I hope you enjoy the chapter. The pyjamas story is actually true. It happened to um... a friend of mine. Okay, it happened to me. And I have never quite heard the end of it! Anyway... enjoy! And thank you all for so many lovely reviews. It means so much to me to hear from all of you. Love, IJKS xx

Chapter Nine

"Can I come in?" Charlie asked.

"Sure," Joey said, suddenly very aware that she was only wearing a dressing gown.

Charlie couldn't help but notice too. For a brief moment, she let her mind wander over what she might be wearing underneath. Joey stepped aside and welcomed her into the apartment. She led her into the lounge and gestured for her to sit down.

"I wasn't expecting you back quite so soon," Joey commented with a smile. "You know, I thought maybe you'd call first or something."

"Sorry," Charlie said, standing up. "I'm intruding. I'll go."

"Charlie, you're intruding on me, a hot chocolate and a romance novel," Joey said. "I can deal."

She smiled and sat down.

"What's up?" she asked.

"I broke up with Angelo," Charlie blurted out.

Joey tried not to feel pleased. She offered her compassionate face and asked what happened.

"He came round for our date. I didn't want to go out. He did. So, I called him over and broke up with him. He struggled to take no for an answer, put some pressure on me, tried to convince me I was making a mistake and I... punched him."

"You punched him?" Joey squeaked.

Charlie nodded, feeling half ashamed and half proud.

"He was all over me," Charlie said. "I kept telling him to stop and he just wouldn't..."

Joey looked worried.

"It wasn't like that," Charlie reassured her. "He never would have... but he tried to convince me. And I just... panicked. I punched him and ran and now... now I'm here, interrupting your evening."

Joey assured her that it was fine and reached for her drink.

"You want one?" she offered.

Charlie peered in the cup.

"Do I get those little marshmallow thingies?" she asked.

Chuckling, Joey stood up and led the way into the kitchen. Charlie followed, grateful that Joey was there for her. She didn't feel like she deserved it but she wasn't surprised that Joey was so nice about it all. She was a sweetheart.

"Was that a yes?" Charlie wondered, moving into the now familiar kitchen.

Joey smiled and assured her that so long as she was good, she could have marshmallows.

"I've got some squirty cream too, if you want it," she offered.

Charlie's eyes lit up as she watched Joey move around the kitchen, making her drink.

"Do you want to hear a secret?" Joey asked, not looking at her.

"Sure," Charlie said.

"Mine has brandy in it," Joey said.

She turned to look at her properly.

"Want some?"

"I'm driving," Charlie said glumly.

"It's just a tiny bit," Joey said. "And you could always get a cab home."

"I'm in," Charlie said eagerly.

Joey laughed.

"You took a lot of persuading!"

"I just broke up with my boyfriend, punched him in the face and ran into the love of my life all in one day," Charlie said, without thinking.

Suddenly the cream flew out of the can and onto the counter.

"Oh!" Joey said, embarrassed.

Charlie rushed to her side to make sure she was okay and then realised what she'd said to make Joey react. She apologised.

"It's fine," Joey said quickly.

Charlie reached for some kitchen towel to clean the mess up while Joey finished making her chocolate, marshmallows and all. She smiled triumphantly and handed it over. Their fingers touched as Charlie accepted the mug. They gazed at each other for a moment too long.

"Shall we?" Joey asked, pointing in the direction of the lounge.

Charlie nodded and followed her.

An hour later, Charlie and Joey were firmly seated in the lounge, chatting away as if no time or pain had ever passed between them. It felt like those nights, back before they'd got so complicated, when they used to stay up until the early hours just talking and laughing. Joey had put some proper clothes on, much to Charlie's disappointment and they'd switched from hot chocolate to beer and were merrily ploughing through them. Charlie was glad she was off duty tomorrow as she was painfully aware that she would be nursing a hangover. She didn't care though. It was amazing to spend time with Joey again and the alcohol somehow made things that little bit easier and more relaxed.

"Seriously?" Charlie giggled. "You had to walk across town in your pyjamas?"

Joey nodded, flushed. She'd been regaling Charlie of the time she'd managed to lock herself out. She'd been answering the door to a pizza delivery man and the door had swung shut behind her. And with it having been a slobby night in, with her housemate out for the night, Joey had been stuck.

"Well, I stopped a guy in the street and asked to use his phone but then I realised that I don't actually know anybody's number. And he turned out to be an ex-burglar but he didn't have time to break in for me."

Charlie snorted with laughter.

"So, I had no choice to trek across town in my pyjamas, no bra, no shoes... nothing! I think Lynda took a full half hour to stop laughing before she finally tried calling my housemate."

Charlie continued to giggle. Joey swatted her playfully on the leg.

"Looks like you wouldn't have been much help either!" she scolded.

"Sorry, but I can just imagine it and it's... it's funny."

She forced herself to put on a straight face. Joey pouted. Charlie burst out laughing again. She reached for her beer and frowned to find it empty.

"Did we finish all of them already?" Joey wondered, shaking her own empty can.

"Looks like it," Charlie said. "No wonder I feel so woozy!"

"Wuss!" Joey giggled. "I've got some wine in the fridge."

She stood and wobbled. Charlie leapt up to steady her.

"Now, who's the wuss?" she smirked. "At least I can stand up."

"Just barely," Joey pointed out.

They wobbled into the kitchen together.

"Oh, I need you to do the thing," Joey said.

She moved her right arm up and down in order to demonstrate. Charlie raised her eyebrows sceptically.

"I mean the thing," Joey said, completely incapable of finding the right words.

"You need to be a little bit more specific," Charlie nudged.

"The thing. The wine. I can't... the thing!" Joey said.

Charlie's confusion grew.

"The thing!" Joey insisted. "I can't pull the thing out."

Charlie snorted, half at the words and half at Joey's frustration as she opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of white wine. She pointed at the cork.

"Oh!" Charlie laughed. "You want me to open the bottle."

"Yes!" Joey said, exasperated. "Geez, what was so hard about that?"

Charlie accepted the bottle opener and began to open the bottle.

"It's called a cork by the way," she added. "And you really ought to be able to do it by now."

"It's hard!" Joey insisted, rummaging around for wine glasses.

"It's easy," Charlie said. "Come here."

She stood behind Joey and put her hands on hers, forcing her to help.

"You just want to touch me," Joey mumbled.

Charlie stepped in a little closer. It was true.

"I'm trying to teach you life skills," she insisted.

"It's okay," Joey said, amused. "It's not like I haven't done the same thing with you in my time."

Charlie paused.

"When?"

"Oh, come and steer the boat, Charlie. I'll stand behind and help," Joey said, mimicking her own voice.

It wasn't entirely true. She had never intended to make a pass at Charlie that day and she had wanted to encourage her with a love of boats. But the fact that she'd got to hold her and touch her for that long had definitely not been overlooked. Charlie's mouth hung open until Joey tapped her hands in order to continue opening the bottle.

"There was me thinking you were trying to encourage me and teach me skills! I thought you saw some kind of undetected talent," Charlie pouted.

"I saw a couple of talents," Joey remarked. "They just weren't anything to do with driving."

The pulled the cork out and finally broke apart to pour the wine.

"Cheers," Joey said, lifting her glass.

"Cheers," Charlie replied, clinking her glass against Joey's.

Grabbing the rest of the bottle, Joey led the way back into the lounge.

It was two o'clock in the morning and Charlie and Joey had polished off a lot of alcohol. Both women felt a little dizzy, as if they existed in some kind of haze but both were happier than they had been in a long time.

"You want to see Sex and the City 2?" Charlie asked with wide eyes.

Joey nodded.

"What can I say?" she said. "It's my guilty pleasure. I'm absolutely saving up to buy the boxset!"

"I never had you as a Sex and the City kind of girl," Charlie commented.

Joey grinned.

"I have many facets to my personality!" she laughed.

"Why don't we go and see it?" Charlie suggested.

"I don't think the cinema is open right now, Charlie," Joey pointed out.

"I didn't mean right this moment!" Charlie laughed. "Maybe at the weekend?"

Joey nodded. Neither could help wondering if they had just made a date or if they were going out as friends. Neither wanted to bring it up.

"Sounds good," Joey said.

They smiled at each other and Charlie found herself getting lost in Joey's eyes, and not for the first time that evening.

"You're so beautiful," she said softly.

Then she blushed. She hadn't meant to say it out loud. Joey blushed too but couldn't help but feel flattered by the compliment. She managed to say thank you and wondered silently if it would be a good or bad idea to pay the same compliment too. Charlie was indeed beautiful. She was wonderful and she was amazing and Joey knew that she was falling desperately in love with her all over again. Suddenly serious, Charlie put her empty wine glass down and inched a little closer.

"Joey, I..." she started.

She licked her lips, shy and nervous.

"I... Well, tonight has been amazing and I..."

Struggling to express herself properly, Charlie leant in and pressed her lips against Joey's. Joey was surprised but couldn't quite help but respond. It felt so right to kiss Charlie. It was something she had missed and longed for over the last year. And it was every bit as amazing as it had always been. Charlie wrapped her arms around Joey and pulled her closer. She touched her tongue against Joey's lips. Joey welcomed her in but then, coming to her senses, drew away. She saw a mix of hurt and confusion in Charlie's eyes.

"Was that not okay?" Charlie asked worriedly. "I'm sorry. I just hoped..."

"We can't get back together, Charlie," Joey told her with a voice full of regret.

Don't hate me! I know that probably wasn't the end to the chapter that you hoped for but I hope you'll trust me to make it right. *fingers crossed*!