Sweet Misery

[Dingo x]

Brilliant chapter.

That's what I was thinking @RoRo90, would be very awkward if Bianca really does like Brax and then Chax get together. But it will also be interesting in a way if that did happen, to see what happens with Charlie and Bianca's friendship.

Looking forward to more. xx

[Spotd1]

Loved this chapter! Finally Charlie and Brax are starting to let their feelings show! Please update soon! Xx

[kiwi151]

I loved this chapter. You described Charlie's frustration perfectly

[caroline77]

OOOOOer Bianca like Brax. Don't think she will get far with him as he is attracted to Charlie. Hope Brax fights for her and doesn't date Bianca. that wouldn't be good.

looking forward to the next chapter.

[totally]

Oh great story! Brax is so smitten. Charlie should end things with Angelo, she clearly isn't thinking about him anymore. She has Brax on her mind and it is not just a little crush. I wonder when (not if) they will give into temptation. Great story, I can't wait to read more! Thank you so much for this!

[Sazzle]

Loved this update and Charlie being all green eyed and jealous! Love the little friend ship building and flirtation between Brax and Charlie. Really enjoying the story and your writing!

Leah saw straight through it and knows! Looking forward to next update! Thanks

[JosieTash]

LOOOVED that, especially ......

 She was thankful for the cup of coffee in her hands; it gave her something to focus on as she tried to make sense of her thoughts.

 Leah noticed the changed on Charlie's face, and couldn't help but feel concerned. "Charlie, what's this about?"

Charlie quickly forced a smile on her face. "It's nothing." She glanced at the clock. "I'm going to be late for work. I better get changed." She hurried from the kitchen, with Leah following closely behind her.

 "I think we should check that out." Watson informed her, nodding down towards the water.

Charlie followed her gaze, settling her eyes on a group of River Boys partying on the beach. Charlie could see that they were drinking, and judging by the noise that was coming up from the beach they had been drinking for a while.

Charlie found her heart beating faster as the two women made their way down the shore towards the group of rowdy men. Please don't be there.

 Why does no one wear clothes around here? Charlie groaned to herself as she pushed the glasses to the top of her head and made eye contact with him.

 "We've been looking for some chicks! Join the party!" One of the boys shouted, as the rest of the crowd cheered him on. Brax's face dropped as he turned around and glared at the group. They immediately shut up.

 Charlie couldn't help the smile which appeared on her face as she walked away.

 They had each made an effort for the evening, opting on tight colourful dresses and high heels.

 "We've needed some new eye candy around here. He is beautiful!" Bianca swooned as she checked out Brax.

Leah couldn't help but laugh as she slapped Bianca's arm. "You haven't even had a drink yet, and you're already starting!"

Bianca blushed slightly as she shrugged. "I'm sorry...but come on. Look at him!"

Charlie came back to the table, carrying the drinks. "So, what have I missed?" She sat down beisde Bianca, facing the bar.

Bianca smiled at Leah as she took a large gulp of the wine. "More like what have we missed. What's Brax's story?" She took another sip of her wine as she looked over at Charlie. Leah laughed as she reached for her wine.

Charlie felt her breath catch in her throat as she glanced over towards the bar and then back at her blonde friend. "What?" She too reached for her wine, hoping the bitter liquid would ease the discomfort Bianca's question had caused her.

 "You guys are friends, right? You must know what type of woman he goes for?" Bianca begged her best friend for information but again, Charlie realised that she had absolutely no idea.

 Charlie watched from the table as Bianca caught Brax's attention and they began talking. The jealousy tore threw Charlie's body, settling in her stomach with a wave of nausea. As she finished off her wine she tore her gaze away from the bar and back to Leah, missing Brax looking over in her direction.

 Brax glanced back over to their table, hoping that he would see Charlie making her way over to him to save him. Instead, all he saw was Leah sat on her own. His eyes quickly scanned the restaurant looking for her, but the feeling of Bianca's hand taking hold of his brought his attention back to the woman standing in front of him.

 She had eventually managed to drift off into some sort of semi sleep state when a knocking sound caught her attention. At first, she dismissed the noise, rolling over as she tried to drift off back to sleep. But each time the noise became louder and a little more persistant.

Sitting up, Charlie glanced at the clock and frowned. 02:15.

"What the hell?" She whispered as she grabbed a sweater and walked into the bedroom door. Standing in the darkness, she glanced towards both the front and the back door before the knock sounded again and she made her way through the kitchen.

Taking a deep breath, she opened the door to find Brax standing there.

"Brax....what are you doing here? It's two in the morning." Charlie spoke softly, rubbing at her eyes before running her hands through her hair. God knows what I look like.

 "You're not mine to save, Brax."

The words pierced right through him and he was thankful for the darkness; at least she wouldn't be able to totally see the hurt look on his face.

 "Charlie?" Ruby's voice came from inside as the living room light was flicked on.

Charlie glanced inside before looking back at Brax. "It's late, I best get back inside." He nodded, although he couldn't hide the disappoint on his face. "Goodnight Brax." She looked at him once more before closing the door and leaning back against it.

[luscious01]

Hey lianne loving your new story & your other one too hope you keep updating them both as you are a fab writer xxx

[Chax47]

Hey!

I have the next chapter, sorry it took me a little longer to post!

Thank you again for all your amazing reviews, I get such a buzz reading them!

Anyways, I will also apologise for the length of this chapter, once I started I just couldn't stop. I was going to post them as two different chapters, but I'm far too excited about the ending to wait! haha....you shall soon see what I mean

Enjoy x

Chapter 7

Charlie rolled over in the bed, her eyes focussing on the ceiling. After her mid-night visit from Brax, she hadn't exactly had the greatest night's sleep. Her mind had raced through the situation she currently found herself in. Angelo. Brax. While she had to admit to herself that she was enjoying this new found friendship, part of her couldn't help but think that maybe it was more trouble than it was worth. Getting jealous because he talks to another woman? Thinking about him constantly? Something just isn't right...She knew she would have to make a decision, the question was which way would it go?

Deciding that her day off shouldn't be spent dwelling on her problems, Charlie dragged herself out of bed. Wrapping herself up in a dressing gown, she walked through the living room and into the kitchen. Ruby smiled briefly at Charlie while she finished off the remainder of her breakfast. Leah gave her a warm smile over her coffee cup.

"I better run or I'm going to be late meeting Casey!" Ruby placed her plate in the sink and gave Charlie a quick kiss on the cheek.

"It's not even 9a.m yet!" Leah couldn't help but laugh as Ruby shrugged, her cheeks colouring slightly.

Charlie poured herself a cup of coffee and stared at her best friend. She knew that now that they were alone, the questions were bound to start. And sure enough they did.

"How are you feeling?"

Charlie consider that question; a question that had many answers. Confused, excited, upset, tempted. The list of words she could choice to describe her current state went on and on.

"He was here last night." Avoidance was always the best answer in these situations. She tried to avoid looking at Leah; avoid seeing the look of shock that had taken hold of her friend's face but she couldn't do it. Her eyes were drawn to Leah like a moth to a flame.

Leah's eyes grew wide. "He was?" Charlie slowly nodded. "Did you two..."

Charlie couldn't help the laughter that almost escaped at Leah's question. She wasn't sure whether it was nerves or the fact that they were even having this conversation. "What? No. He didn't even make it through the front door."

"Oh, sorry. I just assumed..." Leah smiled apologetically. "So, what happened?" She poured herself another cup of coffee. Something told her that she was going to need it.

"He just wanted to check that I was ok. I asked about Bianca; he turned her down. I couldn't help but ask." She shrugged at Leah as she took another sip of her drink. "I don't even know what I'm doing anymore." She blinked away the tears that she could feel building up as Leah took a step forward and pulled her into a hug.

"You can't blame yourself for having a little crush, Charlie." She stroked Charlie's hair as she tried to comfort her friend. "It's natural to have a crush, people get them all the time." She released the hug and smiled. "And besides, he is pretty hot." She nudged Charlie who managed to give her a small smile.

"That's just my problem, Leah. I'm not too sure if it's just a crush..." Charlie put down her cup as she ran her hands through her hair. She stared down at the floor, not wanting to meet Leah's eyes now that she had admitted how she really felt.

"Oh." Leah said softly as she stroked the top of Charlie's arm. Charlie eventually lifted her eyes off the floor and stared back at her.

"See, I'm a horrible person. I have this amazing boyfriend, and here I am thinking about another man!"

"No you are not, so don't even go there. It's bound to be a bit confusing for you; you've instantly clicked with this new guy who you happen to have developed a really good friendship with. It's new; it's exciting. Of course it's going to stir up some sort of doubt." Charlie nodded along at what Leah was saying. "Do you want some friendly advice?"

"Please, I'm open to suggestions here."

"Ok. The way I see it, you have a couple of options. You either bite the bullet and remove the temptation; cut the friendship...remove the crush. Or you break up with Angelo and see if it is more than just a crush...providing that Brax is thinking along the same lines as you."

"Is that it?" Charlie couldn't hide the panic that had escaped into her voice. She had been hoping for a more definitive answer, although she knew that she was the only person who could give herself what she was looking for.

"Well there is one other option, but that all depends on how important his friendship is to you. If you are truely happy with Angelo, and you know that he is the one who you want...then you just ride this crush thing out. You go back to being just friends with Brax, and you carry on as normal with Angelo." Leah gave Charlie's arm a comforting squeeze. "But honey, you need to stop being so harsh on yourself."

"So I'm not a horrible person?"

Leah laughed lightly as a smile stayed on her face. "No, Charlie. You're just human!"

After her talk with Leah, Charlie decided that she would spend the rest of her day outside in the sunshine. She showered and changed into a white bikini under her clothes, packed a beach bag and headed out of the house. She had used the shower time to gather her thoughts and had finally chosen to just lighten up and stop thinking about her problems. How long that would last her, she wasn't too sure but she left the house with a new feeling of optimism.

Picking a location on the beach where she was close enough to watch people and far away enough to have some peace, Charlie placed down a towel and settled herself. Feeling the sun was over her body, she immediately felt a lot more relaxed. Maybe this is just what I needed.

The peace lasted merely minutes before someone was shouting her name down the beach. She groaned inwardly as she propped herself up to see Bianca walking over to her.

"Hey you. Mind if I sit for a minute?"

Charlie nodded so Bianca took a seat beside her, kicking her shoes into the sand. "You're surprisingly chipper today. I thought you'd be nursing a hangover somewhere?"

Bianca blushed at the mention of her behaviour the night before. "Well I've felt better but there's no point dwelling on it. I am getting numerous text messages off a guy I met last night, although in the fresh light of sobriety I'm not too sure if I like him..."

Charlie was slightly taken aback. Did he lie to me last night? Bianca noticed the change on her face and realised what she had said.

"It's not Brax, don't worry." She reassured her friend with a smile.

"Why would I be worried? Brax can meet or text who he wants..." It came out slightly more defensive than she planned which shocked Bianca.

"No I know. I'm a little embarrassed about that actually, if I had known I wouldn't have tried to come on to hi..."

Charlie immediately cut her off, sitting up to face her. "Known what?"

"That he's into you!" Bianca shrugged, her nonchalant tone reaking havoc with Charlie's mind.

"What? No he's not!"

Bianca laughed but Charlie failed to see the humour. She frowned at her best friend. "Come on Charlie, I know I was drunk but it doesn't take a genius to figure it out. As soon as you left he was scanning the room for you. I was using some of my best lines and all I got in return was 'where is Charlie?' 'Do you know where she is?' 'Is she ok?'" She did her best to mimic Brax's voice which earned her a small laugh from Charlie. "It was a little annoying at first but he cares about you."

Charlie tried to hide her smile before scoulding herself. No! I need to stay focused.

Thankfully Bianca's phone rang and she quickly made an excuse and left, leaving Charlie once again in peace. She ran over the conversation in her head, repeating the sentences which always managed to put a smile on her face. 'He cares about you.'

Before she knew it, she had taken out her phone and typed out a new message; destination Darryl Braxton.

Hey

Are you free this afternoon? I'm at the beach if you fancy hanging out?

Charlie

As soon as her finger pressed the send button she knew that she was playing with fire. However Leah's voice kept creeping from the back of her mind. 'It's just a crush. Go back to being just friends with Brax.'

Her phone buzzed in the sand beside her.

Hi!

That sounds perfect. I'll be there in twenty

She grinned at her phone as she closed the message and rolled over on the towel so that she was now laying on her stomach, staring up the beach. Taking the book she had packed earlier, she opened it to the first page but found herself having difficulty concentrating on the written words. Thankfully for her, twenty minutes quickly passed and Darryl Braxton was soon making his way towards her, his shirt hanging loosely over his shoulders exposing his bare chest.

He smiled as he took a seat beside her and she rolled back over, sitting up to face him.

"Hey."

"Hi."

They sat silently for a moment, both waiting for the other to say something. Eventually Charlie spoke up.

"You weren't busy or anything were you?"

Brax shook his head. "Nah, I was actually really glad you text. I've been moving out this morning. I was due a break..." He sighed but tried his best to hide it with a smile.

"You're moving out?"

"Yeah. Things are not going to get any better at home and I owe it to Casey to get him out. It's only to a motel for now until I sort something more perminent out, but it's a start, right!"

"It's a really positive start, Brax. You're going in the right direction, and I'm sure Casey really appreciates what you are doing for him." She stroked the top of his arm and smiled at him, a gesture which he easily returned.

He cleared his throat as he ran his hand through his hair, leaving it to rest on the back of his neck as he turned to look at her. "Enough about my problems. How are you?" He held her eye contact, his eyes focused and interested.

Charlie looked down at the sand for a moment before forcing herself to look back up at him. "I'm ok. I actually want to apologise to you, for how I was with you last night. I feel like maybe I was a little off with you, and I didn't really mean to be..." She spoke quietly and softly, yet the sincerity in her voice was loud and clear.

Brax brushed off her comment with a smile. "No, you have nothing to apologise for. It was late, I shouldn't have called round like that. I should be the one apologising."

Again, they made eye contact and for a moment neither wanted to look away while something unspoken was being said between them. Their eyes studied the other intently, each noticing how the other glistened slightly at the person in front of them. After what seemed like hours but was merely a matter of seconds, Brax looked away towards the ocean.

"Shall we?" He looked back at her with a smirk on his face. She looked back puzzled at him. "Come on, you can't come to the beach without going into the water. I'll race you..." Without giving her time to respond, he jumped up and ran towards the ocean. He glanced behind him just in time to see Charlie burst out in laughter as she got up and tried to chase after him.

Charlie eventually caught up with him as she splashed into the water beside him. She jumped at him, dunking his head momentarily under the water but he managed to wriggled free and jump up, tossing her back into the water. She laughed loudly as she fell back into the water. Emerging, hair soaked and falling down her back, she glared over at him.

"A bit of warning next time you start a race, would be nice!" She warned, which caused him to smirk at her.

"It's not my fault if you can't keep up Buckton!" He winked at her as she scoffed and pushed a load of water in his direction. He was too fast though, he had already managed to hold his breath and duck into the water before her revenge splash reached him.

Laughing to herself, she waited for him to resurface but after a few moments she was alone in the water. Feeling a sudden moment of panic, her eyes scanned the water for him.

"Brax?" She called out, and spun around just in time for him to appear behind her, a huge smile on his face.

She slapped his arm hard. "Do not do that to me! I thought you'd drowned!"

"Well then you shouldn't have tried to splash me..." He replied smugly, which earned him another splashing.

They continued to play in the water, until eventually Charlie made her way back towards the beach closely followed by Brax. Reaching her things, she picked up towel and dried herself off.

"This has been fun!" His smile mirrored her own as he threw himself down on the beach.

"Yeah, I've never had so much fun nearly being drowned before." He feigned hurt as her towel was launched at his face. He laughed it off. "Despite you're anger issues, I've had a really good time."

She smiled at him as she checked her phone. 1 New Message.

Hey gorgeous.

I'm nearly done at work. Meet me at the Diner for a quick bite to eat? x

She read the message again and then looked down at the man on the sand. A plan quickly formed in her head.

"Are you hungry?" He nodded at her question. "Meet Angelo with me at the Diner?" She noticed the slight fade of his smile at the A word.

"I don't think that'd be such a good idea. I'm hardly his favourite person."

"That's because he doesn't know you properly. Please?" She smiled sweetly at him and he soon found himself standing up and brushing the sand off himself. Why can I not say no to her?

She smiled as she replied to the text.

Sure, I'm with a friend so we'll see you there x

They walked up the beach as Charlie tried to convince him that it would be fine. Angelo just needed time to get to know him and then whatever the issues, they would quickly be resolved. She knew herself that it was going to take a little more than dinner at the Diner before the two main men in her life started getting along, but it was a good place to start.

"Hey, I forgot to mention to you. Angelo and Leah are throwing me a birthday party this weekend at the restaurant. Nothing fancy, just a couple of friends...a lot of alcohol. I'd love for you to come?" She smiled nervously at him while she waited for his answer.

"Does Angelo know you're asking me?"

She raised her eyebrow at his question and shrugged. "No but I'm in charge of the guest list...and I'd really like for you to be there?"

Again, why can I not say no to her....

------

Saturday quickly came around and it was time to get ready for the party. That afternoon, Brax walked into the restaurant to pick a few things up, only to be stopped by Angelo.

"Hey, I've been trying to get hold of you. The champagne I ordered the other day, I can't find it anywhere?" It was obvious that he was flustered, his shirt was slightly ruffled and the man looked like he had hardly slept.

"I put it away in the chiller. Are you alright?" Brax shouted over his shoulder as he walked past Angelo and collected the stack of papers that he had come in for. Having a quick glance around the restaurant, he had to admit that the place looked amazing. No wonder the man looked so exhausted. Balloons and decorations adorned the walls and tables, and fairy lights had been drapped across the ceiling. She's going to love it.

"Yeah, there's just a really important event going on tonight. I need everything to go to plan!" Angelo looked down at the list he had in his hand as he began ticking through his errands.

"Relax. She's going to love it." He patted Angelo on the back as he made his way out of the restaurant. "I'll see you tonight."

Angelo looked up from his list and frowned. "What?"

Brax froze in the doorway and spun around. "At the party?"

"You're coming?"

Brax couldn't help but smile at the look of shock which was all over Angelo's face. "Yeah I was invited."

Angelo scoffed. "Of course you were..." He groaned as he ignored his business partner and went back to his list.

----

Charlie walked out of her bedroom and both Leah and Bianca squealed.

"Oh my God, Charlie! You look stunning!" Bianca embraced her friend before checking out the birthday girl's outfit choice. She had opted for a white, figure hugging dress which complemented the tan she had gained earlier on in the week. Her hair fell in curls around her shoulders; her make up flawless.

"Angelo is going to hit the floor when he sees you!" Leah winked at Charlie, who managed a small smile.

"Right, shall we go?" She was eager to get there and get the party started.

The restaurant was fairly packed with all of Charlie's friends and Summer Bay residents. Everyone cheered as she walked in, which caused her to laugh nervously as she made her way through the room, birthday wishes hitting her from every direction. Angelo was waiting for her at the bar, dressed simply in black trousers and a white shirt. He had hold of a glass of champagne and a red rose in his other hand.

He smiled at the sight of her as she walked up to him.

"Happy birthday!" He leant in and kissed her before handing her the drink and then the rose.

"Thank you!" She took a sip of her drink as she looked around the room. "This is amazing!" She beamed back at him as she swayed slightly to the music. His arm found it's way around her waist.

"Anything for you." He kissed her bare shoulder but Charlie was too busy scanning the room. Her eyes eventually stopped in the doorway as Ruby and Casey entered the restaurant. A few moments later, Brax appeared behind them. The three of them made their way over to Charlie.

Ruby hugged her mother and wished her happy birthday. Casey did the same before dragging Ruby off to the bar to get a drink, leaving Charlie and Angelo alone with Brax.

"You came!" Charlie smiled as she moved out of Angelo's embrace to hug Brax. The scent of Charlie's perfume washed over him as they hugged.

"You look beautiful!" He whispered in her ear just as they pulled apart. They smiled at each other. Angelo and Brax exchanged a forced hello before Angelo made some excuse to leave and check on something behind the bar.

"Do you want a drink?" Charlie asked, as she finished off the first of her birthday champagnes.

"It's your birthday, should I not be the one asking you that?" He joked as he picked up two glasses of champagne and handed one to her. "It's a pretty good turn out. He's done a really good job!" He had to hand it to the bloke; he had pulled out all the stops.

The evening progressed with the aid of plentiful supplies of champagne, wine and food. Charlie looked like she was having a great night as she did the rounds across the restaurant. No matter who she was talking to, her eyes continued to flit across in his direction every now and again. He always happened to be looking at her whenever she did.

Charlie found herself on her fourth glass of bubbly as she walked back over to Brax. He smiled as she approached, interrupting the conversation he had been having with Leah. Leah looked at them both and laughed, quickly excusing herself.

"Are you having a good night?" Brax asked, but the smile on her face told him that she was.

"I'm ready for my birthday dance now!" She took another swig of the drink, feeling the bubbles slowly going to her head as she held out her hand to him.

"Birthday dance?"

"Yeah. You promised..." She teased, trailing off as she took another step towards the dance floor.

"What? When?" He couldn't help the laughter that was building up inside of him as she quickly fumbled to think of an answer.

"I don't know. But I'm sure you should have promised me a dance. So, come on!"

Not wanting to have to make her ask twice, he took her hand in his and followed her onto the dance floor. He glanced nervously at the bar for a second, not wanting to cause any trouble between her and Angelo. But Angelo was busy talking to Liam and Charlie was begging for him to dance with her...

The music had taken a slower beat as Brax put his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. Her hands linked loosely behind his neck, her fingers occassionally brushing against the hairs on the back of his neck. They moved together to the music in between the other couples.

"I am really happy you came tonight. I haven't told anybody, but I think you're becoming my new best friend." Her alcohol laced voice made it's way through the music, bringing a wave of butterflies to his stomach. His grip on her tightened ever so slightly.

"Well don't tell anybody, but I think you might be my only best friend..." He replied with a wink which made her smile. She moved and rested her head lightly on his shoulder, relishing in the closeness that the dance allowed them to have.

Liam found Angelo pacing nervously behind the bar and couldn't help but laugh as he ordered another beer. "Nerves getting the better of you there?" He joked, which caused Angelo to stand still.

"Me? Nervous? No not at all." He glanced out into the crowd and saw her dancing with Brax, but as he clutched at his pocket for the ten millionth time; he was no longer bothered by that sight. "What's there to be nervous about? I love her. She loves me. It's pretty much a done deal!" He poured himself a shot of whiskey, just to be on the safe side.

The song eventually came to an end and the pair of them reluctantly moved out of the other's grip. A moment of awkward silence washed over them as they weighed up their next move. Charlie realised that she was being a little bit selfish by spending all her time with one guest, but then the drunken voice in the back of her head told her that it was her party and she could spend it with who she wanted.

"Shall we get some fresh air?" She asked, as she led him through the crowd and onto the patio at the side of the restaurant. Charlie picked up two glasses of bubbly on the way through and handed one to Brax.

They stood on opposite sides of a small table as the cool night breeze washed over them. Brax reached into his pocket and placed a small black box on the table.

"It's not much, but I got you a little something. Happy birthday!" He smiled nervously, thankfully for the dim lighting to hide his blushed cheeks.

Charlie stared down at the box and then back at him. "Aww, Brax. That's really sweet, you didn't have to do that!" She beamed as her fingers pushed open the lid of the box revealing a silver necklace with a small diamond in the centre.

"Oh my God, Brax, that is beautiful!" She ran her fingertips over the jewel as she blinked back tears and stared up at him. "Would you?" She offered him the box and he removed the chain. Walking to her side of the table, he carefully placed the necklace around her tiny neck and fastened it; his hands hovering slightly longer than they needed to on her skin. Clearing his throat, he took up his spot at the table.

"Thank you, Brax. I love it." Her hand moved up to her neck and rested on the necklace.

"You are more than welcome."

They stood in silence for a moment, enjoying each other's company before Charlie broke the silence once again.

"So, did you not bring a date tonight?" Here I go again. Playing. Fire.

Brax shook his head as he took a sip of his drink. "No."

"You know, I don't even know if you have a girlfriend?" She knew she would kick herself in the morning for the upfrontness of her question, but for now she had the alcohol to blame.

Brax chuckled slightly at her. God she is cute. "No, I don't have a girlfriend either."

Charlie considered this for a moment as she drunk more champagne. "You must miss not having that one special woman in your life though?" She questioned, as she studied him intently.

Again, he laughed. "Just because I don't have a date or a girlfriend, doesn't mean that I don't have that one special woman in my life." He paused as he looked over the table at her, holding her gaze. "I have you."

She wasn't entirely sure what happened to her in that moment but she found it hard to locate any normal sense of feeling inside. Her heart pounded in her chest as her stomach became light and fluffy. His smile never faded. Leaning on the table, she tilted her head to one side as she gazed back at him, tears threatening to escape her eyes.

"Brax, I..." She spoke softly but was quickly interrupted by the sound of a glass being clinked inside the restaurant.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Angelo's voice echoed across the room. Their eyes remained connected. "I would like to take this opportunity to make a toast to the birthday girl. Where is she?"

Ruby quickly ran out onto the patio and grabbed Charlie, dragging her inside. Brax followed, but remained at the back of the room.

Angelo's face lit up as Charlie walked into the room. "Argh, her she is!" There was a small round of applause. "Firstly, I would like to thank you all for coming to celebrate the birthday of my beautiful girlfriend." He raised his glass of champagne which earned him another burst of clapping. He turned his attention back to Charlie. Stepping forward, he took one of her hands in his own.

"Secondly, I would like to say a very happy birthday to the most wonderful, kind, caring and beautiful girlfriend that a man could ever ask for. I am one lucky guy that you choose me, Charlie. Not only are you my girlfriend, but you are my best friend; the love of my life." He paused as he stared lovingly at her. "I couldn't ask for anybody better to share my life with." Again the applause and cheers rang out.

Taking another sip of his drink, Angelo placed his glass down on the table as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. He lowered himself down onto one knee.

"Charlie Buckton...Will you please do me the honor of being my wife?"

Everybody gasped.

----

Hehe don't you just love a bit of drama!

I'm scared to ask...but thoughts?!?!

Lianne x x

[luscious01]

OMG.....i cant believe you left it there lianne!!! how will we cope lol!!

i know we say it all the time but really PLEASE PLEASE update soon!!

loved it thank you xxxx