Chapter 10
"Can I...erm...can I have a word?" Charity asks hesitantly, looking down at her hand as she picks at a non-existent splinter in the wood of the table Vanessa and Ruth are sat at.
"I'm a bit busy" gesturing between herself and Ruth "maybe later yeah?" Rudely dismissive
"Not with you. I wanted to speak to Ruth"
Vanessa stares at Charity like she's got two heads
"Don't be ridiculous! What, you want to threaten her to keep her hands off your fiancée? Newsflash Charity, not your fiancée! You don't get any say in my relationships!"
Charity sighs. "I know that. I just want speak to her."
"No. Just grow up, and leave us alone!"
Charity slinks back behind the bar defeated and spends the next hour trying but failing to keep her eyes from wandering to Vanessa and Ruth's table.
Eventually, Vanessa leaves to get back to the vets for her next appointment whilst Ruth stays to finish the rest of her pint before heading to the bar to settle up.
"Everything okay with your lunch?" Charity asks half-heartedly
"It was fine thanks, apart from the unwanted interruption" she looks at Charity pointedly
There's a pause..
"Vanessa's amazing" Charity blurts out rather incongruously
Ruth is quite obviously puzzled by the sudden outburst but eventually responds
"She is"
"Right." She looks down and draws in a deep breath. "And she deserves to be happy and to be treated right"
"Like she was with you?" She retorts sarcastically
Tears spring to her eyes at the reminder and she feels herself begin to crumble but determines to get through what she wants to say.
"I messed up. Massively. I've made a lot of mistakes in my car crash of a life but losing Ness was the worst mistake of all of them. So if....so if you're serious about Ness then just make sure you don't make the same mistake I did. Because, trust me, you'll regret it every day for the rest of your life."
"Okay.." slightly unnerved
"I don't deserve someone as good as Vanessa, I know that, but...." she hesitates, wondering whether she's crossing a line but ploughing on anyway...."I'll never stop loving her and being grateful for what she brought to my life. So just....don't take her for granted. And don't hurt her." She pauses for a second "Or I'll set my family on you" she says semi-jokingly trying to lighten the moment
"Right. Can I just pay for lunch please?"
"Yeah, course" she mumbles embarrassedly taking the proffered money
"Keep the change" clearly just wanting to get away from Charity as quickly as possible
Charity heads to the till, closing it once she's finished and tipping her face to the ceiling letting out a big sigh
'So, I just had the strangest conversation with your ex..' Ruth texts Vanessa as soon as she gets outside