Howdy ho there, gamers! Hope you've all been well. I'm back at it again with another (slightly shorter, sorry Angela) chapter! Been sitting on this for a few days because I was wondering if it was too short, but anything I tried adding just came out trash. Don't really have much else to say, head kinda running on empty lately, but I hope you lovelies enjoy! ~Shaymie

Angela

This had to be some kind of karma for teasing Luke the other day.

Angela blushed as she secured her bikini top and glanced over at Luke. He was still facing away from her, a bright red mark on his cheek from where she'd slapped him. He'd been staring a bit too long after the two of them realized that the rough wave that crashed over them had taken her top off. She's absolutely positive he had gotten a glimpse of something he shouldn't have.

"You can turn around now," she told him, cheeks still blazing. She's never had a problem with guys seeing her body before. During her wild streak after the break-up with Mikhail, she'd become known for flashing people at parties. But something was different about Luke. Even though she teased him all the time, she couldn't help but be embarrassed at the thought of him seeing her chest. It wasn't as impressive as Muffy's, and she didn't know how to show off like Reina.

Maybe that was why Mikhail had gone after someone prettier and more feminine. He had an image to upkeep. He played with symphonies and orchestras. The people in his circle considered a suit and tie casual wear and had no qualms about dropping hundreds on designer clothes and jewelry. They were classy. Dignified. Try as she might, she had never been able to fit in with them. Even just standing there quietly and looking pretty didn't work because the women could just tell that she didn't belong there. All she'd ever done was drag Mikhail down.

"I, uh... didn't see anything. If that's what you're worried about. The water covered you up." Luke's face was as red as the handprint on his cheek. If they weren't in the ocean, Angela was sure she'd overheat from embarrassment. She couldn't bring herself to meet his golden eyes and looked basically anywhere else. Molly was walking along the shore with Chase, her eyes bright as she showed him a piece of pink sea glass. The two of them almost looked like a couple, Molly smiling as she pressed the glass into Chase's hand.

At least they didn't notice, lost in their own world as they were. She felt bad for doubting their friendship before. Molly seemed genuinely happy to be friends with him, and she even managed to bring out a rare smile from him every once in a while. And though Chase tries his hardest to hide it, it's obvious that he cares for her a lot. Angela was curious as to how they got so close so fast, but it was none of her business. Besides, she had other things to worry about right now.

"We're never talking about this again, got it?" she hissed as she turned back to Luke, exhaling sharply through her nose. She wanted to forget this ever happened. She thought things like this only ever happened in TV shows or anime for cheap fanservice. Luke nodded, cheeks still flaming. Angela sighed and turned to swim away, only to be stopped by Luke grabbing her hand.

"A-Ange... Do you want to go to the Firefly Festival with me?"

She'd heard about the Firefly Festival from Kathy. It's a night where you pay your respects to the people who came before you. Molly's already decided to opt out of it. Their father's death was a year ago, but it still hurt like hell to think about. And their mother... Molly still had conflicted feelings about her. Feelings that she was working through with her therapist over the phone every other week.

But the Firefly Festival is...

"Luke Dawson, are you asking me on a... date?" Surely he knew that this was a festival intended for asking people out. This isn't like the Flower Festival, where she'd gone with both Luke and Owen as friends. Even if it was, it's not exactly like they could do that again. Owen and Kathy were together now. They hadn't officially announced it or anything, but it was pretty obvious in the way they acted around each other.

"Yeah!" Luke smiled warmly at her, taking her other hand in his. The expression on his face sent a warm feeling rushing through her body. Nobody's ever looked at her like this before, not even Mikhail in the nearly five years they'd been together. Nobody's ever asked her out before. Aside from a few hook-ups back in high school, all the guys in her grade were too intimidated by her so she had to make the first move. It was flattering at first, but as she got older she started to realize how isolating it was. How it made her feel lesser than the other girls.

She gnawed on the corner of her lip, her gaze falling to their conjoined hands. She's 25 years old, but has butterflies in her stomach like a damn teenager. The past year had been spent wondering if she should give up on dating altogether. If guys saw her as unapproachable, then what was even the point of trying? She'd resigned herself to maybe being the cool aunt, whenever Kasey and Molly started having kids. But Luke likes her. He likes her enough to ask her out even though there's prettier girls out there, girls that he's known for far longer.

"You know, most guys ask a girl out on a date before getting a look at her tits." She looked down at their hands again, her cheeks flushing. Maybe Reina's right, it is time for her to start dating again. And who better to be her first date in a year than one of her best friends? "Yeah, I'll go with- oh!"

Luke grabbed her mid-sentence and spun her around, laughing giddily. She couldn't help but laugh along with him. This felt like a dream. How could someone be so happy at the idea of going out with her? It's not like she's special or anything. In fact, she's a hot mess. If Luke knew about the things she had done before coming here, he'd run for the hills. The alcohol, the drugs (though thankfully that phase didn't last long), the drunken sex with anybody who even looked at her...

She knows she doesn't deserve Luke, but she's too selfish to consider turning away the one guy that actually likes her. She could only hope he doesn't hate her when she tells him everything, whenever that is.