Chapter Four
That evening, Joey had dragged a very willing Aden to the Surf Club in order to drown her sorrows. People had been talking about her and Charlie all day and from the snatches of conversation she had caught, it seemed everyone was divided between thinking she was strong or heartless for rejecting Charlie's beach gesture. She hadn't quite decided who was right. She'd hated the look on her ex-girlfriend's face when she had destroyed the display. But she knew she if she didn't shut her out completely, she'd let her back in. And she couldn't do that. Charlie had broken her heart one too many times. Now, Joey had to protect herself from the world and everything in it.
"Hi, everyone," said a voice into a microphone.
Aden grimaced when he looked up and saw a recently rehabilitated Liam Murphy step up onto a makeshift stage with his guitar.
"The proprietor of this establishment has kindly allowed me to perform for you tonight," he said a little nervously.
Glancing across the room, he smiled. Aden turned and visibly winced when he saw that Liam was smiling at Belle. She'd been out of the clinic for a few days now and things were awkward to say the least. Aden had hesitated over telling her how he still felt about her and if the rumours were to be believed, she had already moved on.
"Do you want to go?" Joey asked.
Aden nodded and they stood to leave.
"The first song was a special request from Charlie Buckton," Liam ventured.
Joey froze. Glancing around the room, she saw Charlie hiding out on a sofa, sipping a delicate glass of wine and looking a little anxious.
"It's dedicated to Joey Collins, a girl that she hurt badly but loves very much."
Joey sat down heavily as Liam began to perform "I'll Be There For You" by Bon Jovi. Aden awkwardly sat beside her.
"I guess this time you're really leaving;
I heard your suitcase say goodbye.
Well, as my broken heart lies bleeding,
They say true love, it's suicide.
You say you've cried a thousand rivers
And now you're swimming for the shore.
You left me drowning in my tears
And you won't save me anymore.
I pray to God you'll give me one more chance, girl."
At the back of the room, Charlie's heart pounded. None of her gestures so far had gone particularly well. She had fifty four destroyed roses, a homeless teddy bear and a pile of stones on the beach to show for her love for Joey. For a moment, she dreaded what her ex might do to Liam as he moved onto the chorus.
"I'll be there for you;
These five words I swear to you.
When you breathe, I want to be the air for you;
I'll be there for you.
I'd live and I'd die for you,
I'd steal the sun from the sky for you,
Words can't say what love can do.
I'll be there for you."
Joey tried not to react to the song but rather than hearing Liam's voice, she could hear Charlie speaking the words. She wondered desperately if she meant them but dared not look back as Liam continued to sing.
"I know you know we've had some good times;
Now they have their own hiding place.
Well, I can promise you tomorrow
But I can't buy back yesterday.
Yeah baby, you know my hands are dirty
(Woman, you know my hands are dirty)
But I wanted to be your valentine.
I'll be the water when you get thirsty;
When you get drunk, I'll be the wine.
Oh, I'll be there for you;
These five words I swear to you.
When you breathe, I want to be the air for you;
I'll be there for you.
I'd live and I'd die for you,
I'd steal the sun from the sky for you,
Words can't say what love can do.
I'll be there for you."
Charlie was encouraged by the fact that Joey was still in her seat and seemed to be giving Liam her rapt attention. She hoped desperately that it meant she was listening to words. Maybe then she might believe how much she loved her and how willing she was to do absolutely anything to make things right.
"I wasn't there when you were happy
(I wasn't there to make you happy).
And I wasn't there when you were down.
Didn't mean to miss your birthday, baby;
I wish I'd seen you blow those candles out.
Oh, I'll be there for you;
These five words I swear to you.
When you breathe, I want to be the air for you;
I'll be there for you.
I'd live and I'd die for you,
I'd steal the sun from the sky for you,
Words can't say what love can do.
I'll be there for
I'll be there for you;
These five words I swear to you.
When you breathe, I want to be the air for you;
I'll be there for you.
I'd live and I'd die for you,
I'd steal the sun from the sky for you,
Words can't say what love can do.
I'll be there for you."
Liam finished the song to awkward pause. Joey glanced at him a moment longer and then back at Charlie. Slowly, she stood up and walked out. Belle started to applaud the singer. It wasn't Liam's fault, after all, that Charlie's gesture hadn't worked. Charlie closed her eyes and sank back against the sofa in defeat as Aden hurried after his best friend.
Joey was glad to have a day off the following day. After Charlie's musical dedication the previous night, she and Aden had grabbed alcohol from a shop and ended up back at Aden's instead. She had ignored his concerns that she was trying to drown her sorrows all the time and snapped that it had only been a few days and she was entitled to behave a little recklessly if she wanted to. Now, however, she was regretting her decision to drink too much and felt more than a little fragile.
Heading to the Diner, she ordered a coffee from Leah who, like the rest of hers and Charlie's joint friends, offered a well meaning but patronising smile.
"How are you doing?" the restaurant owner asked kindly.
"I'm hungover," Joey admitted. "But otherwise fine."
Leah sat down at the table with her.
"We miss you," she said honestly.
"I miss you guys too," Joey said. "How's VJ?"
"He's okay," Leah said. "You should come over and play cards with him sometime."
"Or he could come to me so I wouldn't have to run into Charlie," Joey suggested.
Leah sighed and looked a little guilty.
"You foiled my plan," she admitted.
"Thought as much," Joey replied. "Look, I know you care about Charlie and everything..."
"I care about you too," Leah told her firmly.
"Then please don't try and get me back with her," Joey pleaded. "It's taken every ounce of willpower I have to stay away and not forgive her for what she did..."
"If it's that hard then can't you...?"
"No," Joey said. "I was so happy with her, Leah but looking back, she's treated me like crap from the moment she realised she liked me. If she even liked me at all!"
"She did," Leah confirmed.
"It doesn't feel like it," Joey said. "It feels like she was just playing with me. Using me or something."
"She wasn't," Leah promised. "She's a mess without you, Joey."
"Well, that's her problem," Joey said unhappily. "She made her bed. Now she's got to lie in it. And quite frankly, I'm sure that soon enough, when she gets bored of all these stupid gestures she's making, she'll find some nice, hunky guy to share it with her."
Charlie took a deep breath and headed into the Diner. Everything was in place and she hoped that this gesture wouldn't go quite so desperately wrong as the others had. She'd gone to extra effort this morning – including getting the same day off that she knew Joey had – and she hoped that it would pay off.
"Hi," she said, anxiously approaching her ex-girlfriend.
Joey glared up at her.
"You're not going to sing me a song yourself, are you?" she challenged.
Charlie shook her head although she made a note of the comment in case it was a good idea and this one failed.
"Will you come for a walk with me?" she asked.
"No," Joey replied flatly.
"Just a short one? Please?"
"What part of 'no' aren't you getting? But then, I guess it's not something you say..."
Charlie sighed and sank into a chair. She leapt up again when Joey coldly informed her that she hadn't invited her to join her table.
"Please, Joey?" she begged.
"If I come with you, will you promise to leave me alone afterwards?"
Charlie nodded a little hesitantly.
"Fine," Joey said, draining her coffee cup. "What pointless place are you taking me to?"
Next time... Joey discovers Charlie's next gesture, Ruby tries to help Charlie and Joey has an admirer...