Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own OCs and storylines…

She Will Be Loved

Chapter 22: For Life

By Love Ink

Juice woke up the sound of a horn honking outside his house. He was still on the couch, cell phone in hand. Angela had never texted him back, had never called for a ride home. He wondered where the hell she'd been the night before. Where she'd slept. He heard the front key slide into the lock and let out a small sigh of relief; wherever she'd gone, she was home now.

She walked in dressed in sweats that he'd never seen before and appeared a little too big for her. They seemed to be women's clothing, though, which relieved him a bit; maybe she'd just borrowed them from one of her friends. "Mornin'," he croaked, rubbing at his eyes.

She jumped; clearly she hadn't expected him to be there. "Shit! What the hell are you doing there?" she cursed, pressing her hand to her heart. Her dark eyes looked him over, a surprised look on her face. "Were you...waiting up for me?"

"Oh. Um. Yeah," he stammered, feeling stupid. "Koz said you might need a ride home."

Angela looked disappointed for a second before she shrugged. "Oh. My friend, Rosa, drove me home. Thanks, though. "

"Yeah, no, of course. That was nice of her. Wh-where did you go?"

"Oh um...Oakland. Lino and Rosa were texting me, wanting to celebrate me being home. Since you were...preoccupied at the clubhouse and Hap 'n' Koz were busy, I thought it'd be fun."

Juice grimaced, scratching at the back of his neck. Usually, he was oblivious to little digs like that, but he'd caught that one. How could he explain to her that those Croweaters meant nothing? That he'd been trying to make her jealous like a total idiot. "About that...I just..."

"No, no, don't worry about it," she interrupted, waving her hands at him. "It's cool. You gotta do what you gotta do."

He wanted to apologize, but he wasn't quite sure how to. He hadn't really done anything wrong, but it still felt like it. "Angel, I'm sorry about...everythin'. I really wanted to...to hang out."

"I know," she murmured, looking at the floor. "Prospect duty. I get it."

"Yeah," he said on a sad chuckle. Clearly, she wasn't as bothered by him kissing the Croweater as he'd wanted her to be. Maybe they were just friends after all. "I um...I was wondering where the hell you went off to. Was worried Jax had charmed your pants off or somethin'."

Angela laughed, shaking head. "Nah, 'm not into blondes. I like my men tall, dark, and handsome. He is very pretty, though. I can see why the girls like him."

Juice chuckled; he would've loved to hear her call Jax 'pretty' to his face. "Oh yeah? Think you might be the first girl to ever turn him down."

"Guess there's a first time for everything," she said, shrugging her shoulder.

"Guess so," he agreed awkwardly. His mind was filled with questions. Had she gotten his texts? Was she deliberately ignoring them? Maybe she was trying to let him down gently. He'd told her he'd missed her like some weird idiot. No wonder she didn't say anything; she probably didn't know what to say in response to it. How could he ask about it now without looking like some overbearing stalker? He wasn't her boyfriend; she didn't need to text him back. They were just friends, after all.

They stayed staring at each other in silence for a moment before she cleared her throat. "I um…I feel like shit, 'n' I probably look like shit so...I should go shower."

"You don't look like shit," he stated on a scowl. You're beautiful, he added in his mind. Something stopped him from saying it out loud, though. It didn't feel right. "But yeah, shower's always good if you feel like shit, I guess."

She gave him the smallest hint of a smile before moving to walk past him to go to her bedroom. He watched her walk by, a heavy feeling in his chest. There was a distance between them that had never been there before. Had he messed up so badly? "Hey Angel?" he called after her.

She stopped in the hall, turning to look at him with raised eyebrows. "What's up?"

"I um...I was gonna see if I could get the night off and maybe...maybe I could show you around Charming a bit more?"

Angela frowned, raking a hand through her hair. "I um...I kinda made plans with um...Rosa for tonight. She'd kill me if I cancelled."

Juice sighed, crestfallen. "Yeah. Sure. Of course."

"But um...rain-check? You can give me the grand tour like you did in New York?"

He felt a little better at her offer; at least she wanted to spend time with him. Maybe there was hope after all. Maybe he hadn't ruined everything. "Y-yeah. Totally. 'm lookin' forward to it."

"Me too," she replied with a small smile as she tucked her hair behind her ear. "I'll see you later."

Juice could swear he caught a flash of a dark mark on her neck, but she had started walking away before he could comment on it. Did she have a hickey? No. She couldn't. She went out with Lino and her high school friends. No way had she gone home with another guy. Lino wouldn't have let that happen. She wasn't ready for that yet. She was still healing from losing Raj. She wouldn't just jump into bed with someone after one night. That wasn't her style. Was it? He'd honestly had never really known a single Angela. The entirety of their friendship except for the first time they met, she'd been with Raj. Maybe single Angela did sleep around. He doubted it, though. She didn't seem the type.

The sound of his cell phone ringing startled him out of his thoughts. Patting down his pockets, he grabbed it. He wasn't surprised to see it was Happy calling. Heaving a heavy sigh, he answered it. "Hey," he greeted, heading to the kitchen to start the coffee maker for her and make himself a shake. "What's goin' on?"

"Kid get home okay?" Happy asked shortly.

"Y-yeah. Her friend dropped her off a couple minutes ago. Said she had a good time," he answered, prepping his smoothie with some frozen fruit. He didn't tell Happy about the hickey he thought he saw on her neck. It had to have been a shadow or something.

"Good. Get your ass to the clubhouse. Clean up duty."

Happy hung up the phone before he could reply. Sighing heavily, Juice abandoned his smoothie and jogged to his room to take a shower and change. He was thankful now Angela was busy for the day, it meant he didn't have to cancel on her since he had a feeling it was going to be one long-ass day at the clubhouse cleaning up after the insane party the night before.

Angela stared at herself in the mirror, frowning at the dark hickey she spotted on her neck. Raj had never marked her where people could see, preferring to leave his marks places that were for her eyes only. Little secrets they shared. She wasn't used to this shit anymore. Raj didn't need to mark her to sure she was taken, he'd always trusted her. Clearly, Esai didn't feel the same way. He liked to stake his claim, had since they were young. A part of her didn't hate it all that much, it was a reminder of the way he'd made her feel the night before. Loved, wanted. She liked that. Still, she needed to hide it from the rest of the world; she didn't want anyone else knowing about what had happened. Especially anyone with a SAMCRO cut. Cursing under her breath, she stared at the makeup she had laid out, wondering what her best bet was going to be to hide the marks on her neck and chest.

It took her a few minutes, but she managed to get the marks pretty well hidden. She put her hair in front of the one on her neck for good measure before changing into some jean shorts and a simple, green Oakland A's t-shirt. She didn't know why she was obsessed with hiding all the marks. A part of her wanted Juice to see him just to see his reaction. Would he be jealous or just try to get more information about who gave them to her so he could run back to Hap and Koz with the intel? Another part of her hated herself for thinking that way. She didn't play games like that. Making someone jealous on purpose. It wasn't right.

Plus, he didn't care about her that way. If he had, he would've texted her to check in. It was still bothering her that he didn't try to contact her in some way. She couldn't think of a way to ask him about it without seeming like some kind of high maintenance girl. He wasn't her babysitter. He didn't need to check in on her. He did wait up for her, though. That had to account for something...unless he just did it because Hap and Koz told him to. That didn't seem right, though. Juice always checked up on her in New York, why would California be any different? Had he really changed that much?

Sighing, she made her way out of her room towards the kitchen, smiling at the smell of freshly brewed coffee. She could hear Juice's shower running as she walked by his bedroom; he must've been called in by the club for something. She poured herself a cup of coffee, surprised to see the blender beside it was packed with some ingredients but hadn't been used yet. Shaking her head, she grabbed the honey bottle and some of the protein powder she knew he liked from one of the cabinets and put a small amount in the blender before starting it up. She found one of her 'to-go' cups and cleaned it out, waiting until the ingredients were well blended before pouring the smoothie into the cup.

She finished fixing her coffee and headed to the living room, curling up on the couch to watch some television. Juice rushed in, his cut hanging off his shoulders, mumbling to himself in a way that made her smile. He headed into the kitchen and stopped. "Wait..."

"You're welcome!" she called from her seat on the couch.

She heard his heavy footsteps as he jogged in, a big grin on his face. "Thanks, Angel. You're the best!" he said, leaning over the couch and kissing her cheek. "I gotta do prospect shit! See you later!"

And just like that, he was gone. She stayed there, frozen to the spot, her cheek still tingling. Lifting her hand, she pressed it to where his lips had touched. What the hell was that? She felt a blush come over her skin. Had he meant to do that? She let out a long breath, taking a sip of her coffee. No, it was just a friendly peck. Something Hap and Koz did to her daily. It didn't mean anything but 'thank you'. It had to. Juice didn't care about her as more than a friend, or he wouldn't have kissed that Croweater the night before. Right?

Her phone started ringing, and for a moment, a rush of excitement went through her as she expected to see Juice's name. It wasn't. It was Esai's name on her screen. While she was a little disappointed, a part of her was pleasantly surprised to see his name. "Hey!" she greeted, trying not to sound too surprised.

"Angelita Ruiz. You didn't call me to tell me you made it home," Esai chided, and she could picture him smirking.

"Oh. Yeah. I'm home," she replied awkwardly. Her hand reached for the lotus charm around her neck, playing with it as she spoke. "What's up?"

"Wanted to plan out our date. Thought I'd pick you up a little earlier than dinnertime..."

The idea of him driving all the way to Charming in his colors with his flashy-ass bike made her panic. There was no way he could just ride through town without being noticed by SAMCRO. And if Hap and Koz heard he was in Charming, they'd know exactly what he was doing there. "No! No way are you driving your bike through Charming to pick me up with your damn cut on! Are you insane?"

Esai chuckled softly. "Sons and Mayans are good, chiqui. Relax."

"Not happening. I'll meet you at your parent's place," she said, a little excited to see Dia and Marcus again. It was also a good way to avoid possibly running into Lino at their shared apartment building. Lino definitely wouldn't approve of her going to visit Esai.

"You scared of your primo?" (Cousin)

Angela rubbed at her forehead. "No," she scowled, frowning a bit. "No, I'm just...this is just a date, E. I don't want to start shit right now."

"Fair enough," he said on another chuckle. "Meet me there as soon as possible. Bring your bikini. Got some good shit planned."

"All righty. I'll see you there in like two hours," she said, raking a hand through her hair.

She got ready quickly, throwing her bikini in a bag because she doubted she would actually need it. She didn't put anything fancy on. Just a simple tank top and jean shorts. She still didn't have a car, so she called a taxi instead. It wasn't too long of a trip, and the taxi driver was quiet for most of it, thankfully. She paid him, giving him a big tip, before staring up at the Alvarez house with a smile. Esai's truck wasn't in the drive yet, she realized with a sigh of relief. Heading up the drive, she instinctively grabbed her keys. She had a key to the front door that Dia had given her when she and Esai were dating. Dia had known she spent a lot of time alone at her own house since her Mom and Aunt worked, so she'd gifted her a key to use whenever she wanted some company. Angela didn't feel right using it now; it'd been years since she'd last let herself in. She rang the doorbell, holding her breath as she waited. She hadn't seen or talked to Dia in a long time.

Dia Alvarez opened the door quickly, a big smile on her face. She immediately pulled Angela in for a tight hug. "Angelita! Tanto tiempo!" she shouted, kissing her cheek. She stepped away, her hazel eyes looking her over. "You look so beautiful! All grown up!" (So much time)

Angela laughed as a blush colored her cheeks. "Thanks, Dia." She looked over the older woman, noticing her slightly protruding belly. "And you're pregnant! Congrats!"

Dia nodded, ushering her inside. "An accident pero a good one! I thought Esai was going to be my only one forever!" (But)

She smiled, closing the front door behind her. The house smelled the same way as it always had, and the familiarity of it relaxed her. "How are you, Dia?"

"Oh I'm hanging in there," she said as they entered the kitchen. Dia was already cooking something for dinner, and it smelled amazing. She wondered if Esai's date plans involved eating dinner with his parents. She honestly wouldn't mind. Dia stirred something in a pot, her hand on her hip. "Y tu, mija? How was New York?" (And you)

"It was...different," Angela answered honestly. She leaned against the counter, watching Dia cook. It felt like no time had passed. Like she was seventeen again, gossiping with Dia while helping her cook. "But I had fun. Met some good people. Finished up my degree."

Dia frowned slowly, setting down the spoon. "I heard what happened to your boyfriend over there, mija. Lo siento." (I'm sorry)

She looked down at her shoes, her hand instinctively going to play with the lotus charm Raj had bought for her. "Thanks. He was a...really good guy."

"So I heard. Vanessa told me all about him," she said on a frown. She clucked her tongue and shook her head. "So young, pobrecito." (Poor thing)

Angela took in a deep breath, trying to think of something, anything but Raj. If she went down that road, she'd end up in sobbing and ruining whatever Esai had planned. "Yeah," she said on a breath.

"But enough of that. You're here now, and I am so happy to have you home," Dia said with a big smile. "Esai is too. He has something planned but he wouldn't tell me what."

"Because it's a surprise, and you have a big mouth," Esai said as he walked in.

Dia scoffed at him, smacking him lovingly when he leaned in to kiss her cheek. "Listen how he talks to his own mother! Cabron!" (Dumbass)

Esai chuckled, a big smile on his face. Gone was the tough biker boy with the bad boy persona. In his own home, with just his mother there, he could be himself. It was little glimpses of this Esai that made Angela think she was making a good choice. Maybe he'd changed completely. He nodded to her in greeting, kissing her cheek. "You ready to go, Angelita?"

Angela nodded slowly. "Where are we going?"

"Don't worry about it. I'll even drive the truck so you don't have to worry about being seen on my bike. C'mon," he said, holding out his hand to her. "Do you trust me?"

She hesitantly put her hand in his. She didn't trust him, not really, but she was willing to give him a chance. "We'll see."

The date was not going well. Esai had decided to drive out to a beach she used to love going to when they were dating. He'd thought it would bring back memories of the fun times they'd had there together growing up. It wasn't working, though. It'd been a little warm when they'd gotten there, but it had quickly changed to freezing within seconds. The wind was blowing the sand everywhere, making the sandwiches he packed gritty and inedible. Instead of being able to see Angela in her sexy little bikini, she was currently sitting next to him wrapped up in a blanket Dia, thankfully, had insisted he bring along. Angela didn't look too upset, though. In fact, she had a small, calm smile on her pretty face. "You happy, chiqui?" he asked, reaching out to brush a hair behind her ear.

She nodded, breathing in deeply. "Forgot how much I missed the beach," she admitted, closing her eyes and taking in another deep breath. "Something about the Pacific Ocean feels a little different than the Atlantic."

Esai felt a little redeemed by her comment. At least she wasn't totally miserable. "You look like a little burrito all wrapped up like that."

She laughed, the sound of it making his heart do a flip. "A warm little burrito."

"Sexiest burrito I've ever seen," he replied, shivering a bit himself in the cool ocean air. He rubbed at his arms, trying to warm himself up. "Fuck, its cold!"

Much to his surprise, Angela unwrapped herself, standing and draping the thick blanket over his shoulders before taking a seat between his legs and grabbing either end of the blanket to wrap both of them up in it. She leaned back against him, tilting her head against his shoulder. "Better?"

She was so warm, and the smell of her hair was intoxicating. "Mm-hmm," he murmured, feeling like he'd won the lottery. She'd willingly moved in closer to him, willingly placed herself in his arms. That had to be a good sign. He moved his arms around her waist, pulling her in even closer.

"So this was your great plan, huh? Take me to the beach and call me a burrito?" she teased, turning her head to look at him. "Very romantic."

"A sexy burrito," he corrected with a smirk. "Got you in my arms, didn't it?"

She elbowed his side, wriggling around in his embrace when he squeezed her tighter. "Asshole," she murmured on a scowl.

He chuckled, turning to kiss her forehead softly. "I missed this, chiqui. Missed you," he admitted, his thumb moving over the soft skin of her stomach. "Give anything for you to give me another chance."

She was silent for a really long time, her eyes going back to the water. "You actually think it'll work?" she asked softly. "We... we had a lot of problems, E."

"Yeah, but we were young and dumb back then. We're older now. Smarter. All of that little kid bullshit is out of the way," he insisted, hoping she believed him.

"Wasn't the little kid bullshit that got in the way," she reminded him, tensing just briefly. She met his gaze, a guarded look in her eyes. "Was your tendency to sleep with any girl that looked at you twice, remember?"

Esai grimaced at her blunt words, dropping her gaze and looking back out at the ocean. "Doin' that to you was...the worst mistake of my life, chiqui. Don't know what I was thinkin'. I was...wrong. Wasn't worth it. I realize that now," he admitted, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. "Won't happen again, Angelita. Te lo juro. This time, I'ma treat you right. I'm older now, smarter. And I love you. I've always loved you, chiqui. You're it for me. Por vida." (I promise you...for life)

Angela was quiet for a long time, her fingers fidgeting with the blanket. After a long time, she took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Por vida is a really long time, E," she said softly. "How about we take this one day at a time?" (For life)

He felt like he'd won the lottery; she was going to give him another chance! He was finally going to have her back in his life. "Yeah, yeah, definitely."

There was another long pause before she cleared her throat. "I'm still going to work and live in Charming. I'm not uprooting all that I've worked so hard for 'cause of you," she stated firmly. He pulled a face; he didn't like the sound of that. He knew she was leaving with that Son. Knew that her being there during the week wouldn't do him any favors. If they were together, he wanted her close. He didn't want her anywhere near that Juice asshole.

"Chiqui..."

She cut him off quickly. "Not negotiable, E. I'm not asking."

"Fine," he ground out. He wasn't used to this Angela. The last time together, she was a teenager, willing to go along with whatever he wanted. Now, she was older, more secure in what she'd wanted. He had a feeling that was going to become a problem later on. He'd play along for a while, but, eventually, he'd find a way to get her to move in with him. "We're good with the Sons now. Should be fine."

"Not should be. Will be," she corrected stubbornly. She angled herself so she could see his face, making the blanket slide a little and exposing both of them to the cool air. She didn't seem to care much, her dark eyes were lit with a passionate fire. "If you say you've changed so much. Prove it."

Esai nodded slowly; she wasn't kidding. He knew this time around, he would have to work a little harder for this. Angela had matured in their time apart, and he had to get to know her again. It'd be worth it though. She was the type of girl he wanted to marry. To have waiting for him at home when he came back after long runs just like his own mother and father. Right now, she could have her career, but later on, he'd convince her to stay at home with their kids."Okay. I can do that for you," he conceded, kissing her cheek. "I want to make this work, chiqui."

"And the cheating...that's gotta stop, E. You want a life with me, you gotta be loyal, especially if you expect me to be loyal to you."

He was tempted to ask if she ever hadn't been loyal to him, but he bit his tongue; it wasn't worth fighting with her over. He already knew the answer to that. "Of course, mi vida. Why would I want anyone but you?" (My life.)

He didn't miss the way she grimaced at his question. "You say it like you didn't cheat before," she pointed out. "But you did, and I'm not gonna forget about it. I don't...I don't want to go through it again."

"It's gonna different this time. I swear. You're it for me. Don't want to lose you again," he said, kissing her cheek softly. "I love you. Always have. Just give me a chance. Please." (I promise)

Angela's dark eyes looked him over, doubt in her gaze. "Yeah," she breathed, sniffling a bit. "Yeah, okay. Let's...let's see where this goes. Slowly. One step at a time."

He kissed her then, soft and slow, trying to convince her she was making the right decision. It was going to be better this time. This time, he was going to do everything he could to keep her. For life.

And so it begins...
Angela's not making the greatest decisions right now...
Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think! I love hearing from you guys!

~Love Ink