Authors Note: I do NOT own Home and Away! All credit to the writers.

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Thank-you for all your reviews, they have all been lovely. Please check out my other stories it would mean so much.

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Chapter Eight:

"Brax! Get up, I need help" Charlie whined as she walked out of her bedroom – yelling at Brax from the hallway as the twins cried loudly.
Agreeing to move in together for the sake of the twins seemed like a good idea at the time but it was becoming overwhelming.

When Charlie looked at Brax holding one of the twins she could see the love in his eyes, she could see how good he was at being a father and it scared her because she felt emotions beginning to surface. Emotions that she knew she shouldn't be feeling for her best friend.
They'd been home a month, it had been a month that she had been getting these swirling emotions for and living together was making it worse.

The way he walked around the house with his shirt off or a towel hung loosely around his hips was driving her insane, there were moments she'd had to forcibly stop herself from wanting to jump in.

"Brax!" Charlie shouted again when she didn't see him come out of the bedroom; she had to leave her thoughts behind as she shoved his door open only to see his bed empty and made. "Shit!" Charlie cursed as she looked down at Ruby in her arms as her little girl squirmed. "Where is your daddy?" Charlie murmured as she tried to calm the crying baby; she of course new where Brax was.

He had a date and obviously never came home, normally Charlie could forgive him or move past it but not now, it was like the emotions she was feeling were clouding her judgement – the last month had been clouding her judgement. Clearly have children together had been more practical in theory.

^..^

Brax stumbled into the apartment with his shirt buttoned up in the wrong order and hair ruffled about, he had barely shut the door when the tv remote was thrown at him – it hit him square in the back of the head.

"Ow! What the fuck Charlie?" Brax shouted as he spun around to face Charlie who was standing in the middle of the living room glaring at him with her arms crossed.

"What the fuck? Are you serious, Brax you were meant to be here this morning!" Charlie said and Brax frowned.

"Really? We agreed half the responsibility, it was one night and she was fucking amazing" Brax said and Charlie picked up the nearest book ready to throw it at him.

"That was before you knocked me up with twins" Charlie said lowly, she tried to ignore the stabbing pain in her chest as Brax called his newest woman amazing.

"Come on Charlz, you are free to date as well. Why don't you go out tonight? Find a man, get laid" Brax said casually and Charlie grimaced as she threw the book down.

"Screw you Brax! I was here with our children while you fucked around, your an asshole" Charlie muttered as she walked towards the her bedroom, slamming the door behind her she heard the twins cry at the sound of the loud bang startling them but she didn't turn around. Brax could deal with it was how she justified her actions as she fell onto the bed allowing the tears to fall from her eyes as she thought of Brax being with another woman.
He hadn't dated anyone during her pregnancy but in the last months she could count at least three different women.

^..^

Brax cradled Jie in his arms as he stared at Charlie's bedroom door intently, he wanted to knock and check to see if she was alright but he couldn't bring himself to. He wanted to explain his behaviour but how could he, they had a deal – they wouldn't get attached to each other, that their friendship would always come first.

He didn't know why he had said that his girlfriend was amazing, she wasn't. He didn't even class her as his girlfriend; she was more of a distraction.

Brax sighed to himself as he looked down at his son, he knew he couldn't tell her his feelings – he couldn't ruin what they already had but he couldn't stop the emotions from evading him. The woman behind the door had given him the most precious gift in life, two perfect children. There was no way he couldn't love her after that.
He hated to think that she would never feel the same, that was why he had said it – he'd done it to make her think he was happy when really the only thing on his mind was her.

He couldn't get out of his mind, her smile, her laugh – just everything about her crept into his mind but he couldn't tell her.

Taking a step back from the door Brax looked down at Jie and then back at the white wooden down in front of him, his eyes were watering slightly.

"I love you Charlie" Brax murmured softly as he went to turn around by the door flung open in front of him causing him to step back another step startled.

Their eyes connected as Charlie looked at him as equally as shocked as he was, Brax's heart couldn't stop racing. He hoped she didn't hear him; he couldn't deal with the idea of rejection, rejection from her. The longest relationship he had been ever able to hold with a girl could possibly have been ruined all because he couldn't keep his mouth shut, all because he let the words slip from his mouth.

He went to speak to defend himself just as she opened her mouth; he snapped his shut so she could go first.

"You love me?" Charlie asked softly.

^..^

Authors Note: Please Review! Let me know what you think.