So the last chapter was both liked and disliked, here's the next part, please R&R :) xx
Joey didn't respond, nor did she move. She couldn't. Here she was standing before the woman of her dreams and she had never felt so small or humiliated in all her life. They had just made the most intense emotion filled love she had ever experienced and now Charlie was asking her to leave, she simply couldn't comprehend it. Joey could still feel her pulse point throb in her neck, her hormones flow through her veins, and she could still feel the evidence of their love making on her fingers.
Joey's failure to move only increased Charlie's guilt and heartache. When had things went so wrong between them, and how did they end up in this mess? Her thighs were throbbing, the muscles niggling. She wanted to take Joey, and hold her close but somehow all Charlie could do was push her away.
With her hands hanging by her side, Joey managed to look Charlie in the face.
Sensing Joey's gaze on her, Charlie turned away unable to face her. Her jaw trembled and her eyes began to water.
Both girls inhaled sharply as the handle on Charlie's door turned. Without knocking, Ruby walked in.
"Charlie what's all the noise about?" Ruby looked around the room expecting to see another person; but she didn't.
"It's nothing Ruby. Go back to bed." Charlie failed to observe where Joey had disappeared to, but knew she had to get Ruby out of the room.
Ruby took another step into the room, Charlie stepped forward.
"I could hear two voices."
"I was on the phone, there's no one here, please just go back to bed."
"Charlie what's wrong, are you ok?" Ruby's eyes bled concern.
"I'm fine –"
"But you're flushed, and you've been crying, what happened?"
Charlie closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead.
"Charlie…" Ruby tried again, whispering.
Joey lay still on the floor beside Charlie's bed, hoping Ruby wouldn't walk over to the other side. She desperately didn't want Ruby to see her, She wasn't sure if she'd be able to hold up if Ruby accused her face to face. Ruby would definitely notice there was something going on if she found Joey hiding, not to mind her mascara streaked face and dishevelled appearance.
"Ruby I need to be alone right now, we can talk tomorrow I promise." Charlie wiped her face roughly with the back of her hand as she pleaded with Ruby.
Ruby walked back to the door. "I'm worried about you."
"Don't be, I'll speak to you in the morning. Night Rubes."
Rubes closed the door gently behind her. If Charlie didn't want to talk right now she had to accept it. Ruby returned to her bedroom only to further agonise over what to do, Charlie couldn't be alone right now when she was clearly heartbroken over something. Maybe I should call Joey? Ruby thought to herself as she snuggled beneath her bed covers.
Charlie could see Joey's feet sticking out from the side of the bed. She waited until she heard Ruby close her bedroom door before climbing across the bed. Charlie sat on the edge of the bed and looked down at Joey as she lay on the flat of her back on the wooden floor.
Joey stared straight up at Charlie; she looked a mess her eyes were blood shot and puffy, her hair was messy and to top it all of deep purple marks were beginning to surface on her neck. But to Joey, she was as beautiful as ever.
Joey smirked.
"What's funny?" Charlie licked her bottom lip. She looked down at Joey, overcome be her vulnerability.
She sighed. As did Joey.
"Me, you, us, this… I don't know Charlie. I don't know anything anymore."
Hearing Joey's sense of defeat Charlie clambered off the bed and over Joey's body. She came to lie on the floor next to Joey.
"When it's just us, and no drama, nobody else it all seems so simple, but tonight showed… It's not simple, it's crazy." Charlie confessed.
"I know…" Joey agreed.
"We never should have gotten together in the first place. It was the wrong thing to do, I betrayed Ruby."
Joey edged nearer to Charlie, there bodies were almost touching.
"I did too Charlie. But this isn't about Ruby; it's about me and you."
Charlie flinched as a shot of pain hit her stomach, it wasn't the first time this had happened.
"Charlie? Are you ok?" Joey leaned in and placed her hand on her stomach.
"Give me a minute, I'll be ok." Charlie felt the perspiration begin to form on her brow.
"What's wrong can I get you anything?" Joey asked fretfully.
"Just a cramp, it'll pass."
Charlie closed her eyes and tried to regulate her breathing.
Joey moved as close as possible to Charlie and lightly rubbed her lower tummy.
"Charlie…"
"It's going." As the pain subsided Charlie recognised Joey's familiar soft touch on her abdomen. Through the material of her t-shirt she could feel the heat from Joeys hand against her flesh.
Joey didn't remove her hand.
"So where were we?" Charlie tried to track her line of thought.
"I was saying that this has gone beyond Ruby, it's about me and you."
Joey played with the hem of Charlie's t-shirt.
Joey waited for Charlie's response.
It didn't come.
"Charlie?"
"Sorry I can't… I can't think straight when you've got your hand…" Charlie spluttered.
Joey reluctantly pulled her hand away and let it settle in the small space between them.
"I don't know what to say Joey. I can't tell you what you want to hear. We said no strings attached but then tonight…"
"I saw you kiss Roman and I felt cheated."
Charlie turned slightly to face Joey.
"I can't be the person you want me to be…"
"I only want you to be yourself Charlie, not anybody else."
"I don't know who I am anymore, I can't give you that."
"You're you," Joey whispered "The person in here." Her hand crept between Charlie's breasts and rubbed over where her heart was located.
Joey could feel Charlie's heart race under her touch.
Charlie closed her eyes savouring the moment.
"I'm so confused."
Joey let her hand wander slightly to the left.
"Don't be. Forget about what other people think Charlie, and for once just think of yourself and what you want."
Charlie placed her hand on top of Joey's and moved it to cover her breast.
"We can't always have what we want." Charlie's spoke softly.
"Why not?"
Joey let her hand be guided by Charlie.
"Because life's not fair, it doesn't give us what we want."
Their hands moved together; caressing the rounded flesh.
"And what is it you want right now?" Joey asked, goose bumps rising on her skin knowing it was a rhetorical question.
Charlie bit her bottom lip. With eyes closed, her body was surrendering to Joey's tender movements.
"Because right now I have my hand on what I want." Joey spoke slowly, letting her words register with Charlie.
Charlie giggled shakily.
"Oh God… No." Charlie opened her eyes and dropped their hands and sat up.
She stood up, and Joey followed suite.
"Relationships and me… I couldn't do it to you Joey; I couldn't lead you on to hurt you."
"I'm not asking you to marry me here Charlie; I'm saying we have something. Something that I think is worth trying for. It's not a lifetime commitment."
Charlie paced the room, and Joey watched her closely.
"Sometimes I really believed you were letting me in, and letting your guard down. To me, it seemed like there was something, and it still does."
"I don't want to end up breaking your heart Joey…" Charlie tried to justify what she was doing. She didn't want to push Joey away from her, but she didn't know any other way to protect her.
Joey moved over to the window to leave, she turned back just the once before climbing back out "You know what; it's too late for that Charlie, because you already have."