Ben smiled
warmly on seeing Sara heading towards him his eyes shining as she neared “Are
you okay…how did he take it?” he asked Sara remained tight-lipped as she
escorted him inside a café “What?
What’s going on? You did tell
him didn’t you?” she swallowed Ben looked crushed “Why?” he asked she stared
across the table “I couldn’t…Ben he asked me to marry him…look he had the ring
and everything” Ben glanced at the ring on her finger “Do you love him?” she
caught her breath “What?” Ben maintained eye contact “It’s a simple enough
question…Do you love him?” she looked down at her hands “Yes…I think so” Ben’s
eyes widened “You think so?” this time Sara looked him straight in the eye “Yes
yes I do love him…I’m wearing his ring Ben” Ben wasn’t going to give up without
a fight “And London what was that all about?” she frowned “I was vulnerable…I
needed comfort” Ben slowly shook his head “And I was there?” she nodded as she
reached across the table “Don’t! Please
just go” he said “Ben please” he stared at her “What?” she drew in a deep
breath “Chris…if he ever found out about us it’d destroy him” Ben shook his
head once more “Don’t worry he wont find out from me” he assured as he watched
her leave.
A few days
later Sara returned to work “Are you
feeling better Miss Landers?” asked Mr Greenlees Sara nodded as she fixed her
till “Hey Amy” she called across to where Amy sat then wiggled her left hand
around “What?” said Amy with a huge grin on her face “Look” the smiled suddenly
leapt from Amy’s face but reappeared seconds later “Wow…you and Chris?” she
yelled Sara nodded joyfully “When?”
“Last week…we’re keeping it quiet just now”
“Congratulations” said Amy
“Thanks…I think we’re going to have an engagement party soon
so when we set a date I’ll let you know” Amy nodded as she begun to ring up
some customers trolley load.
Morven dropped
by that evening with a card and little gift “You kept that quiet” she laughed
as she hugged her close “What do you think?” Morven tried on the ring “It’s
gorgeous…did you choose it yourself?” Sara shook her head “No Chris chose
it…but I love it” both young women sat in the lounge watching some old film “So
how are you really?” Morven could see right through her “Okay…I think” Morven
moved to sit next to her “She didn’t want to know me…she would have had an
abortion if she’d had the chance…I still don’t know who my father is…Fuck Ben
had to blackmail the cow into seeing me!”
“Ben? Ben was with
you?”
Sara stared at her “Yes…he turned up at the train
station…and insisted on coming with me”
“Why?”
“I don’t know”
Morven raised her eyebrows knowingly “Oh come on…Ben doesn’t
do anything without an ulterior motive”
“Okay…he fancy’s me”
“Okay…I thought as much but Sara do you fancy him?”
“No! Not really…I do
find him attractive but I love Chris!”
“You love Chris?”
“Yes I’m marrying him aren’t I”?
“And Ben’s okay with it?”
“He’ll just need to be”
“Sara please tell me nothing happened with you and Ben in
London?”
“Nothing did…he was just there for me at a particularly
difficult time in my life”
“Okay”
“Let’s change the subject…how’s Meghan?”
“Fine…getting big and cheeky”
“And you Morven…how are you?”
“Okay…I have good days and bad days I don’t cry as much now”
she confessed “It’ll take time” Sara found herself giving comfort “I know” said
Morven contentedly.
~**~
“You and Sara did what?” asked Mark
“We slept together”
“When?”
“When she was in London”
“London?”
Ben nodded
“Why?”
“She was trying to trace her mother”
“Why did you sleep with her?” Mark said firmly
“It just sort of happened”
“What?”
“It was after she saw her Mother…she was upset and I”
“Took advantage?”
“No!”
“Yes…she was vulnerable and you just couldn’t help
yourself!”
“That’s not fair”
“Isn’t it?”
“You went with her knowing she was off limits”
“Mark she didn’t exactly say no”
“She was still vulnerable and you took advantage”
“Mark what would you have done?”
“I’d have been a friend”
“But I don’t want to just be a friend”
“Looks like you’ll have to get use to it…they’re engaged now
whether you like it or not”
“Ben frowned “Yeah well some engagements can be broken”
“Ben don’t do this to yourself…she’s made her choice now you
have to move on”
“Listen to who’s giving out advice…have you moved on?”
“That’s different”
“How is it…look at you Mark you can’t even function
properly”?
“Well excuse me if I find almost being murdered hard to deal
with!”
“Sorry…sorry…sorry…I’m just hurt and angry I didn’t mean to
take my temper out on you” Mark nodded knowingly as the lounge door opened and
in walked Jasmine “Hey babe…you okay?” she said as she kissed Mark on the lips
“Hey Ben how’s things?” she added as she removed her coat both young men
exchanged glances “Fine Jasmine” he replied as he watched her place a hand on
Mark’s hair “Have you eaten?” he shook his head “Ma-ark…you know what the
Doctor said” he let out a deep sigh “I’ll make you some soup…Ben d’you want
anything to eat?” she called from the kitchen “Err…no” he called back “Do you
think she heard anything?” he whispered looking frantic Mark shrugged “I don’t
think so” he tried to reassure “I better go…I’ll call round tomorrow…when does
the case start?” Mark let out a deep breath “10am…I’m first to take the stand
which will be fucking wonderful” Jasmine came back with a bowl of chicken soup
“You’ll be okay…listen I’m coming with you” she said Mark smiled gratefully for
some unknown reason Jasmine was being so attentive “You’ll be okay mate” Ben tried to reassure as he left.
~**~
Sara sat on the
sofa next to her mother watching her favourite film of all time ‘Pretty
Woman’ for the first few days after she’d returned from London she had been
ecstatically happy but now she was looking depressed “Are you sure you want to
be engaged…I mean Chris did spring it on you when you weren’t quite your usual
self” she glanced at her mother “Yes I like Chris mum” she almost shouted her
mother placed an arm around her “You may be eighteen but you’re still my little
girl and I can still tell when something is wrong” Sara almost burst into tears
“Something else happened in London…something which had nothing to do with
Isobel…it’s Ben isn’t it?” Sara straightened up. She never could hide anything from her “Do you have feelings for
him?” her mother asked bluntly “I…err…don’t know…oh Mum it’s all a mess…you’re
right something did happen between Ben and I in London” her mother smiled “You
slept with him didn’t you?” Sara felt a little embarrassed at the thought of
her mother knowing “It was only one night and it hasn’t happened since” she
begun to explain “But you wouldn’t mind if it did happen again?” Sara’s eyes
widened “Mu-um!” she ground out “Old I may be but I was your age once” Sara
smiled
“I think your heart lies with Ben…and you agreed to Marry
Chris out of guilt…if that’s the case then you have to tell Chris everything”
Sara begun to protest “No I like Chris” her mother stared at her “Like?” Sara
frowned “Not Love?” tears begun to well up in her eyes “I have to tell him
don’t I?” her mother nodded “Yes darling…you have to tell him”
She reached over and embraced the woman she’d called Mum all
these years “I love you” she said her mother’s eyes begun to water “I know you
do” she whispered tearfully as she hugged her close.