Chapter Text
"Hey Ry!" Carla smiled as she walked through the door.
"I hope you're hungry, dinners almost ready!" he smiled, chucking the tea towel down and walking around from behind the worktop.
He wrapped his arms around his aunt, pulling her into a hug.
He heard her wince ever so slightly and pulled back, looking at her with a concerned frown "You ok?"
Carla looked at him "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Someone just bumped into me outside the flat and sent me to the ground. I knew I'd grazed my hands but I didn't think I hurt anywhere else."
"Did you get a look at them?"
Carla shook her head "No, it was dark and they had their hood up so I couldn't see their face."
Ryan nodded "Come on, go sit down, I'll pour you a wine and then I'll take a look at your hands"
Carla scoffed "It's a few scratches Ryan, I'm sure Ill be fine with a quick hand wash!"
"Ok, well, a few scratches or not, just humour me!" he grinned, signalling with his hand towards the sofa.
She looked at him, before sighing in defeat...not that she had the energy to put up much of a fight "Fine..." she sighed out, hanging her bag on the back of the chair and taking off her coat, hanging it on top, before making her way over and sinking down onto the sofa.
She closed her eyes, listening to her nephew pouring her a glass of wine.
As he made his way over, she slowly sat up, reaching up and taking the glass from his hand as he sat beside her.
"Cheers Ry" she grinned "that bowl of water for you is it? I'm glad I went for wine!"
"Haha, very funny!...So, give 'em here, let's take a look"
She rolled her eyes, but let Ryan look at each hand in turn, before he bathed them, cleaning them up, making sure he did it with care.
"My very own Florence Nightingale!" Carla mocked affectionately.
Ryan put the bowl down on the table "Your welcome!" he scoffed indignantly, before sitting back, a grin on his face.
"So, how was Ireland? How's your mam?" Carla asked genuinely, taking a sip of her wine.
"Yeah, it was good. Nice to see everyone again ya know..."
Carla nodded.
"Mam's fine, she sends her love, obviously and told me to tell you to get your butt over there when you have a moment in your busy schedule! Her words, not mine obvs!" he grinned.
"Sometimes I wonder why I actually miss her!" Carla let out a laugh before taking another sip of wine.
"Anyway, enough about me, what's been going on with you?"
Carla narrowed her eyes. The way Ryan's voice went up an octave as he raised his brows at her, made her think that he was asking a question that he already had the answer too.
"Nice try Ryan!"
"What?" he smirked.
"Who told you?"
Ryan let out a laugh "That obvious am I!?"
"Irritatingly so!" Carla replied, taking another sip of her wine "so go on then, who was it?"
"Sean. He messaged me about ten minutes before you got here asking if it was true what Sal was saying about you and Lisa!" he grinned, wiggling his brows at her.
"Stop that Ryan, you know I hate that!" she rolled her eyes, letting out a sigh as she leaned back into the sofa.
"So, come on then..." he pat her knee affectionately "tell me everything!" his eyes widened "well, obviously, you know...not everything..."
"Just stop digging, Ryan"
"Noted!" he nodded, a cheeky glint in his eyes.
Thinking of Lisa, Carla couldn't hold back the smile that crept across her face.
Ryan noticed the shift in her instantly and leaned in, giving her a little nudge "Oh dear...you've got it bad for our resident detective haven't you"
Carla didn't even have the energy to deny it...and, more importantly, she didn't want to deny it.
She looked at Ryan "I do..." she almost whispered "I haven't felt this way about anyone in such a long time Ryan. She makes me happy...really happy. I sometimes wonder if it's too good to be true."
"What do you mean?"
Carla sighed "Oh I dunno, I'm being ridiculous I know but, look at all my past relationships, they ain't exactly worked out have they and, I'm just scared of the same thing happening with Lisa..."
"Carla...only you could be this sinicle less than a month into a new relationship!" he laughed affectionately "Look, you like her right...a lot?"
"I more than like her Ryan...I love her..." she sighed.
Ryan nodded "And I take it she feels the same way about you?"
Carla nodded.
"Then focus on that...not the other stuff and not the past" he smiled kindly "besides, you've never been with a woman before, you may have a bit more luck holding onto this relationship!"
He let out a laugh as Carla smacked him playfully around the head.
"Are you planning on dishing up this dinner anytime soon or are you just gonna cremate it!?" she raised her brows, diverting the subject.
Ryan's eyes widened and he jumped up quickly, running over to the oven to check on the dinner.
Carla didn't look over, she just listened to Ryan mumbling swear words to himself, before the smell of overcooked food hit her nostrils and the sound of the fire alarm pierced the quiet.
She finally turned her head to look at him, shaking her head, unable to hold in a laugh "Well, I guess takeaway or freezer dinner it is then!"
...
"Morning sleepyhead"
Ryan looked up from behind the kitchenette worktop, hearing his aunt groan from across the room on the sofa.
Carla had fallen asleep halfway through the film they had decided to put on and he hadn't had the heart to wake her. He had gently placed a cushion under her head and covered her with the fleece throw from the back of the sofa.
Carla sat up, pushing the throw off her "I can't believe you left me to sleep on the sofa...that's gonna do wonders for my back that!" she huffed, stretching and rubbing the base of her spine.
"Thankyou for putting a cushion under my head and covering me with the throw Ryan!" he mumbled sarcastically, shoving a spoonful of cereal into his mouth.
"Thankyou for giving me a jipped back and a crick in the neck Ryan!" Carla retorted, equally sarcastically "my room is literally twenty steps away!"
"Wow, didn't we wake up on the wrong side of the sofa this morning!" Ryan scoffed, trying but failing to hide the amusement that spread across his face.
Carla rolled her eyes as she stood. She walked over to where she had flung her coat over the back of the chair last night to retrieve her phone.
Three missed calls and two messages from Lisa. 'damnit', she thought to herself, sighing out loud.
"Everything ok?"
"Its Lisa. Three missed calls and two texts. I told her Id call her last night to let her know I was ok before I went to bed and, obviously I didn't did I"
Ryan raised his brows, shoving another spoonful of cereal in his mouth.
"I need a shower before I do anything. Waking up in yesterday's clothes isn't it!" she half scoffed, half laughed as she made her way towards the bathroom "coffee would be nice when I come back 'ey!" she called out over her shoulder, before the door slammed shut.
...
Feeling refreshed and now more put together, Carla emerged from her room, caught a little off guard by the site of Lisa, sat on the arm of the sofa, staring straight back at her.
The blonde narrowed one eye and folded her arms across her chest "What happened to my phonecall Mrs?...you don't call, you don't text. I was worried about you."
Lisa's voice wasn't angry, it was soft and filled with concern.
Carla immediately softened, walking towards Lisa, who stood to meet her, her arms now falling to her sides, Carla reaching out her hands and taking the blondes hands in her own.
"I'm so sorry Lis. Me and Ryan ended up watching a film and I crashed out on the sofa. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you worry over me"
Carla smiled warmly at the blonde, leaning in and capturing her lips in a soft kiss.
"Moods improved after your shower then!?" Ryan scoffed.
"Are you still here?" Carla replied, not looking back.
"She's been a right mardy cow with me since she woke up" Ryan smirked at Lisa, who tried to hold back her grin, failing miserably.
Carla shook her head "Don't you encourage him!" she shot Lisa a look, but she couldn't help the smile that danced faintly across her lips.
"I wouldn't dream of it" Lisa half chuckled lightly "anyway..." she continued, pulling Carla into her and wrapping her arms around her waist "I also came to ask you if you were free later?"
Carla smiled "I could be, for the right person" she leaned in, placing another lingering kiss to Lisa's lips "what did you have in mind?"
"I thought maybe we could head into town, grab some dinner and see what's on at the cinema?"
"That's so nineties!" Carla laughed.
"I think what you meant to say was 'sounds like a lovely idea Lisa. Your so romantic!' " Lisa chuckled.
"Sounds like a lovely idea Lisa, your SO romantic!" Carla's reply dripped with sarcasm and received an eye roll from the blonde.
Carla reached up and cupped Lisa's cheek in her palm, gazing into her eyes "Aslong as I'm with you, I don't care what we do" she smiled, her voice filled with affection.
Lisa smiled as she gazed back at her, biting at her bottom lip as she moved in, kissing the brunette long and deep, before pulling back "I'll pick you up tonight. Six thirty ok?"
"Perfect" Carla smiled, leaning in for one last kiss, before Lisa made to move.
As the door closed behind her, Carla turned to see Ryan leaning up against the refrigerator, arms folded, a large grin on his face.
"What Ryan?"
"Nothing. Just...your totally smitten with her! The blonde detective has managed to melt the ice queens heart" he joked playfully and this time, Carla couldn't help but smile.
"You know what Ry...she most certainly has. She's good for me Ryan."
Ryan walked over to her, pulling her into a hug "I think she is too..."...