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“ Hiya Jim mate thought that was you, you and him playing today are you ?”“ Oh high Steve , yes, yes we are, not for an hour or two yet, but John wanted to look at the bikes, you know him “ “ Thought I did “ Steve replied frostilly,” but hey who knew eh ?” “ How is she, been a few weeks now hasn't it ?” “ Almost two months, apart from work and days out with Mandy, she ain't left the bleeding house , with that and all the crying she does, I’d say she's not great, no in fact she's devastated actually, ta for asking “ “ Look Steve mate , if you're going to give him a going over can you do it when the gigs finished, I need him in one piece “ “ Why would I do that ?, not his fault he doesn't love her, I can't force him, it's his loss init ?”“ Ha that's a good one mate , as if you would need to force him ““ What you prattling on about ? ““ John loving Kayleigh “ “ What ?” “ He loves her alright , all he ever talks about is her, and how he buggered it up , he's madly in love with her”“ You sure, not just a show cause he feels guilty is it ? because of how they finished”.“Steve mate, I've known him since we were teenagers, I know him better than I know my own family, he loves her, and given the chance again he'd tell her that , believe me I'd know “ “ Is that so ? , well there's one way to find out”“ If it's torture can I watch ?.”“ You're an effing weird one Jim, definitely ““ Steve “ John said as he walked up “ John “ “ How are you, how's Mandy and the kids, Alfie still a tearaway is he , Chloe still at Beavers?” “ They're fine, thanks although as you can imagine Mandy despises you, and what you did “ “ Sorry “ John said looking down at his feet, “ it was never meant to end like that ““ Aren't you gonna ask John, too embarrassed or don't you give a shit ?" “ I'll leave you two to talk “ said Jim walking to the stage area. “ I'd prefer to imagine that she's okay, moving on “ said John “But in reality she's broken hearted , still loving you still crying over you , still missing you “ “ I miss her , so much , I think about her every day Steve, I tried to tell her but got no reply , kept getting voice mail, I took the hint so I gave up after a week. That's when I came to yours and had the barney with Mandy” “ What barney ?” “ I came to yours three times , I barged in the third time looking for her, Mandy and I had a frank exchange of views , Mandy said Kayleigh wasn't interested, and you'd sort me out , I've been expecting a visit since ““ Kayleigh was desperate to see you, she took a week off ill , Mandy never said you visited I, we, Kayleigh and me thought you didn't give a toss,” Steve replied.“ I was in bits Steve I thought I'd blown it completely, I tried calling and texting for ages, still do when it gets too much “ John suddenly seemed to slump forlornly. “ Mandy virtually forced her to stay with her dad, got her out of your way said it was for the best”. “ Then I heard she'd left work, that was it over, I had to lick my wounds and carry on , but it's not that easy I'm still hurting “ John sadly explained. “ So is she mate , so is she , look John I found out weeks later that Mandy blocked your number in Kayleigh’s phone, that's why you got no reply, she never got em , she still doesn't know how you feel ““ Bitch !”“ She can be, but you know how they defend each other , she must have thought she was doing right, even if she has buggered up two lives now “ “ How is she then, gloves off Steve, be honest ? ““ She doesn't go out apart from work, or with Mandy, still cries but pretends she doesn't, and keeps looking at that bloody Hagrid photo , plays a lot of Alanis too, which according to Mandy is her sad music, she's a bloody wreck to be honest” “ Tell her I said ……” “ Jim says you love her do you ?, I thought you did , and she certainly though you did , were we right , do ya ? “ “ Yes more than I ever thought possible “ John said looking Steve straight in the eye , “ Have done for ages now “ “ Yea well that's good , but I'm not the one who needs to hear it am ah? ““ No guess not “ “ When does this shite finish ?” “ Shite ?” “ This Vintage fest thing , when does it, or more precisely you and Jim finish ?”“ We finish at 3, why ?” “ Okay, here's the plan, you finish at 3, I drive you to yours , you get your car, drive to the new retail park , I give you the code for the barrier at the River Island carpark, you drive in and meet her, how does that sound? “ “ What would I say ?”“ Look John you've got till half 5 to think of something , I can get you in there , the rest is up to you, but sorry wouldn't go wrong, you up for it or not ?” “ I'm up for it ““ Good see you at three, and start thinking “ John held his hand out for Steve to shake. Steve instead pulled him into a man hug . “ Make it right buddy for Christ's sake “ said Steve. “ get her smiling again please “. “Bye bye” Kayleigh said as she left the staff room, she turned left , clocked out at the scanner, and dropped the smile, that was for work, she had nothing to smile about in her private life. A short walk to the bus stop, change for Bury, then a long lonely night thinking of what could have been, living her life as a bit part in someone else's. She opened the door and stepped into the cold, there was a little Red fiat there , just like his, just like John's, It WAS John's. “ Kayleigh love “ his voice made her jump, “ John “ she said turning to where he was standing, he stepped forward out of the shadow, a smile on his face, a tear in his eye.“ I've missed you so much, Kayleigh, I'm so so sorry, really so so sorry “ Some of Kayleigh's new colleagues had started to leave the building, and were surprised to see her, they couldn't help but wonder if this was her brother , friend or someone hitting on her, they hoped they'd find out soon before their lifts arrived. “ Why are you here ?, come to rub salt in the wound have ya, I thought you better than that John, I took the hint, I got out of your life, and I've stayed out “ she felt her knees start to shake. “ But I wanted you in, I needed you In my life, I texted you and left messages, voice mails the lot, I'm still doing it “ “ Liar , you did no such thing “ she said angrily .” I've not heard an effing thing from you”“ Honestly sweetheart I did, for days I sent messages and called you , please believe me “ he had moved closer now, close enough for her to smell that aftershave that she loved, close enough for her to see the pain in his eyes. “ Honestly sweetheart I really did, lots of them ““ Where did they go then eh ?” she was confused did he just call her sweetheart ?John could see the tears starting to form in her lovely eyes , she was looking at him, he hoped she wanted to believe him. “ Look at your phone, look at the blocked numbers , please Kayleigh look , you need to see “ “ I didn't block you “ she said checking her phone.” I would never have blocked you, I wanted you to…………, John watched as the realisation of what she was seeing suddenly hit her. She dropped her bag and put her hand to her mouth , John could see her shaking as she looked down at her phone. “ Oh oh my god John , I don't know what to say , I really thought it was over, we were through and you just didn't want me “ “ I wanted you so much darling, I was just too slow in telling you ,but I knew I wanted you from the first day I laid eyes on you, long before the car share.” “ Why didn't you let me know John, you could have told me, said something to me ?““ How about I say something now then eh? , something I should have said two months ago, in the car , remember ?” “ I'm not likely to forget that day in a hurry “ she said wiping her eyes but smiling. “ I love you Kayleigh, with all my heart and soul, and if you'll let me I'd like to share my life with you, from this moment on, let's start over eh?. I'm not right without you darling I never will be, I love you so much it hurts”“ I love you too, I honestly thought you didn't care John, say it to me again, let me hear it ““ I love you Kayleigh Kitson, and I promise I always will “ “ So do I Jonathan, I love you so,so much,”They held each other tight , whatever happened from now on, they knew they had a love like no other.