To be honest, I was getting a bit disheartened by the lack of reviews for this fic, as I have put so much work into it. But I checked the traffic page and you guys seem to be reading, even if not everyone is reviewing so I shall plough on anyway. Thank you so much to everyone that does review though. It's really kind of you. I hope you all enjoy the chapter. We're on the brink of 2010 now... Love, IJKS xxx
Chapter Two Hundred and Two
Charlie and Joey overslept the next day, having had an exhausting but lovely day and an even more exhausting night. Cracking her eyes open just a fraction, and offended by the light peeping through the curtains, Joey willed herself back to sleep. She enjoyed being snuggled up against Charlie's warm and most definitely naked body and she wanted to stay there for as long as possible. Smiling happily to herself, she thought about the previous day. Nobody had ever made her feel so special before and nobody had ever gone to such a lot of effort for her birthday either. Gazing into her partner's sleeping face, Joey continued to smile. If it was at all possible, their love making had been taken to new heights the previous night and it wasn't something Joey was likely to forget. She had very much enjoyed Charlie in the two outfits she'd bought for the occasion and Joey hoped she would get to see her wearing them again sometime soon. She'd looked stunning. The lingerie had most definitely had the desired effect.
Aden had gone for a run on the beach and was enjoying the sunshine as he headed towards the Diner for breakfast. He frowned when a car pulled up alongside him and Poppie, the girl who had slept with Liam, wound down the window.
"What's life like on the unemployment line?" she asked cattily.
"It's perfectly fine, thanks," Aden replied, concentrating on getting to the Diner. "Better than that crummy job with your father."
"I doubt it," Poppie said. "My father and my sister think you're a total waste of space."
"Well, I think the same about them so I guess we're even."
"I slept with Liam again yesterday," Poppie informed him.
They had reached the car park. Poppie pulled into a space and jumped out of her car, following Aden as he tried to ignore her.
"Did you hear me?"
He spun around and glared.
"I don't care what you do," he said. "He's only with you because Nicole came to her senses and dumped him. Don't kid yourself into thinking you're anything special."
Irritated, Poppie stormed past him and into the Diner. Aden moved to follow her and then caught sight of the car. She had left the keys in the ignition.
Having forced herself out of bed, Joey had made herself and Charlie a cup of tea. She frowned when, while tossing the teabags away, she realised that the bin was overflowing. Deciding to bite the bullet and dump the rubbish, Joey left the tea on the side and began dragging the bin bag round the house in order to fill it with rubbish from various wastepaper baskets. She knocked on Ruby's door and found her room empty. Heading on in anyway, she began to tip her rubbish out, frowning when she spotted a used condom amongst various sweet wrappers and bits of paper. Opting not to comment, even to herself, Joey continued with her task.
Having deposited VJ at Stella's for New Year, Leah headed straight to the Diner to check on her business and then her plan was to dump her bags at home and then join the team setting up the Surf Club for the big New Year's Eve party the whole town had been planning for through the Diner doors, Leah was overwhelmed but pleased when so many of her friends came over to say hello and find out if she and VJ had had a nice Christmas. She was eager to find out how everyone else had been and what she had missed. Ordering a coffee from Colleen, who was eager to tell her every single thing that had happened in her absence, Leah caught sight of Hazem. He was a good looking man, around her age, and he had once revamped the Diner for her. She'd been fond of him then and thought he was a nice man. Time had made him even more attractive.
"Hi," she said.
"Hi, Leah," Hazem greeted warmly. "Are you sticking around? Want to join me?"
Nodding, Leah asked Colleen to bring her coffee over and went to sit down.
"That was a very long time to be making tea," Charlie remarked when Joey finally reappeared in the bedroom. "I missed you."
Joey handed her drink over and then slipped back into bed.
"The rubbish bins were calling me," she explained. "They were overflowing. It was a disgrace really. I had to go and sort it out."
Charlie grinned.
"I guess we've been kind of distracted with more exciting things over the last few days!" she said.
Joey kissed her.
"You bet we have," she replied.
Aden wasn't entirely sure why he had stolen Poppie's car and he already knew it was a mistake, but the urge to bust out of town and escape for a little while was too strong for him to turn back. Cranking up the radio, he breezed along the coast, ready to leave Summer Bay for the day. He pulled up to the pavement when he caught sight of Nicole, looking lost in her own thoughts, walking with her head down.
"Would you like to forget your troubles for a day?" he asked.
Needing no further encouragement, Nicole hopped into the passenger seat. With the radio even louder, Aden and Nicole roared off and out of town.
Having forced themselves out of bed, Charlie and Joey had made it as far as the couch and were watching a DVD beneath a blanket.
"Let's do this forever," Joey suggested. "I don't have to get a job and you don't need to go for another shift again. We could just be couch potatoes for the rest of our lives – purely having fun!"
Charlie giggled and kissed the side of her head.
"That sounds wonderful," she said. "But Leah might object to us chaining ourselves to the couch."
"Chaining ourselves?" Joey smirked. "You're giving me ideas for my token!"
Charlie snorted and then blushed. Having returned their eyes to the TV screen, they realised that the scene had switched to a raunchy photo-shoot between the female protagonist and a hot model.
"Okay, now that's giving me ideas!" Joey remarked.
Just after lunch time, Leah said goodbye to Hazem and headed towards the Surf Club with Colleen in order to help set up for the party. As soon as she walked through the door, Martha hugged her.
"How have you been?" Martha asked.
"Yeah, pretty good," Leah said. "You?"
"Oh, poor Martha's had her heart broken," Colleen informed her.
"I'm sure she can tell me herself," Leah scolded gently.
Muttering, Colleen shuffled off to help Alf decorate.
"You had your heart broken?" Leah asked worriedly.
Martha sighed and began to explain that Hugo had broken up with her, after buying her an engagement ring he intended to propose with.
"Oh, you poor thing," Leah said sadly. "I'm so sorry, Martha. I thought the two of you were so happy together."
"So did I," Martha sighed. "But I did end up having a really nice evening with Liam last night."
"Liam?"
"Murphy."
"Oh!"
"Nothing like that," Martha said quickly. "We just spent a bit of time together and he's a surprisingly nice guy. But anyway, enough of me. Any news?"
"Well, actually, I kind of asked this guy to the party tonight," Leah grinned, hoping she wasn't too insensitive.
"Oh?"
"Hazem. He did up the Diner. Do you remember?"
"Vaguely," Martha said. "But tell me everything!"
"I want to use my token for that," Joey decided.
Charlie looked startled.
"What?"
"The photo shoot thing," Joey explained.
"You want to waste your token on something you've randomly seen in a movie?" Charlie asked, shifting a little uncomfortably.
Joey turned and smiled at her.
"It was really hot," she said.
"It was," Charlie agreed. "But..."
"You promised!" Joey pointed out with a smirk.
Charlie laughed and nodded.
"I just thought you were going to take your time and really think about it," she said. "You seemed to take it very seriously yesterday."
"And I still am but you drove me pretty wild yesterday and I'm eager for more," Joey told her.
Charlie laughed again.
"I can drive you wild without wasting you token."
"Oh, Charlie," Joey almost whispered. "It will not be a waste. Let's go!"
"Now?" Charlie squeaked.
"Hell, yeah!"
"Well, who's the photographer and who's the model?" Charlie asked when Joey hauled her to her feet.
Joey smirked again.
"What do you think?" she asked.
Charlie pulled her closer, kissing her passionately.
"Well, you'd better let me go and get ready then," she told her.
Next time... Joey cashes in her token while Aden and Nicole get arrested...
