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CHAPTER 35 COMPETITION

"Joey, wait up!" Chelsea ran after Joey as she took off down to the beach. Joey's toes sunk into the soft sand but she pushed herself along, wanting so desperately to run away from everything.

"Hey!" Chelsea eventually caught up, grabbing Joey's arm and pulling her to a halt. "You didn't tell me you were with someone. How was I supposed to know?"

"Yeah, well I'm with Charlie, okay?" Joey snapped, not even realising how erratic she was being about all of this.

"Then why didn't you tell me?" Chelsea pleaded.

"I did, didn't I?" Joey turned to walk away but Chelsea stopped her.

"After she rocked up and caught me with my hands all over you." Chelsea didn't break their eye contact for a second. "Look… I'm sorry I came back."

"Why did you come back, Chels?" Joey's tone turned into one of softness and her eyes searched deep within Chelsea's eyes.

"Brett said you needed to see me."

"No… I mean, why did you really come back?"

Chelsea paused and looked down, watching her toes dig down under the sand. "Because I thought… I thought now we'd have a chance."

Joey swallowed hard. She'd fallen for Chelsea bad when she was fifteen. All she wanted back then was to be with her and not feel ashamed about it. She wanted back then what she had with Charlie now.

"I guess I was wrong."

Joey remained silent.

"Wasn't I?"

Joey looked away, shrugging and shaking her head. She and Chelsea had a history. Chelsea knew so much about her and somehow, maybe this felt right. Maybe this was fate.

"Do you really want to be with Charlie?" Chelsea tried to catch Joey's eyes but she wouldn't look at her. She remained focussed on the sand below them.

Joey could see how sure Chelsea was about who she was. Charlie doubted herself all the time. She'd doubted their relationship so often. It had just taken them so long to get to this point that she began to wonder whether their relationship could be strong enough to last. But it was Charlie. She was the girl Joey had fought so hard for and they'd both worked so hard to get to this stage and for once, they were happy. And they were both content.

"Yes." Joey lifted her eyes to meet Chelsea's. "I do."

Chelsea gave a small smile. "I don't believe you."

"But I do. I love her."

Chelsea gently took hold of Joey's hand, waiting to be pushed away but finding that she wasn't. "There was a point in time when I thought you loved me."

Joey shrugged. "Me too. But it never would have worked. You know that."

"Not with Brett around, no. But he's out of the picture now, Jo…" Chelsea stroked Joey's hair and stepped closer so their bodies were almost touching.

"Have you not been listening to me?" Joey stepped back, letting go of Chelsea's hand. "I'm with Charlie now."

"And I don't believe you're comfortable with her. I won't give up on you." Chelsea gave her a fleeting smile before being the first to turn and walk away.

As Joey made her way to the police station, she began to wonder how she could be so stupid to even consider leaving Charlie. That she would be the one to doubt their relationship. Charlie was the strongest, sweetest, most caring, beautiful woman Joey had ever known. She just hated the fact that Chelsea was back and had brought up all these old feelings. Feelings she thought were dead and buried.

Joey knocked on the door to Charlie's office.

"What?" Came a shout of frustration.

Joey hesitated before pushing the door open slowly and stepping in. Charlie looked up and upon sighing, she put her head back down and began writing down some notes. "I'm busy, Joey."

"I need to apologise for this morning." Joey walked over to her desk.

"Apologise for what?" Charlie didn't look up. She pretended that she hadn't noticed anything earlier on and she was trying to believe it. The less she knew the better.

Joey saw through this though. "Chelsea's an old friend. There used to be… I dunno… something there. But nothing ever happened. We were never 'together'. She just… she turned up out of the blue." Joey knew she had to be completely honest. She knew lies only caused trouble.

"But she wants to get with you, right?"

"I don't know." So maybe there was nothing wrong with one small lie. "But it doesn't matter anyway, does it? I want to be with you and only you."

Charlie set down her pen before standing up. "I hated seeing her with her hands all over you."

Joey stepped forward and gave a little smile. "I much prefer your hands anyway."

A grin spread across Charlie's face and she placed her hand on Joey's cheek. "I can beat her with this though." Charlie leant forward and kissed Joey's lips.

When they parted, Joey smiled. "Yeah, that was alright. But I know you can do better than that." They went in for another kiss, this time ending in a warm embrace. Joey pushed her nose into Charlie's neck, smelling her sweet perfume and being reminded that this was what she wanted. She didn't want anything with Chelsea even though she knew there were still some feelings there. She wouldn't do that to Charlie. She couldn't. Not when things could be so good with her. But one thing played in the back of her mind: Chelsea vowing not to give up on her. Joey just hoped her relationship with Charlie would be strong enough to survive. That she, in particular, wouldn't give into this temptation.