Frozen in Time

[Shezza]

OMG Those updates were so worth waiting for Wow You are definitely meant to be a writer, your writing is absolutely beautiful. I love, love, love this story.

I am so glad finally some of the truth has come out. I hope Brax catches up to Charlie. I do feel a little sorry for Jude as well though she seemed nice and it wasn't her fault.

I have to agree with luscious01 Please Update really soon I can't wait to see if he catches up with her and what happens.

[Dingo x]

Amazing updates!! It was definitely worth the wait.

Wow I wasn't expecting Jude to tell Brax to go after Charlie.. hopefully Brax catches up with her!!

Please update soon! Can't wait to see what happens next! (:

xx

[Inactive User]

Awesome updates! More soon please xx

[soph1303]

Great few updates - I agree, definitely worth waiting for !!!

Aww Brax run after her !!

Aww I kinda feel sorry for Jude. I want to hate her but I can't!!

More soon please

[Freakie42]

Amazing updates, more please!

[Sazzle]

Oh my gosh!! I am SO freaking excited that you have updated and LOVE this whole story! Chapter was brilliantly long! Thank you SO much!!

Can not wait for next chapter and really looking forward to them actually talking!! Run Brax run!!

Your descriptive writing is fabulous! Hope he does catch up with her and they can talk things through...I do feel sorry for Jude but grateful she told him to go after her. Great interaction between Ruby and Charlie and good humour with Heath...he is such a punk!!

Really fab!! Looking forward to more!!

[Jen1205]

Wow that was brilliant.Thank you for the extra long chapter, it was definitely worth the wait. You even managed to make me feel sorry for Jude, which is not an easy thing to do due to my Chax obsession.

[Spotd1]

Thanks so much for updating Claire! It is AMAZING! I am hanging to see what happens next! You are an awesome writer!

[Sazzle]

I am properly stalking this story!!

Its very very freaking good and I'm looking forward to next update!

Thank you for writing and sharing!

[Claire_Blake]

Thank you to all who are reading or have commented. I'm made up that you're all liking it. I'm really enjoying writing it. I write blind so even I don't know where I'm going with it at times. Many, many thanks again.

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Brax stopped in his tracks and paused for breath scanning the surrounding area in front of him. The fact that he’d neglected surfing of late was taking its toll on his physical fitness and he leaned forward on his knees in an effort to catch his breath. Coupled with the sheer amount of alcohol he’d already managed to knock back this evening this was his second pit-stop already. Soon she would be home. The cold air stung his face as he strained his eyes in all directions around him. Having been in a rush he hadn’t thought to pick up a jacket and he was already regretting it. Cold was an understatement. It was freezing. Catching sight of a figure some five hundred yards ahead he squinted in a desperate effort to verify his observations. It was definitely her. Removing his hands from his hips, he stood up straight and took a deep breath inwards before commencing his pursuit in her direction.

Charlie meanwhile increased her pace the second she heard his voice echo out her name from a considerable distance behind her. Quickly brushing her hand across her cheeks she pulled up the collar of her jacket. Regardless of anything else he wasn’t going to see her like this.

“Charlie…Charlie.”

His voice rang out harshly in the rough night air. As he grew nearer she struggled to maintain the speed in which she’d opted for. Short of physically sprinting away from him, something which she definitely wasn’t going to do, his catching up was almost inevitable. Feigning ignorance wasn’t an option therefore pretending this wasn’t happening was the only option left to her. Even from two hundred yards behind she could hear his feet shortening the distance between them.

“Charlie…Come on! I know you can hear me.”

Ignoring him once again she broke into a steady jog. She couldn’t do this. Not now. Sensing her intention and fearful of losing her to the slam of a front door Brax sprinted towards her until he was almost jogging beside her. Gasping inwards as the physical exertion coupled with the bitter temperature sent shock waves through his body, he struggled to speak in a comprehendible tone. Having given up and slowed to a fast walk she refused to acknowledge his presence next to her and continued on in spite of his arrival.

“Hold up Charlie. Look, I’m sorry about you walking in on that…”

He maintained his pace as she refused to dignify him with her attention. From inside her chest she could feel her heart pounding ten to the dozen and, even now, her primary concern was of him hearing the physical effects he was having upon her. Acknowledging the fact that his present line of intention was futile he, gingerly, reached across and grabbed her arm in an effort to stop her for only a second. Having made contact with her skin, something that had been vacant for months now, he instantly recognised it to be a mistake. He watched as she recoiled from his touch and glared across at him.

“Get away from me.”

The tone of her voice spoke more volume than even her body language could and he backed off careful to give her the space she needed right now. Part of him contemplated leaving her too it and heading back but the alcohol still coursing through his bloodstream spurred him on where reason would have normally sufficed.

“Charlie. Please. Can you stop for 5 seconds?”

By this point they had gained considerable walking distance and the bitter wind picked up as they walked past the beach. The roar of the waves in the distance momentarily broke the silence as he struggled to keep up with her. Growing impatient with her refusal to look at him he stepped in front of her quickly causing her to stop in her tracks. To his surprise she made no effort to push him out of the way and, instead, now stared at him unflinchingly. Only now could he see the effect his presence was having upon her. Dark rings circled her eyes and her usual make-up was nowhere to be seen. She had been crying. Taking a deep breath inwards he held out his hand in front of him in an effort to placate her from continuing past him.

“I’m sorry. Really. If I’d have known you were coming…”

He watched as she shook her head before pushing past him and continuing in the direction of the house.

“You’re unbelievable.”

Undeterred he carried on trailing her at an equal pace. Growing tired of defending his behaviour and beginning to feel the effects of the earlier evening translating into a constant pounding in his head he raised his voice slightly.

“Don’t you think you’re over-reacting a little bit? Admittedly, not in the habit of letting your ex walk in on you with someone else but…”

His attempts at humour stopped her in her tracks and she glared at him angrily. He didn’t finish his sentence. The sheer disgust she was propelling in his direction caused him to instantaneously question his judgement.

“Do you think this is funny?”

Sensing his mistake he held out his hands defensively in recognition of her hurt. It wasn’t funny. One thing this situation was not was funny. The look on her face made that point all but clear. Cursing himself for his stupidity he studied her facial expression as she continued to focus all her attention upon him. Shaking her head and opening her mouth as if to say something she paused before spitting her words out with increased venom.

“You make me feel sick.”

He hesitated and watched her as she shoved past him and continued ahead. Rubbing his hands through his hair impatiently he exhaled loudly before jogging to catch up with her.

“What’s your problem?”

His words fell on deaf ears as he instinctively jumped to his own defence. He wasn’t proud of hurting her. Of course he wasn’t. But this? They’d barely spoken to each other in three months and, only now, had she chosen to make her feelings known.

“I said I was sorry Charlie. But there’s one thing you’re forgetting…We’re not together anymore…” Once again he stepped in front of her. Even out loud the words sounded foreign to his ears. They weren’t together anymore. In his mind they had never stopped.

Momentarily sidetracked by his own thoughts he hesitated before instinctively placing either hand on her shoulders in an effort to hold her in place for longer than two seconds. Disgusted she pushed him away and attempted to move past him. Undeterred he blocked her path and glared at her impatiently.

“We’re not together. We haven’t been for a long time. I’ve done nothing wrong.”

Charlie watched him as he placed his hand on his hip as he breathed inwards deeply. Watching what she judged as complacent body language she shook her head angrily and directed more venom into her voice than she wished to dignify him with.

“And what? Jude left you hanging for a couple of hours? So you thought…hey maybe Charlie’ll be up for a bit? You’re just…”

Unable to find any words that sufficed to do her feelings justice she shook her head and let the sentence remain lingering in the air. Brax, meanwhile, surveyed her with a somewhat confused expression and shook his head in irritation. Somewhere along the line he’d missed the memo on what the hell was going on right now.

“What?”

His tone was sharp as he questioned her quickly. Angered by what she perceived as ignorance she went to push past him again. Only now sensing that her anger was rooted elsewhere he grabbed her and prevented her from moving away from him.

“What the hell are you going on about?!”

His patience had finally dwindled and he glared at her indignantly. For what seemed like the hundredth time that evening she employed her strength into attempting to get past him and, once again, he prevented her from doing so. Gripping her shoulders tightly he was oblivious to the pain he was causing her.

“Get your hands off me!”

The volume and anger in her voice was not, this time, resigned to his ears only. Having attracted the attention of a middle-aged couple walking past Brax watched as they stopped in their tracks and glared across at him nervously. Using this as an opportunity to make her escape she pushed past him and made off at a fast rate. Aware of what this may look like to the casual observer and wary of landing himself an unwarranted visit from the constabulary he forced a smile in the direction of the man across from him. Holding up his hands defensively he shrugged his shoulders complacently in what he hoped was translated as a c’est la vie attitude.

“Marital spat.”

He watched nervously as the couple hesitated clearly weighing up his sincerity. Stealing a glance in the direction in which Charlie had gone he lingered impatiently awaiting the couple’s response. To his immense relief the woman finally averted her eyesight away from him, shot him a dirty look and turned to address her husband. Against his better judgement the man allowed his wife to lead him away as Brax smiled nonchalantly before making off quickly in Charlie’s direction. Upon reaching her he dropped to a steady walking pace as she pawed at her eyes in a desperate attempt to stop him from being witness to her upset.

“Charlie. 5 seconds please.”

He watched, surprised, as whether in final defeat or sheer exhaustion she stopped and turned her attention towards him solemnly. Hesitating he watched as the tears slowly cascaded from her eyes. Resisting the instinct to reach across and wipe them away he shrugged his shoulders innocently.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Jude wasn’t interested so? Why did you come round tonight?”

She shook her head in final defeat no longer caring to hide the physical effects their correspondence was having upon her. Shaking her head, as if in thoughtfulness, she glared at him with a combination of disgust, anger and sadness.

“You’re the only one Charlie. I need to see you…”

Her voice was mocking and she watched carefully as the recognition of her words finally displayed upon his face. Closing his eyes in disbelief she watched as everything finally fell into place in his head.

“Ring any bells?”

She need not have posed the question. His expression confirmed that it did, indeed, ring bells in his head. He stared at her at a loss for words. Only now could he fully appreciate the evening’s events in light of her current upset. He shook his head in irritation and anger. Wary of her attempting to walk away from him again he held his hands out, this time, careful not to touch her for fear of scaring her off again. Thoughts and feelings rattled through his brain as he struggled to find the words to do his own, and more importantly, her feelings justice.

“I didn’t realise it had sent Charlie. I swear.”

His voice was low, wavering and genuine. Staring intensely across at him whilst using the corner of her jacket to wipe her eyes she knew he was telling the truth. Shrugging her shoulders sadly her eyes refused to relinquish contact with his. Even now she was comforted by his acknowledgment of having, at least, written the words himself. It has, seconds earlier, crossed her mind that this may have been an exhibit of Heath’s handiwork. Disgusted at how his own drunken behaviour had reduced the woman in front of him to her current distress he shook his head slightly in anger only at himself. His words were slow and pleading.

“I would never…”

He hesitated as he stood in front of her. He had finally fallen foul to the one thing he had never wanted to do to her. After everything that had happened. Everything he had put her through…she had still come. He had effectively clicked his fingers. Yet, still, she had come. And he? He had broken her heart yet again. His words failed him as he rubbed at his head forcefully. Past recollections of the last four months flooded his head and he struggled to think.

“Never Charlie. I would never do that to you intentionally.”

Even in his own ears his words sounded worthless. It was very much too little, too late. Had he been standing in her place he questioned whether he’d have believe himself either. Even before everything…The fight at the Surf Club…the shooting. He’d lost her long before that. He’d lost her the second he defended Heath time and time again. The second he sided with the boys over their casual bouts of harassment and law breaking. The second he let his own self-importance dictate his relationship. And the feeling in the pit of his stomach having finally acknowledged this was only secondary to seeing her in front of him right now. Despite all, despite how he had treated her time and time again…she still wanted him. And he’d thrown that back in her face.

“Me and Jude we…It’s not what it…”

He hesitated as she shook her head and turned her attention momentarily away from him whilst swallowing quickly.

“I really don’t want to know.”

He watched solemnly as she shook her head and shrugged her shoulders in what was more than physical exhaustion. Lingering for a second she held eye contact with him as, without thinking, she raised her fingers towards his cheek as if to touch his face affectionately. It had been so long the gesture forced him to swallow carefully as he refusing to relinquish his gaze from her. Inside his chest his heart threatened to burst through his rib-cage at the prospect of her touch. Instead, her hand remained in mid-air as thinking better of herself she pulled back after a few seconds and turned away, leaving in the direction of the house.

Allowing his hands to fall behind the back of his head in earnestness he watched, frozen in time, as she increased her pace before finally reaching her destination and disappearing inside. He, meanwhile, remained in the same position for minutes as the bitter night air stung his face and chapped his skin. His whole body beckoned him to go home. He had pushed her too far this time. She deserved better than him. That he had never doubted. Glancing in the direction she had disappeared towards he sighed before resigning himself to his fate. If it was meant to be, it would be. He walked slowly, dragging his feet in final defeat before stopping to channel his breathing. As if, almost, privy to his uncertainty, he watched as Ruby opened the back door to where his feet had guided him. Physical exhaustion and uncertainty lay secondary only to desperation and longing. He raised his eyes to meet hers as she stood in front of him expectantly.

“Can I come in kid?”