Hey guys thank you all so much for your reviews, they're all greatly appreciated. This chapter is kind of short and not much happens but I'll try to make the next chapter better...Hope you all enjoy anyway.
Chapter 26
"Mmmn" Ruby hummed happily as she walked into the kitchen "I smell food"
Joey looked over her shoulder at the younger girl who had dropped into a chair at the table. She flashed her a quick smile before retuning her gaze in front of her "Hey Rubz...Pancakes for breakfast...Is that okay?"
"They smell amazing" Ruby inhaled the scent deeply. She watched intently as Joey grabbed a plate and set about piling pancakes on it.
"Good" Joey smiled as she placed a plate of pancakes on the table.
"Thanks Jo" Ruby grinned up at her "You're the best"
"That's what they tell me" Joey shrugged modestly as she slid into a seat across from Ruby and sipped tentatively at her coffee.
"Where's Charlie anyway?" Ruby questioned when she had swallowed a mouthful of pancakes "I thought she would be up by now"
"She is" Joey nodded unable to help the smile that tugged at her lips at the mention of her girlfriend's name "She said that she had to go to the station for something"
"You two seem happy" Ruby said quietly. She looked up at Joey seriously "Charlie hasn't really been this happy for a while..."
"We are" Joey smiled happily "We're really happy..."
"Good" The teenager grinned "I wouldn't want you two breaking up because...well I'd starve"
"Right" Joey shook her head in amusement at the younger girls "So...What about you and Charlie? How's that going now?"
Ruby shrugged and diverted her attention back to the plate in front of her "It's going okay I guess...Things are still a little bit awkward but I think it's getting better..."
"Just take it one step at a time" Joey said reassuringly "You'll get used to the change eventually..."
"I hope so..." Ruby said quietly. She glanced up at Joey "Maybe this boat trip will help with that. Like you said there's nowhere to run in the middle of the sea. Unless of course, I get really desperate and jump"
"I doubt that will happen" Joey laughed "You two will be totally fine. You've already sorted most of this stuff out, right? All you have to do now is...smooth over the edges"
"You're right...All of this is just taking a bit of getting used to that's all"
Joey nodded understandingly "I get that...But the bond you and Charlie have is really strong and you will get through this. That's all that matters. Even if you can't define your relation to her right now, the relationship is still just as strong..."
"You should rethink career goals" Ruby grinned teasingly "Become a counsellor or something...You'd be a good one"
"I doubt it" Joey replied "That probably isn't the best job for me..."
"Why not?" Ruby questioned curiously.
"It's complicated" Joey said vaguely "Anyway I'm associated with way too many crazy people...Maybe I drove them crazy"
Ruby watched her closely, trying to decipher whether she was being serious or not "You know that's not true, right? The Colin thing wasn't your fault at all and Robbo...Well he definitely wasn't your fault. And Charlie will tell you exactly the same thing"
"I know" Joey smiled at the teenager "She's told me like a million times already"
"Good" Ruby nodded her approval "Because they're the only ones to blame"
"So..." Joey spoke in an attempt to steer the conversation away from that topic "Do you think Charlie's coming around to the idea of the boat trip?"
"She'd better be...We leave today, remember?"
"Yeah" Joey nodded "I know...But you know what Charlie's like..." the two girls fell into a comfortable silence.
After a moment Ruby looked up to see Joey gazing expectantly at the door "Missing her?"
"Hmmn?" The older girl looked up "Oh...Yeah. I can't really help it"
"It's kind of sweet" Ruby grinned. She watched as Joey stood up and tried to distract herself by washing dishes.
"I wonder when she'll be..." Joey was cut off by Charlie walking into the kitchen with a spring in her step.
"How are my two favourite girls?" she beamed happily.
"Great" Ruby nodded distractedly "You should totally try these pancakes by the way. Your girlfriend is a star...Definitely a keeper"
"Don't I know it" Charlie agreed. She reached out and ruffled Ruby's hair earning herself a playful glare which quickly turned into a smile.
"I hope my cooking isn't the only reason I'm a keeper" Joey said as she wiped her hands on a towel and turned to face them.
"Definitely not" Charlie walked over to Joey and wrapped her arms loosely around the other girls waist, placing a soft kiss on her lips "Hi by the way"
"Hey" Joey smiled in response "I missed you"
"You always miss me" Charlie grinned at her "But I missed you too"
"Good" Joey leaned forward slightly and captured Charlie's lips with her own.
"And that's my cue..." Ruby said from the table as she stood up "I'm going to go and get ready..." when she got to response she rolled her eyes at them "Alrighty then" she turned and walked out of the room.
"Did she say something?" Charlie questioned when she pulled away to look at Joey.
"Uh...she said she was going to get ready" Joey answered distractedly.
"Ready for what?"
Joey placed a soft kiss on Charlie's lips before pushing her gently backwards into a chair "Sit. Eat..." she pushed the stack of pancakes towards Charlie "You need to keep your strength up"
"Obviously" Charlie laughed "So what was Ruby talking about?" she squirted syrup on her pancakes and glanced up at Joey
"We leave today, remember?" Joey asked "For the boat trip?"
"Oh yeah" Charlie winced "I remember..." she took a bite of her pancakes and hummed in satisfaction "God, these are good. Ruby wasn't exaggerating"
"I'm glad you like them" Joey smiled "So about the trip..."
"Can't we go somewhere safer?" Charlie implored quietly "Maybe somewhere dryer too?"
"It's perfectly safe" Joey reassured her as she took a seat next to the older girl and placed a hand on her arm "You've been on a boat with me before anyway"
"Twice" Charlie responded "And not for very long. I've never actually slept on a boat before"
"It's not all that different from sleeping on dry land" Joey shrugged "Come on Charlie...It'll be fun, anyway I wouldn't let anything happen to you..."
"Okay" Charlie sighed reluctantly. She smiled up at Joey "But just 'cause I love you so much..." she pushed her plate gently towards the younger girl "Not eating?"
"I was too busy waiting for you to come home" Joey shrugged shyly "How did that go by the way? At the station?"
"It went fine" Charlie answered "I just went to tell Georgie that I was going away so that she wouldn't worry about us and come around all guns blazing"
"Oh" Joey nodded slowly "It's a good thing that you thought of that"
"Yep" Charlie nodded as she raised the fork slightly "Now eat. To preserve your strength" she winked suggestively causing Joey to blush.
---
"So we just have to get the picnic hamper then we're all set to go?" Charlie asked as she walked along hand in hand with Joey. She looked over her shoulder to see Ruby trailing behind them.
"Yeah" Joey nodded "We've done everything else haven't we? We've told Leah that we're leaving, you've told Georgie and I think we have everything on the boat..."
"Right" Charlie muttered. They walked into the diner and Charlie frowned when Joey pulled her hand away.
"Sorry" Joey apologised guiltily "Habit"
Charlie let it go for the minute and paid for the hamper but when they were back outside she handed Ruby the hamper.
"Can we have a minute Rubz?" Charlie didn't take her eyes off Joey.
"Sure" Ruby glanced between Joey and Charlie in concern before she walked off.
"What was that about?" Charlie asked softly.
Joey shrugged "It was just an old habit. We were never usually this public and I guess since the diner was really full that you..."
"I don't want to hide" Charlie interrupted her quietly. She moved closer to Joey and wrapped her arms around her waist "I want to be with you Jo. I really can't keep my hands off you and I don't want to feel like I have to just because of what people think about us..."
"Are you sure?" Joey smiled unsurely.
"Yes!" Charlie exclaimed firmly "I'm absolutely sure about this. I'm in Love with you and I don't care who knows about us...I'll shout it from the rooftops if you want me to..."
"Okay" Joey's smile widened slightly "I'm sorry about before"
"It's okay" Charlie tugged Joey forward and kissed her passionately. When they pulled away they were both left slightly breathless "But you have to know that I'm not ashamed of us Jo..."
"Okay" Joey nodded.
"Come on then" Charlie wrapped an arm around Joey's shoulders as they began to walk "Ruby will be getting worried..."
---
"Do we really have to do this?" Charlie questioned nervously as she stood at the side of the boat "We could go somewhere dry and warm"
"Yes" Ruby and Joey answered in unison.
"What if we sink?" Charlie questioned for the hundredth time.
"We're not going to sink" Joey reassured her "It's not possible..."
"Don't say that!" Charlie looked absolutely horrified "Whenever they say stuff like that in the movies something always happens..."
"This isn't the movies" Joey reminded her gently.
"What if we hit a rock or something and sink?"
"I can swim" Ruby grinned.
"Ruby" Joey warned the younger girl who shrugged innocently. She turned her attention back to her girlfriend "We're not going to sink Honey. I promise. And we're only going to be gone for a week. I've checked for storm warnings and everything. There's nothing"
"Okay" Charlie took a deep breath in an attempt to calm down "I'm sorry...I'm overreacting"
"Don't worry about it" Joey pulled her into a tight hug and pressed a soft kiss to the side of her head "We'll be absolutely fine. I promise"
"Right" Charlie returned the embrace just as tightly before she pulled back and offered her a brave smile "So are we leaving?"
"Yep" Joey nodded "Just climb aboard"
All three girls climbed aboard and Joey started the engine. She glanced back at Charlie and smiled at her "You Okay Babe?"
"I'm fine" Charlie nodded a bit too quickly "I'm not worried. I mean I'm in expert hands, right?"
"Right" Joey laughed. She drove them a way out before turning the engine off and walking over to Charlie. She sat next to her and pulled her into her arms "Are you still okay?"
"I'm perfectly fine" Charlie smiled. She leaned forward and kissed Joey tenderly "It really isn't all that bad" she stood up and moved to the other side of the boat "The view is amazing"
"Yeah" Joey nodded her eyes lingering on Charlie "It certainly is"
Ruby rolled her eyes at them.
Charlie turned around and beamed happily at Joey.
"I love you" she mouthed silently
"I love you too" Joey replied just as silently.
TBC
