Hi :)
It has been a little while since this story has been updated, (my apologies) but I was literally obsessed with another story and it was not possible for me to focus on anything else.
Thanks for all of the wonderful reviews and reminders that you were waiting for this story, I really appreciate it :)
Here is Chapter 7
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"Look everyone is having shit to deal with at the moment, Charlie, and we're the ones copping it from all angles. We're copping shit from Ruby and shit from Heath. It'll probably be someone else tomorrow."
"Yeah, we are, and what makes it worse is that you are not willing to do anything about it."
"Nah, that's not true and you know it."
"I'm telling you right now Brax, I don't know anything anymore. You made the choice to stay away from me in the hospital because of Ruby and now, you're making another choice for us to not see each other because of Heath. And you said I was the one who kept making up reasons for us to not be together."
Charlie didn't give Brax a chance to reply before she walked away not even bothering to slam the door behind her.
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"Did you hear Brax is having a party this weekend?" Ruby asked as she practically ran into the house.
"Yes," Charlie answered simply, not turning to look at her daughter.
"Doesn't that bother you?"
"Why? Should it? Does it bother you?" Charlie asked Ruby, not answering the question that was fired at her.
"Of course it bothers me," Ruby exclaimed.
"I don't see why?"
"Are you kidding me, Charlie?" Ruby asked stunned.
"Ruby, you really need to make your mind up about Brax and stick to it. He's either the bad guy and he should be throwing parties with his River Boy mates or he's the good guy and he shouldn't. Right now you're acting like you think he's the latter," Charlie snapped, shocking her daughter.
"Don't take this out on me, Charlie. This is just typical Brax. Another reason for you to stay away from him."
"Well as of this afternoon Ruby, you got your wish."
"What?" Ruby squealed. "What happened?" She asked before adding, "are you okay?"
"Ruby, thanks for your concern but you are the last person I want to talk to about this."
"Charlie?" Ruby said shocked.
"No Ruby, I'm serious, you just remember that Brax and I not being together was what you wanted, not what I wanted, so right now, I just want you to leave me alone."
"But Charlie.."
Charlie walked away without further comment leaving a somewhat distraught Ruby in the kitchen.
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"Charlie isn't talking to me," Ruby announced walking into Angelo's catching Brax's attention immediately.
"Well that's funny, she's not talking to me either," Brax answered flatly.
"It's all your fault," Ruby demanded.
"Really? Is that how you see it?"
"Don't play dumb with me, Brax."
"So let me get this right, you tell me to stay away from Charlie, I do and you're mad at me for it."
"You broke up with her!"
Brax wasn't about to correct Ruby, technically he hadn't broken up with her they'd had a fight and she hadn't answered any of his calls since.
"Right, so how exactly, would you like me to stay away from Charlie but not break up with her?" Brax questioned Ruby.
"You turned my mother against me in the process."
Brax barked out a harsh laugh. "No Ruby, you did that all on your own."
"She's at home, upset and she won't even talk to me, I'm her daughter."
"Then act like her daughter and not her mother," Brax snapped at Ruby, hearing that Charlie was upset at home made him all the more angrier at the young woman.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Stop telling her what to do,"
"I can't help it when she's making a mistake,"
"What's her mistake?"
"You!"
"Then why are you here?"
"You have to make her talk to me," Ruby screeched.
"I feel like I'm having a conversation with a five year old. You're going around in circles. If your mum is mad at you, then it's something you did and as crazy as it sounds it's up to you to fix it."
"Brax she's mad at me because of yo-"
"There's the door, Rubes," Brax pointed to the back of the restaurant and he turned his back on Ruby and continued to fill the fridge.
He waited until he heard Ruby's footsteps leave the bar and pulled out his phone.
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Charlie hadn't answered her phone that day, or in the days that followed.
Saturday soon arrived.
"What are you doing here? Don't you have drinking and partying to do?" Ruby said as she and Charlie walked into Angelo's to get their dinner.
"Umm, I own this place and work here and I will be leaving to do both of those things in about an hour."
"Don't let us hold you up, order for Buckton," Charlie said, refusing to make eye contact.
"Oh, this is a nice little tag team you've got now, great," Brax said pointing to the two Buckton women. "You're pizza isn't ready yet so you," Brax pointed at Ruby, "can go sit over there and wait quietly and you're coming with me," Brax continued, he reached for Charlie's hand and pulled her into the office ignoring the protests from both Ruby and Charlie.
"Nice to see you two on the same side again," Brax taunted as soon as they were alone.
"Excuse you, we're not, I ordered a pizza and she joined me for a walk."
"So you're not talking to her?"
"It's not any of your business."
"You ignored all of my calls,"
"It doesn't take a genius to figure out why," Charlie deadpanned.
"Clearly it does because I don't know what's going on," Brax told her.
Charlie remained silent.
"I'm sorry about the other day; everything I was trying to say came out wrong."
"Or it came out right and you're backtracking."
"Nah, that's not it. I love you."
"I love you too," Charlie replied without hesitation.
"I miss you as well," Brax said honestly.
"I miss you too."
"Order for Buckton," Charlie and Brax heard the call from the office.
"I have to go," Charlie said softly, talking with Brax had accomplished nothing.
"Charlie, you don't have to go not yet," Brax pleaded.
"Are you still having your party?" Charlie asked.
"Yeah," Brax answered knowing Charlie wouldn't be pleased with the answer.
"Then I have to go," Charlie said, pulling her hand from his and walking away.
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"What do you think you're doing?" Charlie asked later that night. She was about to go to bed when she heard rustling outside her window and a familiar head poked through her curtains.
"Climbing through your bedroom window. Don't chicks like romantic stuff like that?"
"You'd know."
Brax scoffed. "You are the only girl I'd do this for."
"How was the party?"
"I made an appearance but I had somewhere better to be," Brax said, the cheeky smile on his face easing Charlie slightly.
"Did you now?"
"Definitely," Brax nodded his eyes looked at her deeply and he took a step forward."
"It doesn't change anything," Charlie said, the words hurt despite them coming from her mouth. Her words did nothing to stop Brax from moving closer to her.
"No it probably doesn't, I don't know what the hell Ruby's problem is but with Heath, I just don't want to flaunt how happy we are in front of him. Does that make sense?"
"I guess."
Charlie laughed.
"I have an idea,"
"Did it hurt?"
"That's great Charlie, thanks. I know where to go when I need a self esteem boost."
"Keep going," she said, smiling slightly.
"Well, how about we just keep to ourselves for a little bit till they both sort themselves out."
"You mean, go back to seeing each other in secret?"
"I know it sounds stupid, but it might be the only way that things will be okay with you and me at the moment."
"How is that even going to work?"
"It worked once before,"
"Yes that's when everyone thought we hated each other?"
"Well you put on a pretty damn good show this afternoon, I think everyone is almost back to believing that."
"Heath and Ruby would be hard to convince."
"Nah, Heath isn't as smart as he looks," Brax joked. "You leave him to me. I reckon you keep on treating Ruby how you are and she'll start realising that she needs to mind her own damn business."
"What are you going to do about, Heath?" Charlie asked.
"I'm gonna give him exactly what he wants, Charlie."
"What a bachelor brother?" Charlie asked her eyes narrowing.
"Pretty much," Brax nodded and he tightened his grip on Charlie's hand anticipating she would try and pull it away.
She tried.
"Hey, hey, hey, you're forgetting and I'm sure Heath has too that before you came along, I had a lot of free time on my hands."
"No, that's exactly what I remember."
"Free time which was used considerably to tell Heath what to do," Brax told her.
"Your plan is to boss Heath around until he gets sick of you?"
"Yep, pretty much, he won't last long," Brax told her.
"This is ridiculous," Charlie told him.
"No, it's not. I want them off our backs," Brax said.
"So do I," Charlie agreed.
"But I want you too," Brax stepped closer. "So this might have to be the way to go for a while."
"You know I want you," Charlie agreed taking a step backward, toward her bed.
"So who's home?" Brax asked, he was tired of talking and it had been a long time since he and Charlie had been together.
"No one," Charlie answered with a shrug of her shoulders her wide eyes looked up at him innocently despite knowing exactly what Brax wanted.
"Well, then I think we should make the most of it don't you?"
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Thanks for reading :)
Some fun stuff is coming up, I think we need it ;)
Please review, I'm looking forward to getting this story back on track.
xoxox
