Chapter 31
The way Rhys’s friends rallied around him meant so much.
By the time they caught up with Jarek on the far side of Il Giardino’s grounds, Lola’s ex was more than ready for a fight.
With Jarek in his face spitting vitriol and talking shit about Lola, baiting him with ‘she’s going to tear you up and spit you out’, Rhys realised he was the one in control.
Jarek was alone, while his friends were supporting him.
However much he wanted to lash out, he wouldn’t, because Jarek was in the wrong, no one else; Jarek was the one cornered and fighting; Jarek was the one who Lola loathed.
Rhys didn’t snap, not like he had at the stag do with Freddie.
This was different because he didn’t want to make things worse for Lola, because he cared deeply about her, even if she didn’t think of him in the same way.
There was nothing more he’d like than to punch Jarek’s viciously handsome face, but he restrained himself.
His friends only stepped in when Jarek continued to provoke him, almost as if he wanted to get hit, manipulating the situation so he would be the one wronged.
Rhys wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.
To protect her, he’d walk away. And this time with countless witnesses, Jarek had messed up.
Freddie and Barnaby elbowed their way in-between them and Rhys allowed them to take charge.
‘You’ve gate-crashed this wedding; you’re leaving. Now ,’ Freddie growled as he clamped his hand on Jarek’s shoulder. Barnaby closed in on Jarek’s other side.
Jarek was playing it cool. He shrugged Freddie off and held his hands up, seemingly unruffled as he looked between them all, his focus zoning in on Rhys, which made his skin crawl.
He refused to flinch from his hateful gaze.
It was clear to see how easily he could turn on the charm and how effortlessly he’d been able to reel Lola in.
‘I was leaving anyway,’ he said breezily as if he hadn’t turned up purely to upset. With his hands in his trouser pockets, he strolled towards the exit, Freddie following a few steps behind. Before closing the gate, Jarek turned and looked at Rhys. ‘Tell Lola I’ll see her soon.’
Rhys nearly lost it at that, but Barnaby grabbed him before he could charge forward.
‘He’s not worth it.’ Barnaby’s firm words and pleading look was enough to make Rhys pause. ‘Walk away and find Lola. We’ll make sure he doesn’t come back.’
Rhys wanted to do anything but find Lola. That was a conversation he didn’t want to have, because the emotions that had been stirred when he saw her kissing Valentino had left him feeling downright confused. But Barnaby insisted, so he left.
The spiralling negativity tightened its grip as he retraced his steps through the meadow.
Darkness had descended and lights glittered through the trees up ahead.
The garden terrace was now awash with colour.
The craggy mountains were silhouetted against the midnight-blue sky, while the horizon was tinged amber and gold.
A breeze rustled the grasses and sent the shepherds’ bells jangling.
The music, laughter and light was inviting and he knew Lola was in amongst it somewhere, her friends rallying around her.
Valentino may well be comforting her too.
Rhys clenched his fists and the knot in his chest tightened.
How had he ever believed he’d be good enough for someone like Lola?
The look Jarek had given him, one of pity and disbelief at the possibility that Lola had replaced him – a handsome, rich investment banker – with a plain, shy teacher was laughable.
He wanted to stay concealed in the darkness on the periphery, like he so often was.
Not that he could continue leading his life like that.
He was putting his career, his ambitions and his life in Bristol on hold to go travelling, but what he was really doing was escaping so he didn’t have to deal with difficult emotions when that was exactly what he needed to do.
Lola was just visible beyond the trees, radiant despite her lack of a smile. She stood out amongst her friends, her beauty accentuated by the soft candlelight. Barnaby had urged him to find her, but how on earth could he walk up to her now?
A breeze stirred the leaves; out in the countryside, autumn was in the air, particularly now the sun had nearly disappeared.
Rhys breathed a deep lungful of fresh air tinged with earthiness and herbs.
Being outdoors was what he loved, it was where he felt at peace, a similar feeling to when he was making things with his hands.
He had to stop hiding or shoving down his desires because they felt too hard to bring to fruition.
He 100 per cent knew he would feel even worse if he ignored Lola completely.
Rhys left the meadow and followed the dusty path that wound through the trees. The flickering light and the warmth of the colours coming from the garden terrace chased away the shadows. Music drifted and laughter pierced the air.
Lola was surrounded by her friends, Deni, Polly and Sarah circling her as protectively as a pack of wolves. She caught sight of him first, immediately breaking away from the group and stepping towards him, her hands outstretched.
‘Are you okay?’ She glanced behind him. ‘Is he gone?’
Rhys nodded, his mouth suddenly dry. The worry in her eyes broke his heart, but more than anything he wished he’d been the one to protect her when Jarek showed up. At least Valentino was nowhere to be seen. He clenched his fists again.
‘He’s gone. Barnaby’s going to speak to the staff, ensure he doesn’t come back.’
‘Thank you.’ Lola stepped a little closer. Rhys noticed her friends kept their distance, pretending to talk amongst themselves, but they were watching like hawks, unsubtly trying to listen in.
‘Are you okay though?’
‘I’m okay now…’ She trailed off. ‘I don’t know why I was surprised that he showed up here.’
He shook his head. ‘He is one determined son-of-a-bitch.’ At her wide-eyed look, he backtracked, his voice softening. ‘He’s really left, Lola. And you’re not alone.’ He gestured towards her friends, who were still doing a rubbish job of pretending they weren’t watching.
The short distance between them felt vast, as if there was an invisible divide keeping them apart. Half of him wanted to breach it so he could hug her, while the other half wanted to run away.
‘I, uh… About what happened.’ She gestured towards the table she’d been sitting at.
‘I know why you did it.’ Rhys shoved his hands in his pockets. ‘To protect yourself, to show him you’ve moved on with someone who’s his equal.’
Lola drew back. ‘That’s not what I was thinking at all.’ Her expression morphed from worry to tight-lipped stoniness. ‘I did it to pr?—’
‘Honestly, Lola, it’s okay,’ he cut in softly as the sorrow in his chest grew. ‘You don’t need to explain. It was perfectly clear. I would have done the same in your position.’
He didn’t know how to deal with the rejection, and he definitely couldn’t stand to see Lola’s face crumple.
So with his heart racing, he walked away and tried to blot out the sight of her damp eyes.
He was escaping again, although unlike at the first night party, this time there was no chance of Lola joining him.
The roof terrace where many photos had been taken earlier was quiet, with only a few guests cosying up on the white cushioned seats; no one he knew well enough to start up a conversation with.
The wistful look of longing on Lola’s face when she’d been watching Mirabel with Fabs earlier had made his heart stall.
Her best friend would be starting her married life with her soulmate.
To have that… Rhys loosed a long breath and rested his elbows on the stone wall.
Tiny bulbs crisscrossed the bar terrace below.
The earlier electric string trio had been replaced with a DJ playing an eclectic mix of music.
He couldn’t resist tapping his foot. Fabs and Mirabel were dancing together, while Fabs’s sisters and their husbands circled them.
Both sets of parents looked on, their smiling, flushed faces filled with love, while not a hint of animosity lingered between them.
Watching the swirling dancers and listening to the happy chatter and laughter merging with the music allowed his heart to calm and the adrenaline to subside.
Rhys remained leaning against the rough wall long enough for his elbows to begin to ache. He straightened, stretched and rested his hands back on the wall. The surrounding darkness was absolute and suited his mood; even the jagged outline of the mountain had merged with the inky sky.
Heels clipped across the rooftop terrace.
Zoe appeared by his side. He mumbled some sort of greeting, but she remained silent as they gazed down at the guests either dancing or milling about between the potted olive trees and flickering lanterns.
He caught a flash of Lola’s plum-blue dress before she was swallowed up by the trees, Sarah, Deni and Polly with her.
‘Why the hell are you up here and not down there with Lola?’ Zoe finally broke the silence.
‘If you’ve come to gloat, I’m not in the mood?—’
‘Freddie caught me up.’ Zoe clasped her hands together on the wall. ‘I’m not gloating. I’m checking you’re okay. The guys said you seemed upset.’
‘No shit.’
‘Which is understandable after what happened.’ She ran her thumb over her engagement ring.
‘A bit of a shock her ex showing up like that. Perhaps you two should have said something before, instead of pretending everything was okay.’ She paused and Rhys sensed her eyes on him.
‘You’ve been hiding quite a lot of things since we’ve been here. ’
Rhys breathed deeply. The colourful dresses and the flickering candlelight merged together in a blur as he tried to hold it together.
He’d come up here for some peace and to escape people – Lola and his friends included, certainly his ex-girlfriend.
He sighed; he might as well get it all out in the open.
‘You were right about that night in Bosa; it was all for show.’ He didn’t look at her, just continued to watch the dancing below. ‘We were just pretending.’
‘Yeah, I figured as much.’ Zoe paused. ‘But it’s not for show now, is it? Not the way she looks at you or how you feel about her, given how bloody miserable you are right now. No one hurts the way she’s hurting tonight without being head over heels in?—’
‘Don’t, Zoe. Just don’t.’ Rhys shook his head. ‘She doesn’t want someone like me. She wants someone like Valentino, someone who is impressive in every fucking way.’
‘Oh, get over yourself, Rhys!’ Zoe spluttered. ‘You’re the nicest damn man I’ve ever known and sexy with it – just don’t tell Freddie I said that. I loved being with you, it was just the wrong time. I wasn’t ready for a serious relationship back then, both times we were together?—’
‘And you are now?’
‘Me and Freddie are dead good together. I treated you like shit messing about behind your back when we were at uni, but we’ve all grown up since then.
And changed.’ She pouted as if contemplating saying something more.
‘You see yourself in a completely different way to how everyone else sees you. And what Lola did with Valentino tonight was to stick two fingers up to her crazy ex in an attempt to get him off your back. Sarah said as much.’
Rhys lifted his hands from the wall, turned to her and frowned.
Zoe shrugged. ‘Sarah and I have been tight since yesterday evening’s girls’ night.
She’s as much of a gossip as I am.’ Zoe studied him with a directness that made her formidable working in an industry dominated by men.
‘You’re a fool if you don’t fight for her or, worse, let your insecurities get the better of you. ’
‘You do understand where my insecurities come from?’
Zoe held up her hands. ‘Why the hell do you think I’m talking to you now?
I fucked up when we were together. I dealt with my own insecurities and uncertainty in a cowardly way, by upping and leaving instead of staying and talking things through.
We would never have worked out, but I should have dealt with the situation differently.
We did have fun, Rhys. I’m happy now and I want that for you too.
We were once really good mates. I cared about you and still do.
Neither me nor Freddie want to lose you.
I know we’re never going to be able to get our friendship back to the way things were, but it’d be ace if we could at least be in a room together without wanting to flay each other. ’
‘Or chat openly about stuff the way we used to.’
‘Exactly. The way we’re doing right now.’ She waggled a finger between them. ‘And at least I can put my hand on my heart and say I’m nowhere near as crazy bad as Lola’s ex.’
Rhys huffed a laugh. ‘You could put it on a T-shirt: “I’m no psycho ex”.’
‘Something to be proud of.’
‘Indeed.’
‘Go talk to her, Rhys.’ Zoe looked at him intently and touched his arm, a platonic gesture that made him feel nothing, neither longing nor regret.
‘Don’t let her ex ruin what you have with Lola, because I’m pretty sure that was his intention.
I ran away from big scary feelings and adult conversation once.
Don’t make the same mistake I did and mess things up with Lola, even if it only ends up being a friendship you lose out on.
’ Her eyes were soft and sad. She pushed away from the wall and patted his shoulder.
‘Promise me you won’t be so stubborn that you miss your chance with her, Rhys. ’