Hello! Welcome to my new story! This is set during Charlie and Angelo's last break up, when he oh-so-romantically stalked her. *offers a disgusted expression*. It's based on the question... what if Charlie hadn't been seeing a counsellor? What if she was seeing someone else? The first chapter is all from Angelo's perspective and then in the following chapters, we'll find out exactly what mysterious Charlie has been up to. I hope you like it! Feedback always appreciated! Love, IJKS xx
Chapter One
Sergeant Angelo Rosetta stared at the closed door for a long time. He tapped his pen against his hand thoughtfully and sighed. His now ex-girlfriend, Leading Senior Constable Charlie Buckton had excused herself in order to answer a phone call. She'd taken a while to answer and just stared at her mobile as it rang. Then she'd stepped out of the room, returning only to grab her bag and tell him that she was going on her break, that it might run over and she'd make it up tonight. Then she was gone. Just like that. And Angelo couldn't keep from wondering where she'd gone to. Charlie had never been the most open of people. It was a part of her that he'd struggled to accept and knew she'd worked hard with right up until she'd dumped him. Still he wasn't entire sure how the break up had happened. One minute they'd been on holiday and then come home to the news that they were being promoted and he was allowed to stick around in Summer Bay. She'd been jealous of him being promoted above her but had eventually accepted it and apologised. And while he'd believed everything in his life was getting better and better and taken the step to ask her to move in together, she'd panicked. Then he'd come up with this theory about how she sabotaged all her relationships. He'd meant to challenge her, to make her see that she was pushing him away for no good reason. But she'd argued and then agreed and then broken his heart for what felt like the millionth time. At first he'd behaved like a child and ignored her and then when he'd healed his pride enough, he'd tried to make amends, only for Charlie to ignore him right back. Now they were trying out the friendship thing and he hoped that it might turn into more, although when he'd asked her out to dinner last week, she'd turned him down. While he was sure a reconciliation was on the cards, he didn't think it would be any time in the near future. He missed her. And now he desperately wanted to know what was keeping her away from the station this afternoon. Who had phoned? Why were they so important?
That evening, a dissatisfied Angelo headed down to the Surf Club to drown his sorrows. Alf Stewart, Summer Bay stalwart had become his confidante in all things Charlie and he was keener than ever to get his advice. Charlie had indeed returned back late from lunch. An hour late. He'd tried to engage her in conversation and ask her what she'd been up to but she'd shot him down and merely told him it was private. That hurt. Once upon a time, he had been part of her private life. They'd worked and played together and he had been so happy. But now it seemed like with every passing moment, Charlie was drifting further and further away from him.
"You look like you've got the weight of the world on your shoulders," Alf said as Angelo slumped onto a bar stool. "Let me guess. Charlie?"
Angelo sighed.
"As ever," he said.
"What's happened now?"
"She disappeared at lunch time," Angelo explained.
Alf feigned shock and horror.
"She got this phone call," he said. "And she just left and she didn't come back for ages."
"Mate, I know you don't want to hear this but..."
"Charlie and I aren't together anymore and it's none of my business what she does and who she talks to," Angelo concluded sadly.
Alf handed the beer over.
"I hate to say it but... yeah."
Angelo nodded but didn't feel any happier about things.
"I just miss her," he said. "And after... after she came back she looked... she looked so happy."
"Isn't it a good thing that she's happy?" Alf asked.
"Not if the person making her feel that way isn't me," Angelo said, not caring how selfish he sounded.
The following morning, Angelo sat alone in his office. He wasn't so much working as staring at Charlie's vacant chair. She was due in after lunch and he couldn't help but wonder what she was doing and who she was doing it with. He just couldn't shake the feeling that she was with someone else. Sighing, he forced himself to concentrate on what he was meant to be doing.
After lunch, Angelo ensured that he was at his desk for when Charlie arrived. She breezed into the office and said a cheerful hello.
"Hey," he replied. "Did you have a good morning?"
She smiled brightly.
"Yeah," she said. "Pretty good."
"What... uh... what did you get up to?"
Charlie busied herself with a pile of paperwork and shrugged.
"Nothing in particular," she said. "How about you?"
"Just... work," he said, unhappy not to have got anything out of her.
She nodded and continued with her work. Suddenly she stood up.
"I'm missing coffee," she said. "I need coffee for desk work. Do you want something?"
"Yeah," he said. "That'd be great. Thanks. Can I get a..."
"Latte," Charlie interrupted. "I do remember these things, you know."
She smiled cheerfully and headed out to the coffee machine she was so well acquainted with. Angelo sat back and stared after her. She was certainly in a better mood than usual and he couldn't quite feel happy about it. Suspicions over what she was getting up to outside of work were preying on his mind too much and making him suspicious.
It was early evening. Charlie looked up at Angelo and reminded him that his shift finished in a few minutes.
"I'm just going to stay and catch up on a few things," he told her, studying his computer screen.
"Okay," she nodded.
He turned to look at her, searching for any kind of reaction.
"I've not really got anything to go home to," he added.
She looked up sharply and he was sure he detected guilt or regret in her eyes. It passed quickly but it gave him a little bit of hope.
"What are you up to when you finish your shift?" he asked.
"Not much," she replied, getting back to work. "I don't finish till nine thirty so I'll probably just crash."
He kept looking at her, wondering if she was telling the truth. They both jumped when her phone beeped. She had a text message. Unashamedly, Angelo watched her pick the phone up. He watched her smile, ponder a response for a moment and then text back. She was still smiling. Feeling his eyes on her, she looked at him.
"Ruby," she said.
He nodded and returned to his work.
At nine thirty on the dot, Charlie packed up, said goodnight and left the station. Angelo waited a few moments and followed her. Keeping quiet and shielded by the darkness, he got into his car, wondering the whole time what on earth he was doing. He started his engine the same time Charlie did and waited a few moments before he followed her out of the car park. She didn't go home. She headed down to the docks, parking almost in the same place as he had when she'd been hit by the car that time. He furrowed his brow as she climbed out, headed up to a house and knocked on the front door.
