Rose dropped Abby off at Duncan’s farm, the gate leading to it. Muffin in tow. The girl loved stealing him to take there, not that Rose minded. He was getting the run of the countryside and socialising with Duncan’s two collies which were doing wonders for the little fur ball. He was far more sociable nowadays when she took him to town and still the love of all the old women. Muffin jumped all over Rose as she clipped on his little blue leash and handed him out to Abby at the side of the car.
‘I’ll see you tonight then?’ Rose beamed at her, watching the wriggling white ball get loose on the ground and start running around wildly, tail almost taking off with the excitement of being here. He recognised the drop-off point and knew where he was going.
‘Yup, I’ll get Dunky to drop us off at yours around eight.’ Abby leaned in and kissed Rose on the cheek, a usual farewell and turned on her heel. ‘Don’t forget the cakes!’ She waved Rose off as she moved her car off the curb, u-turned in the road and headed back towards town with a smile and wave. Yelling out the window.
‘I won’t forget, going there now.’ She turned away from Abby’s departing figure and turned on the stereo, summer tunes bringing her mood up a little.
She and Abby had plans tonight; Rob was working late and meant to meet a client for dinner. She wouldn’t see him until late, depending on when he finished, and he had been so busy the last few days.
* * *
Rose walked in on Rob and Morag unexpectedly in the bakery, unaware that he was even back in the village this afternoon after leaving for a city meeting. She hadn’t heard from him all day. Morag was clinging to him possessively, sending Rose into a dark mood. Jealousy ate into her bitterly, the shock of walking into him without any heads up that he was back and the fact that he was with her of all people.
Morag’s hands were wandering over his upper body. The seductive way she was leaning in to talk to him quietly and that look of unconcealed desire on her face for anyone to see sent Rose into an eternal rage. Having to endure watching them from across the room as she walked up behind them to queue was more than she could bear.
‘This looks cosy.’ She snapped angrily, not caring what the other woman would make of it, and only concerned with letting her so-called boyfriend see that she was pissed.
‘Rose.’ Rob turned and caught her eye, a smile with a frown that portrayed he was confused by her hostility.
Are you dense?
‘Who else?’ She grated, shoving her hands into her bag to find her purse and praying they would leave. She was beyond angry. She was inwardly seething and using her temper to keep tears at bay. She felt like screaming at him and maybe batting him around the head with anything to hand. She could feel his eyes on her, probably wondering where this had come from, but she didn’t care. That woman was still pawing him, and he was still allowing it.
‘I just got back, came in to get some cakes for Ab’s and you ... You know your movie night... Ran into Morag here.’ He was trying to explain without it being too obvious to Morag, and she seemed too lost in scanning the cake board even to realise the huge tension between them.
‘That’s what I’m here for.’ She said tightly, still avoiding his eyes and making it clear she wasn’t being appeased in the slightest. She lifted her brow and gazed directly at Morag’s hand on his chest, her hip nuzzled against him in a semi-snuggle, and Rob followed. Looking down, he frowned and pulled himself away from her in a slow step back.
‘If you’re getting them, then I don’t need to; just send Abby along with whatever you’re buying.’ She smiled sarcastically, turned on her heel and stormed out fast. She was sure for a moment that he would have the sense to follow her, but he didn’t. A glance back showed him looking her way but still firmly rooted to the spot she had left him, not looking like he intended to move. Rose swallowed the sob and stalked to her car in an almighty temper, tears hitting her cheeks before she even got out of the car park.
Driving back home, her phone lit up on the seat beside her, and despite still moving, she picked it up to look.
‘What the hell was that?’
It was Rob, and by the looks of things, he was pissed too. If he had no clue why she was upset over this, then he was a moron.
Flinging the phone down on the seat, she drove the rest of the way home stupidly fast and almost crashed into the opening of her cottage when she made a death-defying turn at too high a speed. Slamming the brakes on when she pulled up to her gate, stones scattering as she skidded to a halt.
‘For someone who is just a friend, you sure spend a lot of time cuddling up with her!’
Rose replied with blurry vision and nose running, sniffing hard as the tears fell fast and not giving one shit that she was acting like a crazed jealous psycho.
‘Are you really accusing me of fucking around with her? Of cheating on you?’
His response was fast, obviously pissed, and Rose had nothing more to say. She knew she was overreacting, but she couldn’t calm down. Any woman would feel this way in her shoes at seeing her man in the clawing hands of some snake-like woman he didn’t seem to want to get rid of.
She stared at her phone for a moment and then dropped it in her lap, unsure what to do. She was howling, angry, and upset and regretted starting this stupid fight. Her head was a chaos of doubts and insecurities caused by this damn infernal situation. It was destroying her sanity.
Her phone lit up and vibrated again. She looked down to see his name and picked it up to look.
‘Cancel Abby tonight. I’m coming over. We need to talk.’
Feeling that inner pride hit that stubborn side of her, she raised her chin and replied in impulse.
‘Sure, your redhead will allow you off your leash for that?’
Rose stared at her reply and cried some more, mentally wondering if she was about to get her period because this level of immaturity was not her, and her hormones had something to do with it.
‘’I’m coming now. You better meet me at the cottage!’
Rose hesitated, and all her anger dissipated, sudden trepidation in place of anger now and immediate fear that he was coming right now! She picked up her phone to tell him ‘No’, but something stopped her. As upset as she was, she wanted him to come. To get him away from that woman and just... She had no idea. She was too overwrought to think straight and couldn’t get her head in gear.
Moving fast, she grabbed her phone and bag, wiped her face quickly and dived from her car. Hoping to get in the cottage before he appeared and try to look less hysterical. She swept inside as she heard the rev of a familiar sporty engine heading up the gravel driveway and moved faster, pulling the door shut behind her and heading straight for the kitchen.
He didn’t knock when he got to her door, just barged in, calling on her and wandered through at speed, obviously intent on finding her. She was by the cooker, trying to steady her nerves and make herself busy by wiping countertops and moving canisters for no real reason. Spotting her, he caught her shoulder and spun her to him, caging her against the counter with a hand thrust at either side of her so they were nose to nose. She inhaled sharply with the anger in those steely eyes.
‘What the fuck was that?’ He snapped at her, no love or warmth in that face right now. Rose jutted her chin up, not afraid to meet his glare.
‘You tell me... How would you feel if I was canoodling with someone ... say, Matt ... In the bakery like that!’ She jibed, sarcasm thick and eyes still streaming tears.
‘Don’t do that! You know it’s not the fucking same. Nothing was going on... What the hell has gotten into you today?’ He slammed his hand on the counter as he pushed off, putting space between them and turned his back on her.
‘I hate that you let her paw all over you like that. You have no idea how it makes me feel.’ She blurted out emotionally, wiping her tears on her naked wrist, but it was futile.
‘I would never do anything. She’s harmless... It means nothing, no different to hugging Abby or Alice or any female I know that I care about.’
‘You never had sex or a relationship with Abby or Alice!’ Rose snapped, fury coming from low down and angst that he couldn’t see why this was different.
‘For the love of god... I should have stayed at the bakery or gone home. Instead of this bullshit. This wasn’t worth the drive over.’ Rob had spun to face her again, pushing his butt against the opposite counter and crossing his arms menacingly over his chest.
‘You’re saying I’m not worth it?’ She spat, tears subsiding to be replaced with irrational fury. Wounded by his inability to see why this bothered her. From what she had seen, Rob wasn't overly jealous, and even she knew he would have flipped out if roles were reversed.
‘Don’t put words in my mouth. You know that’s not what I said.’
He was pacing angrily, his body sending out sparks of rage across the room. The atmosphere was electric, with two strong forces sizzling in combat, neither able to back down.
‘I am pretty sure that’s what you meant, even though you didn’t word it that way.’ Rose sobbed, hating that they were fighting but still unable to stop, hating that he was making her this mad and hysterical.
‘Typical woman! Can’t just take anything at face value but has to twist its meaning, so she’s always the victim!’ He barked, once again pushing off from his standpoint and pacing across the room to slam things about the worktop.
‘Fuck you, Rob. I AM the victim in this. Do you think I enjoy keeping my mouth shut every time I see you canoodling with the woman you claim means nothing more to you than friendship? It sure as hell did not look that way to me.’ She wiped her face angrily, tears subsiding as rage became dominant. She was hurt by his behaviour and how he talked to her. Yelling at her!
‘Did I look like I was doing anything in return? Do you think I have the energy to fuck both of you, Rose? I spend most of my free time here with you. I’m pretty sure the amount of fucking we do is more than enough for any guy.’ He spun towards her, his eyes so dark they looked terrifying.
‘Is that what I am? Just someone to fuck? Someone to fill your free time?’ She baulked, only taking from it what her frayed emotions would allow. Rational or not.
‘For the love of god, woman! You’re fucking insane. You know that, right?’ He stormed out of the room, exasperated, throwing his hands up aggressively as though he wanted to strangle her and stalked into the lounge, trying to reel in his temper.
Rose gasped, open-mouthed disbelief that he would even say that to her...
Insane? Her? If anyone was insane, he was pointing the finger at the wrong bloody woman. She wasn’t the one snuggling up to her ex for fear that they would top themselves and allow the person they loved to be left out in the cold. Rose sniffed, a new wave of tears hitting her hard. She pulled open the door which led directly to the hall and stomped out, bypassing the lounge and heading straight for her front door, bawling her eyes out.
She stormed out of the cottage in tears, so fed up with the situation and that woman! Bruised by his words and her head was a swirling mass of every emotion going crazy.
Hearing the door slam, he came after her fast, catching hold before she reached the gate.
‘Woah, stop, Rose.’ He grasped her wrist and tried to pull her back to him. His anger was replaced with remorse and pleading. Regret at saying things in fury, at letting words tumble out without thinking.
‘Go away, leave me alone.’ She wrestled to get free, but he was all around her in an instant, pulling her body to his, trying to turn her face to meet his eyes.
‘Baby, I’m sorry. Rose, look at me. I’m sorry.’ He was panicking while she was howling, tangled and over-emotional in her front garden as the sun began to go down.
‘Fuck you.’ She croaked, losing her strength in his tight embrace and giving in as he pulled her face to his chest.
‘I love you.’ Was all he could say as the last ounces of fight in her dispersed, and he could finally, fully pull her into an embrace.
‘If you loved me, you would stop torturing me.’ She sobbed quietly, her arms snaking around him despite herself. Being weak when it came to him annoyed her on so many levels, but she couldn’t help it.
‘No more, I swear. I won’t let her touch me. I won’t touch her. If that’s what makes you believe there is nothing in this.’ He pressed his mouth to the top of her head, breathing warmly into her scalp, and she couldn’t fight it anymore. Couldn’t stay angry when all she wanted was to let him pull her inside and curl up to forget all of this.
‘I don’t know how much more of this I can endure’ She stifled more tears, her voice shaky and her heart aching. The way things were, it seemed to be getting harder for her. Something had to give.
‘I’ll tell her... About you. About us. Soon. I swear.’ His voice broke with emotion that matched hers, and she felt his body tension begin to slide away. Picking her up in his arms and holding her close so he could look her in the eye. ‘I won’t keep putting you through this.’ He leaned in softly and captured her mouth, kissing her slowly at first and then dropping her feet gently so he could use his hands to tilt her jaw and kiss her passionately, heat building between them fast. Even more so than normal. He kissed her hard and deep, tongues met, and throats groaned, lost in each other until fever pitched so high he dragged her inside and peeled her clothes off frantically.
After they made love, he cradled her close, listening to the sound of her breathing, her head against his chest. She was lulled into silence by the steady rhythm of his heart. Both were lost in thought and pondering the last few hours with a sense of foreboding.
Rob was becoming increasingly agitated; she could tell, although he tried to hide it, it was obvious the growing tension was clawing away at both of them if today was anything to go by. Lately, things had seemed strained, always an underlying atmosphere around them, and it was starting to break Rose’s heart. She knew this was tainting what they had, and she wasn’t sure anymore if they would get through this.