Chapter Eleven

It had been a wonderful day and Charlie was sad to know that it was coming to an end. She and Joey had talked from the moment she'd arrived and it seemed that they were unlikely to run out of things to say any time soon. They'd enjoyed a nice lunch at the canteen and although Charlie felt desperately sorry for Joey's situation, she was relieved to know that she was being looked after.

"So, um... would you like to do something again sometime?" Joey asked nervously as she walked Charlie through the lobby of the building and towards her car.

Charlie smiled.

"I'd love to," she said honestly. "When?"

"Well, I'm free all the time so whenever," Joey said a little shyly.

"How about next weekend?" Charlie suggested.

Joey nodded eagerly.

"Would you like to come here or...?"

"That's fine with me," Charlie said. "I'm guessing you don't have transport."

Standing by the car, Joey shook her head and shoved her hands in her pockets.

"Did I have transport before?" she asked. "Like, could I drive or anything?"

"No," Charlie said. "Although you were amazing behind the wheel of a boat!"

She grinned. Joey smiled back at her.

"Maybe I should try and learn that again," she mused.

"I think you should," Charlie said. "Although, maybe wait until you're definitely ready. You don't want another... accident."

Joey chuckled and nodded.

"Well, um... I guess this is goodbye," Charlie said awkwardly.

Joey pulled her hands out of her pockets and offered an equally awkward hug. They held onto each other tightly before Charlie forced herself to get into the car. Joey stood waving until the vehicle was long out of sight.

"How did it go?" Ruby asked eagerly as soon as Charlie walked through the door.

Charlie merely hugged her, unable to stop smiling. It had been an amazing day and she was now desperately looking forward to the weekend.

"That good?" Ruby remarked as Charlie moved into the lounge and flopped on the sofa. "Did she forgive you for... you know... everything?"

Charlie frowned. Disheartened, Ruby sat down beside her mother.

"You didn't tell her the truth, did you?"

Charlie sighed and shook her head.

"Charlie!" Ruby squealed. "Have you learned nothing from losing her the first time? I can't believe..."

"I know!" Charlie interrupted. "I know I've done the wrong thing but... Ruby, how do you tell someone all the bad things that have happened to them when they don't remember? How could I sit there and tell her that she was raped? And then, knowing that, I went and broke her heart? I can't do that..."

"Charlie, do you see a future here this time?" Ruby asked seriously.

"I hope so," Charlie replied with a quiet nod. "I mean, I love her just as much as I always did. If not more so. I want to be with her..."

"Then presumably, she'll come to Summer Bay at some point," Ruby said.

Charlie nodded again.

"All it's going to take is a remark from Colleen or running into Brett for the whole story to come tumbling out," the teenager pointed out. "She's not going to want to hear it. Of course she isn't. But if she's got to know, then she should hear it from you. You're the person she trusts most in the world. You're the light at the end of a very dark tunnel. You have to do this right, Charlie. You can't let her down."

"I'm just so afraid of losing her again," Charlie replied glumly. "She thinks I'm this wonderful person all set to rescue her from everything she's been through. And I want to be that person. I want to help her. I don't want to be the same person she walked away from the first time."

"Then don't be," Ruby said gently, holding her mother's hand. "Admit to your past mistakes and make it clear that you're different now and you're never going to let her down again."

Joey lay back on her bed feeling content. She'd had a lovely day with Charlie and she was already counting the days until she could see her again. Sighing happily, she caught sight of the book Charlie had brought with her. Picking it up, she began to read. Fiction hadn't been her thing for quite some time. She found it confusing to differentiate between a story and reality but maybe now everything was coming together. It was possible that she could start reconnecting with her past. If she was lucky, she might even remember something, like she had when she heard the song Charlie had sent online. Everything felt like it was at least starting to work out. And she was thrilled.

Next time... Charlie tries to tell the truth...