Your reactions to Charlie and Joey's spat were all very interesting! I hope you enjoy them making up in this chapter. Thank you as ever for reading and reviewing. It really means a lot to me to hear feedback. Love, IJKS xxx

Chapter One Hundred and Thirty Three

Joey hesitated on the sofa, twisting her hands together and wondering what she ought to do for the best. She hadn't meant to upset Charlie. That was the last thing she ever wanted to do. But Charlie's unwavering belief in Angelo unnerved her. It made her insecure. Sighing heavily, she pictured Charlie's face and couldn't help but smile. Charlie was the most beautiful, wonderful woman in the world. Joey was thrilled every morning that she got to wake up in her arms. And they were facing much worse than anything Angelo could do. They were dealing with the prospect of going to jail for a crime they hadn't committed. Standing up, Joey decided that she was never ever going to give Angelo the pleasure of coming between them. She headed up the stairs towards the bathroom.


Ruby hugged Geoff goodbye and reluctantly began to head home. He offered to walk her back but she promised that she would be okay. In all honestly, she needed even more space to think. Being with Geoff set her head and her heart into a spin. He made everything better and everything worse all at the same time, which she thought was quite a feat. She felt so safe with him, like he truly understood her. Long gone were the days when she used to tease him for being boring and square. She thought the world of him now. But she knew she wasn't supposed to. She knew that the only boy she was meant to be swooning over was Xavier. But somewhere along the way, he'd lost his shine. She'd grown up and grown out of him.


Charlie had only been in the bath for a few minutes when there was a gentle knock on the door. Resting back against the side of the tub, she closed her eyes, wanting to block out the world for a while. Her visitor knocked again.

"I'm in the bath," she called.

"I know," Joey said through the door.

Charlie knew it would have been her girlfriend, although it was hard to figure out exactly how either of them coped with arguments, considering they had them so rarely. Charlie sighed. She should have known that things had been perfect between them for too long. This was the first and only genuinely successful relationship she had ever had and right now, she was terrified of losing it. Joey made her a better person. She made her happy. She couldn't bear to think it might one day be over.

"Can I come in?" Joey asked meekly.

Charlie hesitated, unsure of whether she wanted her to or not. Finally, she gave in and agreed.


Geoff remained on the beach, enjoying the cool night air. He listened to the waves and felt stupid as he smiled to himself and replayed the last hour or so with Ruby. She was so beautiful. He loved her smile. He'd known her for over a year now and she had only ever been his friend. But it was like one day, he woke up and the scales fell from his eyes. Now, he couldn't stop thinking about her as the most beautiful girl he had ever known. He turned when he heard footsteps behind him, and stood when he saw Xavier approaching, looking annoyed. Before he even had a chance to speak, Xavier punched him in the face. Geoff stumbled back onto the sand. Xavier towered over him.

"Stay the hell away from my girlfriend," he warned.


Joey knelt beside Charlie who was lying back in the bath beneath the water and covered in bubbles. She gazed into her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Joey said. "The last thing I meant to do was upset you. I guess I was feeling a little insecure."

"Well, I'm sorry if I gave you reason to feel that way," Charlie said quietly. "But I don't have feelings for anyone who isn't you. I swear."

Joey reached into the water and held Charlie hand.

"I know," she said. "I trust you."

They smiled at each other.

"You only know the Angelo that's made bad decisions and stupid mistakes," Charlie ventured. "I guess I need to believe in him because despite everything, I still see him as this cheeky, funny guy who made me laugh and treated me so nicely when everything else was so horrible. I was getting walked all over by Roman and I didn't even realise it. But Angelo was my friend and he made it better. And that's not a romantic thing. It's a friendship thing. I guess I still want him to be that guy. And I find it hard to accept that he's not. But I promise you, Joey. That's all it is. He's trying so hard to make up for what happened with Jack. I guess I can identify with making so many fuck ups that you think you're drowning in them. He's got no friends, his family have turned against him and he's living with the weight of this enormous guilt on his shoulders. I just feel a bit bad for him. I've been that lonely before and it's horrible."

She reached out and stroked Joey's face with her wet fingertips.

"I love you so much," she continued. "And I would never do anything to jeopardise what we have. Honestly, Joey, if this whole thing is too much for you, I won't be his friend. I won't even talk to him unless work requires it. I'll never even so much as acknowledge his existence if that makes you more comfortable."

Joey smiled.

"You don't need to go that far," she assured her. "But I'm touched that you would."

Charlie gazed into her eyes.

"I'd do anything for you," she said sincerely.

Joey leant forward and brushed her lips against Charlie's. It lasted several minutes, becoming more and more intense. Joey leant in further and Charlie wrapped her wet arms around Joey's neck. Finally Charlie drew away.

"I'm going to get you wet," she said, noting the damp that had transferred from her body to Joey's clothes.

Her girlfriend just grinned.

"I hope so!" she smirked.

Charlie laughed and stroked Joey's hair.

"Are we okay?" she asked seriously.

"We are as far as I'm concerned but I'm the one who hurt your feelings so..."

Charlie kissed her again, just as passionately.

"We're okay," they decided in unison.

They kissed again more gently but the desire between them continued to grow.

"You really are going to get wet," Charlie said when they parted for a moment, noting that Joey could easily lose her balance and fall into the tub.

Joey just moaned and kissed her again.

"You could always get in if you like," Charlie offered.

Joey smiled and traced kisses down Charlie's neck and to her barely exposed chest. She slipped her hand beneath the water again, stroking her fingers down Charlie's tummy.

"How about this?" she asked, moving between her legs.

Charlie closed her eyes as Joey's gently thrust inside her. She parted her legs as far as she could, leaning back against the bath as Joey penetrated her and trailed her lips and tongue down to her breasts. Joey smiled as Charlie moaned loudly, the closer she came to climax. Using her thumb to tease Charlie's most sensitive part, Joey watched her girlfriend reach orgasm. She watched her face as Charlie relaxed against her and slowly withdrew her fingers, pulling her hand up and out of the water in order to stroke her face. She leant in and kissed her again.

"I love you," she whispered.


Ruby arrived home and headed straight up to her room. She was about to head into the bathroom when she heard the distinct sound of gasping. Charlie had never lived with a partner before but over the last few months, Ruby had unfortunately got used to the sound of her sister, well, her mother in the throes of passion. She wondered if Charlie and Joey thought that nobody could hear them. It wasn't often that she heard them at it exactly but it was enough. Turning away, she headed back into her room and began to get ready for bed.


After round two, Joey helped Charlie out of the bath. She wrapped her girlfriend up in fluffy towel, grabbed another for her hair and guided her out of the room and downstairs into their room. She sat Charlie down on the edge of the bed and sat behind her. Gently, she began to towel dry her hair. Charlie smiled, enjoying being looked after. She leant back against her girlfriend, closing her eyes. When her hair had stopped dripping, Joey put the towel down and wrapped her arms around her waist. Nuzzling closer, she pressed her lips against Charlie's neck and shoulder. They remained in each other's arms for a long while.


Aden and Nicole sat side by side on the sofa, both feeling awkward.

"I saw you kissing Liam today," Aden admitted.

Nicole nodded and explained that while she knew it was probably going to turn into a disaster, she and the former rock star were going to try and make a go of things. Aden sighed, trying so hard to be happy for her.

"I'm worried about you," he said honestly. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"I don't want to get hurt either," Nicole replied.

"But he will hurt you, Nic," Aden said. "That's what Liam does best."

Nicole nodded. She knew the risks. He'd already hurt her one time before. But she liked him and she couldn't help it.


In their pyjamas, Charlie and Joey ventured out of their room, wanting a cup of tea each before they had an early night. With the drinks made, Joey sat on one end of the sofa and Charlie sat on the other, immediately placing her feet on Joey's lap and offering her a cheeky grin. Giving in immediately, Joey began to massage one of them.

"How are you feeling?" she asked quietly.

"Better," Charlie said. "Now that we've cleared everything up."

"What about in general though?" Joey asked.

Charlie had been filling her enforced time off with exercise, cleaning and showering Joey (and Ruby, when she could) with affection. Her girlfriend sighed very heavily and closed her eyes. Joey switched feet.

"I'm not coping," she admitted sadly.

She surprised herself when tears began to sting her eyes. She'd been trying very hard to keep it all together but now, telling Joey how she felt was breaking her down. She sat up quickly and drew her feet away, even though she had been very much enjoying the massage. Joey eyed her worriedly.

"Joey, what are we going to do if we get charged with murder?" she asked tearfully.

Joey moved to wrap her arms around her.

"We'll cope," she said certainly.

"How?" Charlie said. "I send people to jail! I'm not supposed to go there myself. I'll die in there. And I can't... I can't leave Ruby. I know I'm the worst mother in the world but at least I'm here! At least I..."

She ran out of breath and words. Joey hugged her closer as Charlie broke down in her arms.

"What are we going to do?" she sobbed.


Sitting on the top step, Ruby cried silently as she listened to Charlie's outpouring of grief. Blame laid heavily on her shoulders as she struggled to figure out what to do for the best and how to get Charlie out of the mess she was in. Taking a deep breath, she stood up and headed to her room, dialling Xavier's number on her mobile as she went.