Chapter 11 - Mixed Feelings

Brax's P.O.V

Another pot made a clanging sound as Charlie moved around the kitchen. I was standing in the living area and Angelo had gone. I was a little miffed at what he said, that it was a family gathering as far as I am concerned if you are with someone and from previous conversations I knew that they were trying for a baby, well that meant that person is classed as family.

I was quite literally surprised at myself because the last few days I have really wanted to say or do things which I know wouldn't be acknowledged the 'right' way but I kept a cool stance and avoided unnecessary questions.

''Fuck, ouch'' I heard Charlie scream from the kitchen, instinctively I ran towards her,

''What happened are you okay?'' concern evident in my voice, I looked around to see if there was an indication of anything that had made her swear, I noticed a bowl which was cracked in two halves and one was covered with a trickle of blood. I looked at Charlie's hand which she was gripping with extreme force causing the blood to trickle out faster rather than stopping it.

I took her hand in mine gently and walked over to the sink, I opened the tap and put her hand underneath still supported by mine, the water fell onto her hands and ran of mine as well. It took a few moments before she felt the sting and she winced so I moved my other arm around her waist trying to relieve the pain.

-x-

It was one of them days where everything starts of bright and then slowly, bit by bit the day has a grey cloud begin to pass over it. there was silence between me and Charlie and it was awkward compared to the silence that we previously have experienced, we were still at her house and I know Ruby would be wondering why she wasn't back yet but I was not ready to ask her in case she snapped. I grabbed the remote and put the T.V on as I couldn't stand the silence but I didn't know what to say to her either.

''It hurts'' I heard a quiet voice escape her lips. I assumed she was on about her hand which now was bandaged and resting on her leg. I looked over to her and as soon as my eyes met hers I knew the hand was not the thing she was making reference too.

''It hurts soo much Brax''

''I figure you are not talking about your hand are you?''

She lowered her head and lifted her knees on to the couch, she rested her head on her knees in a sitting foetal position.

I moved closer to her, I put my arm around her and she clammed up.

''Don't Brax''

I didn't let go instead I lifted her up with ease and slid her onto my lap, the movement had caught her off guard but she didn't try to remove herself from my lap instead she moulded herself to my chest.

''He's not worth it Charlie''

I could hear soft sobs and I could tell she was trying not to cry.

''How can he say I'm not family, I always, even know class him as family''

''he is just a different type of person Charlie'' she lifted her head up and looked at me slightly, her complexion slightly miffed with what I had said,

''He's not a bad person Brax''

''I didn't say he was, all I'm saying he is probably not the person you thought he was''

Great silence again, gosh it was the one thing that everyone craves for the majority of their life but when it graces you with its presence, it surely had the ability to drive you slightly loopy...

Charlie's P.O.V

I don't know why I was doing this but I wanted to justify Angelo, I don't want to paint him out as a bad person because he isn't.

''he didn't mean it, I think it might have been the grief, he just lost his mum''

''Yeah but he shouldn't be pushing you away''

I suddenly felt out of place sat in Brax's lap. I got up but he tried to tug me back into his chest.

''No Brax let me go''

He let me get up and even though I was still facing him I began to back away from him, his face was a little confused.

''This is karma you know, maybe I deserve this''

''eh'' he got up and began walking towards me, when he reached me he outstretched his hand expecting me to take it instead I shrugged him off.

''what do you mean?''

''me seeing you behind his back, maybe this is why he is treating me bad''

He was going to say something again but instead I cut him off,

''Can you drop me of to Ruby's please''

''we need to talk''

''No what we need is space''

''For what'' he said it with slight aggression, I could tell by his features that he instantly regretted it.

''Fine''

-x-

The drive to Ruby's was quick and I got out of the car,

''Charlie wait up''

''thank you, it's late and I think Ruby would appreciate the rest so if you don't mind maybe you should head home''

I wanted him so bad, I wanted him to comfort me, him to tell me everything was going to be okay but it was so much easier for me to fob him off.

''no what you mean is YOU don't want me to come in, fair enough if that's how you want to play it.'' He got back into his Ute and sped off aggressively. I watched down the street and I felt so alone again.

Brax's P.O.V

I regretted taking that tone with her but I was getting punished for something that wasn't my fault. I did contemplate whether I should head back and talk to her or just continue on my way home.

Home it was, I parked up and slammed the door shut, I walked in and again slammed the door shut.

''What the heck man?''

''you don't start'' I pointed my finger at Heath who was spread across the couch. I grabbed a beer and looked at him with stern eyes,

''What'' he was oblivious to the fact that I wanted him to move, I gestured with my eyes towards his legs and he moved them like a sulking child.

''someone need their knickers untwisting sweetheart''

I ignored him and took a swig of the beer. The cold liquid embracing the back of my throat, I didn't even let the first sip settle down to my stomach before taking another.

-x-

I was sat in a slouched position and I swear I have seen annoying people but not as annoying as Heath, he fidgeted like a two year old. He moved one arm, then his other arm, then he would move his legs, folded, unfolded, on the table, on the back of the sofa, he was actually giving me motion sickness.

He was now sitting upright with both his legs on the table and watching the rugby match that was playing. He moved his leg and I don't know why instinctively I lifted my hand and smacked him across the head.

''Whaat the...''

He turned to look at me, dumbfounded expression, ''what was that for now?''

''You fidgeting, can't you just find one position and stick to it''

''nah that's boring''

''idiot''

''moron''

''don't piss me off Heath''

''Well I'm not trying to coz you already are, what was it, women rejected ya coz she found out you a transvestite''

''I wish''

He started laughing uncontrollably before rolling of the couch clutching his stomach, ''ha ha you wanna be a transvestite...''

Heaths sense of humour was not the best, he laughed at literally everything. He could be looking at a chunk of cheese and find it amusing. We had doubts about him and the two options that we came up with were either mum must have dropped him when he was born or he definitely was swapped at birth because me and Casey were nothing like him.

He sat back on the couch and slyly kept looking at me with a cheeky grin. ''watch the match Heath or I will seriously inflict pain on you''

''sorry was just thinking...nah forget it''

''no if you have something to say, spit it out''

''nah mate your alright''

''spit it out'' I grabbed his ear and twisted slightly, ''now''

''let go and I will tell you''

I let go and he got up, Heath was so predictable he would either jet first or he would say whatever he wanted to say and then jet before I grabbed him.

''Just thinking what shade of lipstick would suit ya, red or pink'' he backed away from me and before I could grab him I blurted out what I had seen during the day.

''Nah I'm thinking the shade that was smudged on your lips this afternoon when you were kissing the rock star's fiancé.'' I watched his mouth open and close obviously shocked that I had seen him.

''what no witty come back''

''er, arr, eah''

''Yeah I thought so'' I got up playfully slapped his cheeks, he was rooted to the spot, ''Brax – 1, Heath – 0''

-x-

Heaths P.O.V

When I finally pried myself away from the spot I took my phone out and rang Bianca, answer machine, damn I can't believe we got caught and from all of the people it had to be Brax. Brax was quite calm; he would normally blow up on me so I was quite surprised he let it subside. I rang Bianca again and this time it didn't go through to answer machine instead the automated voice said 'call rejected'. I needed to talk to her so I decided to go over to her house and hope the rock star was out.

I knocked and thankfully she opened the door, her face was shocked when she saw me. She pushed me away from the door and away from the vision of the others.

''what you doing here, are you drunk or something?''

Gosh why do they all think I'm some sort of alcoholic.

''I need to speak to you, its important''

''about?''

''not here, meet me on the beach in ten''

''I can't''

''For god's sake Bianca''

''well if its important tell me know'' she rubbed her hand down her arm trying to warm herself up and watching back into the house so no one wonders where she was.

''give me ten minutes, If I can get away, I'll text you...'' I began to walk away before I heard her again, ''Heath, IF I can get away okay''

-x-

***five minutes I'll be there this better be important ***

I didn't bother replying back; instead I sat on the sand waiting for her hoping she would hurry up. After what felt like an eternity I felt someone sit beside me.

''Brax knows about us''

-x-

Charlie's P.O.V

Today was the first day back at work after me and Brax had parted ways, no text; no call nothing from him and nothing from me either.

''Ruby I'm off, food is prepared... by Leah might I add''

''Oh thank god, can't go through your cooking again...''

''oh ha ha''

''well I'm only stating the obvious, oh Charlie can you do me a favour and ask Brax to come over today, that's if he is in, if not I'll tell Casey''

''why?''

''just because he has not been over and I like talking to him''

''what more than talking to me'' I mocked, ''I will do if he is in''

From the minute the words escaped my mouth I started to pray that he was not in work today. Well obviously God had gone on a slight vacation choosing to ignore my calls of prayer. I pulled up at the station right next to a black Ute, not any Ute but Daryl Braxton's Ute. Brilliant.

I slumped my way inside trying my hardest to take one step forward and three steps back trying to prolong the walk. I reached the office, the door already unlocked and Brax sat at his desk looking through some paperwork. He didn't acknowledge my presence instead he continued looking at the papers and me like a fool watched him.

I sat down on my desk and there was a pile of paperwork on my desk too, I picked them up and began doing my work, I kept glancing over at him, I wanted to break the silence but I didn't know where we stood. I was confused, not with him, never with him; it was more with me, had I broken up with him or what?

I glanced up at him and this time I was shocked to see him staring back at me. I suddenly felt like everything was okay.

''Is it okay if I head of, I finished my paperwork'' he asked me but there was no emotion, no anger or anything present in his words.

''Yeah sure''

''I'll be back in an hour tops''

''take as long as you want and Brax – '' his name flowing of my tongue was so natural sounding and I kind of got lost looking at him.. ''could you drop in and see Ruby, she was asking about you''

''sure'' and with that he was gone.

I decided to take out the files for the special case we were on and have a look and see if I could figure anything.

-x-

I looked over at my phone clock, it read 12:19, it had been over an hour since Brax had gone so I decided to text Ruby, and I was going to see if she was okay and to see whether she had any visitors. It was killing two birds with one stone.

Brax's P.O.V

I had gone to see mum after I left the station as she had got herself in some debt again and at first I wasn't going to go see Ruby but then decided that why should I not just because Charlie fobbed me of.

I had been sat with Ruby for a while now, it was just so comfortable talking to her and I was quite surprised that she felt the same way about me.

Ruby's phone beeped and she opened the text, she let out a giggle and looked at me,

''Charlie ever the comedian''

''oh right'' I tried to make out like I was not interested in what she had written but hell I was really.

''She text asking if I'm okay which is standard but then she asked if I had any visitors, that's her subtle way of telling me that I owe her athank you''

It was either her subtle way for a thank you or I think it was more her way of finding out if I had come and where I was. Ruby tapped onto her phone quickly whilst I got up of the couch to head back to the station.

''You heading off''

''yep need to do some work as well you know''

''oh okay'' her voice laced with disappointment,

''Hey I'll come back later on, or you could come over to ours if you wanted, I'll get Heath to fire up the barbecue, bring Charlie with you'' I regretted the last bit because what if she did come it would be so awkward. At least at work there's no eyes watching us but if there was a BBQ then there would be a lot of prying eyes.

-x-

I made my way into the station and I entered the office, I was shocked to the events that happened next. Charlie had got of her chair and had pushed me against the back of the door, kissing me, it was so needy and really sexy, it was getting me all hot and flustered. After the initial shock of her actions I settled into the kiss and it felt so good, our mouths melting as one again, her in my arms where she should be.

-x-

I seem to be having technical issues with fan fiction and have a slight feeling that I will get barricaded out soon. It doesn't let me post reviews to some people and this chapter just wouldn't upload hence why I have frustratingly been clicking buttons jamming the damn thing. Changed a few settings and fingers crossed we are on the up from here on out.

Anyhooos hope you enjoyed it. Reviews welcome, (That's my subtle way of saying please, please, pretty please review).

Abz... Xx