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Here is Chapter 11.
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Brax took his phone out of his pocket and without even looking at who was trying to call him, he threw it behind him and they both heard a thud as it hit something in the living room.
"I don't care," he panted back and this time it was Charlie that pulled him to her.
Their kiss continued and it was only when they began rocking against each other that Brax forced himself to stop.
Charlie looked at him, confused for a moment but calmed herself when she felt him lift her into his arms again and walk toward his bedroom.
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"Hello," Ruby called out into the house the next morning.
She and Casey had stayed at Heath's house last night after heading into Mangrove River to continue their party but the absence of two people was very obvious.
Ruby couldn't see or hear Brax or Charlie anywhere so she headed towards Charlie's bedroom, shouting out as she walked but Brax's door was wide open.
"Charlie, where did you go last nig- Woah!" Ruby turned around and moved back into the living area as fast as she could.
She kept a hand over her mouth like a small child would if they were trying to keep from telling a secret.
A shirtless Brax soon appeared, Charlie, who wore Brax's large T-Shirt followed behind clutching desperately at the hem, pulling it down to cover her legs.
"It's not what it looks like," Brax began and Ruby looked on stunned.
"What does it look like, Brax?" Ruby asked cheekily.
Brax was lost for words.
"Charlie?" She turned to her mother.
Charlie too was speechless.
"Go on, try and explain yourselves out of this one," Ruby waited but neither Charlie nor Brax could come up with anything.
"Hmmm, interesting?"
"I, we, I," Charlie stopped flustered.
"Right well, I'm going to go so you two can get your stories straight. I'll see you two later, hopefully with more clothes on."
Ruby disappeared out the door with a cheeky giggle.
"I was enjoying that sleep," Brax commented tiredly as he moved toward Charlie.
"Is that all you can say?" She asked.
"What do you want me to say?"
"Brax we made a mistake," Charlie told him.
"No, no we didn't. That, last night, was not a mistake," Brax said softly moving closer to Charlie.
"Have you forgotten about Natalie?"
He had! Charlie had been the only girl on his mind.
"You're not mine, we shouldn't have done that," Charlie started and she was unable to stop the tears from building in her eyes at the thought.
"Charlie," Brax began but the look in her eyes told him to stop.
Charlie stared at him, silently processing what had happened the night before.
"I don't regret what happened, Charlie," Brax told her huskily.
"I uh, I," Charlie began but a knock on the front door startled her, thank goodness the curtains were shut.
Charlie froze and Brax turned around.
Charlie's heart thudded in her chest.
They stood frozen both looking at the front door.
"You should get that," Charlie whispered and she took a step backward, away from him, but Brax reached for her hand and pulled her with enough force that Charlie crashed into his chest.
They heard the knocking again.
"Look at me," Brax whispered and he used his hand to lift Charlie's chin and her eyes found his.
"I don't regret last night and I know you don't either."
He lowered his face softly to hers and kissed her gently, her hands rested on his bare chest. Charlie moaned gently, the fact that Brax wasn't hers was long forgotten, not when he kissed her like that.
They heard footsteps walking away from the door and Brax turned to make sure they were alone and not likely to be disturbed.
"Don't you feel guilty?" Charlie asked, feeling guilty herself, her hands still rested on his chest and she revelled in the heat she found just but touching him.
"I feel guilty when I'm not with you," Brax answered and he kissed her again.
"I don't think this is a g-," Charlie breathed when Brax moved to her neck.
"Don't think, Charlie, this was a long time coming," he said through heated kisses loving the fact that she wasn't pushing him away.
"Last night was a long time coming, this is...," Charlie lost her momentum when Brax's lips found hers again.
"This is what?" He teased, he knew the effect he was having on her and he could only hope he was making her feel the way she made him feel.
Charlie gulped.
"Wrong,"
"Then stop me," Brax told her before he kissed her yet again, more fiercely than before.
Charlie couldn't stop him, she didn't want to and because they were alone, she didn't have to.
She let Brax lead her back into his bedroom, the guilt of being with him still lingered.
This was wrong; he wasn't hers, and being with him only proved to her that she still considered herself his. She wasn't this type of woman but she couldn't help it. She missed him so much and the only thing that comforted her was the promise to herself that this would be the last time.
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"What's going on?" Heath asked the next morning, he'd been waiting for Brax to show up at Angelo's.
"I don't want to talk about it," Brax said and Heath was surprised to hear the flat tone of Brax's voice.
After their second bout of lovemaking the day before, Charlie had pulled away and told him that she couldn't do that anymore, that she wouldn't be the other woman. Their conversation was soon interrupted and Brax hadn't had a chance to talk to her since.
"Ok, so don't talk, listen. What's going on with you and Buckton?"
"That's a question that involves talking idiot."
"Fine, you once told me loyalty takes years, not days."
"And?"
"And, you're loyalty to Buckton outweighs your loyalty to Nat. It sucks for her, but it's true."
"Where's this coming from?" Brax asked.
"I know how cut up you are about Buckton."
"You need to mind your own damn business, Heath."
"I'm going to ask you something I think will help you, one question," Heath began and when Brax made no move to shut him up he continued. "How many times have you stayed with Nat the past three weeks?"
Brax had nothing to say.
"How much time have you spent with her?"
Again, Heath was given no response.
"Thought so, don't you think you should be asking yourself why that is?"
"We've been busy," Brax shrugged.
"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, bloke but, the real reason is, your heart isn't in it. Hasn't been in it since you found out Buckton was alive. This is your second chance bloke. Don't fuck it up. Especially now that you've tasted the forbidden fruit."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Don't even try that line with me, I recognised that dopey happy-go-lucky look from a mile away."
"Whatever," Brax retaliated weakly.
Heath barked out a laugh, "Is that all you got? You know exactly what I'm talking about, but it's alright, because Buckton has the same dopey look you do."
"I don't know what you talk about sometimes, you know that?"
"Yeah you do mate, you had a good poker face back in the day but when it comes to her, you're pathetic, almost like a girl."
"I think it's time for you to go don't you?"
"Sure, sure, but like I said, don't fuck it up."
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Brax's conversation with Heath weighed heavily on his mind for the next few hours and he completed the rest of his shift on autopilot.
He returned home hoping to have a chance to talk to Charlie but Ruby, Casey and Heath were at the house, dinner was being put out on the table.
"So we, umm found a place," Casey told his family halfway through dinner.
"Wow! That was fast, I didn't know you were looking already," Heath commented.
"We've been looking for months waiting for the right one, and we've found it," Ruby added.
"Congratulations," Charlie smiled, happy for her daughter.
"When are you moving out?" Brax asked, he too was happy for the young couple.
"When we get back from the honeymoon," Casey answered. "Is that okay?"
"Why wouldn't it be?"
"Well you'll be on your own," Casey answered.
"Good on you, Casey, idiot," Brax laughed. "I'll help you pack your bags."
"He's not alone, he's got Buckton," Heath told them, not attempting to hide a grin from forming on his face.
Brax glared at Heath who wiggled his eyebrows at his older brother, the interaction was missed by the others.
"No, I'm out too, I was only staying here until the wedding."
"Place not cosy enough for you?" Heath asked.
"No that's not it, me living here permanently was never the plan," Charlie told him, she could feel Brax looking at her as she spoke.
"But you could, you know, I'm sure Brax wouldn't mind," Casey added, and beside him Ruby bit her lip despite Charlie glaring at her.
"Nah he wouldn't mind at all," Heath grinned.
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The next morning Charlie took her first sip of coffee when Brax approached her.
"You can stay here with me after the wedding, you don't have to leave."
"Yes I do," Charlie answered honestly.
"Why don't you trust yourself around me?"
Brax was joking but the answer he received was completely honest and something inside him reeled.
"Not in the slightest. But in all honesty, I don't trust you to keep your hands to yourself either."
"If it comes to having you live here, I'll keep my hands to myself, Charlie."
"Doubtful."
"I don't want you to move out."
"Brax, I can't stay there with you, you know that."
"You won't stay with me."
"Because I can't, you know it's true."
"Nah, Charlie, since you came back I don't know anything anymore."
"What am I supposed to do when Natalie moves in, because that's probably what's going to happen, it's the next logical step for you two. There's no way I am strong enough to see be around you and her, to see you two together all of the time, I can't do it."
"She's not moving in."
"I told you, that you need to give your relationship a go."
"And I told you to stop pushing me away."
"I'm not pushing you away when you aren't mine to begin with."
Brax laughed, "I was yours to begin with, I've been yours the whole time. You're the one that made the choice to not be with me."
"Don't you dare throw that back in my face."
"It's true."
"I can't lose you again, Charlie, you're everything to me and honestly I forgot what that felt like."
"But Natalie-"
"Isn't you," Brax told her in a harsh whisper.
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After his argument with Charlie, Brax made his way to Natalie's. He knew what he needed to do and he felt terrible about it.
"Hey," Natalie said with a smile opening up her door. "Come in."
"Why do I get the feeling that I should sit down?" She asked him as she took in his tense stance, her small smile disappeared slowly, she knew why he was here.
"It's okay," Natalie said softly.
"You know why I'm here?"
"I think I do, if you're not here for the reason I think you are then the look on your face suggests someone might have died."
"No one's died."
Natalie nodded.
"I'm sorry," Brax began, he didn't know where to start.
"You don't have to be, and you don't have to explain, I get it."
"Do you?"
"Yeah, I really do! Do you know that we've known each other for the past 6 years, been together the past 4 and I feel like I'm still just getting to know you? You always had walls built around you and when one fell, there was a bigger one there to take its place straight away."
"That's who I am, Nat."
"No it's not," Natalie smiled, "Suddenly, Charlie comes back into your life and those walls are gone, completely and you're happy, really happy and it's because of her, that's a pretty amazing thing."
"I love her Nat," Brax told his girlfriend; he hoped that would be a good enough explanation.
"I know, I think I've known for a while."
"Since when?"
"I think the first dinner we all had together."
"I don't know what to say, Nat. I'm sorry but... I don't know if things had been different maybe we would have had a proper chance," Brax consoled.
"Would we? Even without Charlie being here, we weren't exactly madly in love, we never struggled to keep our hands off each other."
"I guess that's my fault," Brax answered.
"No it's not your fault, it's just the way things are I guess. I have a question though?"
Brax nodded, his heart thudded faster in his chest and he knew that in the next few seconds, he'd have to make a decision on whether he was going to be honest with Natalie about Charlie.
"Can I still go to the wedding?" Natalie asked with a smile.
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Thanks for reading :)
Next Chapter... The Wedding.
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xoxox