Chapter Eighteen

Charlie watched Joey emerge from swimming in the sea, with unashamed lust. Her eyes roved over her slender, tanned body, clad only in a black bikini. She firmly believed that the vision of Joey was the single most beautiful thing anybody could see in the whole world.

Taking a deep breath, Charlie approached Joey, who was drying herself on a towel. Her ex-girlfriend's dark eyes blazed immediately. Charlie hesitated for a moment, feeling anxious. But she knew she had to state her case even if she got knocked back again.

"How are you?" the police officer asked.

"Peachy," Joey replied flatly, wrapping her towel around her waist and gathering her belongings up in order to go home and change before work.

"There was, um... there was something I wanted to tell you," Charlie ventured.

Joey met her gaze, her jaw set and her expression blank.

"I already heard your news," she said.

She turned to walk up the beach. Charlie hesitated for a moment and then jogged after her.

"What news?" she asked, more confused than ever.

"You and Hugo," Joey said. "You're a couple now."

Charlie halted in astonishment.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. "I'm not with Hugo. I'm not with anybody."

Joey whirled around to face her, trying to both read her expression and to stop Charlie from seeing the relief in her eyes. The idea of Charlie moving on with anybody, hurt a great deal but the whole thing felt ten times worse if it was with Hugo, the man Charlie had betrayed her with.

"That's what everyone else thinks," Joey stated, clutching her towel a little too tightly.

"It's not true," Charlie insisted. "I mean, as if I..."

"How the hell is anyone meant to know what you're capable of, Charlie?" Joey snapped. "You fucked him a few weeks ago. Why wouldn't you be dating him now? Or is that a little old fashioned for you – actually being in a relationship with someone you've slept with?"

Charlie looked wounded but didn't protest. Joey immediately felt guilty for being so harsh.

"I'm not with Hugo," Charlie promised. "Like I've been saying for a long time, the only person I ever want to be with is you."

The former lovers gazed longingly at each other for a moment, wishing all the bad things would go away.

"Well, you had a funny way of showing that when we were together," Joey shot back without enthusiasm.

She was tired of feeling so angry all the time. She was tired of having to stay alert and defensive every time she spoke to or about Charlie. She was tired of trying to hate her when she knew that all she would ever truly feel was love.

"That's what I wanted to talk about," Charlie said.

"I don't need to hear details of what you did or are doing with Hugo," Joey replied. "And if you don't want people thinking you're together, you might want to tell your other little boyfriend to stop gossiping."

Charlie's eyes narrowed and she made a mental note to have a word with Angelo, who she assumed was the person Joey was talking about.

"That's not what I meant," Charlie said.

Joey shrugged and turned to leave, feeling like her heart was going to explode. Charlie gave chase and caught hold of her hand and spun her round. Joey withdrew from Charlie's touch more reluctantly than either of them expected.

"What do you want?" Joey asked.

"I wanted to tell you that I love you," Charlie said.

"Charlie, would you just...?"

"And that I remember what happened on the boat."

"What happened?" Joey asked cautiously.

"We nearly kissed."

"Yes, and then you ran away and so began your little game of messing me around," Joey said coldly, referencing the first time they had been on the Blaxland together.

"No, I mean on our anniversary," Charlie said.

Joey froze, swallowed and then folded her arms across her middle, feeling more than a little self conscious.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she lied.

"You were going to kiss me," Charlie said. "You were going to take me back. But I threw up."

"But you didn't remember anything," Joey pointed out.

"I remembered yesterday. When you kissed me. I guess it sparked something."

"A fake memory," Joey decided. "That didn't happen."

She turned to leave again but Charlie stepped forward and captured her lips gently. Joey was powerless against the temptation of being close to her, even after all that had happened. Their kiss lingered until she finally, reluctantly came to her senses and pulled away.

"What the hell was that?" she demanded.

"Joey, I know you don't like me," Charlie said. "I know I hurt you and you don't forgive me. And I don't blame you. I don't know if I'm living in a dream world, and I'm sure you'll tell me in a moment that I am, but as well as hating me, I feel like you also still love me, even if it's only a little bit."

She paused, waiting for Joey to interject. But she didn't. Charlie continued.

"What I wanted to say today is that I love you. I will always love you. And even if you never, ever find it in your heart to forgive me... it doesn't matter. I'll spend the rest of my life waiting for you. Even if it takes forever, I'll wait. I'll wait and I'll dream and I'll hope that you might come back to me."

The two women gazed at each other for several, long moments before Joey nodded, cleared her throat a couple of times and then left for home. Charlie watched her go, hoping that maybe, just maybe, she might be starting to get through to her.

Next time... Joey tells Angelo that she and Charlie used to be an item and Charlie ambushes her date with Crystal...