Shit happens ✧ *:✧･ﾟ* Skins gen 2 • James Cook • Effy Stonem • Freddie McClair

Season 3 - 1.

India.

I navigated through the thriving, vibrant streets of London, observing the in-a-rush people strut by like they do in the films. I stood out like a sore thumb, obviously not from around here. I took my time walking to the Café I was headed, steering around expensive-looking men with briefcases who pompously strode by as if they didn't have to look, because everyone should know not to get in their way. I scoffed as a man bumped into me, causing my coffee to explode all over my hand and down my skirt. "For fucks sake." I hissed.
The man scowled and slammed a £20 note into my pocket before walking off with a stern look upon his face.

I was meeting a grieving girlfriend In a café for an article I was working on, and I wasn't sure I'd make a good impression with a huge coffee stain on my clothes. I'm a journalist. I wrote about my loss of Effy and submitted it to an online forum, someone who worked for a newspaper found it and demanded I become a journalist for them. However, I'm underpaid and overworked, I hate it - but it pays.

A bell rang as I pushed the door open to the café and stepped in, the smell of warm, sweet pastry invading my sense of smell. I buy myself a cinnamon swirl and a hot chocolate before slipping into a chair by the window and pulling out my laptop.
"India Jones?" A sad looking lady said as I took a huge bite of my cinnamon roll.
I spluttered random words awkwardly with a vast mouthful of roll in my mouth, embarrassed. The sad-looking lady tilted her head slightly at me so I signalled for her to take a seat as I swallowed my food and awkwardly took at sip of my hot chocolate as if to relieve my embarrassment.
"Sorry." I said.
She smiled knowingly.
"You look quite young for a journalist." She nodded.
"Yep, I'm 20." I said, whipping out a notebook and pen.
"So, you're Penny Roland right?" I said.
She nodded.
"I'm sorry for your loss Penny, are you still open to me asking you questions about your boyfriend, Cole?" I said, as gently as possible.
Penny nodded again.
"So, tell me what happened the night he disappeared?" I said, ticking off the question and getting ready to type.
"So, I came back from work last thursday....." She spoke, but I wasn't listening. My eyes were transfixed on the figure that had just walked in.
It couldn't be.
I blinked and blinked again, thinking it was a mistake.
I watched as he walked in and squinted his eyes at the chalk-written menu and shook his head before turning to walk out.
"Erm, aren't you going to write this all down?" Penny asked.
I looked to Penny for a moment but switched back to the figure who had pulled the door back open and left the Café.
"I'm so sorry Penny, can you do this interview over the phone tomorrow?" I spluttered, gathering my things and shoving them in my bag, not bothering to.
I didn't listen for her reply, I left my cinnamon roll and hot chocolate at the table, heading for the door in a flash. The door was as heavy as ever as I yanked on it, a man who was on the other side opened it for me, but I pushed past him and darted for the figure.

"Cook!" I shouted.
He didn't hear me. I watched as he walked up the road and turned a corner. I moved my feet as fast as I possibly could in heels, trying to catch up with him.
I noticed he had headphones on so wouldn't hear me shouting his name. I was willing to follow him until I could finally catch up.
A couple minutes later he turned into an alley.
I halted immediately. Peering around to catch a view and see if it really was him. It was.
My heart pounded as if it was a lion pouncing out of my chest to catch its prey. I was trying to catch my breath desperately. He handed the man a small package out of his pocket and the man slipped something into his hand in return. They shook hands before the man walked off, leaving cook In the alley looking at what was put into his hand. I hesitated a moment. I didn't know wether to walk up to him or not, why would he want to see me after coming up to 3 years?
I swallowed and pulled my coat over me like a comfort blanket and strolled towards him.

"Cook?" I said nervously, standing behind him. I swallowed hard as he turned to face me.
He furrowed his eye brows and looked at me in disbelief.
"I-India?" He questioned.
I nodded slowly.
"It's me." I smiled weakly.
He pursed his lips and quickly pulled a cigarette out of his pocket, offering one to me, I took it hesitantly.
"Didn't strike you as the type to live in the big city." He stated looking at me very carefully, passing me a lighter as he lit his cigarette and took a puff.
"I don't, I live in hotels all over place, I'm here to interview someone..." I spoke.
I looked into his face, he was still very much handsome, but his eyes were slightly dimmer than before, he had a cut above his eyebrow and his face was more hollow.
"I live in Bristol, moved last month from Manchester, also here on business." He stated.
"Drug dealing?" I asked.
"Yeah, here and there...how do you know?"
"Just saw." I replied, puffing my cigarette.
He just blinked at blew out smoke, his face looked as though he couldn't believe I was actually stood before him.
I swallowed.
We began walking and talking.
"What you doing then?" He asked.
"A journalist, I hate it - but it pays." I stated.
"Right, I always thought you'd be an actress or something." He chuckled.
I chuckled too, but with pain behind it - reminiscent of the better days when I had both him and Effy. I was praying he didn't bring her up.
"Yeah, I'd be a great actress." I smiled, I've had experience from acting like everything is okay.
I've always wondered what I'd say if I ever saw Cook again. What am I supposed to say?
"Got a boyfriend?" He asked.
"Broke-up last month, cheated on me." I lied.
He didn't say anything for a while, we just walked with no destination in mind.
After a while I felt my heart fill with an emotion I couldn't explain.
"Should I go?" I said coming to a pause.
He blinked.
"I want to say no...but I can't." He said.
I looked away as I batted my eyelashes to chase away salty drops that were forming in my eyes.
"I can't seem to find the one." He muttered, a pained look on his face.
It was now getting dark because it was winter. A sharp, cold breeze cut across my face.
"Cook, I'm sorry." I whispered, out of no where.
"I don't know what spell you put on me but I want you to make it stop, could you do that for me? I want to move on" He said, stepping closer to me.
I searched through his darkened eyes, I knew he'd been through shit.
"I shouldn't have pushed you away, I've loved you all this time t-"
"You fucking liar! you had a boyfriend!" He laughed.
"No it wasn't like that, I lied, I was in a relationship for about three months but I broke it off because I couldn't love him properly because...you were all I could think about." I sobbed.
He stood froze to the spot.
I carried on. "I regretted breaking up with you, I really did, I looked for you in Bristol, but you'd gone, so I left and I've never been able to settle down anywhere since...please listen Cook!" I said, as he looked away and scratched his head in frustration.
"I thought you wouldn't want me round you, so I went, didn't feel like being a burden to you." He muttered, not able to look at me.
"Can I be in your life again, friends?...please." I sobbed as people walked past us and the city of London operated around us.
He couldn't look at me. For a second I thought he was going to walk away.
"James?" I whispered.
"Okay." He said barely audible.
"What?" I said, unsure of if I heard him right.
"Okay." He repeated, louder.
Without thinking I launched myself towards him and wrapped my arms around him as I sobbed into his shoulder.

He drove me to my hotel. The journey was silent. He walked me up to my room.
"So..." I said, turning to face him.
"This you?" He said, nodding at the door to the room.
"Yep." I smiled.
"Well, goodnight." He said, turning to walk off.
"Wait, how are you going to get in contact with me?" I asked.
"I'll come here tomorrow." He smiled, turning again.
"Where you sleeping?" I asked.
"My car." He replied.
"Don't be silly, stop in here." I replied.
"Nah don't worry, I sleep in my car all the time." He said
"Please." I pleaded.
He nodded and stepped into the room as I opened the door.

He began to make a bed on the floor using the pillows from a sofa.
"Night." He said, lying down.
"Oh... goodnight." I said, turning off the lamp.
I lay awake for a couple of minutes.
"Cook?" I said.
"Mhm?"
"You can sleep up here." I said.
He stood up and clambered onto the bed.
The space between us felt like miles.
I knew we were both lying awake, starting at the ceiling, but I didn't know what to say.

A/N
What do you guys think??? ahhh. I live for India and Cook. 🤍.
The song too🥺 think the backing track reminds me of falling in the kind of love that's magic ahh.