Chapter Twenty Five

"So, how's everything going now that you're at home?" Alex asked.

Charlie smiled. She felt genuinely happy.

"It's actually great," she said. "I mean, it's all an adjustment, of course. I'm still getting used to this."

She pointed at the chair. Beside her, Jasper looked at up. She smiled and reached down to stroke him.

"I'm already used to you, boy," she told him.

He wagged his tail excitedly. She grinned. The three of them were outside on the decking, enjoying the morning sun.

"Aden is a good housemate and Ruby is settling in well, I think," Charlie continued.

"And Joey?" Alex asked, a note of teasing in her voice.

"She's… everything," Charlie said with a happy sigh. "I just… I wish I hadn't wasted the last few years. I wish I hadn't got everything wrong the first time. We could have just been happy together, you know?"

Alex reached out and squeezed her friend's hand.

"I'm just so in love with her and I feel so honoured and so grateful that she came back for me," Charlie said.

"She obviously loves you very much, Charlie," Alex said warmly. "And what's not to love?"

She grinned. Charlie laughed and shook her head.

"How long have you got?"

"Hey!" Alex scolded. "We're doing positivity, aren't we? Self-confidence?"

"Yeah, yeah," Charlie laughed.

"Honestly, what is the therapist teaching you?"

Charlie assured her that she was doing a good job.

"I'm just a tough patient."

"I remember!" Alex said, shaking her head.

"But between her, Joey, you, Ruby, Willow and Aden, I'm getting there," Charlie promised.

Willow approached Irene in the Diner, finding a moment when she wasn't too busy.

"You look like you want a favour," the older woman suspected.

Willow blushed, wondering when they'd got to a point that she could read her so well. But the truth was that Irene had become like a mother to her. She was like a mother to a lot of people and she had been to many over the years.

"Um… well, not a favour exactly," she said.

Irene raised her eyebrows.

"Well, Alex has given me a drawer in her room," Willow said. "And a key."

"Oh wow! Things are getting pretty serious between you," Irene replied.

"We're in love," Willow confirmed, blushed more.

Irene hugged her.

"So… I wanted to give her a drawer," Willow ventured.

"And you were wondering about giving her a key to the house," Irene concluded.

Willow looked anxious.

"No problem, love," Irene told her. "Get one cut. I trust her. She's practically part of the furniture these days anyway."

Willow thanked her and hugged her tight. Irene held onto her hands as they parted.

"I really am happy for you, Willow," she said sincerely.

"You've got to the drawer and key stage?" Charlie gasped, teasing her friend.

Alex glared at her.

"Well, I don't move in with people after one kiss," she smirked.

Charlie snorted.

"We do have history, you know," she retorted.

"Oh, I know!" Alex replied.

"Anyway, it sounds like things are getting really real," Charlie said more seriously.

"They are," Alex admitted. "I just… I want to be with her all the time. She's so funny and… to be honest, I could just look at her all day I'd be happy! She's amazing. We have so much fun together. I honestly never thought I could feel like this about anybody again."

"Well, I'm happy for you," Charlie said.

"The only this is that… I um… well, my contact here is ending in a couple of months…" Alex said.

Charlie was crestfallen.

"The whole point was that I took a temporary contract because I haven't wanted to settle anywhere since I broke up with my ex," Alex explained. "But there's a possibility that I could apply for a permanent contract at the hospital if I want to."

"Do it!" Charlie instructed, making Alex laugh.

"It's a bigger commitment than a drawer," the Doctor said.

"You love her, don't you?" Charlie pointed out.

Alex nodded.

"Well then don't do something stupid like I did," the police officer said bluntly. "You have to grab the moments that are important to you, the moments that matter. They're not there forever. If you want to be with Willow then be with her. Don't mess around, Alex. Don't miss out on something that could be the best thing that ever happened to you."

Alex sat back in her chair and smiled.

"And Joey's that for you?"

"Well, Ruby aside, yes she really is," Charlie told her. "She is beautiful and kind. She lifts me up – figuratively and literally now! She's the light in all this darkness around me. And don't even get me started on how hot she is!"

It was the end of the working day and Joey didn't want to go home. It felt weird. For a month now, all she had wanted to do was be with Charlie. But now, she felt too anxious to spend time with her. Something felt broken between them somehow.

Charlie's words to Brax kept rolling round and round in her head.

She was the safe option. She felt so boring. She felt sexless.

Alex met up with Willow outside the Diner, greeting her with a kiss.

"How was your day?" Willow asked.

"Good," Alex said. "Work. Had a nice visit with Charlie. She's doing really well. How was yours?"

"Fine," Willow said. "Work. But also, I spoke to Irene and…"

She produced a key and pressed it into Alex's hand.

"What's this?" Alex asked, confused.

"A key to my place," Willow said. "You gave me one to yours and I wanted you to have the same."

She smiled happily at her girlfriend.

"But… what about Irene and the others?"

"I spoke to Irene," Willow repeated. "She said you were part of the furniture!"

Alex laughed.

"And I'm pretty sure Jas and Bianca will feel the same too."

"I think that's a compliment," Alex said.

They kissed. They were about to head into the Diner for an early dinner when Alex spotted Joey at the end of the Pier.

"Um… go in without me?" Alex asked. "I won't be long."

She headed down the Pier, calling Joey's name. Joey turned around, surprised to see her. She had been in a world of her own.

"Oh, hey," she said.

"Are you okay?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Joey lied.

She still didn't want to go home.

"You don't look fine," Alex persisted.

"I'm fine," Joey snapped. "I'm not one of your patients, Alex. Please leave me alone."

"You're not one of my patients but I did think we were friends," Alex said, a little hurt.

Joey sighed. She turned around to look at her.

"She's only with me because I'm the safe option," she said.

Alex was confused.

"Well, that's not what she said this morning," she replied.

"That's exactly what she said this morning!" Joey snapped back.

Alex shook her head.

"I saw her this morning, Joey and she couldn't stop singing your praises," she insisted.

"Don't tell me, she told you I was kind and I made her feel safe and secure," Joey sneered.

"She did say you were kind," Alex agreed. "She said you were funny. She said all kinds of wonderful things about you. She also talked for a full half hour about how hot you are and that she'd been worried it might end up as a carer situation because you have to do so much for her at the moment but it's not because you make her feel so beautiful and things are so amazing physically between you. She said she can't keep her hands off you because she wants you so much. She said her biggest regret in life is wasting the last few years when you could have been together. In fact, she gave me a little more information than I probably needed to know!"

Joey burst into tears. Alex hugged her.

"I thought I was the consolation prize," Joey said. "I thought… after all of this… I was the consolation prize."

"You're not," Alex assured her. "You're really, really not, Joey."

They separated.

"Please go home," Alex requested. "Please go home and talk to Charlie about whatever you heard or misheard. Let her tell you how she really feels. It'll mean more."

Joey nodded and they walked back up the pier together. Alex headed into the Diner, calling good luck to Joey as she left her. Taking a deep breath, Joey headed on home.

Charlie was feeling very anxious. Aden had come home. Ruby was still on her date. Joey had been due back half an hour ago and hadn't been in touch. Charlie was starting to fret and Aden was struggling to keep her calm. He jumped up when Joey let herself in the front door.

"Where the hell have you been?" he demanded.

Joey held her hands up.

"Chill!" she snapped.

"Charlie's been out of her mind worrying about you," Aden said, not chilling at all.

In the lounge, Charlie felt awkward.

"I need to talk to Charlie," Joey said. "Can you…?"

Aden called Jasper, grabbing his lead from the hook by the front door. The pair of them headed out, leaving Charlie and Joey alone.

"Please don't leave me," Charlie burst out the second Joey walked into the room.

Joey rushed forward and hugged her, promising that she had no intention of leaving her. Awkwardly, she tried to explain what had happened, what she had overheard and how it had made her feel. Charlie continued to cry, also awkwardly explaining the rest of what she had said. Joey interrupted her.

"I know," she said. "I spoke to Alex and she corrected me and made me realise I was being stupid."

She sighed heavily.

"I um… I might have been waxing lyrical about you to her today," Charlie said. "About everything about you."

She blushed.

"I'm sorry I doubted you, Charlie," Joey said. "I guess I have insecurities of my own."

"I get it," Charlie said. "I haven't helped. In the past. I haven't helped. I've hurt you."

Joey couldn't deny it.

"And I'm sorry," Charlie said sincerely. "But it is you I want, Joey. Wholly and completely. And you are kind. And you are funny. But you are beautiful. You're so hot I can hardly control myself. I am so in love with you.

She held onto Joey's hands, gazing into her eyes. Joey leaned in and kissed her.

"Well, we have the place to ourselves right now…" she whispered.

Charlie grinned, pulling Joey into her arms.

Next time… Willow and Alex hit a snag while Ruby is busy party planning…