-x- Chapter 6 -x-

As she wakes from a small nap, she turns to her husband sleeping soundly in the sunlounger next to her. As she takes a sip of the now warm water in the glass on the table she notices out of the corner of her eye the end of the bandage wrapped around his arm. She wondered how bad the "sheep bite" must be, and also why, most importantly, he had not shown her. It was unlike him. But rather than make him show her, she decided to try and find out for herself. Just a peek, he'll never know. She lifted the bandage delicately and saw a white sticky dressing, she just managed to lift it off slightly, trying not to pull too hard, otherwise he'd wake up. Just as she did so, he let out a slight snore, moved his arm over his chest. She then tugged carefully at the dressing, and just made out the outline of a red round mark, but, this mark had a black outline, and, gold tip? What the? A tattoo? He's got a tattoo?

"Charlie!" She voiced.

"What…huh…what's wrong?" Charlie woke with a freight, he turned his head to see the shock on Duffy's face.

"You've got a tattoo?!" Duffy said, her face looked shocked.

"What?" He replied, suddenly his face fell, as he put his hand to his arm.

"Look Duffy I can explain."

"You can explain?"

"It doesn't mean anything."

"It doesn't?"

"He got it wrong."

"Oh, did he?"

"I swear to you, I asked him to write Duffy."

"What do you mean?"

"I was drunk."

"Well I gathered that."

"It was meant to be a romantic gesture."

"A tattoo Charlie, utter stupidity you mean."

"It was a mistake that's all, he wrote the wrong name."

"What do you mean he wrote the wrong name?"

"Candy was just this girl...at the club."

"Candy? Club?"

"Look Duffy, it doesn't mean anything."

"You've gotten a tattoo and of a woman you met in a club!"

"Idiot!" She said, as she got up from her sunlounger, grabbed her bag, and walked off along the beach.

"Duffy!"

"Duffy wait, please!" He shouted as he put on his blue shirt and followed on after her.

-o-

He found her sat at a bar at the end of the beach, just before the road leading into town.

"Duffy?" He gently said, as he walked up behind her.

"Go away." Duffy said, not turning towards him.

The barman looked at Duffy then at Charlie, the young man shook his head at him, then walked off to serve another customer at the end of the bar.

"Duffy?"

"Leave me alone Charlie." She said, as she took another sip of wine.

"Duffy, I didn't mean to…"

"What? Get another woman's name tattooed on your arm?"

"You've got it all wrong."

"Have I, so you haven't got Candy tattooed on your arm then?"

"Well, erm…yes, but it was a misunderstanding."

"I bloody well hope it was! Idiot!"

"Hear me out will you." Charlie said, as he took a stool from the bar and sat next to her.

"Go on then, explain how this, this, Candy impressed you so much to get a tattoo then?"

"It wasn't like that."

"Oh, wasn't it?"

"No, not at all."

"Well then?"

"Just listen, please."

"Go on then. Explain."

"The boys took us all to this club, well, it was…"

He sighed.

"It was a strip-club."

"A strip-club!?" She almost yelled at him.

"Please, Duffy, let me explain."

"I can't believe I'm hearing this. You of all people!" She rolled her eyes at him, shaking her head.

"Duffy. We just had a conversation. And she made me realise something."

"Oh?"

"How much you mean to me, how much you have always meant to me."

"Don't you try and soft talk me now Charlie Fairhead."

"I'm not."

She scoured at him.

"We talked about you."

"Oh am I pleased, you didn't completely forget you were about to marry me then."

"Duffy."

"I explained how thirty years ago I should have told you how I felt, but I didn't. But that when I did tell you, that you felt the same."

She scowled at him again.

"She said, there is a theory that two people who are perfectly matched are attached by an invisible thread, nothing can break it, and it stretches all around the world if it has to. And that is us, this is exactly like us."

She looks up at him.

"Charlie."

"Just listen. Ethan and Cal were wanting to leave, as Ethan wanted to get a tattoo."

"Ethan? A tattoo." She looked even more shocked.

"So I thought, what better way to show how much you mean to me, than by getting an everlasting thread: a tattoo."

"Charlie?"

"The thing was, I needed a little dutch courage to go through with it, i.e. half a bottle of whiskey. By the time the tattoo artist had finished the heart and dagger, I was so drunk I could barely see nevermind speak properly. I'd spoken mostly of why I was getting a tattoo, how much you meant to me, of our years together, and because of what Candy had said, about the invisible thread. I know I told him to write Duffy, but he must of mis-heard me and ended up writing Candy instead."

"Charlie?"

"What?"

"Let me see the tattoo."

Charlie lifted up the bandage, tore off the white sticky dressing and revealed the love heart, with Candy at the centre.

"You got a love-heart."

"Yeah."

"You said that at our wedding reception."

"What?"

"That, "there is a theory that two people who are perfectly matched are attached by an invisible thread, nothing can break it, and it stretches all around the world if it has to. I know I can't turn the clock back, but I know our love is unbreakable, and you will always have my heart."

"And it is true. You are my world Duffy, my heart is yours."

"Oh Charlie." She says, as she turns to look into his heartfelt deep brown eyes. They spoke of nothing but love for her.

"You stupid...stupid…idiot…you…you…adorable, stupid…man…" She says, her brows creased at him, then the crinkles in her brow disappeared, as she put her hand to his cheek.

"But you're my stupid idiot." She smirks at him.

"Always." He says, as he clasps her hand on his cheek, with his.

"This doesn't excuse the fact that you got the wrong name tattooed on you."

"No, no, not at all."

"You're not off the hook Mr Fairhead."

"Never thought for a moment I would be."

"Good."

She leans over and kisses him anyway.

"Just for the record." Duffy says.

"Hmmm?" Charlie murmers.

"You've got a lot of making up to do."

"Oh, anything."

"Anything?"

"Name it."

"As soon as we get back you get it removed."

"Deal."

"Just the name though."

"I quite like the love-heart."

"Duffy."

She smirks at him.

"Deal." He sighs at her, and leans in to kiss her.

"Stupid man."

"Sexy woman."

"Charlie."

"What?"

She hits him on the arm, expertly, right on his tattoo.

"Ow."

"Serves you right."

He just looks up at her and smirks, rubbing at his arm.

-o-

"So, where were you?" She said, as she took a sip of her wine, as they continued their conversation in the small bar.

"Hmm?"

"Max told Louise they'd lost you, I was calling your phone, left numerous messages for you, so where were you?" She asked, her brows crossed more as she waited for his answer.

"Oh, erm?" He stammered, then blushed.

"Charlie?" She crossed her arms and looked at him.

"Um." He looked aprehensive.

"You didn't have second thoughts did you?"

"No, never. It's just."

"What?" She asked, waiting.

"It's a bit hazy that part."

"What do you mean?"

"Um. I was drunk."

"Well, I gathered that."

"I had a lot by the time I left the tattoo parlour, the boys had left me hours before that, so I had no idea where they went. I got a bit lost."

"Mmm hmm, and?"

"Ended up in a police cell."

"You what?!" She exclaimed, looking very annoyed.

"For being drunk and disorderly." He said, slightly tensing up, as he awaited her reaction.

"For being drunk?" She asked.

"Erm, yeah." He replied.

"And disorderly?" She asked again.

"Yeah."

"What on earth did you do?"

"I haven't a clue."

"What do you mean you don't know?" She asked, still crossing her arms at him, giving him an intense look.

"I only really remember leaving the tattoo parlour. After that, I dunno, I got lost." He said, as he shrugged his shoulders.

"So, let me get this straight. On your 'stag-do' you: kidnapped a sheep, went to a strip-club, got the wrong name tattooed on you, got arrested, and spent the night in a police cell?"

"Um, yeah."

"Oh, and I gave the police Dylan's name too."

"Oh, so you impersonated a Doctor too?"

"Not the best things I've done."

"I can't believe what I'm hearing. No wonder you were late, I'm surprised you made it. Just how drunk were you?"

He shrugged his shoulders.

"Very."

"What kind of man have I married?" She shook her head at him.

"A very sorry one." He said, looking chastised.

"Charlie Fairhead?"

"Yes, dear?"

She sighed, and shook her head again.

"I suppose I should be thankful."

"What for?"

"That you made it down the aisle at all."

"Duffy."

"Well?"

"I'm an idiot."

"You got that right."

"A stupid, stupid idiot."

"Mmm hmm." She shook her head at him again.

"And I promise I won't do anything like that ever again."

"You better bloody not!" She retorted.

"I promise."

"I've married an idiot." She said, rolling her eyes at him.

"You have."

"Is there anything else you haven't told me?"

"No, no, that's the lot."

"I suppose there are worse things in the world."

"What?"

"Than having a tattooed criminal for a husband."

"Duffy."

"Ha, ha, oh Charlie, I don't know whether to hit you or kiss you."

"The last one sounds much better."

"Ow!" She hits him on his tattooed arm.

"I suppose you being drunk and disorderly in a police cell, after getting too drunk in a tattoo parlour, is better than you having doubts about marrying me."

"Duffy. I'd never think that, ever."

"Well for about two hours Charlie I thought that you didn't want me. And that scared the life out of me."

"I'm sorry Duffy."

"So you should be."

"I've never been so relieved when you called me back. 'Duffy, I love you, I'm on my way.' That's all I needed to hear. But, then you never showed."

"Duffy."

"You were so late Charlie, I thought you weren't coming. I thought this was it, you'd made your choice, you didn't want me."

"I'd never do that."

"Then you arrived."

"Ha, and the entire time, you were passed out drunk in a police cell, with a tattoo."

"Erm."

"Charlie, I just don't know."

"What?"

"Ha, ha. Whether to laugh, or cry."

"Aw Duffy, come here."

"Don't do that to me ever again, ok."

"Ok. Come here."

"A tattoo? Utter stupidity." She said, as she shook her head at him.

"Yes, dear."

He hugged her close to him, and she hugged him just as tight back.

-x-