Page 22 of The Island of Hopes and Dreams

‘We should have insisted on separate rooms, Lola,’ Rhys said under his breath as he unlocked the door to their room after a delicious dinner, which had thankfully been uneventful despite the continuing tension between the two sets of parents.Their room. The thought juddered into his head. They’d let the rumours fly and neither of them had said no to sharing when Deni had reorganised the sleeping arrangements. Pretending they’d been intimate was one thing; sharing a room for a night was another matter. ‘I’m up for still pretending, but I didn’t think we’d be taking it this far.’

Lola studied him before pushing past and opening the door. ‘I’m fine with this as long as you are?’ Her smile was so reassuring, he found himself nodding and following her in. ‘And, to be honest, I don’t like the snarky way Zoe looks at you. Freddie looks guilty when he’s around you and at least has the decency to not pack on the PDA, buther. She didn’t want to be with you, she’s hooked up with one of your friends and yet is still intent on rubbing it in your face. That’s a bitchy thing to do, so I’m more than happy for us to show her that you’re enjoying yourself.’

‘But pretending doesn’t change the way I feel.’ Rhys closed the door.

During their heart-to-heart at Cane Malu that afternoon, they’d opened up to each other in a way that had been refreshing and enlightening. The hurt and sorrow that had emanated from Lola as she’d talked about her experience with Jarek had shocked him, that there were people in the world who could be so cruel. What he’d struggled with the most was how anyone could have treated someone as vivacious, kind and loving as Lola so badly, and all for what? To make themselves feel bigger, stronger and in control, all because they were a terrible person?

‘You’re really not over her?’ Lola asked gently.

‘I’m not in love with her, that’s for certain, but seeing her again like this, with him… I don’t know.’ He shrugged and wandered over to the French doors that opened onto a small balcony with a view towards the stone buildings opposite. Lola’s concern moved him as much as the way she’d cried in his arms when he’d hugged her tight on the edge of the pool earlier had. Then she’d brushed it off with laughter, switching on that fun-loving side that he now realised took some effort to maintain. He turned back to her. ‘It’s made me realise how much her walking out of my life impacted me. I’ve felt like a failure for a long time and being here with them has highlighted that.’

Lola paced over and placed her hand on his arm. ‘Hey, it’s okay to be upset about a relationship failing.’

‘I desperately want to be over her, but I think it’s more about not having this constant feeling of anger and hurt when I see her.’

‘She’s not exactly making it easy for you. And it’s extra complicated when she’s part of your friendship group.’ She smiled up at him. ‘I know it’s easy for me to say but try to not let her get to you or spoil your time here.’ She let her hand drop. ‘I want a shower before bed. Do you mind if I go first?’

‘Go for it.’

She scooped up one of the rolled-up towels from the bed.

‘Hey, Lola.’ He waited until she turned to face him, her blue eyes wide, long lashes framing them. She looked stunning when she wore make-up and got dressed up, but she was naturally beautiful, appealingly so, but she wasn’t as confident as she projected. There was a vulnerability she covered well. ‘Thank you.’

‘For what?’

‘For the pep talk, for helping make the time here bearable – for making it actually enjoyable.’

‘You’ve helped me too. And thank you for listening this afternoon and not judging, and for, I don’t know, just letting me talk.’

Had her cheeks gone a little pink? Maybe.

She turned away and delved into her overnight bag, while he stepped outside onto the tiny balcony. The buildings opposite were only a stone’s throw away, warm light spilling into the night from a couple of windows. A moped zoomed past on the cobbled street below and Italian chatter came from the restaurant further down. Louder voices drifted towards him from the adjacent room. Two very familiar voices that made his heart sink and blood pound in his ears.

He backed into the bedroom, heart thumping. He clenched his fists, furious with himself for still having such a visceral reaction to her;to them.

‘You okay?’ With a washbag in her hand and a towel slung over her arm, Lola looked at him quizzically.

‘Freddie and Zoe,’ he said under his breath, jabbing a finger in the direction their voices had come from.

‘They’re in the next room?’ Lola raised an eyebrow.

‘Yup.’

A sly smile crept across her face. ‘Well, let’s rattle the walls then. Show her what she’s missing.’

Before he realised what she meant, she’d dropped the towel and washbag on the armchair and launched herself on the bed. Then she said ‘Coming to join me?’ so loudly and seductively that he very nearly did, only faltering when she grinned manically and clapped a hand over her mouth to stop giggles from escaping. He couldn’t tear his eyes away as she flipped on to her back, making the mattress groan. In another fluid move, she pressed her bare feet against the headboard and thudded it against the wall.

‘Athletics throughout my teens and being the fastest cross-country runner at my school means my legs have fabulous stamina.’

Fabulous legs full stop, Rhys thought.

He watched, transfixed, as her feet pounded against the headboard, while her shorts rode up her shapely legs – or was it down at this angle? – lying on her back. Going for it. On. The. Bed.

Rhys swallowed and shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. Actually, he was incredibly comfortable watching her, wishing he wasn’t a spectator but that he was participating, thathewas the reason the headboard was thudding so forcefully.

He considered retreating to the bathroom just to put some distance between them, because, hell, was she doing things to him. Until now, he’d admired her beauty, been swept up by her easy-going nature, but he hadn’t entertained the idea that there was anything more than a fledgling friendship between them. She was attractive, smart, funny and independent, but she was also not interested in having a relationship. They were helping each other out, nothing more. But seeing her like this, he couldn’t help but think about her in a different light.

Lola was as interesting as he was normal; boring even. Perhaps he shouldn’t be so hard on himself, but wasn’t that the truth? Leading a predictable life, never really taking himself out of his comfort zone, doing what was expected. No wonder Zoe had left him and was shacked up with Freddie. Being this fearless and fun just to make him feel better while attempting to make Zoe wonder what she was missing out on was nice of Lola. Yet Zoe wasn’t missing out on anything because this was fake and he knew exactly what she’d be doing for real in the next room.With his so-called friend. Lola was just being kind even if it was turning him on. She didn’t want him – she didn’t want anyone. Pretending suited her just fine. It had suited him too. But not any longer.

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