Well there's just nothing getting past you guys at all is there?
YES it's a date...of course they still won't admit it :P
Musician17 - That's so sweet to say that I make your day! Hope this one does the same!
CJ4eva - Hmmm it's possible one of these could happen...
Lil20 - Thanks for the compliments on the song choice. This one is from the lovely Bethany Joy Galeotti from One Tree Hill. Link - .com/watch?v=X6PmNFu9aMM Hope you love this one as well :P Rebecca definitely won't be having a personality transplant and turn into a bitch :P Hmm Gabby & Rebecca...it's a possibility... :P
Kim - Charlie and confidence? - It's been a while since we've seen that :)
Movie249 - Excellent writing? You're too kind...on occasion :P
Oniz - Maybe a lil flirting :P
Well as I type this up Kate Bell's first ep in Neighbours is going to air so I'm gonna enjoy her (hopefully) good acting compared to the awful acting on Neighbours but we'll see how it goes. Anyone else gonna watch her guest stint?
"Feel This"
"Ah-ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
It's gotta be this one,
You don't have to fake it
You know I can take it
What if I told you your tears haven't been ignored
And everything that was taken can be restored
Feel this
Can you feel this
My heart beating out of my chest
Feel this
Can you feel this
Salvation under my breath
It's gotta be just right
Soul and script
Chord and the lyrics
What if I told you that innocence is yours
And the beauty you have now is brighter than before
Before
Feel this
Can you feel this
My heart beating out of my chest
Feel this
Can you feel this
Salvation under my breath
Ah-ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Let go, let go, believe, let go, let go and believe, let go, let go, believe, let go"
Joey and Charlie walked silently to the Diner. Joey glanced nervously at her outfit. After Charlie had surprised her at Aden's place, asking her to go out to dinner, Joey had changed into a comfortable pair of dark blue jeans, black and white halter top, and high heels.
Joey could feel her heart beating furiously, unsure of why she was so nervous at the prospect of having dinner with Charlie at the Diner. It's not a date, Joey reminded herself, I mean Charlie wouldn't do that…ask me out on a date when she knows I'm with Gabby. That's just…crazy. It's not a date. And I don't have feelings for her…romantic type feelings…
As the two women approached the Diner, Joey suddenly halted when she noticed a sign out the front of the Diner. "Ooh…guess we should try this dinner another night then," Joey said disappointedly. Charlie smiled softly, then reached out for Joey's hand. Entangling it gently with her own, Charlie pulled Joey towards the Diner.
As they walked up to the entrance Joey sighed, "Charlie didn't you see the sign? The Diner's closed tonight for a private function." Charlie squeezed Joey's hand, "I know…," then as she opened the door and allowed Joey to enter the restaurant first, she stood behind Joey, leaning down to whisper in her ear, "It's closed for our private function."
Joey gasped slightly as she noticed the empty Diner had all the lights switched off and was simply lit by a small array of candles on one of the tables, "Charlie you…I mean this is amazing but…this seems more like a…"
Charlie stroked her thumb against Joey's, "I told you it's just dinner between two friends who have spent all of ten minutes alone together since you returned. I just…want to get to know you again Joey. And okay I admit the nice dinner at the Diner was my idea, but Leah kinda suggested that I make it just for the two of us which I thought was a nice touch…and looks like she thought she'd…set the mood with the candles…and the bottle of champagne that's on the table…so I can't take credit for them."
"It's beautiful Charlie," Joey smiled, "So you told Leah this…wasn't a date but she did this anyway?" "Looks like…maybe with some help from Ruby…Jo if you're not comfortable with this…" Charlie whispered sadly. "No it's fine…it's just dinner between friends remember. Why wouldn't I be comfortable with that?" Joey decided.
"Exactly, it's not a date," Charlie replied gently, then smirking, "And to prove to you that it's not a date I will not be escorting you to the table, offering to pull out your chair, pouring you champagne all night, and I will definitely not be demanding that I pay for this meal. We're friends, and friends pay for their own meals…right?" Joey chuckled, "Well this might be the worst non-date I've ever been on. C'mon let's go sit down."
Charlie and Joey made their way to the middle of the room, and sat down at the table. There was a basket of garlic bread in the middle of the table, and a note in Leah's handwriting, which Joey read out, "Your main course is in the oven and will be ready by 8 pm. Have fun!" Joey placed the card back down on the table, "Huh…well the service in this place has certainly gone downhill since I left." Charlie blushed, "I think that's just Leah's way of not having anyone here serving our food…so we really have the place to ourselves."
"I have definitely missed Leah," Joey revealed. Charlie picked up the bottle of champagne, "Would you like a glass?" "What happened to not pouring me champagne all night, friend?" Joey pointed out playfully. "Well I think I can get away with the first glass, but then you're on your own with pouring your drinks," Charlie blushed, glad for the darkness to hide her blushing and nervousness, as she poured them both a glass.
Passing Joey her glass, Charlie placed the bottle down, then picking up her own glass, she leant forwards, clinking it against Joey's, "To friendship." "To friendship," Joey agreed, as they both took a nervous sip of the champagne. "So…" Charlie swallowed anxiously, "We've got just over half hour 'til this mysterious main course is ready. Guess that'll give us some time to talk. What's your life been like since you left Jo? Tell me everything I missed."
Half hour later, Charlie and Joey were onto their second glass of champagne and were sitting comfortably with their hands entangled lightly on the table. Joey had just finished telling Charlie about what she'd been through the past ten months. She had told her about making the hard decision not to return to the Bay like she had promised, and instead explained about moving to Sydney and the differences she had come across between the small coastal town to the big city.
Though slightly reluctantly Joey revealed how she had come to meet Gabby and Rebecca, not able to avoid it when they were a huge part of her new life. And even though it hurt, Charlie asked how Joey's relationship with the young chef had begun. Joey briefly told Charlie about her first few dates with Gabby and her confused feelings about moving on after her last relationship with Charlie.
Charlie listened patiently, squeezing Joey's hand occasionally, showing Joey that she accepted the choices Joey had made without her. Not for the first time, Charlie was secretly glad that the darkness shrouding the room hid the jealousness that was etched on her face as Joey told her about falling for the other woman. But that jealously turned to disappointment and slight disgust when Joey turned the questions back on her, wanting to know what Charlie had been through since she left…and how she had managed to fall back under Angelo's spell.
Charlie didn't want to talk about Angelo, she had broken up with him and as far as she was concerned he was nothing but a part of her life that didn't exist anymore. Truthfully, Charlie didn't want Joey to see exactly how weak she was getting back together with him. Joey had detailed how hard it was on herself to consider moving on from Charlie.
What am I supposed to tell her? That the truth wouldn't appear as hard for me as it was for her. That the truth is…I had a bad night and ended up in his bed…and kept ending back there because I was running away from my real feelings. That I'm weak and I didn't spend time torturing myself about considering moving on from you.
Instead of answering Joey's questions, Charlie made the excuse that their meal should be ready and excused herself to go into the kitchen to serve their meals. Finding two plates on the counter with salads on them, Charlie pulled out the tray from the oven, to find a couple of slices of Leah's homemade lasagne. Charlie swiftly placed the slices onto the plates, next to the salad. Turning the oven off and placing the tray into the sink, Charlie picked up the plates and returned to the table.
As they started eating their meals, it didn't take too long for the pair to engage in conversation. Joey avoided asking Charlie about Angelo, sensing that Charlie would do everything to forget she was ever with him. Joey wished at that point that she had returned to the Bay to be there to help Charlie through everything she'd been through, and maybe if she had been there, Charlie wouldn't have resorted to feeling like she had to be with Angelo rather than be alone.
Instead, Joey asked about how things were really going between her and Ruby, knowing the younger girl had earlier expressed utter confusion on the status of their relationship. "They're good…I think…" Charlie replied hopefully, "I don't really know how to describe it…have you…spoken to Ruby about this?" Joey finished swallowing her bite of lasagne, "I saw her down the beach today and…she's still confused Charlie."
Charlie sank back in her chair defeated, but smiled gently as Joey placed her knife down and reached out to entangle their hands again, "I just don't know how to fix this. I don't know what kind of relationship Ruby wants from me now…and I'm too afraid to ask." Joey smiled softly, "Charlie she's waiting for you to figure it out. You're the adult and she's just a kid. She needs you to decide what you want and take the lead. If you're more comfortable having a sisterly relationship with her, Ruby will accept that. But if you decide you would feel secure taking on more of a motherly role to her…I don't think she'll turn you away."
"Do you really think that? You don't think she'll back off if I try and reach out to her more?" Charlie asked concerned. "Give it a chance Charlie. You're not gonna lose Ruby over this. You've gotten through the hard parts, now you just need to be there for her…the way you were always supposed to be," Joey suggested. "I guess you're right," Charlie agreed, "I just guess I was afraid that if I pushed too hard, Ruby might…take off again. Thanks Joey for supporting me with all this. Not many people would be okay with all this."
"Guess I'm not like most people," Joey smirked. "You're definitely right about that," Charlie grinned, "So…ah have you decided how long you'll be in town for?" "Actually I might be in town for a little bit longer than I thought. Alf offered me a part-time gig down at the Bait Shop while I'm here. It's not much but it's a good opportunity for me," Joey told her. "So you're gonna be for a short while…?" Charlie realized happily, then trying her best not to sound jealous, "Does this mean…that um…Gabby's gonna be around here for a while as well?"
"I guess…" Joey admitted, "I mean I haven't really spoken to her about it. I could probably stick around for a couple weeks if this job keeps me going and Aden's okay with me crashing at his apartment. I can't exactly expect Gabby to stick around for the entire time, she's got a job of her own to get back to. The only thing is…the longer I stay here…well if I stay here maybe even a few days I'm gonna lose the apartment I've been renting in Sydney…don't exactly have the money to cover living here and there…when I'm not actually there. So once I go back…"
"You won't have a place to live so you'll end up moving in with Gabby," Charlie realized. "Yeah," Joey whispered uncertainly, then confessed, "Moving in together is kinda…something I've been avoiding…don't exactly have the best track record when it comes to living with…my girlfriend. I just don't want to push things if it doesn't…quite feel right. I mean things with Gabby are…great…I just don't know if I want to ruin that." "Joey you don't have to do any of this for me," Charlie replied quietly, "I get it…if you can't afford to stay here. I don't want to screw up your life again."
"You're not screwing up my life Charlie. I want to be here for you and Ruby. All the other stuff…I'll figure it out. Don't worry about it," Joey told her. "Okay…if you're sure…I kinda don't mind you being around," Charlie whispered. Joey smiled, "Well I don't mind being around either…even if it's only for a few weeks. It's good to know that I can still fit into people's lives here, that I have a place here in this town. Before you came along I didn't really feel like I belonged here. But anyway I just…I'm happy to be back here. I hope I can manage to help you fix things with Ruby."
Charlie took Joey's hand again, "You already are fixing things between us. You're right I just need to keep spending time with Ruby and show her how much I love her. That I'm proud to be her mum. I didn't have the courage to even think about doing this until you came back." "I take it that…um…Angelo wasn't keen on convincing you to do the right thing by Ruby," Joey assumed hesitantly.
Charlie nervously took another bite of her dinner, "No. Angelo was…when I first told him about what I went through and that Ruby's my daughter…he was really supportive. Kind of surprised me. But then again he was…Angelo was the one who told Ruby I was raped so she found out how she was… I didn't really give it much thought at the time but he could've done better…protected Ruby from that. If he had…maybe Ruby wouldn't have found out, she wouldn't have tracked down Grant and my Dad wouldn't have…God I sound like I'm blaming Angelo for all that happened."
Joey nodded, "Sounds to me that maybe he did set off…a bit of a chain reaction that could have been prevented." "Something like that yes," Charlie agreed, "But yeah once all this stuff with Grant happened and my Dad confessed, I was really struggling to regain Ruby's trust. I really could've used his support then to help me gain the courage to sort things out with Ruby properly. But instead he got involved in his work again and wasn't there for me. I guess I understand it now knowing that the case he was working on was his ticket to freedom but I really could've used someone like you there for me. Maybe if I had the strength back then things wouldn't still be strained with her now.
Then Angelo went and solved his big case with my help and I thought maybe then we could relax and get things back on track. Instead he was more concerned about moving our relationship forwards. He didn't even consider Ruby at all when he insisted we move in together. It was like she didn't exist at all. All he thought about was himself and what he wanted. It was at that point when I realized just how…different things would've been if it had been you by my side. I'd spent so long trying to block out the pain of my heartbreak over you…then all the drama subsided and…I couldn't hide anymore."
"So that's when you wrote that letter to me?" Joey realized. "Yeah I'd tracked you down two weeks before and I so wanted to go see you but I knew there was something holding me back. Then all the stuff with Angelo getting my promotion and him pressuring me to buy a house together…and instead of going to see you…that's when I sat up one night and wrote the letter to you. I just wish I had the courage to send it myself. I feel so weak…not being able to let you know how badly I'd screwed things up," Charlie admitted sadly.
Joey squeezed her hand comfortingly, "Well you don't need to worry about that anymore. The letter found its way to me regardless. And you haven't screwed things up entirely. You're still here and you're strong enough to make things right with Ruby. You ended things with Angelo when you knew it was the right thing to do. Things aren't as bad for you as you make out. I'm proud of you Charlie, you have changed."
"Have I changed enough?" Charlie whispered, trying to hide the subtext of asking Joey if she was proving that she's comfortable being with her. Joey took a deep breath, unable to shake the meaning behind the question, "Um…so did you enjoy your dinner?"
Charlie smiled sadly, realizing Joey wasn't ready to push the issue of their relationship, then looked down at her plate, surprised to find it empty, "Yeah…guess I did. Can't even remember eating it, I was having such a nice time talking to you. So…um if you're finished your dinner too…there's something else I thought we could do tonight…if you want."
Joey nodded hesitantly, "Sure…as long as it's something friends normally do together." "Course it is…it's not a date remember," Charlie said disappointedly as she stood up. Joey's heart skipped a beat at Charlie's reminder, and as she stood up, Joey blew out the candles on the table, shrouding them in complete darkness.
Walking towards the exit, Charlie shyly took Joey's hand in her own again. Charlie smiled at the thought that Joey felt comfortable to accept the gesture, and felt that so far their night had been a success and hoped the rest of the evening would prove even better, "This night has been good for us…hasn't it?"
"Yeah it's been…great," Joey answered, then swallowed hard as they exited the restaurant. She tried to shrug off her feeling of complete disappointment. It surprised Joey just how disappointed she felt about the entire evening. She was taken aback by how distressed she was at herself for even hoping for one moment that the dinner they shared was a date.
Urgh of course it's not a date…why did you even get your hopes up that it could be a date? Charlie wouldn't try to complicate the situation and you shouldn't even be thinking about such a thing when you're in a relationship! Why would you want tonight to be a date?
But most importantly, Joey hated to admit to herself she was discouraged by Charlie.
If this was a date and Charlie was trying to show me that she's comfortable being with me…she blew it!
Charlie had an opportunity to prove to me that she wants to be with me and can be in an open relationship…instead she hides us away alone at the Diner where there's no one around to see us together. It's like she didn't want to be seen with me. Now she's probably planning to take us somewhere else alone. She seems so happy…how do I tell her that she had her chance tonight to prove that she can be with me without freaking out…and she blew it!?
***
Charlie, Charlie, Charlie so close to being perfect but she neglects something so important :)
And Joey, Joey, Joey have a lil more faith in Charlie :P
Will Charlie pull through in 'non-date' part two and prove her feelings once and for all or mess it up again?
Gotta love the cliffhanger hahaha!