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She Will Be Loved

Chapter 51: Right

By Love Ink

Juice had been shocked when Jax had pulled him into the club's chapel just as everyone was heading inside to vote. He'd never been invited inside before, didn't know what to do, but Jax had pulled him in and shoved him into a chair in the corner telling him to 'sit' like some kind of dog. Juice didn't mind, he was excited to finally be in the room where things happened. It was one step closer to the top rocker he wanted so badly. If any of the other brothers cared about his presence, no one commented, which he took as a good sign too. They wanted him there. Soon one of the empty seats at the table could be his. There was one chair that was empty, and looking around the room, he was surprised find it was Happy's.

Everyone settled down, lighting cigars and cigarettes and chatting between each other. Clay nodded towards Kozik. "Where's Hap?"

The door opened, and Happy came in looking irritated. "Sorry, Pres. Kid took too fuckin' long gettin' ready."

Juice's thoughts went to Angela. He fought against a grin, knowing it'd make him look like an idiot to be sitting in the corner smiling at nothing, but he was excited to see her. He wondered what she was wearing. Why it had taken her so long to change. Was she trying to look good for someone specifically? Was it Jax? No, it couldn't be. They had been spending a lot of time together though.

He shook away those thoughts and focused on the table. Listening as Jax presented his case for why he should be Vice president. He had some great ideas that everyone seemed to be on par with. Juice particularly liked the one about having an intelligence officer and updating their tech, especially when Jax nodded his way when Bobby asked who the hell would be up for all that shit. Everyone seemed to be impressed with Jax. Bobby didn't even try after him, which led Juice to believe the older man never really wanted the position to begin with. When it came time to vote, Juice wasn't surprised when it was unanimous. Jax in the VP seat just felt right.

Once things were done, Clay threw open the doors of the chapel, bringing Jax in close beside him. "Like to introduce everyone to the new SAMCRO VP!" Clay exclaimed with a big grin. Everyone cheered loudly, raising their glasses to him.

Jax was pulled into the crowd, drinks shoved into his hands as everyone started congratulating him. Juice walked behind the group of his brothers, making sure to close the chapel doors behind him as he went. His eyes scanned the room for a minute searching for the one person he wanted to see. Somehow, over the loud sounds of the party, he heard her laugh. His heart skipped a beat at the sound of it. Glancing towards the bar, he saw Angela chatting with Half-Sack. She was beautiful. Her dark hair was down, wavy and just as long as it had been the first time he met her. Her jeans were tight, hugging her hips and accenting her ass perfectly, only complimented by her black, heeled boots. The tight navy top she was wearing was too short and showed off a few inches of her lower back. He had a strong urge to put his hand there, feel her silky soft skin like he had the day before when he'd put sunscreen on her. It'd been such a simple act, but he couldn't get the memory of the feel of her skin out of his head. He would've layered her in sunscreen if he could've. Rubbed it into her whole body. The thought alone had his blood boiling. God, he wanted to touch her in ways that were as innocent as holding her hand and as dirty as feeling her bare chest against his. "Shit," he breathed, trying to think of anything else but that.

"Stop droolin', sweetheart. Don't want to look desperate do you?" Gemma teased him, elbowing his side gently.

He snapped out of his thoughts, his cheeks heating up as he scratched nervously at his neck. "Yeah, no. I'm good, I'm good. She's just...she looks nice."

"Real nice," she repeated teasingly. "You gonna make your big move tonight?"

"What?"

"She's single, you're single. You got feelings for her, she's got feelings for you. What're you waiting for? 's now or never, baby."

Juice knew she was right, but he had no idea how to even start to broach that topic with Angela. Especially not in the loud clubhouse. But how was he supposed to get her outside or alone even? There were way too many people there and after waiting for so long, he really wanted something better than telling her how he felt in some crowded bar that smelled like stale beer and sweat. He turned to ask Gemma for advice, but she was already gone, disappearing into the crowd.

"Prospect! Get us some beer!" Bobby called out to him.

And just like that, he was pulled into club shit before he even got a chance to say 'hi'. Frowning, he walked over to the bar anyway. Giving in to his instincts, he set a hand on her lower back, mostly on her shirt, though his pinky touched her bare skin. She tensed initially, but when she saw it was him, she relaxed. That had to be a good sign. "Hey Angel," he greeted, leaving his hand there just a little longer. "Everythin' okay here?"

"Yeah, goof," she replied with a big smile. Red lipstick drew his eyes to her mouth, and all he wanted to do was kiss her. He barely registered what she was saying. She didn't seem to notice his inattention. She turned into him, lifting a hand to gently press down the snap on the front pocket of his cut until it clicked closed. "Me and Sack were just arguing over Marvel versus DC heroes. Care to join?"

He loved that she knew enough about superheroes to have a full-fledged conversation about it with Sack. That she didn't think comic books were for kids. She wasn't extremely well versed in them, but she never gave him shit for reading them. Had even read a few series herself at his recommendations. "As much as I'd love to, I gotta go get the guys some beer," he said, walking around the counter and grabbing as many as he could carry. "I'll be right back, okay?"

Angela's smile faded a bit as she nodded. "Sure. Go do your prospect shit," she said waving him away. "I should go find Jax. Congratulate him or whatever."

"S-sure. Yeah, definitely go...find Jax," Juice stammered awkwardly. He wished she'd stay away from Jax especially when since she didn't seem entirely sober, and he knew Jax wouldn't be. A drunk Jax usually meant he flirted with any girl who looked at him twice, and a drunk Angela might like that.

He delivered the beers, making sure to chat with the brothers as he did so, which delayed him a bit from finding her. He searched the room, feeling dismayed when he didn't see her. A head of blonde hair stepped into his eye-line. Perfectly manicured bright pink nails waved at him as Hannah draped one arm over his shoulder, the other playing with the front of his cut, unbuttoning the pocket Angela had just buttoned. He moved her hand away and pushed it closed again. "Hey Juicy," she greeted, practically purring. "How's my favorite prospect?"

"Hey Hannah," he replied, trying to be friendly. "I'm the only prospect, remember?"

"Right," she said on a laugh. "That's funny. You're funny. Hey, lemme ask you somethin'..."

He tried to pay attention to what she was asking him, but he couldn't help but wish she'd shut up so he could find Angela. "I um...I dunno. Sorry. I um...I gotta go. Prospect shit. You know."

"Whatever you say, sweetheart. Have some fun tonight. You work too hard, Juicy," she said, kissing his cheek before walking away with a swing of her hips.

Juice glanced around the clubhouse, trying to find Angela again, but he couldn't spot her. He hoped like hell she hadn't seen that moment he had with Hannah. His stomach turned at the idea that she'd left again, especially knowing what it'd led to last time. "Prospect! I'm thirsty!" a voice called, and he turned to find Tig waving at him.

Sighing, he trudged to the bar and grabbed a beer for him. Jax stopped him on his way back. "I got this," he said, grabbing the beer from him. His VP patch was freshly sewn on and perfectly straight.

"Hey! Yeah. Sure," Juice said, stumbling over his words. "Congrats on the patch, by the way!"

"Thanks, man," he said on a proud smile. "Sounds like we're gonna need an Intelligence Officer eventually. That somethin' you can do?"

Juice nodded emphatically, feeling a little excited at the idea of being included. Of having a seat at the table. "Y-yeah, definitely. I'd love that."

"Good," he replied before nodding towards the hall. "Ang is up on the roof. You should go talk to her. Makin' her jealous ain't helpin' you any. I'll cover for you. For now."

He gave him a quizzical look, confused by what he'd said. He hadn't been trying to make her jealous. Not this time. It was the club that kept getting in the way now. Was Jax trying to help him again? Push him in the right direction? "Okay. Thanks, man."

"Yeah," Jax said with a big grin. "Just don't fuck it up again!"

Juice nodded, pushing his way through the crowd as quickly as he could lest he be sidetracked by another brother. Thankfully, he made it to the ladder that led to the roof without interference. Slowly, he climbed to the top, pushing himself onto the roof and taking a look around. Just like Jax had said, Angela was there. Pacing back and forth with her arms crossed over her chest, her whole body tensed. "Angel?" he asked, surprising her.

She spun around to face him. "What?"

"Nothin'," he said, holding up his hands. "I come in peace. Was just checkin' in on ya. Makin's sure you were okay."

The tension eased from her shoulders a bit and her arms fell to her side. "Oh. Yeah. I'm good. Just needed some air. You can go back to flirtin' with that blonde or whatever."

So she had seen him with Hannah. Was she...was she jealous? "Flirting with..." he trailed off, confused, "Angel, I wasn't..."

"It's fine! Really, it's...it's fine! You can do whatever you want! I just...I don't want to see it, and you definitely don't need me there to cock block you or whatever," she rambled, pacing again as her hands moved through the air, emphasizing her words. "Figured I'd let you have your space, 'cause clearly, I've missed my window and it's closed, which fucking sucks. But whatever. That's my fault. We're friends, and that's great, I love that..."

Juice's heart squeezed in his chest. Was she saying what he thought she was? "Angel...what?"

"Ikh hab dir lib means 'I love you'," she explained slowly, taking his mind back to the night he'd left her in New York. The time he'd told her he loved her and had meant it. Still meant it. She ran a shaking hand through her hair as she continued, "It took me awhile to figure it out, but Mrs. Z told me. And that...that's what started all this shit with Raj. Why he thought I was acting distant. Because while I was in love with him, a voice inside was telling me that I might love you too. Raj didn't deserve that! He deserved better! A girl who could give him her everything and there I was thinking of you right up until the point a car plowed into him and took him away for good!"

Juice stared at her in shock, dumbfounded by it all. She was in love with him. Angela was in love with him. She'd fought with Raj because of him. He felt like he couldn't breathe. "What? Angel, I..."

"And then I get here," she continued, anger and hurt in her voice, "and I was so ready to just...tell you how I feel because life is too fuckin' short, and I get to that stupid party and there you are with your tongue down not one but two Croweater's throats! So I got the fuck outta there 'cause clearly you didn't feel the same way anymore, which is fine! You're allowed to change your mind, but I'd missed my chance with you, so I decided to go out with my friends and ran into Esai and he was...he was easy and familiar. I felt so alone after losing Raj and you and I needed that. I needed someone to make me feel less alone, make me feel whole. So I gave up on you and moved on to him."

"You gave up on me?" he repeated on a breath. His mind was working a mile a minute, trying to catch up with what she was saying but barely having any time to process it all. Everything was moving way too fast.

"I didn't think you wanted me anymore," she admitted on a sad little shrug. "Thought you'd changed and moved on. Thought the cut got to your head and you were content to be fuckin' the sweetbutts now. Which is totally fine. You do you, but I...I didn't want to be alone anymore. Not then."

Juice felt all the air leave his lungs. She'd wanted him, and he'd fucked it up. As a prospect, all he wanted to do was make a good impression in front of his brothers, and he'd managed to push her right into Esai's arms in the process. God, he was an idiot. "Moved on?" he said, feeling even dumber for repeating everything she was saying, but he was still trying to wrap his head around it. He couldn't believe it. He'd been kicking himself for listening to Jax that night because he'd suspected it'd ruined his chances with her, and here she was telling him he'd been right! He couldn't believe how stupid he'd been! He should've just done what he'd wanted to do and told her how he felt, then they wouldn't be in this damn mess. "Angel, I didn't move on. I...I was trying to make you jealous!"

"I know, I know! I know that now. Jax told me. He's an idiot for that. But did you really think I'd give a shit about things like that? That trying to make me jealous would work? Do you even know me?" she asked in disbelief throwing her hands out to the side. "I wanted you, Juice! The moment I knew it was a possibility, everything made sense, everything felt..."

He couldn't take it anymore, taking her face in his hands he drew her in closer and cut her off with a kiss. The second their lips touched, it was like something clicked inside of him. He'd heard of people seeing stars and fireworks, but he never believed them until right at that moment when he was seeing them all. It took her a minute to respond, but after a moment, she melted into him, her lips molding to fit his. Her hands moved to his sides, underneath his cut, her touch igniting a fire in his veins even through his t-shirt. Her lips parted, and he slipped his tongue inside her mouth, groaning at the heavenly taste of her. He wasn't sure who broke the kiss, but as soon as their lips came apart, he leaned in to kiss her again. Quicker this time, sweeter. He could feel her lips move into a smile and couldn't help but smile himself as they broke away again. Her cheeks were flushed, lips red and swollen, and the most beautiful smile graced her face. She was stunning.

"Right," she breathed, finishing her previous statement. Her chest was rising and falling heavily as she tried to catch her breath. "Woah."

"Uh-huh," he agreed, his thumb brushing over her cheek. He kissed her again, a harder, faster kiss this time. He'd wanted to kiss her, touch her for years, and he was finally getting his chance. Everything about it felt right. Felt perfect. Pulling away, he tapped his forehead against hers again, looking deep into her dark eyes. "Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting to kiss you like that?"

A flicker of shock passed of her face. "No," she answered on a breathy laugh.

"Since the first time I saw you," he told her, trying to inflect his feelings into every word as he stroked her cheek. "But you were with Raj, and I...I was happy that you were happy, and I was okay with that but after he passed...and you came back to me and I was...I wanted you so badly and I didn't know how to make that happen."

She shook her head slowly. "Why didn't you tell me? If you've cared about me for all these years, how come you never said anything when we were in New York?"

" 'cause you were happy with Raj, and I...I didn't want to get in the way of that. Raj was a good guy. He could give you so much more than I ever could," he explained, feeling his cheeks warm with a blush. "I didn't want to mess that up for you. And then you were with this Mayan asshole, and I thought you were happy, so I kept quiet and waited."

"Goof, how long were you going to wait?" she asked, her hands wrapping around his wrists.

Juice slowly moved his hands from her face, taking her hands in his own and entwining their fingers. "However long it took, I guess."

A deep blush colored her cheeks as she looked back at him. "Seriously?"

"Yeah," he said softly, feeling his face heat up. "You're my best friend, Angel. I love...just being with you, y'know? And the idea of...of being with you like...being able to kiss you and hold your hand and just...touch you whenever I want is...something I've wanted for an embarrassingly long time."

"Really, goof? I...I've wanted this too. For a long time...probably a lot longer than I'm willing to admit," she replied softly. "I can't believe you never said anything."

He leaned forward, his nose rubbing against hers for a moment. "Neither did you."

He heard her sharp intake of breath before she tilted her head and caught his lips with her own. She let go of his hands, bringing one of hers up to the back of his neck, fingernails raking over its nape. He moved his arms around her, drawing her in closer as her tongue slid into his mouth, massaging his own in the most perfect way. And then his cellphone went off, loud and obnoxious. Angela pulled away with a little laugh, pecking his lips again as if she couldn't get enough. "Your phone."

"Think we need to go back?"

"Think you do," she sighed, frowning a bit as she looked out over the party still raging beneath them.

Juice nodded, wishing he wasn't a prospect for the first time in a long time. When he was a full patched brother, things would be easier. He wouldn't be so much at their beck in call. At least, he didn't think so. "Where do we go from here, Angel?"

Angela seemed to consider his words before she sighed. "I um…we should take things slow, right? I...I really don't want to mess this up."

Juice nodded again; he'd go as slow as she wanted. "Yeah, sure, whatever you say," he said, leaning into to kiss her again.

She laughed, pushing him away gently. "Slow."

"Slow," he agreed, though he couldn't stop his eyes from darting to her lips. Her lipstick was smudged across her face, though he had to admit, he liked the way it looked…mostly because he was the one who messed it up.

He thought about telling her, but then she grabbed the front of his cut and pulled him in for another quick kiss. "Okay, okay. Think it's time we got back to reality," she said, licking her thumb and reaching up to wipe some lipstick off his face.

He caught her hand in his own, lacing their fingers together again. "Yeah. Are we…we tellin' everyone about this?" he asked, torn between wanting to shout it to the world and keeping it between just the two of them so it stayed special and sweet, not tainted by the opinions of others.

A look of surprise crossed her face as if she hadn't thought about it. "I um...maybe not yet. It's not…I'm not embarrassed at all about it, but I…can we...can we just keep it between us for a little while? I think if people know then there's going to be all this pressure on us to move faster, and I don't want that. I want this to be about us...without anyone else's input. Is that...is that okay?"

Juice grinned at her, tugging her in closer by the hold he had on her hand. "Think that's a good idea," he replied, tucking a stray hair behind her ear with his free hand. He didn't want to let go of her hand, it was all that was ground him to this moment. All that was making it real. "Don't really want to go back."

She squeezed his hand in response. "Me neither. But it's only for a few more hours. Gotta go home eventually, right?"

Juice felt his smile widen; he was going to go home with her. Home where they could cuddle on the couch together, and he could kiss her goodnight, and...and...he didn't let his mind travel to the bedroom. Not yet. They'd get there in time, but he didn't want to push anymore boundaries. He was going to let her take the lead with this. She was the one still healing, still grieving, and he wanted to be there for her in any way she needed him. "Right. Yeah, okay," he agreed, letting go of her hand with a frown. He kissed her again, quickly. "I'll go back first. You good up here?"

Angela smiled and nodded. "Yeah, goofy. Think I'm gonna hide up here for a little longer. Too claustrophobic in there," she said, sitting down on one of the vents.

He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I'll see you in a bit."

With a smile on his face, he climbed down the ladder and ran straight into a very drunk Chibs. The Scot raised an eyebrow at him. "Where ye been, Juicy? Been callin' ye."

"Just...getting some air," he said on a shrug. "What's up?"

"Need someone to clean up the puke and piss in the bathroom," Chibs explained as they walked back to the bathroom. He was swaying a bit, his sunglasses on despite him being inside; Juice had a feeling he was the one who'd made a mess in the bathroom. "What's got ye smilin' so big? Surely, you're not excited to mop vomit and piss."

Juice shrugged a shoulder, heading towards the bathroom. "Just havin' a good night," he replied as he grabbed the mop and a bucket. Chibs muttered something he didn't quite understand, shaking his head as he staggered away. Juice stared at the disgusting bathroom, not at all bothered by it. He'd just kissed Angela. Just told her how he felt, and she felt the same way. He'd finally gotten what he'd wanted for so long, and the feeling was the best high he ever experienced. Not even a puke covered bathroom was going to bring him down from it.

Angela watched him disappear down the ladder, her heart still beating fast in her chest. Her whole body felt warm and tingly in the best way. She'd kissed Juice. She'd kissed Juice! She couldn't believe it! After fantasizing what it would be like to kiss him for years, it'd finally happened, and it was better than anything she'd ever experienced. She felt lighter than air, like she could float. A silly, stupid feeling, but she couldn't help it. The empty feeling inside her was pretty much gone, and she couldn't keep the smile off her face.

She grabbed her phone from her pocket, quickly dialing Rosa's number. She had to tell someone, and while Rosa was a gossip, she knew she'd keep her secret. "For the love of God, please tell me you are home in Charming and not in Oakland fucking Esai," Rosa answered with a tired sigh.

"Juice kissed me," she blurted out, not bothering to address her statement.

Rosa gasped. "Shut the fuck up."

Angela nodded, touching her lips as she remembered the way his lips had pressed against them, softly and sweetly. "Uh-huh."

"Holy shit," she said on a surprised laugh. "How was it?"

"Ro," she started, trying her best to find a way to describe the kiss. How could she describe the perfect way his lips had fit against hers? The stars, the sparks, the fireworks...all of it. She was drunk off his kiss. And that was just kissing him. She couldn't even imagine how it would feel to go further. She swallowed hard, shaking her head. "I can't even..."

Rosa chuckled softly. "That good, huh?"

"Uh-huh."

"Did he have to leave or somethin'?"

"Yeah, he had to go back down to the club party," she explained, glancing down to where a few Sons were milling about with scantily clad women. No one bothered to look at the roof; they all were preoccupied with other things. "Just had to tell someone to make sure I wasn't making a huge mistake."

"Mistake? Are you crazy? Fuckin' Esai was a mistake! This? This is good," Rosa assured her, a warmer note to her voice.

Angela bit her lip, playing with lotus charm around her neck. "It's not too soon?"

"Are you happy?"

She furrowed her brows in confusion; that wasn't an answer to her question. "Yeah. Really happy. For the first time in...probably since Raj..."

"Then why the fuck are you asking me if it's too soon?" Rosa asked, frustration in her tone. "Ang, if it was too soon, you wouldn't be feeling the way you are right now. You'd be feelin' like shit. Like you did after Esai, remember? That was too soon. This isn't. You gotta let yourself be happy. You deserve to be happy."

"Yeah," she answered, knowing she was right. "I think I'm ready for some happiness."

"Damn straight you are! Go! Have fun! Kiss the crap outta him! Enjoy every minute of it!" Rosa exclaimed, excitement in her tone. "Bask in the glow of love!"

Angela rolled her eyes at the dramatic comment. "Stop! It was just a kiss!"

"Just a kiss, my ass," she shot back on a laugh. "I've already got my Maid of Honor dress all picked out. I'm thinkin' SAMCRO blue, y'know? With a leather jacket."

"Stop! We're taking things slow. You're the only other person that knows, and we're gonna keep it that way for now. Don't want all the pressure and shit, so don't tell Lino."

"Please, I can keep a secret," she scoffed. There was a beat of silence before Rosa sighed. "I'm really happy for you, lady. This is...good. Healthy. I think...I think even Raj would be happy about you guys getting together. It just feels right."

Angela felt a small pang in her stomach at the mention of Raj, but she smiled anyway. Thinking about him was starting to hurt less and less. "You know what? I think so too," she thought with a smile. The roof latch opened, and Jax's head popped up. "I gotta go, Ro. I'll talk to you later. Love you."

"I want more details later! Love you too!" she replied before her line went dead.

Angela put her phone into her pocket and scooted over a bit on the vent she was sitting on so Jax could sit next to her. "What's up, VP?" she teased, smirking at him. "Congrats again."

"Thanks," Jax said around the joint in his mouth. "Juice find you?"

"Nope," Angela lied, glancing down at the party as if she were looking for him. "Was he looking for me?"

Jax narrowed his eyes at her, his head slightly tilted to the side. "Yeah. He was. Told him you were up here."

"Haven't seen him," she said on a shrug. "So what's your first big move as VP?"

"Not sure just yet. Just happy to have gotten the patch," he answered, looking over the people below them as he lit the joint. He took a toke before handing it to her. "Still not sure if I'm gonna be a good fit. Pretty sure all Clay wants me to do is agree with him no matter what."

Angela accepted the joint from him and took a long toke. "Hmm. But you don't have to. You know that, right?"

"Yeah. Kinda," he acknowledged on a shrug. "So far, I agree with him on most things."

"That makes things easy," she muttered, wondering how long it'd last. It wasn't her business, though, so she changed the topic. "How're things with you and Wendy?"

"I dunno. Good, I guess," he said, frowning to himself. At her look of disbelief, he shrugged again. "Some days it works, some days it just doesn't fit right, y'know? Sometimes I wonder if we're just together 'cause it's easy."

Angela nodded slowly, remembering how right it felt when Juice kissed her. How everything seemed to fall perfectly into place for the first time in a long time. "Easy isn't a good reason to be together. I did that with Esai. Sometimes...sometimes you gotta find what's right even if it's new and scary."

"Juice new and scary for you?"

"I wasn't really talking about him but…maybe," she admitted with a blush. She didn't know why she found it so easy to talk to Jax. Maybe it was the weed mixed with some alcohol and the high she'd gotten from the kiss. "He's unknown. I mean, we're best friends, but I don't really what it would be like to date him. What if everything changes and it's awkward and horrible and we break up and I have to move out?"

Jax took a pensive toke of the joint before letting out the smoke slowly. "Sounds like a lot of 'what if's'. Stay in the present. Figure out everything else out as it comes."

"That's good advice. You should take it," Angela shot back with a smirk.

Jax elbowed her gently which made her smile. "You should too. Think you might've already."

She raised an eyebrow at him as she took a drag off the joint. "What?"

He stood up slowly, taking the joint from her. "Your lipstick is smudged badly. Juice has lipstick all over his face. Same color. How'd that happen?"

Angela's cheeks heat up in a blush. She'd tried to get it all off of Juice's face, but he'd kissed her again which probably only added to it. She hadn't even thought of her own makeup. "Please don't tell anyone. We're trying to...keep it on the down low for now. Less pressure."

"My lips are sealed," he said, pretending to zip his lips. "That was all me, by the way. Told him where you were at. To stop tryin' to make you jealous. You're welcome."

"You were the one who gave him shitty advice in the first place," she muttered, shaking her head at him.

Jax shrugged a shoulder. "Think it worked out for the best," he stated confidently.

Angela had to admit she agreed with him. She'd needed the time to grieve and grow. She was in a better place mentally now than she had been when she'd first gotten to Charming. "Yeah. Me too."

"Not sure how quiet you guys are gonna be able to keep it if he keeps wearin' your lipstick."

"Hey, maybe he just likes to wear lipstick! You never know," she said on a shrug.

"Uh-huh. Well, that color looks much better on you."

Angela laughed, shaking her head at him. "Get outta here. Go celebrate!"

"You owe me a shot, Ruiz. I didn't forget that," he said as he started descending down the ladder.

She laughed and nodded. "I'll be right there. Give me a minute."

He disappeared, closing the hatch behind him. She exhaled a long breath, lifting her face to the sky and enjoying the view of the stars. A sharp wolf whistle from below caught her attention, and she leaned over to see Juice below, waving at her. She made sure no one was looking and blew him a kiss. His responding smile was just as dazzling from far away as it was up close, and she found herself thinking how lucky she was to be on the receiving end of it.

I've had versions of this part written for so long, and I'm so excited to finally share it with y'all! Again, I know this is a crazy long chapter (and I chopped the last part off which will be in the next chapter) so thank you for sticking with me.

Let me know what you think!

~Love Ink