Hi everyone. Sorry for the delay in updating. This chapter is dedicated to Chazny2000. I hope you enjoy it. Love, IJKS xxx
Chapter Five Hundred and Ninety Four
"How's it going?" Joey asked, walking hand in hand down the beach with Charlie towards where Romeo had set up his Surf School.
"It's… not going as fast as I'd like," he admitted, leaning one arm on the surfboard he was using to hold up the sign for the school. "I've had the odd customer but…"
He shrugged and sighed.
"It'll pick up," Joey assured him. "You've only been in business for a day."
He thanked her.
"Hey, you two aren't in the mood for learning how to surf?" he asked hopefully.
"Oh, you'd definitely look good on a board, Sergeant," said a voice from behind them.
They didn't even need to turn around to know who it was. Charlie felt Joey tense, holding her hand a little tighter. She rolled her eyes, informing Brax that she didn't require his opinion. He smirked at her, remarking that he was merely paying her compliment and headed into the water with his surfboard. Joey watched him, topless, tattooed and muscular, unable to stop herself from wondering if in a different life, would Charlie be tempted?
"Well, if you'd be interested, I'd do you a two for one," Romeo offered. "As you're two of my favourite people. And you uh, paid for my insurance."
"Thank you," Charlie said. "I think I'm more of a runner and a swimmer though."
"Me too," Joey said politely.
The last thing she wanted to do was make an idiot of herself, falling off a surfboard in front of the River Boys – especially Brax or Heath.
Ruby woke up surprisingly early for a weekend. And she woke up full of joy. Today was the first full day she was free from her grounding and she had planned to spend it with Casey, Claire and Hannah. She supposed it was a kind of double date. Hannah wasn't her first choice of people to spend time with but she had come to accept that she and Claire were committed to each other, at least for the time being and there was no way she was losing Claire as her best friend. Therefore, she had to get to know Hannah and bring her into their circle of friends.
A few streets along, Xavier had woken up in the opposite mood. Against her better judgement, Miranda had given him another chance, after finding out he had lied to her about his age. Then he had been dragged into doing a shift at The Pizza Oven and after a series of disasters had seen him lying to both a customer and then to Angelo, Miranda had dumped him there and then. She had told him that she couldn't possibly be with someone who found dishonesty so easy. He was so angry with Ruby for ruining this relationship. He and Miranda could have been so happy together!
"What the hell is wrong with that guy?" Joey wondered, as she and Charlie headed over to the Diner to grab a coffee.
"Too many things to mention," Charlie replied, keeping hold of her hand. "He's not even worth discussing, Jo."
"It's easy for you to say," Joey replied, a little irritably. "He's not trying to steal your fiancée."
Charlie stopped and faced her.
"You've got to stop thinking he's important," she said seriously. "He isn't."
"I just don't trust him," Joey said bitterly.
"Snap."
"And I find it hard to keep looking over my shoulder all the time," she added. "You have to interact with him all the time and every single time you do, there he is, preening in front of you, flirting with you… or he blindsides you by doing something nice for someone and he gets you thinking maybe he's a nice guy after all and he isn't."
Charlie furrowed her brow.
"So, are you saying you don't trust him or you don't trust me?" she asked seriously.
"Of course I trust you," Joey replied.
"Are you sure? Because it kind of sounds like you don't."
"I just want him to piss off," Joey said, regretting her rant.
"I don't want him around either," Charlie said. "He and his family and his stupid gang make my job a million times harder. That's the only reason I have anything to do with him. And because of Ruby and Casey. I don't talk to him out of choice, Joey."
"I know," Joey said, reaching for her.
Charlie reluctantly accepted her embrace.
"I'm sorry," Joey said. "I'm being a grouch. I just can't stand that guy."
Charlie kissed her, leaving her a little breathless. She told her she loved her.
"I love you too," Joey replied, apologising again. "Let me shout you breakfast to make up for it."
"Well, I'm not going to refuse that!" Charlie chuckled.
Back on the beach, Romeo was desperate to keep a smile on his face, hopeful for passing trade or that his phone would ring with someone who had seen one of his flyers around town and wanted to book a lesson. He had had a couple of bookings and still had a couple of lessons booked that afternoon but people weren't overwhelming him with desperation to get onto a board. He kept reminding himself that it was still very early days and he just needed to stick with it.
To make him feel worse, just ahead of him was Indi, looking absolutely stunning in a bikini, having just been for a morning swim. He could hardly take his eyes off her, towelling off on the beach. He could kick himself for everything he had so foolishly thrown away. And he was feeling increasingly gutted that she was currently talking to some guy. He was pretty sure it was the guy she had kissed at that party a few weeks back, although it was hard to tell from this distance. But he looked like he was definitely keen on round two.
But no, this was his new life now. He had to forget about Indi. She was part of his past. It was time to focus on his future. If this guy was what she wanted, he had to stand back and let her move on. And he had to do the same.
Claire had driven herself, Hannah, Ruby and Casey out of town for the day, to celebrate the lifting of Ruby's grounding. They had booked tickets to an adventure park, which Ruby was not entirely sure about but her boyfriend and the girls had insisted would be a lot of fun. She was enjoying just being in the car, getting out of Summer Bay, listening to music and having a laugh. She was determined that this was going to be a fresh new start. She was going to make better choices, stop disappointing and upsetting her parents, study hard and make a success of her relationship and her friendship. This was going to be the new Ruby Buckton!
"What's all this then?"
Romeo turned to see a tall, blonde woman, older than him, observing his sign, stuck to a surf board, wedged in the sand. She stood, one lazy hand on her hip, dressed in denim cut offs and a fitted, white sleeveless t-shirt, revealing a detailed and pretty tattoo of a surfboard, inside of which contained the ocean, the surf and the sunshine.
"I've just set up a surf school," he explained, when he had finished staring at her.
"No shit," she smirked.
She extended her hand, introducing herself as Sandy.
"Romeo," he said.
She chuckled.
"No shit," she remarked again.
He blushed.
"So, I guess from your tattoo, you don't need surfing lessons," he said.
"And I'm guessing from your lack of customers, you don't need any extra staff," she replied.
"Unfortunately, not," he said. "Not yet. I literally set up yesterday."
She nodded thoughtfully.
"Well, good luck, Romeo Smith," she said brightly, reading the name on the sign. "See you around. Maybe catch some waves sometime!"
He smiled and watched her go, wondering if perhaps it would be nice to do that. If Indi was moving on – and Ruby too – maybe it was time he did as well. And properly, not just by sleeping with a girl he didn't actually like.
"You're distracted."
It wasn't an accusation. It was concern. Charlie frowned, changing lanes and then drumming her fingers on the steering wheel, annoyed at being stuck in traffic. They had just been interviewing the elderly victim of a burglary. She had been so shaken and vulnerable; they had both felt so sorry for her.
"I'm okay," Charlie lied.
"Come on," Watson nudged. "What's up?"
"I feel like Joey doesn't completely trust me," Charlie admitted.
Watson laughed, assuming her friend must be joking. Then she realised she was serious.
"Oh, come on, Charlie," she said. "This is you guys. What are you talking about? You just got engaged!"
"I know," Charlie said. "I know that. But just something she said this morning…"
"Don't tell me…. Brax."
"Bingo!"
Watson sighed.
"Charlie, it's Brax she doesn't trust – not you," Watson said.
"It takes two to tango," Charlie said a little bitterly.
"No, it doesn't," Watson replied seriously.
Charlie braked hard, just missing the car in front. She waved a hard, apologising to the car ahead and behind and the pulled over. She looked at Watson, taking in what she meant. Watson apologised.
"No," Charlie said. "No, you're right. I'm such an idiot."
"You're not," Watson said. "I'm just more objective than you."
"It should be easier for me to realise why she's so stressed about it, not harder," Charlie criticised herself.
"No," Watson disagreed. "It shouldn't. It can't be easy for you to let your mind go there after everything you've been through."
Charlie sighed heavily.
"I'll talk to her tonight," she decided. "Do my best to reassure her. Let her know that I would never take any risks. That I will always keep myself safe."
"Well, for starters, let's only deal with the River Boys in pairs, going forward," Watson suggested. "Including any conversations with Brax. If he's determined to flirt with you or whatever, he can take his best shot in front of me."
Charlie thanked her gratefully.
Romeo arrived at the restaurant for his late afternoon shift, surprised to see Indi there. She hadn't been a regular since they had split up, presumably because she didn't like running into him.
"I'm just here to pick up some takeaway," she said quickly to him, as he took his position behind the counter.
"Okay," he said. "Um… how are you?"
It upset him that it felt so awkward to make conversation.
"I'm okay, thanks. Busy with Uni. How… how's the surf school going?"
"Slowly," he replied. "But I'm giving it my best shot."
"I'm proud of you," she replied sincerely.
It made his heart sing.
"What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?"
Indi turned to see Keiron, the guy she had kissed at Miranda's party and whom she had run into on the beach this morning, right behind her. She immediately felt awkward, bumping into him right in front of Romeo. Then she felt annoyed with herself for feeling awkward. She was young, free and single. She could date whoever she liked. Romeo had had sex with Ruby when he and Indi had been in a committed relationship. He had no right to complain.
"Oh, just picking up some takeout," she said a little nervously.
"Snap!" Keiron said.
He leant past her and placed an order with Romeo, who reluctantly took it and passed it through to the kitchen. Keiron then asked Indi to join him at a table while they waited. Indi cast an awkward glance in Romeo's direction before she agreed.
"Who's that?" Keiron asked, noticing, as they sat.
Decided to be honest, being that lies were what had ruined her previous relationship, she explained that Romeo was her ex-boyfriend.
"Oh!" Keiron said. "And why did you split up?"
"He cheated on me," Indi replied.
"Well, he's obviously an idiot," Keiron informed her.
Indi smiled, feeling a little better.
"Well, I did tell him that," she said.
Romeo watched on, feeling completely disheartened.
Later that evening, as soon as Charlie finished work, she headed over to the restaurant to collect Joey and bring her home.
"How was your day?" Charlie asked in the car.
"It was fine," Joey said. "Pretty busy. Bianca came by. She said that Sid has kickstarted April's treatment. There was a bit of an altercation just now between Romeo and some guy. I think the guy's interested in Indi. She was talking to him anyway. Romeo obviously didn't like it. It wasn't great."
"Do you think Romeo was being jealous or the guy wasn't a good guy?" Charlie asked.
Joey shrugged.
"Hard to say," she admitted. "I mean, Romeo is bound to be jealous. He's clearly still in love with Indi. But the guy did seem a little off as well so… he could easily have been right about his misgivings. Anyway, how was your day?"
Charlie chewed her lip for a moment. Then she pulled the car over to the side of the road.
"I wanted to apologise," she said.
Joey was confused, wondering what the apology was for.
"I thought you didn't trust me," she said. "Then I realised what your real concerns are about the situation and I feel so stupid for not realising it before. It's not about Brax stealing me away from you. Not consensually."
Joey could hardly meet Charlie's gaze. Charlie reached out and held Joey's hand tightly.
"Joey, I promise you, I will not take any risks," she said. "I will only deal with Brax and the River Boys as part of a pair or a team. Please don't worry. Please?"
"I just… I'm sorry, Charlie," Joey said. "Just the thought that…. And yes, there is paranoia there. I mean, if there was ever the complete opposite to what I am! And he keeps saying it, that one day you're going to wake up and realise what you're missing. And I am scared of that. Not all the time. But sometimes. And that's not about me not trusting you. It isn't. It's about me being told all my life that I'm not good enough and so not believing that I deserve all these amazing things I have. But yes, you're right. I have this terrible, crippling fear that harm is going to come to you. I live with it every day that you get up and go to work. But it's so much worse now that I feel he's targeted you. He wants you. And he doesn't seem like the kind of guy who'll give up on anything he wants. And I'm so scared that he's going to find some way to take you from me. I'm not about to accuse him of anything. That's not fair. But I'm so scared that he's going to find some way to tear us apart and I just don't think I could live without you."
Tears had started to flow without her realising it. Charlie leant forward and wiped them gently away. She closed the gap between them, kissing her gently at first and then harder, wrapping her arms around her.
Ruby, Casey, Claire and Hannah arrived back at Ruby's house after a rather gruelling but definitely fun day. All four of them were exhausted and Ruby had to admit that Hannah was a lot of fun to spend time with. She could see why Claire liked her. She hoped that from now, the four of them would start to spend more time together. She wanted to be Hannah's friend and she wanted Casey and Claire to bond too. It meant everything to her.
"Well, if Ruby every finds out about this, we're never going to hear the end of it after you busted her with Casey," Joey remarked, doing up the buttons on her shirt in the backseat of the steamed up car.
Grinning, her hair a tousled mess, Charlie also fumbled to get dressed. She kissed Joey's lips and neck.
"She must definitely not hear about it!" she giggled.
"I love you so much," Joey whispered.
"I love you too," Charlie replied. "With all my heart."
"Nice place you've got here."
Brax turned around at the sound of a familiar voice that he had not heard in a long time. At the other end of the bar, Angelo kept himself busy but watched the interaction intently. A tall, blonde woman approached his boss, leaning on the bar. She was attractive, although not the type Angelo normally went for.
"What are you doing here?" Brax asked, giving nothing away.
"That's not a very warm welcome," the woman replied.
"Well, we haven't seen or heard anything from you for over a year, Sandy," Brax pointed out.
"I was told to piss off and not come back," she replied.
"That was Mum, not me," Brax said. "You didn't need to cut all ties with me. Or with Casey. He's missed you so much. He's needed you."
"Well, I'm back now, so…" she said casually. "Where is he?"
"He's out with his girlfriend," he said. "Some day trip or something."
Sandy smiled and raised her eyebrows.
"Casey has a girlfriend! I am impressed!"
He chuckled.
"Yeah, she's nice too," he said. "Bit of a cow of a Mum but you can't have everything, eh?"
"Well, look at our Mum," she replied. "We turned out okay. Some of us. How is Heath?"
"He's… Heath," Brax told her. "He's around somewhere."
"Great. I hoped he might have done someone over badly enough that he might have been locked up for a bit by now. Mind you, he probably has and you've got him out of trouble, right?" she remarked. "Always Brax to the rescue. Apart from me."
Brax leaned in.
"You didn't need to leave," he said. "Whatever went down between you and Mum, we could have fixed it. You didn't need to leave."
"Do you even know what our fight was about?" Sandy asked.
He shook his head.
"Then you have no idea what you're talking about."
Next time… Ruby and Casey attempt to unite their families, Sandy has an announcement and Nicole goes into labour…
