laughing, their argument quickly forgotten. "I do not want to be the reason why you put your back out again!" she explained as Steve gently put her back on her feet.
"It's fine, Kate," Steve told her. "The help I'm getting has made my back better,".
"So you're back to normal?".
"Yeah," replied Steve wistfully. He wasn't going to tell her the truth. Whilst his back was fine it was something else that wasn't working.
Kate picked up on Steve's tone. She knew there was something he wasn't telling her about his injury but she was just waiting for him to open up to her.
Kate looked around the hallway. To her left was the staircase with a modern glass bannister that led upstairs. To her right was a door. She looked inside. It was a good sized room that looked out over the front of the house. It had a fire place in it and would make a good living room, Kate thought although currently it just had a lot of boxes in it.
Kate continued down the hallway to the back of the house. It was one big open plan room with a sloping roof that had skylights in it. The far wall was completely made of bi-fold doors that allowed Kate a view of the back garden. It too had dozens of boxes haphazardly strewn about.
To the right of the room was the kitchen area that included an island. To the left was a dining table. The back left near the bifold doors had an L shaped sofa in front of a large TV that was on the left wall. There was a log burner to keep warm when cold.
"Very nice," Kate pronounced before heading upstairs. Steve followed.
The front room was small and had a desk and computer. "I've told Luckie you work from home. The gaffer can send you stuff to work on," Steve explained.
Next to the office was a good sized room that would normally be a guest bedroom. Heading towards the back of the house was a large family bathroom before the master bedroom at the back with an en-suite that cintained the jacuzzi bath Strve had mentioned.
"There's only one bed," Kate pointed out.
"We only got married this afternoon," Steve replied. "I haven't had time to request another bed. I'll sleep on the sofa until we can get one," he volunteered.
"Not with your back you won't," Kate retorted. "I will,".
"No," argued Steve.
"Steve-,".
"I got us in to this mess. I'll do it," he explained.
Kate looked at the big king sized bed. "I suppose we could share until then," she volunteered hesitantly.
"Are you sure?".
"You'll stick to your side of the bed and not try anything?" Kate teased.
"I couldn't any way," Steve said without thinking.
"What?" enquired Kate, not sure what Steve meant.
"Nothing," replied Steve quickly, realising his mistake.
"No, you said-," Kate started to argue.
"Just leave it, Kate," Steve snapped. "It's been a stressful day and I'm tired," he explained as an excuse.
"OK," agreed Kate, realising something had hit a nerve with Steve. "Sorry," she apologised. "We just won't tell the gaffer about our sleeping arrangements,".
"God no!" Steve agreed. "He's really ecstatic about our 'marriage'. If we tell him we're sleeping together I think it'll finish him off!".
A little later Kate lay in the bath. The warm water and bubbles were working their magic and she slowly felt the tension from the past two weeks and that evening leave her body. She lay back with her head resting against the side of the bath, eyes closed as she thought about the past couple of hours.
She was going to have to make the most of her current situation. The 'talk' that she needed to have with Steve was going to have to wait until this assignment had finished, but it would be tricky being in such close quarters with him until then. In the meantime she would treat it like a trial run at co-habiting just in case things did progress. Hopefully they could live together without wanting to kill each other.
"Kate?" Steve's voice sounded from the other sound of the door.
"Yeah?" Kate answered without opening her eyes.
"Pizza's on its way. Be about 10 minutes," Steve informed her. He'd kept his promise and paid for and ordered her longed for treat.
"Thanks," she replied. "I'll get out. Be down in a minute,".
Kate heard Steve's footsteps as they walked away before heading down the stairs. She opened her eyes. Time for action. Slowly she tugged in the plug and the water started to drain as she got out and dried herself. As she got changed in to her pyjamas she heard the doorbell go. The pizza had arrived.
Kate caught sight of herself in the mirror. She was wearing the pyjamas she'd taken to Spain. Silk, three quarter length trousers with a camisole top. It didn't leave much to the imagination. She snatched one of Steve's hoodies that was lying haphazardly on the floor and put it on. Much better, she thought as she studied herself again in the mirror before heading downstairs.
Steve was lounging on the sofa in front of the television in the big open plan room when Kate arrived. Their meal was in cardboard boxes on the table in front of him. He had at least brought her suitcase in from the car whilst she had been in the bath as her suitcase was by the door. The straw donkey had been placed on the kitchen top.
Steve saw her glance at his gift. "Where should we put Pedro?".
"Pedro?" Kate queried.
"My newly acquired pet," he joked.
"Anywhere you want," Kate retorted, pleased that Steve liked her present enough to have to named it. "Drinks?" Kate asked.
"Got some in the fridge," Steve replied.
It was about the only thing that was in the very big empty American style fridge. "Looks like I'm going shopping tomorrow," Kate commented as she took two beer cans out and closed the fridge behind her. Steve might be able to live with minimal food but she couldn't.
"Haven't had a chance," Steve explained guiltily. In truth he hadn't really thought about sustenance for this case.
"It's ok," Kate replied as she sat down beside Steve.
"I'm really not cut out for undercover work, am I?" Steve asked. "I'm mucking up everything,".
"Don't be so hard on yourself," Kate retorted. "I'm hardly the world's greatest undercover cop. Need I remind you of my successes? Fucked up Tony Gates and Lindsey. Denton, didn't I?" she challenged with a grin.
"Maybe," Steve admitted with a reciprocal smile as he took a gulp of his drink.
"You better get me up to speed with this case," Kate said as she opened her pizza box and delighted in the aroma that met her nostrils. Her evening was starting to look up. "And we better put together some sort of back story to our 'relationship'," she added. It was best to be prepared in case they were ever tested by Matt Luckie about their history.
Kate was already in bed when Steve finished in the bathroom a little later on. He found her reading a book with a pair of glasses on, resting against the bed headboard.
This is what he wanted every night he realised. Coming home to his best friend at the end of the day. Sharing a bed with her.
"You ok?" Kate asked from the bed, interrupting his musings. She'd looked up from her book to find Steve gazing at her.
"Yeah," replied Steve. "Just thinking that you look good in glasses," he said as he awkwardly got in bed beside Kate.
"Shut up," Kate said as she closed her book and took her eye wear off, thinking Steve was teasing her. She didn't like people seeing her wearing her glasses.
"I'm being serious," Steve defended himself as he settled himself on his side to sleep.
"Yeah, right," Kate said, still not believing her friend as she too settled down and turned the bedside light off, leaving the room in darkness. "Night, Steve,".
"Night, Kate," Steve replied.
Silence descended in the room as the partners tried to get to sleep in the same bed. They each had their backs to the other and were hugging the edge of the bed so as not to get too close to one another. It took a while, but eventually they fell asleep.