Charlie let the hot water rush over her, scalding her slightly, but she welcomed the pain. It made her feel alive again. After Ruby had left and Joey had run from her Charlie had just shut down. If Joey hadn't come back she'd still be sitting on the couch, staring into space, thoughtless and empty of emotions. But Joey had returned, bringing her back, slowly coaxing her to let go of the pain Ruby had inflicted, promising her that her sister would return. Charlie believed Joey, she was her voice of reason. She had let Joey silently lead her to the bathroom, being unable to do anything herself. She had watched from afar as Joey lovingly ran her a bath, her fingers lightly dancing through the water as she checked the temperature. She hadn't resisted as Joey had begun to slowly and gently peel away her stiff and salty clothes, until she was standing only in her underwear. Joey, a crimson blush creeping across her cheeks, had left at that moment, giving Charlie only one command, relax. Now as Charlie felt life returning to her body she felt her mind begin to whir as all of the events of the day began to slowly sink in.
This day had started off as being one of the most wonderful days of her life. She couldn't believe that only this morning she had felt true happiness for the first time in her life. Everything finally felt right. Life had seemed so wonderful, even with her insecurities still lurking in the shadows. Then it had all gone so horribly wrong. Ruby had left. Joey had left, and she was all alone. But Joey came back. Her beautiful, caring, funny, smart, strong Joey had rescued her yet again. Charlie couldn't understand how she could possibly deserve Joey.
Charlie closed her eyes, remembering the sweet taste of Joey's lips, the feeling of her slender body lying on top of her down at the pier, the cheeky grin on her face as she had pulled them both into the water, the love and tenderness that had been swimming in her deep brown eyes as she had slowly undressed Charlie. For the countless time that day Charlie felt love wash over her, fighting away all her demons, washing away the pain that Ruby had caused. Charlie knew she still had a lot to work out about herself and she had a fight ahead of her to win back Ruby, but in that moment she found the strength to fight because even after all the pain she had suffered today, loving Joey still felt right. The struggle ahead was worth it; Joey was worth it. Joey. Charlie let happiness return to her heart, and she felt her body relax as she drifted into day dreams of her and Joey running away up the coast.
Feeling like a whole new person Charlie emerged from the bathroom to discover the lounge room covered in tiny, flickering candles. The sight took her breath away, all she could do was open and close her mouth in disbelief. Joey emerged from the kitchen holding a tub of ice cream and two spoons, which she placed by the sofa before returning to stand infront of Charlie. "I thought perhaps you could use a little something to distract you from Ruby. VJ is staying at a friends place and Leah won't be back til really late from the hospital so it's just us. Plus I just wanted to remind you how special you are to me, so I thought I'd make you a beautiful dinner... icecream, then treat you to a cinematic masterpiece... notting hill, its my favourite. But if you wouldn't mind, please put on some clothes, as towels are not accepted here at Joey's Fine Dining." Joey finished off her sentence by slapping Charlie on the arse and giving her a big push towards the bedroom.
Charlie fell back onto her bed, the biggest smile possible on her face. She couldn't believe how sweet and caring and hilarious Joey was. She lay there for a couple of moments remembering how beautiful Joey had looked in the candle light, with that cheeky grin on her face, wearing some of her pyjamas. Not wanting to be away from her any longer Charlie scrambled into her pyjamas and back into the loungeroom, diving into the couch next to Joey and grabbing the ice cream before Joey could. "Mmmm cookies and cream, my favourite" Charlie managed to get out as she tucked into a big spoonful of ice cream. Feeling in a playful mood, she held tightly onto the ice cream, not letting Joey anywhere near it. Joey sat back in defeat, giving Charlie her best puppy dog face. "I'll trade you the ice cream for a kiss" offered Charlie as she leaned forward over Joey, slowly brushing their lips together. Joey quickly grabbed the ice cream, rewarding Charlie with the tiniest peck on the cheek and a massive grin. "You don't play fair!" exclaimed Charlie before beginning a tickle attack. Before long the two of them lay entwined in a fit of giggles on the sofa. Charlie felt giddy from joy and she was amazed yet again by how amazing being with Joey made her feel. "Okay you win Charlie, you can be in charge of the ice cream!" Joey rose from the sofa to put the dvd in, and Charlie instantly missed the warmth of her embrace. She was completely addicted to Joey. When Joey sat back down again, Charlie wrapped her arm around her, pulling her close. Joey snuggled into Charlie's embrace and rested her head against her shoulder. "Mmmm I could get used to watching dvds with you Charlie." Charlie smiled, feeling at peace once more.