Summary - Marjorie takes Siobhan to a bar.
Siobhan really was breaking Marjorie's heart. Everyone had assumed that once she'd left Roger, she'd start to heal. During the nursery takeover, it had been her last minute vote that had decided his fate. She'd been given the opportunity to take everything from him, just as he'd done to her. As soon as that was over however, Siobhan had finally collapsed under the weight of everything she'd been through.
Marjorie was one of very few people that Siobhan seemed to genuinely trust. She'd developed a friendship with Viv, a parent from the nursery and Marjorie could tell that the connection was good for the blond. Through Siobhan, Marjorie and Viv had formed somewhat of a bond as they attempted to help their mutual friend. They would text each other when they were worried about Siobhan and they'd arrange between themselves who was going to check on her and when. On one occasion, Marjorie had asked Reece to check in on the blond, when both she and Viv had been unable to. Later that evening, he'd told Marjorie that Siobhan had clearly been unsettled being alone with him. "She only wants you gorgeous. She doesn't feel comfortable with me" he'd sounded so dejected. He knew it was nothing personal, he was twice Siobhan's size, not to mention he was the son of the man who'd tried to destroy her.
It was finally Friday and Marjorie was feeling excited. At the beginning of the week, she'd made plans with Siobhan, convincing her that a Friday bar session was in order. Reece had agreed to drop them off and Marjorie was planning to have a good chat with the blond over their cocktails. Her main objective was to make Siobhan smile, her smile was so beautiful but it was so devastatingly rare.
Once they'd acquired their first drinks, Marjorie ushered Siobhan into a booth before gently placing her hand on her lower back. "How are you my love? You know you can talk to me about anything, don't you?" The blond nodded and said "I know. I'm sorry, I have so many thoughts swirling around in my head and sometimes, all I can hear is his voice." She sighed before adding "I just feel like I'll always be struggling. When he was hurting me, I thought I'd never escape. Now that I have, I don't understand why I can still feel his hands on my body or hear him calling me names."
Marjorie was surprised, Siobhan was stubborn and it was rare for her to be so open. The nursery manager was so unbelievably proud of her friend, so she rubbed her back a little and reassured her "it takes time to heal, you're doing so well. It won't be like this forever, one step at a time, that's all you need to focus on." The pair chatted for a little while and after a couple more cocktails, Marjorie could tell that Siobhan was finally starting to relax. She turned to the blond and asked "how's Viv? I've not seen her for a couple of days."
It didn't escape Marjorie's notice that Siobhan's eyes lit up as soon as Viv was mentioned. Recently, she'd had a sneaking suspicion that Siobhan's feelings towards the nurse were more than just platonic, but considering Siobhan's past she couldn't be sure. Viv clearly adored the blond, it was obvious by the way that she held her so gently and consistently dropped anything and everything to be by her side. Siobhan smiled ever so slightly and replied "she's ok, I saw her last night. She brought me some dinner so me, her and Jamie had it together and watched a film." Marjorie so desperately wanted to ask Siobhan how she really felt and if she could see herself being with Viv, it could be so perfect for them both. She wasn't feeling quite that brave however so she sipped her drink instead.
A couple of hours later Marjorie caught Siobhan's hand in hers and asked her to dance. As she led the blond out onto the floor and span her around, she was pleased to see Siobhan laugh just a little. As the two women moved together, Marjorie noticed that the blond was actually a beautiful dancer. Apparently she was hiding snake like hips behind her usually rigid posture which surprised Marjorie slightly. They danced together for over half an hour, until Siobhan told Marjorie that she was hungry. It was late, so the nursery manager suggested wandering just down the road to a takeaway, then she'd call Reece to pick them up.
The two women fell out of the bar giggling to themselves and holding hands. Once the air hit them, the cocktails they'd consumed took full effect. Marjorie stumbled forwards a little bit, causing Siobhan to grab her waist to prevent her from falling. She pulled Marjorie over to the wall and encouraged her to lean against it. "Reece is going to be so unamused, I'm so drunk." Marjorie was giggling to herself again. "Reece won't mind, he loves you. He's lucky to have you" Siobhan was babbling, which was unusual for her. Marjorie beamed and asked "aw do you think so?" causing Siobhan to roll her eyes. "Of course Marjorie, you're so loving and caring. Plus, you're so attractive, he's punching a bit with you if you ask me."
It took Siobhan several seconds to realise what she'd just said, but as soon as she did, she placed her hand over her own mouth in shock. When Marjorie wrapped her arms around her waist, she looked up and into her friend's eyes, surprised. "Siobhan, I hope you know that you're very attractive too. A lot of people think so." Marjorie raised her eyebrows suggestively and kissed Siobhan on the lips. It was only for a second and as she let go of Siobhan and stumbled off towards the takeaway, the blond smiled to herself. She watched perplexed, as Marjorie threw her hands up into the air and yelled "I KNEW IT!"
