Chapter Three Hundred and Twenty

Charlie and Joey had bought a couple of bottles of wine and retreated to their apartment. Ruby was studying with Xavier at his place so they had the flat to themselves.

"I just can't believe he hit on me," Charlie sighed. "Again."

She was lying on the couch with her back resting against Joey's front. They had glasses of wine in one hand and were holding hands with the other.

"Well, he's always been pretty obsessed with you," Joey pointed out quietly. "It's not like it's the first time."

"I know but… I've been rejecting him for a year now. You'd have thought he'd have worked out that I'm not interested by now, wouldn't you?"

Joey traced gentle patterns on Charlie's palm.

"You would," she agreed. "But he keeps going too far. Someone needs to put him in his place."


Angelo had been propping up the bar for quite some time now. His relationship with Alf had deteriorated somewhat in the wake of Hugo's 'death' and the incident with Martha. But, noting how miserable he looked, the Summer Bay stalwart couldn't help but feel some pity.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

He regretted it as soon as he asked the question. Angelo immediately began to pour his heart out.


"Just, please don't do anything to him," Charlie begged.

"Why not?" Joey pouted.

"Because he's not worth bringing out that side to you," Charlie told him.

"What side to me?" Joey wondered.

Charlie turned to face her, smiling in amusement.

"The violent side," she said.

"I am not violent!" Joey protested indignantly.

Charlie snorted.

"You punched him in the face when you found out that Hugo was still alive!" she chuckled.

"So?" Joey giggled. "What's violent about that?"


Alf sighed as Angelo relayed the story of what had happened with Charlie that day.

"I don't know what to tell you, mate," Alf said. "Except that you really have to stop making a play for the poor girl. She and Joey are happy together. I know there was something between you once but it's gone now. Let it go."

Angelo's eyes blazed.

"Don't you think I want to?" he demanded. "Who on earth would want to get rejected time and time again by the same fucking woman?"

He cringed as he felt the waterworks beginning. Sniffing, he rubbed his eyes as inconspicuously as he could. Alf noticed and felt distinctly uncomfortable.

"I know how it feels to be in love, Angelo," he tried. "But it seems like this is even more than that."

"It is!" Angelo agreed quickly. "She's my soul mate, Alf! We're meant to be together!"

Alf shook his head, looking very serious.

"That's not what I mean," he said sternly.

Angelo looked bewildered.

"I mean you've become obsessed with her," Alf said. "You have to forget these stupid notions that you're destined to be together. She doesn't want you. She wants Joey. And you're only going to lose her as a friend if you keep on with this."

"I know," Angelo sighed, resting his face against his palms. "I know. I just don't know how to fix this."


"One minute he was going on about changing and how he wanted to rectify all his mistakes and the next, he was trying to plant one on me," Charlie complained.

Joey couldn't help but smile as she felt a rant coming on.

"I mean, how could he ever have thought that was a good idea?" Charlie continued. "It's ridiculous! How many times have I got to bloody well turn him down before he gets the bloody message?"

She shook her head and downed the rest of her glass of wine.

"Are you sure you don't want me to punch him?" Joey smirked. "Because I really enjoyed it last time!"

Charlie snorted. She put both their empty glasses down and turned around so that they were facing each other, still pressed up closely.

"I just can't figure out what to do about this," she sighed unhappily.

"A restraining order?" Joey suggested. "Castration? Murder?"

Charlie laughed again, relieved that whatever the occasion, Joey always knew exactly what to say. She inched closer and pressed her lips gently against Joey's. The kiss immediately developed and their breathing became more laboured as passion began to take over.


"Come on," Xavier begged. "Please?"

Ruby stood up, shaking her head in sheer disbelief.

"No," she said.

"Rubes..."

"Xavier, it is one thing for your whole family to force me to lie to my family," she snapped. "But there is no way that I'm going round to dinner with all of you. I don't want to see him. I don't want anything to do with him."

He reached out to her but she stepped away, disgusted.

"How could you even ask me to do that?"

"Maybe because he's my brother and you're my girlfriend and I expected you to be there for me!" Xavier snapped. "You know, when you have time and you're not too busy swooning over Liam-fucking-Murphy!"

"What on earth has Liam got to do with any of this?" Ruby demanded.

Xavier leapt up angrily.

"You tell me!" he yelled.

"I've had enough of this," Ruby declared.

Without another word, she stormed out of the house.


Alf had handed Angelo over to Marilyn and Nicole who were more than happy to indulge in girl talk. It really wasn't his thing and he was quick to lose patience with the police officer anyway. Too many things had happened and he wasn't feeling all that compassionate these days.

"You really need to draw a line under all of this," Nicole instructed Angelo, who was becoming more and more inebriated.

"Yes," Marilyn agreed. "Apologise and hopefully she'll forgive you."

"Although nobody can promise that Joey won't deck you," Nicole added.

She liked Angelo, at least to a degree but her loyalties would always lie with Joey. She, Charlie and Ruby had been such good friends to her over the years and she wasn't about to say anything against them now.

"I'm used to it," Angelo complained.

He sighed heavily.

"I used to be such a good guy," he said. "I worked hard. I was funny and charming."

"And modest," Nicole smirked.

He laughed.

"Wasn't I, though? I was a good guy before… well, you know."

Nicole nodded. Aden hadn't been his biggest fan and again, she still felt loyal to him, despite all that had transpired between them, but she had always thought Angelo was lovely until Jack's death. And since then, she did think he had made up for his mistakes by bringing down the human trafficking ring. But then, he had also made a lot of new mistakes – mostly involving Charlie. She and Joey were one of the town's most loved couples. Anyone that tried to break them up wasn't likely to be popular.

"You were," she agreed. "And you can be again. But the first thing you need to do to achieve that is to let Charlie go."


"Oh, gross!" Ruby complained when she walked through the front door and saw her parents half undressed on the couch. "I watch TV there! I nap there! How can I sit on that sofa again knowing what you two have been up to on it?"

Without waiting for Charlie or Joey to respond, having already been in a bad mood, Ruby stormed into her bedroom and slammed the door. Embarrassed, the couple scrambled to dress again. Sitting side by side, they wondered if they ought to go and knock on Ruby's door and apologise or just leave her to it.


Next time… Leah and Elijah struggle in the wake of his failed marriage proposal, Joey makes a decision about Romeo's money and Angelo suffers Charlie and Joey's wrath…