Page 54 of The Island of Hopes and Dreams

Rhys left the meadow and followed the dusty path that wound through the trees. The flickering light and the warmth of the colours coming from the garden terrace chased away the shadows. Music drifted and laughter pierced the air.

Lola was surrounded by her friends, Deni, Polly and Sarah circling her as protectively as a pack of wolves. She caught sight of him first, immediately breaking away from the group and stepping towards him, her hands outstretched.

‘Are you okay?’ She glanced behind him. ‘Is he gone?’

Rhys nodded, his mouth suddenly dry. The worry in her eyes broke his heart, but more than anything he wished he’d been the one to protect her when Jarek showed up. At least Valentino was nowhere to be seen. He clenched his fists again.

‘He’s gone. Barnaby’s going to speak to the staff, ensure he doesn’t come back.’

‘Thank you.’ Lola stepped a little closer. Rhys noticed her friends kept their distance, pretending to talk amongst themselves, but they were watching like hawks, unsubtly trying to listen in.

‘Are you okay though?’

‘I’m okay now…’ She trailed off. ‘I don’t know why I was surprised that he showed up here.’

He shook his head. ‘He is one determined son-of-a-bitch.’ At her wide-eyed look, he backtracked, his voice softening. ‘He’s really left, Lola. And you’re not alone.’ He gestured towards her friends, who were still doing a rubbish job of pretending they weren’t watching.

The short distance between them felt vast, as if there was an invisible divide keeping them apart. Half of him wanted to breach it so he could hug her, while the other half wanted to run away.

‘I, uh… About what happened.’ She gestured towards the table she’d been sitting at.

‘I know why you did it.’ Rhys shoved his hands in his pockets. ‘To protect yourself, to show him you’ve moved on with someone who’s his equal.’

Lola drew back. ‘That’s not what I was thinking at all.’ Her expression morphed from worry to tight-lipped stoniness. ‘I did it to pr?—’

‘Honestly, Lola, it’s okay,’ he cut in softly as the sorrow in his chest grew. ‘You don’t need to explain. It was perfectly clear. I would have done the same in your position.’

He didn’t know how to deal with the rejection, and he definitely couldn’t stand to see Lola’s face crumple. So with his heart racing, he walked away and tried to blot out the sight of her damp eyes. He was escaping again, although unlike at the first night party, this time there was no chance of Lola joining him.

The roof terrace where many photos had been taken earlier was quiet, with only a few guests cosying up on the white cushioned seats; no one he knew well enough to start up a conversation with. The wistful look of longing on Lola’s face when she’d been watching Mirabel with Fabs earlier had made his heart stall. Her best friend would be starting her married life with her soulmate. To have that… Rhys loosed a long breath and rested his elbows on the stone wall.

Tiny bulbs crisscrossed the bar terrace below. The earlier electric string trio had been replaced with a DJ playing an eclectic mix of music. He couldn’t resist tapping his foot. Fabs and Mirabel were dancing together, while Fabs’s sisters and their husbands circled them. Both sets of parents looked on, their smiling, flushed faces filled with love, while not a hint of animosity lingered between them. Watching the swirling dancers and listening to the happy chatter and laughter merging with the music allowed his heart to calm and the adrenaline to subside.

Rhys remained leaning against the rough wall long enough for his elbows to begin to ache. He straightened, stretched and rested his hands back on the wall. The surrounding darkness was absolute and suited his mood; even the jagged outline of the mountain had merged with the inky sky.

Heels clipped across the rooftop terrace. Zoe appeared by his side. He mumbled some sort of greeting, but she remained silent as they gazed down at the guests either dancing or milling about between the potted olive trees and flickering lanterns. He caught a flash of Lola’s plum-blue dress before she was swallowed up by the trees, Sarah, Deni and Polly with her.

‘Why the hell are you up here and not down there with Lola?’ Zoe finally broke the silence.

‘If you’ve come to gloat, I’m not in the mood?—’

‘Freddie caught me up.’ Zoe clasped her hands together on the wall. ‘I’m not gloating. I’m checking you’re okay. The guys said you seemed upset.’

‘No shit.’

‘Which is understandable after what happened.’ She ran her thumb over her engagement ring. ‘A bit of a shock her ex showing up like that. Perhaps you two should have said something before, instead of pretending everything was okay.’ She paused and Rhys sensed her eyes on him. ‘You’ve been hiding quite a lot of things since we’ve been here.’

Rhys breathed deeply. The colourful dresses and the flickering candlelight merged together in a blur as he tried to hold it together. He’d come up here for some peace and to escape people – Lola and his friends included, certainly his ex-girlfriend. He sighed; he might as well get it all out in the open.

‘You were right about that night in Bosa; it was all for show.’ He didn’t look at her, just continued to watch the dancing below. ‘We were just pretending.’

‘Yeah, I figured as much.’ Zoe paused. ‘But it’s not for show now, is it? Not the way she looks at you or how you feel about her, given how bloody miserable you are right now. No one hurts the way she’s hurting tonight without being head over heels in?—’

‘Don’t, Zoe. Just don’t.’ Rhys shook his head. ‘She doesn’t want someone like me. She wants someone like Valentino, someone who is impressive in every fucking way.’

‘Oh, get over yourself, Rhys!’ Zoe spluttered. ‘You’re the nicest damn man I’ve ever known and sexy with it – just don’t tell Freddie I said that. I loved being with you, it was just the wrong time. I wasn’t ready for a serious relationship back then, both times we were together?—’

‘And you are now?’

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