Chapter 47

ANGEL SINCLAIR.

Sunday, 10:32 AM

I get ready for the championship and leave the house as soon as Lorenzo tells me he's here. I get into his car with the convertible open and greet Ashley and Ian who are in the back of the car.

"Happy birthday, Lorenzo!" I wish him, hugging him.

"Thanks, Angel. This date couldn't be better," we both kiss.

"The sailing started early today," Ian says and we laugh.

"I'm happy to be able to spend this moment with you," I say, giving him a kiss and breaking the embrace.

"I'll say the same to you, beautiful," he replies, setting off.

"And off we go," Ian says excitedly.

I put on some good music and sing along enthusiastically, but I notice that Ashley isn't as excited as I am. When we used to go out alone, she was always very euphoric and for a while now she's been very quiet. When we're alone, I'll talk to her more.

"Wow, it's already really crowded!" Lorenzo says as soon as we arrive in the parking lot.

"I thought it would be less crowded," I say.

"Me too," Ian agrees.

We get out of the car and choose a high seat in the bleachers. I smile and wave to a few people I know and sit down with Ashley. The boys go out to get food and we save their seats with our bags.

"Ashley, is everything okay?" I ask.

"Yes, it is," she replies naturally.

"Are you sure?" I ask again and she nods.

"I'm sure I'm fine, Angel. Why are you asking me this kind of question?" she asks.

"I'm not sure, but you seem very quiet," I say.

"It's just you," she retorts.

"I know it's not, but that's okay. Everyone has their moments and I'm not going to interfere in yours, but please know that I care and I'm willing to help in any way I can. If you're having any difficulties at home..." Ashley interrupts me before I can finish my sentence.

"Angel, I said it's okay! Don't travel!" she says, making me drop the subject.

"All right, then. If you're telling me, who am I?" I shrug.

Lorenzo and Ian arrive with popcorn, soda, cotton candy, water and even hot dogs.

"Oh my God! I didn't need so much," I say, grabbing a bottle of water.

"I'll have a hot dog and soda," says Ashley.

Ian sits next to her and Lorenzo sits next to me with the popcorn and soda. I take some of his popcorn and alternate between popcorn and water, as these are the healthiest things they've brought, especially to consume in the morning.

The game starts and I hold my hair back because of the heat. Lorenzo gets me another cold water and when I look over, I see Bryan watching the game with Cedric. He immediately sees me too, but turns his head away, avoiding looking at me. I splash some water on my clothes and quickly take the bottle out of my mouth.

"Is everything all right?" Lorenzo asks.

"Everything's fine, I was just concentrating on the game and got nervous," I reply, closing the bottle and handing it to him.

Bryan is on the other side of the stands, in the rival supporters' section. Lorenzo isn't even paying attention and hasn't even seen him, which is even better, because I don't want him to suspect that I got nervous because of Bryan's presence. No one can notice that, by the way. If someone notices something, they'll notice everything and then you just have to connect the dots to get the result.

Our team scores a goal and the whole crowd stands up to celebrate. Lorenzo and I kiss and smile between kisses. I look over and see Ashley and Ian smiling at each other, I can't wait for these two to start getting involved. But knowing Ashley, she would have picked Ian up by now if she was into him, because she doesn't waste time with these things.

"I think we'll take that one," Lorenzo says as soon as we sit back down.

"I hope so, that's the only way we don't miss a trip," he nods.

"Yeah, because it's not enough that we have to organize the house for the party when we're done here," Lorenzo says.

"Relax, there are four of us and we'll have help from the decorators. And after all, we're only having a few people, so we don't need that much production," I say.

At the end of it all, our team wins the match and we leave the field with a smile on our faces. In the parking lot, we get into Lorenzo's car and Bryan drives up in front of us. I pretend not to have seen him, because above all, Cedric is in the passenger seat and I can't even look that boy in the face. They're both frowning because their team lost. Bryan was supposed to stay away from Cedric, but apparently he didn't listen to his mother's advice, as I expected he would.

As soon as we arrive at Lorenzo's house, I look at the immensity. It's a huge house and it's going to be very cramped with just a few people, but that's how he wants it, so we'll do it. We stay until 5pm with the decorators helping to set everything up. The pool area and the party room are ready, as well as getting the buffet and drinks he asked for. The sound team is already here and so is the bartender, as this will add a lot and save us a lot of work.

"It's beautiful!" I say.

"It's just what I wanted," Lorenzo smiles and I smile too.

"Well, now I have to go and get ready so I can get here in the evening."

"Me too," Ashley and Ian say in unison.

"Go on, I'll be waiting for everyone here," Lorenzo says.

I kiss him goodbye and his driver drops us all off at home. I go up to my room and choose a beautiful outfit that's just right for the occasion. I leave Lorenzo's present on the bed so I don't forget to take it and go straight to the bathroom, as I urgently need a shower to get myself together.