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She Will Be Loved

Chapter 49: Happiness

By Love Ink

Juice was awaken way too early by a strong shake to his shoulder. He opened on eye to find Angela hovering over him, her dark eyes sparkling with excitement. She was beautiful. He wished he could lean up and catch her lips in a kiss. She moved away, and he groaned as he sat up, his body feeling achy from sleeping on the couch. "Huh?"

"C'mon, goof! Get up! Beach day!" she exclaimed in an excited whisper. "We can stop and get donuts on the way to Ro's place. Go get changed into something warm and don't forget a sweatshirt! It'll be cold in the morning."

"Didn't bring a sweatshirt," he said around a yawn as he wiped a hand over his face. He looked her over, noting the strings of a bikini tied at the back of her neck. He swallowed hard trying not to think of her in a bikini lest he wake up certain parts of his anatomy.

Angela rolled her eyes at him. "Think there's one of yours in the car. I'll grab one of my old ones."

"Didn't bring one last night," he murmured, still trying to wake himself up.

"I did," she said on a shrug. "Go get dressed, or we'll be late and Ro will kill us."

Juice fought against the urge to smile at the idea of Angela having one of his sweatshirts with her at all times. "I'm goin', I'm goin'," he muttered, slowly getting up and making his way to her old room where he had clothes stashed. He smiled at the unmade bed, knowing Angela never made her bed. He made it quickly for her before opening the drawer that had his stuff in it. He found an old pair of black basketball shorts and a blue Knick's t-shirt. It wasn't the best beach wear, but it would do. Thankfully, he had a pair of old Jordan sneakers there too. Opening her closet, he found an old Oakland Raider's hat of hers and adjusted the size of it before putting it on just to cover his tattoos. He knew it would help stave off people staring at them, help him blend in a bit more.

He walked down the stairs quietly, surprised to find Angela packing up a mini-cooler with beers and water. She was wearing a pair of short jean cut-offs with a large, dark blue hoodie that was way too big for her, and a backwards hat. The same she'd been wearing the second time he ran into her in New York only this time, her hair was tied back from her face in two neat boxer braids. She was concentrated on putting the bottles in just right to fit as many as she could, her brows drawn as she did. "Need help?" he asked, catching her attention.

She shook her head, shoving in one last beer and closing the top of the cooler. "Nah, it's good enough. We can always get more stuff there," she said with a little shrug. "Nice hat."

"Figured I'd hide the tattoos," he said on a little shrug. "Don't want to embarrass you or anything."

She gave him a confused look. "You don't have to do it for me. I love those tattoos," she said casually.

Juice felt his cheeks heat up in a blush; she loved his tattoos. Was that the only part of him she loved? "You love them, huh?"

Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink, and she quickly looked away from him. "I mean, I did design them, right? That's why...they're...a great design but if you like the hat, wear the hat. That way you don't get like...sunburned or whatever."

"Okay," he said, trying not to smile. "I'll grab the cooler. Where we meeting them?"

"Oh. Rosa and Lino live in the same building, and I'm pretty sure Nessa stays with Lino more often than not so...there. In the parking lot."

"Where the asshole lives," Juice clarified with a grimace.

"Yeah," she said, cringing herself. "The Mayans own the building so like...all the younger Mayans and associates kinda...live there. But E won't be there, and if he is, he won't be awake. That lazy ass doesn't wake up 'til like noon on Saturdays if he can help it. Plus, we're not going inside. Just meeting in the parking lot so...all good."

Juice was a little relieved that they wouldn't have to worry about running into Esai; he really didn't want their beach trip hampered by him. "Sounds good," he replied around a yawn. He grabbed the cooler and lifted it easily off the floor. "We good to go?"

She nodded, slinging a bulging backpack over her shoulders. "Think so. I got food, blanket, sunscreen, sunglasses, all the good stuff," she said, gesturing to the backpack. His stomach grumbled at the mention of food, and she laughed. "Let's get outta here and get some food in you before you get hangry."

"I don't get hangry," he muttered on a scowl as he led the way to the door, holding it open and letting her go in front of him. He loaded the cooler into the back of the car, taking her backpack from her and putting it beside it. She grabbed a sweatshirt from his backseat. "Here."

He took the black sweatshirt from her, recognizing it as one of his own. "Just how many of my sweatshirts do you have?" he asked, shrugging it on. When she wasn't looking, he smelled the soft fabric and grinned; it smelled like her.

"A couple," she answered with a shrug. "C'mon, let's go! We're going to be late!"

Juice started the car, chuckling to himself as he did so. He secretly loved that she wore his clothes. Loved the way they looked on her. She could wear all of his clothes if she wanted. "So who all is going again?"

"Rosa, Lino, Nessa, and Meredith, Ro's girlfriend."

That was shocking to him. She'd never mentioned Rosa swung for the other team. "Wait. Rosa's a...a..."

"Rosa dates whoever she's attracted to. Sometimes it's a guy, sometimes it's a girl, she goes with her heart," Angela answered on a shrug. "And before you say anything, me and her has never happened and will never happen. No threesomes. Nothing. She's my sister just like Lino is my brother."

"Wasn't going to go there," he muttered, slightly taken aback by the ferocity in her last comment. "The Mayan asked, huh?"

Angela nodded emphatically. "All the time. And keep in mind, Rosa's brother is his best friend. From the moment she told Raffa she was into girls and boys, and Esai found out, he's brought it up. Sometime jokingly, sometimes seriously," she explained on a sigh. "He hasn't said anything in awhile, but he was on his best behavior this time around so..."

"What a dick," he muttered, gripping the steering wheel tightly in anger. He hated hearing about how badly Esai had treated her, how he'd belittled her. He could tell by the way she answered that his suggestions had hurt, yet he kept pushing it on her. "That's messed up."

"We were young. Having a girl who was into girls only brought one thing to mind," she explained on a shrug. "Doesn't matter. He's an asshole. Anyways, I don't want to think about him at all today."

Juice chuckled and nodded. "Fair enough," he conceded as he pulled into the parking lot where Lino and Nessa were already loading things into a dark red Escalade. With them was a red head in a beach dress and a big straw hat who looked like she felt a little out of place. He had a feeling he was going to be right there with her. Rosa came walking out of the apartment building with her arms filled with bags and an umbrella. Her hair was braided in the same style as Angela's, though the braids were a little thicker because of her curly hair. "This is gonna be awkward, huh?"

Angela laughed, shaking her head. "You'll be fine, goof. Just be yourself."

He was about to answer her, but she was already gone. He watched as she threw her arms around Rosa, both girls laughing and exclaiming in excitement as Rosa dropped everything she was carrying. He chuckled to himself as he grabbed the cooler from the backseat. Lino greeted him with a nod. "What's up, Juice?" he said with a wide grin.

Juice put the cooler down in the backseat where Lino had gestured before shaking Lino's hand, surprised when the Mayan pulled him in for a half hug. "Not much, man. How you been?"

"Been good," he said, bobbing his head. He nodded to where Angela and Rosa were laughing together. "Welcome to the shit show. You meet my girl, Vanessa?"

A shorter, curvier girl with tan skin and light brown eyes waved at him shyly as she approached. She was dressed a little nicer than Angela and Rosa in a peasant style top and longer jean shorts. Her dark hair was pulled away from her face in a bun tied at the base of her neck. "Hi," she greeted, holding out her hand for him to shake. "Nice to finally meet you. I mean, officially. Saw you back in the hospital and Ang talks about you all the time but, guess its official now."

"Nice to officially meet you too, Vanessa," he replied with a smile.

"And this is Meredith, Rosa's girlfriend," Vanessa said, gesturing towards her. Juice noticed the way the word girlfriend came out a bit stilted like Vanessa wasn't quite used to saying it.

"Oh, hi! You must be Angela's boyfriend, huh? Rosa said you were cute," Meredith replied, messing with the lens on the camera she had around her neck.

Juice's cheeks burned as he scratched at the back of his neck. "Oh. No. We're not...I mean...Angel's...but we're not..."

"They're friends," Vanessa put in for him with a helpful smile.

Meredith grimaced, shifting awkwardly. "Oh damn. Sorry! The way Ro was talking about the two of you..."

"Quit while you're ahead, Mer. Lot of shit there you don't want to touch," Lino told her with a knowing smile. Juice wondered what the hell he was talking about. There was not shit between them. They were just friends. She'd said so herself. Many times. Lino didn't give him a chance to ask, though, he called out to Angela and Rosa, "Hey! You two! Stop the chisme and get in so we can go!" (Gossip)

Angela and Rosa both held up their middle fingers but made their way over anyway. To Juice's surprise, Rosa threw her arms around him, giving him a tight hug. "Welcome to beach day, Juicy! Hope you're ready for some fun!"

Before Juice could react, she was pushing him towards the car. "You and Angela get the middle seats on the way there and the way back on the way home."

"Aye-aye, Captain," Angela replied with a roll of her eyes.

"C'mon! Let's go 'fore all the good spots are taken!" Lino exclaimed, starting up the car.

Juice opened the back door for the girls, tilting the back seat down for Rosa and Meredith before climbing into the single seat and buckling in. Angela got into the seat beside him, giving him a big smile, excitement glowing in her dark eyes. "C'mon, Lee. Put on some good tunes!" she exclaimed, leaning forward a bit and slapping his arm.

And just like that, they were off and heading to the beach. To Juice's surprise, the music of choice was pretty eclectic. The Temptations, The Beach Boys, Journey, Tupac, New Kids on the Block, and some Spanish songs mixed in here and there. Rosa, Angela, and Lino knew the words to every single one of them. Juice couldn't take his eyes off Angela. She was practically glowing with happiness in a way he'd never seen before. Every so often, her gaze would meet his, and her smile would widen just a little, making his heart skip a beat. He loved seeing her like this, wished she'd be this happy every day. A part of him wondered if he could make her this happy. He decided then that he was going to try. Whether they were together or not, he was going to do his best to make sure she was this happy all the damn time. After all she'd been through, she deserved to be happy.

Angela lay back on one of the towels, soaking in the sun and enjoying the sound of the ocean waves. She loved the beach. Loved being there with all of her best friends. She felt Rosa lay down beside her with a happy sigh. This was their spot. A place where the three of them had been going for Rosa's birthday for years. They used to go with Rosa's family, then they'd convince Raffa or Esai to take them, and when Lino finally got his license, he'd drive them. It'd been a few years since she'd last been there, and it felt good to be back.

Vanessa sat down in one of the beach chairs with a sigh. "Something to drink ladies?"

"Yes!" Rosa and Angela answered in unison.

Vanessa opened two wine coolers and handed them to the other ladies. "Where'd Meredith go?"

"Taking pictures over by the pier to get the early afternoon light," Rosa said, gesturing down the beach. "She's an artist."

Angela leaned up on her elbows, watching Meredith take pictures of the seagulls. "An artist, huh?"

"Yeah, she usually makes money by taking wedding and baby pictures. Sometimes she does those boudoir photoshoots too. She's gets all this lingerie sent to her from different companies for promos. Gives most of 'em to me. Says I inspire her," Rosa said with a big grin.

"I'm sure you do," Angela teased, giving her a naughty grin. "Want to share the wealth?"

Rosa shrugged a shoulder. The love of lingerie was something the two of them had shared since they were teenagers; they used to spend hours in Victoria's Secret. Rosa had even gotten a job there just so they could get the employee's discount. "I could get you some. What's Juice's favorite color?"

"Blue," she said on instinct before she caught herself. "But they aren't for him. Of course. They're for me. Because...I just like...underwear."

"I'm sure he does too," Vanessa said innocently as she flipped through a magazine. "I will say, he looks good shirtless. Not as great as Lino, of course, but still...damn."

Angela knew he looked good shirtless; she'd been trying her best not to stare as Lino and Juice threw a football in between them. Juice looked amazing in his basketball shorts and backwards baseball hat, that big goofy smile on his face, completely oblivious to the attention he was attracting from girls all over the beach. "Does he? Hadn't noticed," she lied, putting her sunglasses on and finding the boys again. "He's gonna get burnt."

"Why don't you offer to rub him down?" Rosa asked with a huge grin. "With sunscreen, that is."

The thought alone made a familiar fire flare up low in her belly. "Shut up, Ro."

Rosa's grin widened as the boys headed towards them. She wolf-whistled at them, applauding as they neared. "Now that was quite a show you two put on. Got all the girls' attention all down the beach."

Lino made a show of flexing his arms in response. "Only wanted one. Did it work?" he asked, taking a seat in front of Vanessa's beach chair and looking over his shoulder at her.

She grinned in response, leaning in to kiss him quickly. "Of course it did, mi cielo. You need sunscreen, though, or you'll burn."

"Ang, looks like you need some too," Lino said, leaning in and pressing a finger to her shoulder blade.

Angela swatted his hand away. "Stop! I'm fine," she said on a scowl, though she could feel the beginning of a sunburn in the spot Lino had poked.

"Dunno, you're pretty red," Rosa chimed in, a smirk turning up the corners of her lips. She got to her feet, tossing Juice a bottle of sunscreen. "Sunscreen it up or you'll be sorry later. Both of you."

"Thanks, Ro." Juice chuckled, taking the bottle and squirting sunscreen into his hands. Angela watched from the corner of her eye as he rubbed down his chest and arms, fire igniting in her veins as she pictured her own hands moving across his skin instead of his own. He was doing a crappy job of rubbing it in since he'd put far too much of the lotion on his hands. With a frown, he showed her his hands. "Think I used too much. Want me to get your back, Angel?"

Angela swallowed hard and nodded quickly. "Thanks," she said angling herself so her back was to him. She felt him hesitate for a bit before his warm hand glided across her shoulders leaving licks of heat in their wake despite the cold lotion. His hands moved in slow caresses, up and down her back as if he was really taking his time to make sure every inch was covered. To her surprise, he lifted the bikini tie at her back, sliding his hands underneath and towards her sides, the tips of his fingers just barely brushing the outside of her breast. She bit her lip at the sensation, wishing he'd move his hands closer, cover her breasts, but instead, he moved them down her sides and across her lower back and then just like that, he was done leaving her shivering in the best way.

"I um...I th-think you're good," he said, his voice rougher than normal. "All...protected."

She already missed the presence of his hands on her skin. "Thanks," she said on a small smile. "Do you...want me to do you?"

He blinked at her for a minute before he breathed in sharply. "Yeah, yeah. Totally. Please do my...back."

Angela heard Lino snicker behind them, but she ignored him. Juice turned so his back was facing her, and she put some sunscreen in her palm. Slowly, she smoothed it over his shoulders. She loved the feel of his smooth skin underneath her hands. She could see the muscles underneath his skin, practically feel their strength. She pressed a little harder, surprised at the tightness she found. "You got big ole knots back here," Angela murmured, applying a little more pressure in the spot she'd felt the knot.

"Yeah, been hunched over a computer or a bike for weeks," he explained, grunting when she pushed a little too hard.

"Can't be good for you," she muttered, moving her hands down his back and rubbing in the white lotion until it blended in perfectly with his caramel skin. She was done, but she didn't want to stop touching him. Slowly, she moved her hands back up his back and over his shoulders, applying a little more pressure in the tighter spots.

Juice groaned appreciatively, his head falling forward. "Feels good, baby," he murmured.

There he went calling her 'baby' again. The word sent butterflies fluttering in her stomach. All she wanted to do was lean in closer, press a kiss the base of his neck, wrap her arms around him and breathe in the scent of his skin. "G-good," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

Vanessa giggled, and Juice tensed a bit making Angela withdraw her hands. "Oh um. You're done," Angela said, her face hot.

"Y-yeah, thanks, Angel," he said, rolling his shoulders a bit.

The movement only served to stoke the fire in Angela's belly. God, she wanted to touch him again. Rub her hands all over his body. "Cool, cool," she murmured, rubbing her hands over her jean shorts. She turned to glance at Lino who gave her a knowing grin. She resisted the urge to smack him.

"How you likin' prospecting, Juicy?" Rosa asked Juice, looking at him over her sunglasses. "The Sons as bad as the Mayans to their prospects?"

Juice glanced over at Lino and shrugged. "Not really sure how the Mayans are, but I keep getting stuck with cleaning duty after their big parties. Not to mention doing the jobs no one else wants to do."

"Like shadowing me?" Angela teased, smirking at him.

"Nah, that's my favorite task," Juice replied, giving her a warm smile she felt down to her toes.

"Definitely the easiest," Lino chimed in with a grin. "But, I do the same shit. Cleanin' the bikes, the clubhouse, whatever they want, I do. Not sure I love it so much. Already had to switch sponsors."

Juice raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You switched sponsors?"

He took a long sip of his beer as he nodded. "Hell yeah, I did. Esai was a shit sponsor. Didn't help me with anythin' or teach me. All he cared about was keepin' me around to stay on her good side," he explained, nodding to Angela. "Covering for his shit was giving me anxiety. That's not the kinda thing I want to be a part of. 'specially when it involves my sister. Told Nessa's dad I was thinkin' of washing out, and he said he'd take me on."

Angela stared at him in shock. "You did that for me?"

He shrugged. "Kinda. Esai's a dick. Was tired of being his lackey. He treats people like shit, treated you like shit, and I didn't want to be a part of that anymore."

"That's my man," Vanessa said proudly, leaning over to kiss his cheek. She went to the cooler and pulled out a few snacks, handing them out before sitting down in the beach chair with a content sigh. "I woulda supported him either way. In, out, same thing."

"That's what she said," Angela muttered, earning her a laugh from Juice.

Lino scowled a bit, shaking his head. "But you're likin' Cali, though. Right, dude? I mean, I'm not gonna lie, New York is hella fun. You must miss it bein' out in that tiny-ass town."

Juice considered his question as he munched on a grape. "Yeah, for sure. I mean, at first it was weird to have to ride everywhere since there's no subway, and its still crazy to me that we gotta go out of town to get a Starbucks or McDonald's, but it was easy to get used to. I love it now. Love the weather and...the people."

His eyes met Angela's, and he had a feeling he meant her specifically. She smiled at him, fighting against the urge to lean over and peck his cheek. She'd been fighting the urge to touch and kiss him all day. What the hell was wrong with her?

Rosa smirked at the two of them before shifting a bit. Angela could tell by the look on her face she was about to drop some bomb on them and braced herself for what was about to come out of her best friend's mouth. "I've never been to New York, but I imagine it'd be fun," she stated on a sigh. "I know Lino and Nessa had a good time when you paid for them to go over to help Ang out."

Angela choked on her wine cooler as she stared at Rosa in disbelief. The days after losing Raj were all a blur until the moment Lino woke her out of her drunken stupor. He and Vanessa had helped piece her back together. If it hadn't been for them, she didn't know what would've happened to her. She'd been so grateful that they were there, she'd never questioned who told them what had happened or how they'd gotten there. She was just thankful they were there to help. Hearing it was Juice was mind blowing. He'd saved her life...again. "It was you?" she asked Juice, eyes wide.

Juice ducked his head, scratching at the back of his neck. "Oh I uh...well I...I knew you needed someone, and I couldn't go, and I remember you talked about Lino...coming to visit you. Hap got his number from your Ma, and I called to see if he'd go. I figured he'd help."

"He did. They both did. A lot," she murmured. She glanced over at Lino and Vanessa, noticing how they were looking anywhere but at her. "And you two never said anything?"

"He told me not to!" Lino exclaimed, glaring at Rosa. "Fuckin' Rosa and her big ass mouth!"

Rosa flipped him off, pushing herself to her feet. "Someone had to tell her," she said on a shrug. "I'm gonna go check in on my girlfriend."

Angela stared at Juice, trying to wrap her brain around her new discovery. His face was red as he stared down at his lap. "Juice? Why didn't you say anything?"

He lifted his head, his eyes meeting hers. "I dunno. I didn't do it for any kind of...recognition. I did it because...I care about you...a lot, and I wanted you to be okay."

She reached out and put her hand on his, squeezing it tightly. "Thank you."

Juice's thumb traced over the side of her hand. "No need to thank me. Do anythin' for you, Angel. You know that."

"Awww, that's cute," Lino teased, a huge grin on his face. "Glad that's out in the open 'cause that secret was killin' me."

Angela was so wrapped up in her thoughts, she'd forgotten they weren't alone. She rolled her eyes at Lino, moving her hand away from Juice's. "Yeah, that was shitty. You shoulda told me."

"Couldn't. Guy code," he explained on a shrug. "And Ness couldn't 'cause...girlfriend code."

"That's stupid."

"I told him we should tell you anyway," Vanessa put in on a frown. "He insisted we had to follow the bullshit code. How do you think the two of 'em became such good friends?"

Angela raised her eyebrow at them. "You guys are good friends?"

Both men shifted awkwardly at the question. "I mean, sure, I guess," Lino replied on a shrug. "Juice is a good dude. Like the way he cares about you."

"Yeah. We get along pretty well for two guys from different clubs," Juice stated, messing with his hat.

"They play Call of Duty 'til like four in the morning sometimes," Vanessa scoffed, rolling her eyes.

Angela's eyes widened as she looked from Juice to Lino. "He's the one you've been yellin' at while playing your stupid little war games?"

"Hey! They're not stupid!" Lino exclaimed on a scowl. "We're fuckin' good at them! Kick every one's ass!"

"Yeah!" Juice agreed with a grin. "Plus, it's like...stress relief!"

Angela laughed, shaking her head at the two. Secretly, she was glad they were friends. Both of them meant a lot to her, and she was happy to see them get along. "You guys are nerds. Hard core motorcycle club members playing video games with each other. Ridiculous."

"Not members, prospects," Lino corrected, smiling at her. "We don't gotta be hardcore just yet."

Juice nodded, holding out his fist for Lino to bump. "Plus, it isn't nerdy if the whole game centers around killin' people."

"Just practice for when we do get those top rockers," Lino put in.

Vanessa's eyes widened as she swatted Lino's shoulder. "Don't say those things. You're not killing anyone ever!"

Angela glanced at Juice who'd gone a little too quiet. He'd already killed for the club, for her, the night of the accident. She'd been so wrapped up in her own drama with Esai, she'd never thought about how that would affect him. Reaching out, she set her hand on his again. "How about we go and play some games? C'mon, goof, I bet I can beat you at that water game!"

Juice smiled at her. His eyes were still a little sad, but he nodded excitedly. "Doubt it. Let's see what you got, Angel."

Angela kicked Juice's ass at every game. Lino's too. She earned herself a medium sized Pikachu stuffed animal that Juice was currently holding under his arm while he watched her and Vanessa ride the carousel. Lino was leaning beside him, a teddy bear of his own in his hands that he kept waving at his girlfriend as she passed. "Can I ask you something?" Juice asked as he watched the girls laugh at something together.

Lino's brows furrowed together in confusion for a moment before he shrugged and nodded, "Sure."

"Why Esai? All this time, why was he the only one Ang was ever with? How was it no one else saw her?"

Lino sighed and shrugged. "Angela's always been...different, I guess. I mean, she had her big, bad ass cousin dropping her off at school startin' in like the second grade," he explained with a frown, "And she thought she had to be tough like him. She'd put on this tough girl front and build up these walls so fuckin' high, no one could get through 'em. She didn't smile a lot, growin' up, 'n' there was always this like...darkness to her. Scared the other kids, other guys off. And then there was her cousin rollin' in to drop her off, glarin' at everyone who looked at her twice. He was intimidating, she was intimidating. Not to mention she's smart as fuck. If that big cousin a hers didn't scare the guys off, her big brains did."

Lino frowned a bit before shaking his head. "I'm not sayin' she was a lonely kid. I mean, she had me and Rosa growin' up, but we were pretty much it. The three amigos. I mean, I had my soccer boys, but those two were always more fun to hang out with anyway. Always gettin' into trouble."

"So where does he come in then? I mean, if she was too smart for other dudes, how does he win her over? No offense, but he's a fuckin' dumbass."

He snorted a bit, shrugging his shoulder. "Esai was always on the periphery growin' up. Was best friends with Ro's brother, so he was just...there. Ro and Ang were always together, Raffa and E were always together. Angela was comfortable around E and trusted him 'cause of Raffa. Esai got to see her with her walls down at Ro's place," he explained with a little smile. "Everyone else saw Angela's resting bitch face, but E got to see the way she really is, and we both know how great she is when she's not playing tough. How pretty she is when she's smilin' and laughin'. That's what drew E in. She was pretty and smart, different than the typical girls that hung around the Mayans."

Juice raised his eyebrow at him. "You have a crush on her too?"

"Nah. Never. She's my girl. I love her like a sister. Always have, always will. I can say she's pretty and shit without it being romantic. I think flowers are beautiful, but that don't mean I want to fuck 'em."

He chuckled, shaking his head at Lino's logic. "Good to know."

"How'd you see through it?"

"Through what?"

"That big ass wall she keeps up to keep people out?"

Juice shrugged a shoulder, thinking back to the day he met her. "I dunno. She was...I watched her punch out a mugger, and I was in awe. She was...stunning. Strong and smart, like you said. A total badass. I didn't notice a wall at all. Just saw her. She was easy to talk to and we had fun together. I liked her. Right off the bat. I wanted to be with her, but she had Raj and then Esai, and we just have shit timing."

"Until now," Lino stated, a pensive look on his face. "You know, you say all these nice things about her. Callin' her stunning 'n' shit...maybe you should tell her."

He blinked at him. "Tell her what?"

"That she's stunning and beautiful and smart and all that mushy shit you just told me! If you love her, just fucking tell her," he insisted with a big grin. "Because you two dancing around each other is becoming really fuckin' annoying, and Esai's still waiting in the wings to slide in there. You don't make your move soon, and he's gonna shoot his shot again, and she might just give in...again."

Juice's stomach felt sick at the idea of that. "She wouldn't."

Lino shrugged a shoulder. "I dunno, man. She gets lonely, she might give him a chance. Wouldn't be the first time. Angela doesn't like to be alone. What are you waiting for? Be a man. Make a damn move already."

"She's not into me like that. We're just friends."

He scowled at him, shaking his head. "Man, you really are dumb. She is into you. She's been into you. You make her fuckin' happy. Give it a shot. Trust me, you won't regret it."

Juice caught Angela's eye just as the carousel was starting to slow down. Her smile widened, hand coming up to wave enthusiastically at him in the same way Vanessa was waving at Lino. Could she really have feelings for him? He remembered the way she'd shivered underneath his touch as he rubbed sunscreen into her skin, the way her touch had lingered just a little too long on his back as if she hadn't wanted to stop touching him. He'd thought it was just his imagination but maybe it wasn't. Maybe she was trying to tell him something.

"You good, goofy?" she asked as they walked back to the beach together. Lino and Vanessa were a bit ahead of them, giving them a moment to themselves.

He shook himself from his thoughts. "Yeah, yeah, totally. Havin' a great time," he assured her. "You got great friends."

"I know. I'm...really lucky," she said with a small smile. "I mean, one even paid to send the other two to me in New York when I was at my lowest. That's pretty amazing."

"Stop. This was why I didn't want to tell you. I knew you needed help, so I helped you. That's what you do when you care about someone," he said, smiling a little. On instinct, he lifted his arm and set it across her shoulders, relieved when she leaned into his side a bit.

"Thanks, Juice. Dunno what I would've done on my own."

Juice shook his head quickly. "I'd a never let you be on your own. If Lino said no, I was gonna go myself. Mob or not, you come first."

Her responding smile made his heart sputter in his chest. She stopped just a few feet away from where her friends had just started to pack up their camp. The sun had started to set, and Lino had said he wanted to get home before it got too dark out. The sky was a beautiful masterpiece of oranges and pinks, but Juice couldn't take his eyes off of Angela. She stood on her toes, kissing his cheek quickly. "Thank you. You have no idea how much that means to me."

He thought about kissing her then. The mood was right. The sunset was beautiful, she was beautiful. He turned to face her, their eyes meeting for a moment. Her dark eyes were curious and warm, lips parted as if in anticipation. Did she want him to kiss her? Was she expecting him too? He started to lean in when Rosa's voice shattered the moment. "Hey! You two gonna help or not, 'cause this shit ain't gonna clean itself!" she shouted at them.

"Fuck," Angela cursed softly, a soft blush tinging her cheeks. "C'mon, goofy, we better go help before she loses it."

"Y-yeah, totally," he agreed, feeling his own cheeks warm.

They packed up the beach site and headed back to the Escalade. Just as Rosa had ordered, Angela climbed into the back smiling at him when he climbed in beside her. In the small back seat, their knees bumped against each other awkwardly, arms grazing, but she made no move to pull away, so he subtly scooted closer wanting to be nearer to her in any way possible. He wasn't sure when it happened, but somewhere along the way, Angela fell asleep with her head against his shoulder. It was such a small, insignificant thing, but for some reason, it gave him butterflies just as it had the first night she was home from New York and had fallen asleep against him. Maybe this was a sign. A sign that it was time for him to make his move. A sign he'd definitely missed the first time around. There was no way in hell he'd miss it this time, though. No, this time, he was going to make his move and let the chips fall where they may. He just had to wait for the right moment.

I could write PAGES of fun moments of this group all together, but then it'd be way too long and drawn out. Toying with the idea of adding a one shot or two to a separate story, like I did with "It won't be soon before long" just to explore the characters a little more.

Is that something y'all would be interested in?

Thanks for reading! Big things to come in the next chapters! ;)

~Love Ink