I Kissed Ya
Chapter 36
Charlie looked out of the kitchen window for the fifteenth time in half an hour. Ruby grinned to herself but made no comment.
"Uww." Charlie muttered; more to herself than Ruby.
"Anything wrong, Charlz?" Ruby enquired; innocently.
Charlie sighed and looked at her sister.
"I thought Joey might be here by now!"
"She will, shortly. Just give her time. Maybe she's got caught in traffic."
Charlie frowned; considering her sister's explanation.
"She'd have rung me."
"Well, maybe she's gone to the caravan first, after all, it is her home when she's here."
"Yes, but she would have let me know she was back!" Charlie insisted, irritably.
"Oh dear! Someone has it bad!" Ruby said, with a smirk.
Charlie turned around in frustration to chastise her sister but stopped when she heard a car pulling up outside. Relief washed over her face and Ruby smiled; pleased that Joey was back at last, for her sister's sake but also for her own: at least she didn't have to put up with Charlie's long face anymore.
Before Ruby could say, 'a,b,c' Charlie had disappeared in a puff of smoke; rushing outside to greet her beloved, Joey.
***
"Oh God! I thought you'd never get here!" Charlie said flinging herself into Joey's receptive arms.
"I got caught up in the Friday night traffic, then, stopped off at The Diner for this!" Joey said, proudly holding up a bag of brownies. "It's good to be back."
When they had finished hugging, their lips gently touched in a special kiss which spoke volumes of how much they had missed and longed for each other.
"I've put the kettle on!" Ruby yelled from inside the house.
Charlie and Joey broke apart and smiled at each other.
"Think maybe we should go inside?" Joey asked, nodding her head in the direction of the kitchen door.
"Well, if we must." Charlie said, breathing in every feature of Joey's face. "I'm so glad you're home."
***
Charlie helped Joey in with her luggage.
"How did 'Pinky' go?" She asked, in reference to Joey's little pink van.
"Wonderfully! She'll never break any speed limit but she does everything else!"
"Well, speaking as a Police Officer, I'm glad to hear it, though I wish you'd have put your foot down this afternoon!"
"Yeah! Me too!" Ruby chimed in as the girls walked hand in hand into the kitchen. "She's been driving me mad all day wondering when you'd be back!" Ruby grinned.
"I haven't!" Charlie protested.
"Hey Rubes! How's it going?" Joey grinned; pleased she had managed to stir Charlie up so badly.
"I'm fine thanks, Jo." Ruby answered shyly; giving Joey a quick cuddle. "Welcome home!"
Ruby stepped back quickly and averted her eyes. She was finding it increasing difficult to relax around Joey, but she couldn't understand why. She loved being in her company and listening to her talk but every time Joey addressed her directly, she felt shy and tongue-tied. This had never happened before to the normally confident teenager and it flustered her.
"Thanks." Joey said and looked back into Charlie's shining eyes. "I've missed you... both!" She added, hastily; glancing at Ruby.
Ruby smiled and picked up her mug of coffee.
"Well, if you two will excuse me, I have some things I need to attend to, elsewhere." She said, and hastened to the door.
"You don't have to go, Rubes!" Charlie said, anxiously; not wishing to banish her sister in her own home.
"S'okay, I really do have things to do. Besides, don't you two need some space to fawn over each other?"
"Ruby!" Charlie cried; her cheeks flushing.
Joey smirked and rested her hand on Charlie's bottom; tweaking it gently.
Ruby smiled back but as Joey's eyes met her own she blushed and gladly disappeared into another part of the house.
***
"I'm really sorry..."
Charlie tried to apologise for her sister, but before she could elaborate, Joey had captured her lips for other purposes.
Their embrace was long and wonderful. Charlie could feel her heart beating so fast, she felt it might burst through her ribs.
Joey gently broke away and smiled into Charlie's blue eyes.
"Hello."
"Hello." Charlie said, deliriously happy. "Are you hungry?"
"A little, but that can wait. I'd rather just stand here and look at you."
"Oh dear!" Ruby said, popping back to pick up her mobile phone.
"Ruby!" Charlie yelled.
"Shhh." Joey said, with a grin as she watched Ruby slink away; mobile in hand. "Charlie, think of all the fun you'll have one day, sneaking up on her and surprising her boyfriend's! Don't get mad, get even!"
Charlie chuckled at the realisation of her own intensity.
"Come on, let's have a coffee and you can tell me all your news. How were your folks?"
"Fine thanks." Joey said, reluctantly breaking contact with Charlie. "I introduced you to them."
Charlie turned around quickly to gauge Joey's expression.
"And?"
"They were pleased, and said they'd like to meet you one day. They asked lots of questions about you; mostly worried that you might be like Amy!" Joey giggled. "They were a little disappointed about me moving here, but I think they settled to the idea after a bit. Dad seemed very pleased after I explained that there's lots of fishing around here. He's a bit of a fisherman, you see!"
Charlie smiled.
"I'd like to meet your parents, Jo. Maybe we could go for a visit together soon? I would prefer it if they knew I'm not like Amy!" Charlie said with a frown.
"Speaking of which, Mum was a bit worried." Joey said suddenly. "She'd had a visit from Amy and several phone calls."
Charlie's face dropped in shock.
"Oh no! What did you say?"
"I just told mum to ignore her and to let me know if it happens again."
"It doesn't look as though she's giving up anytime soon!" Charlie said, with a sigh. "Have you spoken to Bobby recently?"
"No, I was actually wondering if we could take him out to dinner one night? I'd like him to know what she's up to."
"Won't that worry him?"
"Well, a little maybe, but it is his sister and I know what she's capable of, so I'd rather he was aware, than not."
"What do you mean, 'capable of'?" Charlie asked, anxiously.
"Charlie, she's rich and has many influential friends. She could make life very difficult for anyone who crosses her."
"Just let her try it with me and mine!" Charlie said, growing in stature by about ten feet.
Joey giggled.
"Charlie, you're supposed to be taking this seriously!"
"I am, darling; believe me, I am!" Charlie said, more seriously than Joey realised. "Did you manage to get the appointment to view the house?"
"Yep! This evening. Shall I tell Ruby?"
"Yeah, she'll like it coming from her." Charlie said brushing Joey's lips with her own as she walked past. I'll get us some food. Snapper okay?"
***
Joey made her way into the lounge where she found Ruby busily texting a friend.
"Boyfriend?" Joey asked with a smirk.
Ruby's cheeks reddened.
"I-err... No!"
"You know, that's the same expression Charlie uses when she's been caught out!" Joey grinned. "How's life treating you, hun?"
"Yeah, good." Ruby said hiding her mobile, as Joey sat down on the sofa next to her.
Joey clocked Ruby's magic trick with the disappearing mobile and raised an eyebrow.
"If you're free this evening, I wondered if you'd like to come with Charlie and I to see the house, which I believe Charlie has spoken to you about."
Ruby's eyes lit up.
"Yeah! That'll be cool!" She said, enthusiastically.
"Great. I think we're gonna have a bite to eat then get going afterwards."
"Great! What's Charlie cooking?"
"Snapper, I think." Joey said as she stood up. "Ruby," Joey said suddenly; seating herself again. "You are okay about Charlie and me ... moving on, I mean?"
"As long as Charlie is, I am." Ruby said, trying not to look in Joey's eyes.
"But you don't mind that I'll be living with you and Charlie?"
"Don't you mean I'll be living with you and Charlie?" Ruby corrected.
Joey swallowed, not wanting Ruby to feel the outsider.
"We'll all be living together, Ruby!" Charlie said, walking into the lounge. "Except, Joey and I may be getting somewhat closer to each other than you will be, to either of us!"
"Okay, you don't have to go into any more detail, Charlz." Ruby warned, holding up her hand to stop further explanation.
"Good." Charlie said. "Coz you weren't gonna get any more!"
Joey took a deep breath and looked up at Charlie who was standing by her side. Charlie smiled down at her and slipped her hand under Joey's hair and caressed her neck. Ruby surreptitiously watched the gentle touches and smiles of the lovers but quickly averted her gaze lest she was caught and accused of voyeurism. Suddenly Ruby's mobile phone bleeped as a text message arrived.
Charlie and Joey looked expectantly at Ruby who looked a little uncomfortable; shifting slightly to rescue her mobile which nestled comfortably between the sofa cushions.
"Well, okay, I'll get back to the kitchen." Charlie said; turning to leave.
"Want some help?" Joey asked with a smile.
"Mmm.. Love some." Charlie replied, holding out her hand for her girlfriend who willing took it.
"Oh, by the way, Ruby. You can read your text in private now." Charlie said, glancing back at her sister, who blushed deeply.
"The teasing works, Joey!" Charlie laughed as they reached the kitchen.
"Told you so!"