My apologies, now that I finished typing it, I realised that this chapter is more of Ruby's analysis rather than questions. But she still has questions… hehehe sorry about that. And again sorry for the type errors…
Charlie closed her eyes, preparing herself for Ruby's questions or more so, rants.
Joey tensed a little bit, knowing Ruby… she kinda have an inkling idea on what Ruby will be on about and she knew it will only lead to one way. It'll go straight in the depth of Charlie's actions and both of their feelings.
Aden remained relax, smirking silently as he knows all too well how Ruby will play it and of coarse him as a support.
"First…" Ruby started "Charlz, you're my sister and I love you. You know that right? But…" Ruby paused and inhaled deeply "were or are you insane?! Are you like, so stupid or something?!" Ruby burst out.
Charlie, Joey and Aden turned to Ruby, shocked all over their faces.
"Ok. I'm sorry, I know you're older. But seriously Charlz… how can you not know your feelings? It was so blindingly obvious from the beginning." Ruby then turned to Joey. "And I'm sorry Jo, I got it all wrong." She said.
"What do you mean?" Joey asked quizzically.
"Well, because this whole time before Charlie's massive revelation, I thought you had it first and you made a move on her. Obviously now, it was the other way around." Ruby, shotting Charlie a look.
"But, that's what I did… wasn't it?" Joey still confused.
"I think…" Aden butted in and turned to Ruby. "Correct me if I'm wrong Rubes" then he turned to Joey. "But the way I see it… according to Charlie's story, it was kind of… Charlie was pursuing you and then walks away."
"Exactly!" Ruby exclaimed.
"How???" Charlie and Joey asked in unison, both still not seeing the bigger picture.
"You guys really don't know?" Ruby asked frustrated at how blind the two can be, when it was actually pretty obvious.
"Rubes, I think they really don't know how. So I guess, it really is in our hands to enlighten them." Aden said, grinning at the younger Buckton.
"And now, would be great." Charlie said eager to know what Aden and Ruby realised that she hasn't yet.
"Ok, Charlie… you admitted that you were attracted to Joey the first time you saw her…"
"Yes. But I didn't realise that until later." Charlie defended immediately.
"Ok. Granted that, but even then, you still couldn't stay away from her. You were drawn to her." Ruby explained.
"Like how?" Joey asked still can't get her head around it.
"i.e. she was eager to help you and went as far as arresting Robbo without you filing an official complaint." Aden answered "Remember? She arrested Robbo and said that she was doing it for you." Joey nodded silently.
"You see, Charlie. You got yourself so involved before there was even a case. I mean, there was a case but without Joey's official complaint, the case was unofficial. But you were involved already."
"Your point?" Charlie asked blankly.
"My point? My point is, didn't you question yourself 'why?' I mean, you've dealt with rape cases before but you never act before the victim's official statement and complaint. But with Joey, you took it in you hands!" Ruby explained.
Joey looked at Charlie. Charlie now is quiet.
"You see!" Ruby pointed out. "You were drawn to Joey. And maybe the reason why you didn't ask yourself why you're doing what you were doing was because it just felt natural for you to take care of Joey. Geezz, you wanted to protect her so bad, you took her home to live with you!" Ruby exclaimed but smiling at the thought.
"In my defence, I did that because I got her kicked out of the house."
"Yes true. But don't you guys have this safe house thingie for witnesses in a crime or something?" Charlie nods her head to Aden's question. "Wasn't Joey qualified enough to be entitled to stay in one of those safe houses?" Aden asked, remembering all the detective series on TV that he bothered watching.
"Yes, but the location is too from here." Charlie answered.
"So?" Ruby butted in. "wasn't that a good thing? I mean, the point was to get Joey as far away from Robbo as possible. Right?"
"…" Charlie was quiet. 'Why did I even bother to argue? They knew why!' Charlie thought.
Aden and Ruby grinned triumphantly while Joey silently watching the tennis match between the 3.
"It's settled then, you took her home to protect her because, she's special to you." Ruby joked a little. "But I'll cut you some slack, that maybe you were really not aware of the thing that pushed you towards Joey. But…" Charlie waited for Ruby to continue, with her eyes glancing at Joey now and again.
"But, the fact that you avoided her because she might have feelings for you only proved that it bothered you. And you admitted that, that was because you got scared of Joey's effect on you."
"But at that moment, I wasn't aware about Joey's effect on me. I mean… I was, but… I was still in denial stage…"
"Exactly!" Ruby interrupted her sister. "You were in denial, yes. But you knew, somewhere at the back of your clouded head, you knew! Think about it Charlz, you wont be denying anything to yourself if you didn't have anything to deny and if you're unaware of it."
"Fine." Charlie relented. "Shall we move on?" She asked.
"Ok. Sis, chill. Because you'll be grilled." Ruby giggled. "So, first point, Charlie was drawn to Joey. Second, that she was stupid enough not to question her actions towards Joey. Who I think was still oblivious to Charlie's 'unknown' dilemma at that time."
Aden snorted at Ruby's smart remarks. Charlie bowed her head down, now realising how wrong her doings were in the past. Joey remained quiet, taking everything in and getting her head around it.
"Now we move forward, continuing on how Charlie was actually the one that pursued Joey." Ruby continued as she look over Charlie, feeling a bit guilty for doing it to her sister, but she knows that she has to do it, for her and Joey. "The boat. Charlz, Joey was letting you escape. She was persuading you to meet your 'invisible friend' thus should've left right there and then if you badly wanted to avoid Joey. But you didn't! You said the urge to be with Joey overpowered you. Point is, even though you were aware of what you affect might had on Joey, you 'still' stayed! Not only did you stay, you also opened up and you danced! Charlie, you don't dance! But in this case, you did. It's like not only did you let Joey in you life, you also totally let your guard completely down, loosening up like that to her, and that never happened often Charlie… hang on, actually that never happened before Joey… and after Joey? Anyway, you opened up to her although you kinda had an idea of Joey's attraction to you, even thought Joey might still be not aware of it at that time. But point is, you're like inviting her to fall for you more, letting her know you deeper. And the hands caressing thing! Christ Charlie! That action, that alone, should've given you enough shaking up to know what you fell! But no!!! and not only that, when Joey finally given in, you did you second run away!" Ruby said a bit annoyed as she feels like she's watching the whole scene but can't do anything about it.
"Second?" Joey asked getting lost on the second thing part.
"First being the one, when she lied about doing something when you guys supposed to go to the light house." Aden answered Joey, knowing exactly what Ruby meant.
Ruby nodded in agreement. Charlie remained quiet.
"Shall we continue?" Aden asked, entertained by the turn of events.
"Ok. So Charlie, after running away, you managed to have a date with Hugo although Joey didn't make a move on you at all. Ok I understand that you probably still hoping that what you fell will go way, but my god Charlie!" Ruby exclaimed, frustrated. "You should've known that it won't go away! You should've known that your feelings were that strong, because in all you life, you've never been like that. Not even to roman! And I know for a fact that you did love Roman." Ruby rumbled away.
Charlie looked at Ruby, knowing her sister is absolutely right. And it made her feel horrible, now realising how stupid she really was in that entire things she did before.
"But, although it led to Joey almost getting herself killed, I still give you credits for finding her on time." Ruby said, cutting Charlie some slack.
"Me too!" Aden agreed.
"Me three!!!" Joey said, raising her hand, making a joke out of it, to lessen the heaviness of the atmosphere between all of them, but most especially on Charlie. Joey thought that joke might buy Charlie some time to breathe.
All three turned to Joey and let out a soft laugh at Joey's randomness. She has been quiet and intently listening. And the first thing that came out of her aside from her now and again questions, was a joke. A joke from something that almost cause her, her life.
"Ok. Enough, let's continue." Ruby said, recovering from Joey's simple joke. She wants to get this whole thing over and than with as she is feeling really bad for what she is doing to her sister. But she thought it's needed.
"So you followed Joey in the motel, making her stay with you… I mean, with us." Ruby grinned at Aden, and Aden did the same. "Joey again wants to make things easier for you, by distancing herself from you. But you go there insisting that you guys can be friends and even challenged that what you showed Joey was all false whatever! Seriously Charlie, how can you even say it was just false hope? And how can you insist that you guys can be friends when you can't even stay away from Joey? And you kissed her! You bloody kissed her. Friends don't kiss like that Charlie. And it was you that initiated the kiss. It was you that kissed her, not the other way around. Once again, you pursued her unknowingly, but naturally."
"Hang on, how did the kiss ended?" Aden asked out of nowhere.
"Is that even relevant?" Joey immediately asked back, hoping it would rescue Charlie from what is yet to come, when Aden and Ruby finds out.
"Well that depends." Ruby answered "So, how did it end? Who pulled away?" Ruby asked curiously.
Charlie and Joey looked at each other, but neither one wants to answer.
"Let me guess… it was Charlie that pulled away?" Ruby asked.
The two in question remained quiet.
"Hang on!" Aden looked at Joey and Charlie back and forth. "It was Joey, wasn't it? She was the one that pulled away!
Aden was answered by the guilty look on Joey's face, which didn't go unnoticed to Ruby.
"Oh my god… Why?" Ruby asked, quietly.
"I was shock…" Joey whispered.
"Ok. But you still didn't make a move?" Ruby queried, thinking that maybe it isn't all Charlie's fault.
"Well, I asked her what it meant; she said that it was just it." Joey explained.
"But why, did you even have to ask? Isn't action speaks lauder…"
"Yes, but Charlie's actions were complicated. She does one thing and says another and run away. So I guess, in Charlie's case actions and words are needed." Joey interrupted Ruby.
Ruby thought about what Joey said and decided that Joey is probably right. Charlie's actions were confusing enough for her, how much more for Joey.
"Ok. Granted." Ruby then turned to Charlie. "Why did you say that it was just it?"
Charlie remained quiet. She didn't know why she said that, and there is no excuse for what she said and done.
"You insister of being friends but you kissed her. You didn't want to lead her on but that was what you did. You didn't want to have a 'relationship' with her but you couldn't manage to be away from her. You succeeded on bringing her with you back to Leah's but once Joey agree, you went away to dad. You cam back knowing full well, how strong you feelings are… erm… were for Joey but chose not to act on them. And again Joey gave you the easiest way out by moving back to her brother, but you still couldn't leave Joey be. You keep on insisting that you can be friends, but couldn't bear to see Joey walking out on you, which ended up you telling her how you broke your heart as well. Seriously Charlie, how can you even continue on insisting to be friends with Joey when you can't even control your actions around her?" Ruby paused, trying to remember what else was on Charlie's revelation earlier, and then it hit her. "And if Joey didn't tell you that was the last chance that you guys could talk, there was still a possibility that you might've turned the offer down. Right?" Ruby still questioning her sister who remained quiet.
Charlie remained her eyes looking down. She has been contemplating on Ruby's analysis that it downed to her realisation, about how she mishandled things that in most cases, ended up pretty badly for Joey.
"I know, I messed up." Charlie whispered, fighting back tears.
Aden, Ruby and Joey sensed Charlie's situation. Ruby felt her guilt building up more for making her sister upset or maybe hurting her even. Aden felt the same as Ruby although it was actually Ruby that did all the talking. Joey on the other hand felt her heart overwhelmed with compassion for the woman in front of her. The same woman that she loves for all this time. Joey knew she has the right to be upset with Charlie, realising how Charlie avoided her, denied her feelings for her, as if it was some kind of plague and for playing hide and seek with her feelings. But even though, she still couldn't find it in her heart to be upset with the woman that saved her life and the one that made her feel in love.
"Charlie I'm sorry. I didn't… I was just… I mean, I just couldn't get my head around what you did. And I know they are al in the past now. It's just… it frustrated me. Because you could've been happy if things were handled a little differently. But, I'm really sorry…" Ruby explained honestly, feeling really bad.
"It's ok Rubes, I understand. I know how confusing my actions were." Charlie then looked up and straight to Joey's compassionate eyes. "I'm sorry for unconsciously pursuing you and then run away, once I've pursued you. I'm sorry for putting you in a lot of pain and heartache."
Joey gazed back at Charlie's eyes, listening to her apologies. She wants to stop her and tell her that it's ok, but decided to save it for later. She thought it'd be the best if she lets Charlie pour all it out. Thinking maybe after then, the girl might also forgive herself.
Aden watched the now on going interaction between Joey and Charlie. Seeing that both women seemed to be now lost in their own world. Aden searched for Ruby's eyes, and when he caught the younger Buckton's eyes, he nods his head to the side, indicating that it's time for them to leave.
Sensing what Aden meant when Ruby caught glimpse of his eyes, she slowly got to her feet and walk behind Charlie, towards the kitchen, following Aden. Noticing that Joey and Charlie are now wrapped up in their own littler world, Ruby could only hope that she and Aden was able to talked their way to Joey and Charlie's senses.
Ruby found herself seating in the chair across from Aden in the dining table in the kitchen.
"What are you thinking?" Aden asked, as he noticed Ruby's expression. Ruby looked up and meet Aden's stare with compassion and questioning look.
"I hope they sort things out Aden. I hope they won't settle for 'friendship' again. They're never meant to be friends." Ruby paused and breathes deeply, "They always meant to be more. They are oath to be more."