Chapter Two

Charlie sat at her desk, puzzling over the altercation she had witnessed at the Diner. Joey had looked terrified when the girlfriend had shown up and with the rough treatment she'd received, she wasn't surprised. The dark haired girl had been almost brutal with her. She'd charged in, broken up their breakfast and hauled Joey away as if she'd been doing something wrong. Charlie might have wanted to do plenty of things wrong but breakfast was innocent enough, wasn't it? She sighed, wondering why on earth someone as amazing as Joey was dating a bulldozer, and fretting that she'd never get the chance to see her again.

Joey focussed hard on the dishes, feeling ashamed of herself and horribly embarrassed about what Charlie must be thinking about her now. She smiled at the image of Charlie running across the beach. Then she felt guilty again. She was in a committed, albeit, largely unhappy relationship and yet here she was, lusting after some girl. In her defence, she doubted anyone would be able to clap eyes on Charlie without lusting. She was incredible. Sighing, she stacked the last dish on the side. She turned a little too quickly and winced at the pain in her side. Lifting the bottom of her shirt slightly, she glared at the dirty bruise that was starting to form. She opted not to vacuum as planned and started dusting instead.

Against her better judgement, Joey was out jogging again the next morning. The pain in her side was excruciating, forcing her to stay slow. She knew she was probably making her body worse by going out but stubbornness and a desire to bump into Charlie again overruled her. She smiled when she spotted a familiar figure not too far away. When they got close, Joey stopped, trying not to wince, and smiled shyly, hoping that Charlie wouldn't just run past her. She didn't. She stopped, caught her breath and greeted Joey warmly.

"How are you?" she asked.

"I'm fine. I'm really sorry about yesterday."

"Oh, it's fine," Charlie assured her. "Just as long as you're alright."

Joey nodded.

"Just embarrassed."

"Oh, don't be. Really."

Joey smiled, feeling relieved.

"So um… dare I ask you to breakfast again?"

Images of Roxy bursting in on them like yesterday rushed through Joey's brain. She desperately wanted to go with Charlie but knowing Roxy as she did, the chances of her coming by to catch her out, were high. Even though she was at work, she'd find a way to sneak out.

"Um…"

Charlie hung her head, figuring that Joey didn't want to see her.

"It's okay. If you don't want to, I understand."

Joey looked at Charlie and then away, feeling torn. She turned back.

"It's not that. I do want to. It's just…"

She didn't know how to explain that she was afraid of a repeat performance. Fortunately, she didn't have to.

"I could get us some take away to eat on the beach, away from prying eyes," she suggested.

Joey smiled, surprised by how well Charlie already seemed to be able to read her. She hoped she didn't get too good at it. There was a lot of stuff she didn't want her to know. She nodded.

"That would be great."

"Wait here," Charlie said. "I'll be back."

On her way to and from the Diner, Charlie pondered Joey's unease. She seemed to actually be frightened of her own girlfriend. It didn't make any sense. Looking up, she spotted Joey sitting anxiously on the sand. Picking up her pace, she headed over and sat down beside her.

"Breakfast for the lady," she said, hanging a box over to her.

Joey grinned.

"Thank you. Do you want some cash?"

Charlie shook her head and opened her own container.

"You must think I'm crazy, asking you to hide out here with me," Joey ventured.

"I believe I offered actually."

Joey nodded and tried to focus on her food instead of Charlie's captivating smile.

"Forgive me again for being so blunt but what the hell are you doing with her when you seem so unhappy?"

Joey just stared at her.

"I did apologise before I said that!" Charlie giggled.

"You did," Joey agreed.

"Well?"

"I'm not really unhappy," Joey lied.

"Uh huh," Charlie replied, unconvinced.

"And Roxy really isn't like that all the time. She's just a bit…"

"Angry? Controlling?" Charlie suggested, hoping she wasn't overstepping the boundaries.

"Possessive. She doesn't like the idea of me spending time with other women," Joey explained.

"Well, maybe she has a point," Charlie conceded. "If I was dating someone as beautiful as you, I'd probably be paranoid about someone stealing you away."

Joey didn't quite no how to respond. The fact that Charlie had just referred to her as beautiful was enough to set her soul on fire. She gazed into Charlie's eyes, not sure what to say.

"Sorry," Charlie said, looking down. "That was wildly inappropriate."

"No, no, it was a nice thing to say. Thank you," Joey replied, not wanting her to take the compliment back.

Charlie shrugged and smiled, pleased that she hadn't upset her.

"So, is there someone special in your life?" Joey asked.

She couldn't help but hope Charlie answered negatively, although she supposed it didn't make much difference. She couldn't do anything about it. She wasn't a cheat, except perhaps in her head. And that was only a recent development. She'd been faithful for five years; faithful and obedient.

"No, I'm still young, free and single," Charlie admitted.

She looked out at the horizon, trying not to feel devastated that the person she'd started to fall for far too quickly was with someone else. And it looked like it was someone who didn't deserve her.

"Lucky you," Joey said without thinking.

Charlie looked back at her with raised eyebrows.

"I didn't mean that," Joey lied.

Charlie smiled.

"So, do you need to rush back?" she asked.

"Roxy's at work so I've got more time today," Joey replied.

"Excellent!" Charlie enthused.