Sorry for the delays in updating. I was away for a few days and then got distracted on my way home when a kindly reviewer took me to the pub! But fanfiction will resume its normal update process in due course. I am updating this story first especially for Gunni.

Chapter Seventeen

"Hello?" Charlie said.

Joey poked her head round the door and quickly apologised, blushing profusely when she realised that Charlie was still half undressed. She was wearing tight blue jeans and a black bra and was towel drying her long, dark hair. Joey tried and failed not to let her eyes fall on Charlie's perfect body.

"Oh, it's fine," Charlie said, unfazed. "I'm nearly done."

Joey stood frozen in the doorway as Charlie turned and grabbed a black t-shirt and put it on before beginning to brush the tangles out of her hair. She turned back to Joey and smiled.

"I was just going to say that I was thinking of going up to the lighthouse," Joey ventured nervously, "and wondered if you wanted to come with me. It's fine if you're busy or something though."

She still felt shy of suggesting plans with Charlie. It surprised her that Charlie would ever want to spend time with her.

"That sounds great," Charlie said. "Give me fifteen minutes?"

Joey smiled and nodded.

"Great! Take your time. Shall I pack us up some lunch?"

Charlie agreed cheerfully and continued to battle with her hair.

***

Joey sang to herself while she gathered together some food for a small picnic for her and Charlie. She was surprised by her own level of excitement over the fact that Charlie had agreed to go to the lighthouse with her. The thought of spending an afternoon with her friend was thrilling. She couldn't stop smiling.

***

Finally happy with her hair, Charlie grabbed her handbag and headed towards the kitchen. She paused in the doorway, observing Joey singing away happily while she packed their lunch. Charlie smiled affectionately, unable to chase away words like 'adorable' and 'cute'. 'Sexy' suddenly flashed into her mind. She blinked and few times and decided that this was probably the moment she should make her presence known.

"Nice voice," she commented.

Joey spun round and nearly dropped the cans of diet coke she was holding. Charlie giggled and rescued the cans from her grasp, putting them in the backpack for her.

"How long have you been there?" Joey asked.

"Why?" Charlie teased. "Got something to hide?"

Just a ridiculously inappropriate crush on you.

"No," Joey squeaked. "Nothing."

They smiled shyly at each other.

"I was singing Spice Girls earlier, that's all," she added.

"Your secret dies with me," Charlie laughed. "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be!"

***

Charlie and Joey walked side by side towards the lighthouse, enjoying the warmth of the sunshine on their backs and taking it in turns to carry the bag. Whoever wasn't carrying the food was carrying Charlie's handbag. Joey carrying a handbag was making both of them laugh. It didn't suit her. Ruby's words echoed in Charlie's mind. She wondered if Joey's did like her and she puzzled over how she felt about it. Did she even mind? Would she have to find a way to let her down gently? Did she even want to do that? It was becoming impossible to deny to herself that she was attracted to Joey, although she hated admitting it. She cast a sidelong glance at Joey, struck yet again by how beautiful she was. She couldn't help but smile. Joey caught her.

"What?" the younger woman asked.

"I was just thinking that it was a beautiful day."

"Yeah, it is, isn't it?" Joey agreed. "So beautiful."

Her last comment had been more of an observation of the company than her surroundings. She was certain that Charlie was becoming more stunning every day. She thought back over the last few nights and could hardly believe that, platonic or not, she had been lucky enough to have been held by the most comforting, delightful arms in the world. Charlie caught Joey smiling this time.

"What?" she asked.

"I was just continuing to agree with you," Joey said quickly.

Charlie smiled back and looked up.

"Looks like we're here," she said, pointing.

***

The women had stood and admired the sea view and tranquillity of the area for a while and were now seated on the ground with a blanket in a sunny spot, getting their picnic out and tucking into a well earned lunch.

"So, what kind of girls do you go for?" Charlie said.

She silently chastised herself for being so blunt but couldn't help but feel amused at Joey's sheer panic over the question.

"I… I don't really have I type," she said.

Charlie shook her head.

"Ah, you're not getting away with it that easily," she said. "Everyone says that and it's not true. Everyone has a type."

"Well, mostly I go for people who are bad for me," Joey told her.

"I hear you!" Charlie laughed.

"You do the same thing then?" Joey asked.

Charlie nodded.

"I tend to pick guys who'll treat me badly," she admitted.

"I tend to pick girls who'll treat me badly," Joey said.

"Okay, so if you could meet your ideal woman, who would she be?"

Joey smiled thoughtfully.

"Well, I'd like someone who's funny," Joey ventured. "Someone who gets me thinking, you know? Someone who really sparked my mind, that I could really have a conversation with, who could teach me things. And I guess now, with things as they are, I'd really want someone who could make me feel safe, someone who made me feel protected."

Charlie listened intently, silently wondering if she was all of the things that Joey was describing.

"Honestly all I'd want from someone is love, honesty and kindness. Oh, and she'd have to be a good kisser."

Joey grinned. Charlie laughed.

"So kissing is important to you?" she asked.

Joey nodded.

"You can tell so much from a first kiss," she said. "You can feel emotions through it. You can tell what other talents she might have!"

Charlie choked on a piece of fruit. Joey instinctively reached out to her.

"I'm fine," Charlie promised. "You really think you can tell what someone's like in bed from a kiss?"

"Totally!" Joey said confidently.

"So, if someone didn't kiss well the first time, you'd lose interest?"

Charlie wondered why she was so nervous about it. It wasn't if she was planning on kissing Joey at any point.

"No," Joey teased. "I'd just be paying attention at every point and maybe be a little wary, that's all."

Charlie nodded thoughtfully.

"So, what else do would you look for in your ideal partner?" she asked.

"That's pretty much it," she shrugged.

"What about looks?"

"I don't know," Joey said, trying not to look uncomfortable.

She knew if she honestly described her exact ideal right now then she'd describe Charlie and she really didn't want to do that.

"I've dated girls that looked pretty different to each other," she explained.

"Well, what do you prefer?" Charlie probed.

"Um… well, I kind of like feminine girls but not flimsy, someone strong and able to take care of herself. Preferably dark hair and I love a woman with really beautiful, expressive eyes. Someone who can communicate what she's feeling without talking. I'm really fascinated by people's mouths so someone with really kissable lips would be attractive to me."

Charlie realised that she had become utterly fascinated by Joey's description, desperately hoping that she might fit. She'd ceased eating and was leaning in close, lying on her side, stretched out across the blanket. Joey was sitting across from her, cross legged.

"What else?" Charlie asked. "Tall, short?"

"I don't mind."

"Skinny, curvy?"

"I don't mind."

"Big boobs, small boobs?" Charlie grinned.

"I still don't mind, although I admit I'm fascinated by them," Joey said, blushing. "I could gaze at breasts all day!"

She continued to blush nervously. Charlie laughed.

"Okay, now I've practically drawn you a diagram, how about you? Who's your perfect man?" Joey asked.

Charlie sighed.

"I don't think he exists," Charlie said sadly.

Joey looked at her curiously. Charlie shrugged.

"I've just pretty much given up on guys," she said. "I always end up with people that treat me badly. I'm left unhappy and unsatisfied all the time and I've realised recently that actually what makes me happy is things like this."

She gestured to the blanket, the picnic and Joey.

"Just hanging out with you, someone who makes me laugh, makes me happy, makes me feel good about myself, that's what I need to be doing."

Joey couldn't stop smiling. She tried not to concentrate fully on the conversation. She didn't want to give away exactly how thrilled she was with what Charlie was saying to her.

"Do you know what I mean?" Charlie asked. "I need to stop fussing about getting a guy not being single. The time we spend together is amazing. I've never had a best friend before, Joey and it feels like, well, it feels like I have now."

Joey's smile got bigger.

"It feels like I have too," she said. "I haven't really had one either."

Charlie reached out a hand to touch Joey's. They stayed that way as they continued to talk.

"I'm glad I met you."

"I'm glad I met you too," Joey said. "I mean, obviously I wish it had been in a different circumstance but if it had to be this way then it had to be this way."

Charlie squeezed Joey's hand tenderly.

"So, I can call you my best friend?" she asked.

"Most definitely," Joey confirmed.