Hopefully this is the chapter you have been waiting for! Love, IJKS xxx

Chapter Ten

Startled, Charlie didn't respond for a moment and by the time she was willing, Joey had pulled away, looking fearfully at her. Making eye contact, they both leaned in, their lips meeting gently. Charlie's heart pounded as she felt Joey melt against her. She had imagined kissing her so many times but nothing could match how amazing it was in real life. Joey closed her eyes as she felt Charlie put her arms around her, touching the small of her back and pulling her closer. They kissed for several delicious minutes, lips on lips and tongues in play. Eventually breathless, both women parted but not too far. They stared at each other, both confused and not entirely sure what had happened between them.

"Um…" Joey managed.

She blushed and smiled shyly, wondering if it was really true that she had been allowed to kiss Charlie, the woman she considered to be the most beautiful in the world.

"Well, that was…" Charlie said but her expression matched Joey's.

"Without turning into a total girl, what does this mean?" Joey asked.

Charlie gazed at her, catching hold of both her hands.

"What do you want it to mean?" she asked.

"I want it to mean you're my soul mate and you're in love with me," Joey said honestly. "Or, you know, whatever."

She shrugged nonchalantly, making Charlie laugh.

"I'm in love with you," the police officer said earnestly.

Joey couldn't keep the smile off her face as she continued to gaze at Charlie.

"I love you too," she said. "In case it wasn't already blindingly obvious."

They both laughed self consciously before Charlie led Joey back over to the sofa. They sat beside each other, still holding hands.

"I really didn't realise until just now," Charlie admitted.

"You didn't know you loved me?"

"Oh, I knew that," Charlie assured her. "Just not…"

"You didn't know how I felt about you?"

"Nope."

"I was always panicking that I was being really obvious about it," Joey confessed. "I was scared that one day you'd have enough and get as far away from me as possible."

Charlie squeezed her hand and lifted it to her lips.

"I had no idea," she said. "But if I had, I wouldn't have run away."

Joey smiled affectionately at her, shifting to hold Charlie's hand with both of hers.

"I never thought I'd ever stand a chance with you," she said. "I didn't think you'd ever look twice at a girl – especially not me."

"Why especially not you?" Charlie wondered.

"Well… you know…"

"No, I really don't!" Charlie chuckled.

Joey blushed and looked down at their hands. She could hardly believe she was sitting like this with someone so wonderful.

"Well, you're amazing and I'm just… me," she said. "I don't even have a job."

"That's not really a deal breaker," Charlie told her.

"But I thought being female would be," Joey pointed out. "You never said you were… What are you?"

"I have no idea," Charlie admitted. "Apart from being in love with you."

She smiled and kissed her again. Every moment was as wonderful as it had been the first time. They parted even more reluctantly.

"I'm confused and happy in equal measure," Joey said. "Just so you know."

Charlie shifted position, leaning against the corner of the couch. She gestured for Joey to settle in her arms. Leaning against Charlie's chest, Joey listened to her heart beat and thrills shot through her as Charlie began to play with her fingers.

"I never thought I could be anything but straight until I met you," Charlie ventured. "I'd only ever had boyfriends and I thought that was all I wanted. But then you came into my life and everything changed."

"How?" Joey wondered.

"Because suddenly, you were all I could think about. I was bereft every time I said goodnight you and the first thing I thought of each morning was that I would get to see you again. I found myself falling in love with every little detail about you. Just thinking of you or picturing your face made me smile."

She was glad that Joey wasn't looking at her. She could feel her face getting hot with embarrassment. But it was also liberating to finally tell her how she felt.

"Ruby started asking questions and she thought you might like me," she continued. "And at first, I panicked but I knew that I couldn't stop being with you. I thought I was going to combust that day on the boat."

Joey shifted in order to look up at her.

"You too?" she asked with a laugh.

Charlie grinned and nodded, happily recalling the time they had slow danced together on the Blaxland. It had been one of the best days of her life.

"I was so scared of you finding out that I had feelings for you," Charlie admitted. "Sometimes I used to wonder if you might like me but I didn't really believe it. And then when you met Tash…"

Joey sat up.

"Is that why you were upset?" she asked.

Charlie nodded.

"I thought if you got a girlfriend then you'd forget about me," she revealed. "I thought another girl would take my place. And I thought if you were checking out other girls and stuff then there was no way you had any romantic feelings for me at all."

"You couldn't have been further from the truth, Charlie," Joey told her. "I wouldn't have even thought about Tash if I'd known I stood a chance with you. But she clocked us before we did anyway."

"What do you mean?" Charlie wondered.

"She told me that I had feelings for you and you had feelings for me," Joey explained. "I thought she was wrong but… I guess not."

Her bashful smile returned. Charlie felt a strange fluttering in her stomach and wondered if this was what it felt like to be in love with someone. It wasn't something she had experienced before.

"What about Hugo though?" Joey asked, frowning. "You kissed him tonight…"

"Only because he clocked us as well," Charlie explained. "He kept saying I was gay and I panicked."

"Is it that awful?" Joey asked a little fretfully.

"No," Charlie said quickly. "But the last thing I wanted was for someone to discover how I felt about you when I was pretty much convinced you were making out with Tash on the beach."

Joey shook her head.

"We didn't do anything," she promised. "Nobody has ever meant as much to me as you do."

They smiled lovingly at each other again, kissing tenderly for a third time.

"So… does this mean we're together now?" Joey asked quietly.

"If you'll have me," Charlie replied.

Joey grinned and kissed her again.

"I'll have you for as long as you want me to," she said.

Next time… Ruby finds out…