Get Ready For It - A Gary Barlow FF

Chapter 48

***2 days later (Wednesday)***

I'm upstairs packing a few bits of clothes into the suitcases when I hear the front door close.

''Gary?!''

''Up here!''

The sound of heels being kicked off and tired footsteps coming up the stairs eventually turn in to a very tired looking and slightly upset looking Sophie.

''Hey. What's wrong?'' I ask her, concern lacing the words as they fall from my lips.

When I don't get a response, I drop what I'm doing and I'm at her side in a matter of seconds. My hands wrap themselves around her cheeks, lifting her face so that her eyes meet mine. They're glazed over with a layer of water and I can see that she is fighting back the tears hard.

''Hey. No tears, sweetie. No tears, yeah?'' I whisper to her as I wrap my arms around her and pull her close to my chest, keeping her safe and secure against my body.

I feel her shiver slightly, so I run my hands down her arms and then across her back, trying to get as much warmth into her bones as I can.

''Sorry. I just..I was giv-''

''No need to apologize, baby. You never need to apologize for being upset. Never ever!''

The words come out firmly but in a sensitive manner to which she simply nods her head before snuggling into my body even more so. I hold her for a few more minutes until I know she has calmed down a little bit.

''Wanna tell me what happened?'' I ask her softly.

''I was given a child abuse case today. You should have seen the pictures, Gary. Little boy bruised all over. It was horrible''

I feel her shudder in my arms and my eyes widen in horror at her words. How can someone who has been so lucky to have children do that to their own flesh and blood? There are some truly sick and horrible-minded people out there. I hold her close to me for another few minutes, rocking her gently from side to side. I know that deep down she is a strong girl, so this must have been a brutal case for it to get to her like this. An idea springs to my mind then, and a smile forms on my face. Planting kiss in her hair, I pull away from her slightly.

''How about we get into our comfy clothes, order a Chinese and then you let me run you a bath later? How does that sound, babe? You fancy that?''

She simply nods her head against my chest.

''Okay. Why don't you get changed out of your work clothes? Then I will ring the takeaway and get it delivered and then we watch some TV with dinner and then I'll run you a bath later, yeah?''

''Sounds great, Gary. I would love nothing more than that''

She reaches up on her tippy-toes and kisses me softly on the lips before sliding past me to change her clothes.

*****

''Thanks, mate. Keep the change'' I say to the delivery guy and then close the door behind me.

''Babe?! Food is here. Will you bring the wine in from the kitchen?'' I call out to Sophie as she pads down the stairs in a pair of my jogging bottoms and a baggy t-shirt.

''Even in scruffy clothes you still manage to look gorgeous, babe. It's so not fair!'' I pout at her as she joins me in the lounge with the wine and 2 glasses.

Playfully, she scoffs at me.

''Says the man who manages to look so good all of the time that the entire nation of women would jump on you in a heartbeat!'' she says to me playfully, nudging me in the ribs gently.

''Maybe, but there is only one girl in the world that I want to jump me''

I wink at her as I sit down on the sofa and she immediately flushes a bright shade of crimson.

''You fucker! You always know the right thing to say, Gary. Bastard!''

We both erupt in a fit of giggles as we dish out the food and flick on the telly to watch the latest episode of our newest addiction, House Of Cards.

*****

3 episodes and nearly 2 bottles of red wine later, we are both still reveling in the post-Chinese food coma that comes with over-indulging in food.

''What a season this is so far, eh?'' Sophie looks at me wide-eyed as she nibbles on the remaining prawn crackers that lay littered across the bag on the table in front of us.

''Absolutely. Kevin Spacey is amazing!''

''He's quite good looking also'' she winks at me, which makes me sarcastically gasp back at her.

''You think so? He is a good looking bloke in fairness to him. Always had a little on Robin Wright myself anyway. Even back in the 90s!'' I say shrugging my shoulders at her.

''I can imagine why. She is stunning. If I look half as good as her at that age then I will consider myself a lucky girl''

Now it's my turn to genuinely look at her confused.

''What?'' she asks me as if I have 3 heads.

''You will never look like her, Sophie'' I say softly.

Her face drops immediately and she recoils slightly when the words register in her ears.

''Because you will be 10 times as beautiful as she will ever be'' I say to her, picking myself up from the couch and taking her hand in mine.

''Stop it, Gary. Making me blush'' she says to me slightly embarrassed.

She goes to pull away but I grab her hand and pull her closer to me so that she is next to me on the couch.

''I love you so much, Sophie. You are the love of my life''

The words tumble from my lips and before she can even open her mouth to respond to them, I have pulled her towards me even more and latched my mouth on to hers. No need for raw passion; tongues clashing and overexertion on this kiss. Just lips. Just her lips and mine. It's filled with love this kiss is. Love and fire and adoration for the other person.

We break away from the kiss panting slightly. I pull her head against my chest once more and lay back into the cushions for a few minutes, raking my fingers gently through her hair as I do so, planting a kiss in her hair every now and then.

''Fancy that bath then, yeah?''

''Sounds perfect, Gary. I would love a good soak in the bubbles''