That was possibly one of the craziest weekends of my life! So it is will some restful relief that I update for you all and then get on with that I hope will be a very gentle day! I really hope you enjoy the chapter. Love, IJKS xxx

Chapter Ten

"You were working on a fishing trawler in Summer Bay but you were being bullied at work," Charlie explained.

She and Joey were sitting close together on the bed, not quite comfortable.

"You were working with a lovely guy called Aden and he was really worried about you when you quit your job because of how you were being treated," the cop continued. "So he asked me to help you, which I hope I did. We helped you sort the situation out as best we could and then you very bravely came out to your brother."

She hesitated a little as Joey hung onto her every word. How could she even begin to explain the depth of what her ex-girlfriend had been through? Would Joey really want to know how she had suffered or would she prefer to never find out? Deciding that she couldn't blurt it out, at least not yet, Charlie continued with the story.

"I took you in," she said. "You were homeless and struggling and I already cared for you so much that I let you stay at the house I shared with my daughter, friend and her son."

Joey nodded, offering her rapt attention and privately thinking about how kind Charlie must be.

"Things were going pretty well and you were getting back on your feet. I started to become aware of my attraction to you, although it freaked me out a bit. I tried to ignore it but when Ruby – my daughter – remarked that you had a crush on me, I panicked."

She looked down, a little ashamed.

"Don't worry," Joey said. "It's scary to realise you might not be 'normal' for want of a better word. You already know I'm still getting my head around it."

She grinned a little self consciously. Settling a little more comfortably on the bed, with her back against the wall, Charlie gazed into Joey's eyes and smiled.

"You um... you took me out on a boat trip for the day, to thank me for everything I'd done to help you," Charlie told her.

"Well, at least I was polite and grateful!" Joey remarked.

"You were more than that," Charlie assured her. "You were the most amazing person I've ever met."

Joey blushed and said she hoped she was still the same person if she was that nice.

"I'm sure you are," Charlie said. "Anyway, we had a great day but at the end, we had a... a moment."

"Is that the one I remember?" Joey asked hopefully.

Images of dancing with Charlie on a boat and being so close to kissing her, floated around in her mind. Charlie nodded.

"I freaked out and ran away though," she admitted. "And then I went on a date with a guy in a bid to forget you. You decided to move out but you ended up..."

She struggled to find the right words. If she hadn't explained the rape then how could she explain the attempted murder?

"You had an accident," she managed. "And when I realised how close I'd been to losing you forever, I confronted my feelings and kissed you."

Joey couldn't help but grin. Her current attraction to Charlie was unmistakable, if a little confusing and it made her strangely content to think that there had previously been something between them.

"But then I ran away again," Charlie revealed.

"Was it that bad?" Joey asked in a teasing tone, although her grin had faded.

"It was that good," Charlie corrected.

"Okay, I'm confused again," Joey said. "Not that it takes much!"

Her grin reappeared, making Charlie chuckle.

"It was the best kiss of my life up to that point," she said. "But I was so afraid of what that meant that I panicked and I couldn't face my feelings."

She sighed heavily, deeply regretting that time of her life.

"I disappeared on you in a bid to clear my head and I went to stay with my Dad for a few days. I admitted my feelings for you but by the time I came home, I'd decided that I wasn't going to act on them."

Joey nodded sadly.

"You were so upset," Charlie said. "You moved out and we didn't talk for a while. You decided to take a job on a long haul but the day before you were due to leave, we finally talked. I knew it was now or never so I went for it. You'd always been so lovely and so honest about your feelings. It was a wonderful moment when I finally faced my fears and told you that I was in love with you."

Joey smiled gently. It was still a mind blowing concept that someone as enchanting as Charlie could have even looked twice at her. Without thinking about it, Charlie reached out and held Joey's hand.

"We spent the night together," she told her. "And we had an amazing time. But the shit hit the fan the next day. Everyone found out about us, including Ruby and then your brother. He spray painted my car and everyone was talking and gossiping and..."

She shook her head, wondering how she could ever tell the truth about what she'd done.

"And I let you down," she said. "I gave into the pressure and I couldn't cope with being seen as your girlfriend. I messed up and... and you took another job on a long haul. You said you'd be back in three months but I thought you'd forgotten about me."

She blanched when she realised what she'd said and then apologised. Joey just smiled softly.

"Well, technically you were right," she said with a hint of humour.

"Sorry," Charlie said again. "What I meant was that I thought you'd decided you didn't want to give us another chance."

"Well, I can't say either way what I'd decided to do," Joey admitted. "I mean, what I know of my story starts and finishes with what you've told me. But I hope I wasn't that much of a bitch as to just leave you hanging. I mean, I don't know why you're even talking to me if I did that to you."

"What do you mean?" Charlie asked, bewildered.

"It sounds like I walked out on you when you needed me most," Joey said. "Was I really that impatient that I wouldn't have tried to be understanding?"

"You tried," Charlie assured her. "Honestly, you don't need to be self-critical. You did nothing but act honourably, Joey. You were so perfect. It was me who messed everything up."

"It doesn't sound like it," Joey admitted. "I don't understand why I'd just walk out on you like that."

Ruby's words thundered in Charlie's ears. Joey was practically begging her to tell the truth. But the words just wouldn't form on her lips. She couldn't say them. She couldn't lose the love of her life all over again. Instead, Charlie gently squeezed Joey's hand.

"You did your best for me and for yourself," she said. "I don't blame you for leaving me. I deserved it. I treated you badly and I hurt you."

"Because you struggled with having abuse hurled at you?"

"I shut you out and I let you down," Charlie said. "I didn't behave well. I pushed you away. You did the right thing by leaving me."

Joey nodded, although she remained unconvinced. Her tummy gurgling interrupted the silence and made them both laugh.

"I think it might be time for lunch," she said. "Are you sure you're cool with the canteen?"

"Absolutely," Charlie said.

Still hold hands, they stood up and headed out of Joey's modest bedroom.

Next time... Charlie and Joey arrange to see each other again but Ruby isn't impressed with Charlie...