her bike along the sea front at a
swift pace, Juan falling into step next to her. The
distance between them seemed alien; she was so
used to the feel of his arm round her.
'I should have told you about Rosa.'
'Too fucking right!' Angel exclaimed, forgetting
her intention to play it cool.
'When I met you I thought you and I were just
going to have fun, not be serious. But then I fell in
love with you. And I couldn't tell you about Rosa,
because I didn't want to lose you.'
Angel glanced at Juan. He looked miserable. Good, serves him right , she thought.
'I'm going home at the end of the week and I
don't want to leave with this bad feeling between us.
I hurt you and I'm sorry and I want you to know
that if there wasn't Rosa, there would only be you,
it's just that we've been engaged for a year and our
families are expecting us to get married. And I
know that much as I love you, you don't really love
me.'
They had both stopped walking. Juan was
looking pleadingly at Angel. She shifted uncomfortably.
He was right. And it really didn't seem like
he had set out to hurt her deliberately. She thought
suddenly of Cal and of how he had wanted her to
pretend that nothing had ever happened between
them. Hurt as she was, she knew Juan wasn't the
love of her life. She could tell him to piss off or they
could end the summer as friends. Her choice.
'You really hurt me, Juan,' she said finally. 'I felt
so close to you and I trusted you.'
'Please forgive me, Angel, I don't want to go back
home and think that you hate me. You are so
precious to me.'
'I don't know if I forgive you yet, but I don't
want us to be enemies,' Angel said, smiling at his
flowery speech. She would miss him.
Juan took her hand and kissed it. Then they
hugged. Angel was the first to pull away.
' Adiós , Juan, I hope everything goes well for you.'
'And for you, Angel, and I know it will.'
Angel got on her bike and cycled away, dodging
all the rollerbladers and dog walkers. Tears welled
up in her eyes. She probably wouldn't see Juan
again but it wasn't, after all, the worst thing that
had ever happened to her. She would get over him.
That night, Gemma was surprised to see Angel's
smiling face. She had thought she'd be consoling a
heartbroken friend but instead she found Angel full
of excitement at the day's events.
'So what do you think I should do about this
modelling stuff? Should I do the topless shots?'
Angel asked.
'Definitely,' Gemma replied quickly. 'There's
nothing wrong with it, you've got a beautiful body,
why not use it? It's not like they're asking you to do
porn or anything, after all.'
'And it would be great if I could earn some
money as a model.' With the lifeguard job paying so
little, she knew now there was no way she could
fund her college course unless something else came
up. And maybe she could even get a place of her
own with Gemma. For the first time Angel had a
feeling that life had definite possibilities for her.
There was a big, wide world out there just waiting
for her, a world where she mattered, where no one
made her feel guilty and where she could seize her
own future. She had been spotted!
'I'm sure this is the start of something big,'
Gemma told her, glad to share Angel's exciting
news. 'Haven't I always said that you should be a
model?'
They drank and giggled their way through the
evening and Angel crashed at Gemma's that night,
after both girls consumed far too many cocktails.
Luckily, the next day was a Sunday and Angel
didn't have to work. Gemma's mum brought them
breakfast in bed, then she and Gemma went to the
stables to check on Storm. In the afternoon, the
two girls lay on the sofa, painting each other's nails
and watching Lost on DVD, and eventually
Gemma's dad got a takeaway curry for them all
and Tony joined them for dinner.
'You're so lucky,' Angel sighed as they curled up
in Gemma's double bed that night.
'Why?' Gemma asked.
'Your mum and dad love you so much.'
'Yours love you too, Angel.'
'I'm sure they
swift pace, Juan falling into step next to her. The
distance between them seemed alien; she was so
used to the feel of his arm round her.
'I should have told you about Rosa.'
'Too fucking right!' Angel exclaimed, forgetting
her intention to play it cool.
'When I met you I thought you and I were just
going to have fun, not be serious. But then I fell in
love with you. And I couldn't tell you about Rosa,
because I didn't want to lose you.'
Angel glanced at Juan. He looked miserable. Good, serves him right , she thought.
'I'm going home at the end of the week and I
don't want to leave with this bad feeling between us.
I hurt you and I'm sorry and I want you to know
that if there wasn't Rosa, there would only be you,
it's just that we've been engaged for a year and our
families are expecting us to get married. And I
know that much as I love you, you don't really love
me.'
They had both stopped walking. Juan was
looking pleadingly at Angel. She shifted uncomfortably.
He was right. And it really didn't seem like
he had set out to hurt her deliberately. She thought
suddenly of Cal and of how he had wanted her to
pretend that nothing had ever happened between
them. Hurt as she was, she knew Juan wasn't the
love of her life. She could tell him to piss off or they
could end the summer as friends. Her choice.
'You really hurt me, Juan,' she said finally. 'I felt
so close to you and I trusted you.'
'Please forgive me, Angel, I don't want to go back
home and think that you hate me. You are so
precious to me.'
'I don't know if I forgive you yet, but I don't
want us to be enemies,' Angel said, smiling at his
flowery speech. She would miss him.
Juan took her hand and kissed it. Then they
hugged. Angel was the first to pull away.
' Adiós , Juan, I hope everything goes well for you.'
'And for you, Angel, and I know it will.'
Angel got on her bike and cycled away, dodging
all the rollerbladers and dog walkers. Tears welled
up in her eyes. She probably wouldn't see Juan
again but it wasn't, after all, the worst thing that
had ever happened to her. She would get over him.
That night, Gemma was surprised to see Angel's
smiling face. She had thought she'd be consoling a
heartbroken friend but instead she found Angel full
of excitement at the day's events.
'So what do you think I should do about this
modelling stuff? Should I do the topless shots?'
Angel asked.
'Definitely,' Gemma replied quickly. 'There's
nothing wrong with it, you've got a beautiful body,
why not use it? It's not like they're asking you to do
porn or anything, after all.'
'And it would be great if I could earn some
money as a model.' With the lifeguard job paying so
little, she knew now there was no way she could
fund her college course unless something else came
up. And maybe she could even get a place of her
own with Gemma. For the first time Angel had a
feeling that life had definite possibilities for her.
There was a big, wide world out there just waiting
for her, a world where she mattered, where no one
made her feel guilty and where she could seize her
own future. She had been spotted!
'I'm sure this is the start of something big,'
Gemma told her, glad to share Angel's exciting
news. 'Haven't I always said that you should be a
model?'
They drank and giggled their way through the
evening and Angel crashed at Gemma's that night,
after both girls consumed far too many cocktails.
Luckily, the next day was a Sunday and Angel
didn't have to work. Gemma's mum brought them
breakfast in bed, then she and Gemma went to the
stables to check on Storm. In the afternoon, the
two girls lay on the sofa, painting each other's nails
and watching Lost on DVD, and eventually
Gemma's dad got a takeaway curry for them all
and Tony joined them for dinner.
'You're so lucky,' Angel sighed as they curled up
in Gemma's double bed that night.
'Why?' Gemma asked.
'Your mum and dad love you so much.'
'Yours love you too, Angel.'
'I'm sure they
Similar Books
![Unbridled and Unjustified [The Double Rider Men's Club 11] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)](https://fs.dianahicksbooks.com/466809/thumbs/152x264/unbridled-and-unjustified-the-double-rider-mens-club-11-siren-publishing-menage-everlasting.png)