𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕪 𝕖𝕪𝕖𝕕

Angel was the exception, a diamond in the rough he’d once tried to convince himself was just a fleeting fancy. Someone he'd replace with time, just another memory folded away. But time had proved him wrong. Days turned into months, and her voice only grew louder in his head, an echo that refused to fade.

When she finally answered, he exhaled, relief flooding his chest. "That's nice," Kit replied casually, though his tone betrayed a flicker of the elation he tried to suppress. He gripped the steering wheel tighter, stealing a quick glance at her before focusing back on the road. "I just... I figured you’d want to leave," he added, clearing his throat. "And, honestly," he paused, searching for the right words, "I don’t want to risk not seeing you again." Before she could respond, he pressed forward, as if afraid to linger too long in the moment. "I’m glad you’re finally out of the junkyard. Atta and your boss, huh? Didn’t see that twist coming," he said, a small grin tugging at his lips.

The silence was thick sitting between them, one word being unusual for either of them. While most of the time it was difficult to get her to shut up right now she was fighting for a reason to speak. He was the one who had explanations to give and Angel still wondered what made her agree to this in the first place. The denial was obvious but this had given him exactly what she tried to hide: she wasn't quite as over their situation as she made it appear. That didn't mean she hadn't tried finding it through something or someone else but the blonde sat in his passenger seat once again.

Angel was prepared to snap back with a witty comment, a jab at the way things had ended and she'd been surprised to hear a genuine response. One thing she'd come to know from Kit Charming was that he said what people expected of him or avoidance of the feelings he didn't want to think about. This answer had come as a surprise, a true glimpse into his psyche, and she wasn't about to let him get away from it. "Then what took you so long to see me? You didn't have to be a stranger," she questioned. Enough time had passed that Angel sought out the truth, some confirmation that she wasn't alone in the feelings she couldn't escape and the past she didn't forget. "Stop running from the conversation, you're not fooling me with that shit." The blonde adjusted the seatbelt so she could face him, her eyebrows knitting together and arms folding in synch. "You can't even say that you miss me, can you?" Her words were harsh, cutting through but she wanted to reach bone or something real to shake him loose of the ways he'd been stuck in.

"Yeah, definitely," he said quickly, nodding as he moved to open the door for her. There was an edge of nervousness in his movements, like a boy fumbling for approval. Once she was buckled in, Kit lingered for a moment, gripping the steering wheel as if anchoring himself. He glanced at her, mouth half-open as if to speak, but her firm, quiet look told him to just start driving. Fair enough. If they stayed parked, he might lose his nerve altogether.

The engine roared to life, and with the windows down, they drove aimlessly. The wind tangled in their silence, the hum of the road the only sound between them. Kit stole a glance at her when he thought she wouldn’t notice. Finally, summoning what courage he could muster, he broke the silence. "Are you going to leave the Isle, Angel?" His voice was calm, but his knuckles tightened on the steering wheel. His eyes stayed fixed on the road ahead, though his mind was miles away, silently praying she’d say what he needed to hear.

Angel wasn't sure what possessed her to actually get in the car and subject herself to whatever bullshit he wanted to feed her. That was until she felt the atmosphere, realizing the power had been placed in her hands after their last meeting. After feeling trapped between his gaze and those of his peers it was now only her eyes that bore into him, seeing the man underneath the custom-tailored suit. The blonde's eyes shifted between him and the road as they started on the journey to nowhere. At least the wheeze of the wind kept her distracted from the words that were taking up space beneath her tongue, debating on letting them all free to run a muck in the car or forcing him to make the first move.

Luckily for her, he made up his mind before she had the chance to break the ice forming between them. It was a simple question really, but Angel knew it was deeper than that, reading invisible ink behind words being the only way they communicated anymore. "That's what you brought me out here to ask?" The blonde adjusted then so that she could watch him squirm in wait for her answer. After all he'd put her through, she figured she could at least enjoy the power shift while it lasted before he went back to being the Isle's most beloved boy. It was with a deep sigh that she eventually responded to the question that hung in the air. "I-I don't know. As much as I've always wanted to get the fuck out of here I've actually kind of made a home for myself here. I got this grant to build my own shop and Atta put in a good word so her husband doesn't steal all my business." A smile almost formed before remembering her situation and sinking back into the seat for support. "Sorry to disappoint you if you were looking to get rid of me for good this time," she said through a grumble, her arms folding across her chest as armor to protect her heart from whatever he may say next.

What they had was simple but everything else going on in her life felt complicated. Angel slowly stopped thinking about Kit every day though he crept into her thoughts far too often. Every time he'd pop up she tried to remind herself of all that happened and shove their memories into a box within her head. It was better to keep her ex-fling or whatever they were there kept as far from her head as possible but since he showed back up Angel had been sinning again and slipping back into old ways. Landon was a necessary distraction, a remembrance that there were other people in the world, exceptionally hot ones who she knew exactly where she stood with. "Oh, yeah? I'm going to remember that the next time I come into the casino," the blonde hummed as she fell back into bed with him. Angel traced the lines on his arm as he spoke, a smile already forming as the question fell from his lips. It was bittersweet, loving the rest of the gang but watching Buster have to figure things out without her was going to be rich. "I thought for a second his eyes were going to pop out of his skull," she laughed rolling over onto her back. "Kind of surprised he didn't kill me on the spot."

FLORENCE PUGH

༝༝ ✧ ༝༝ 

In a matter of weeks, her life was in the process of changing entirely and finally opening up the doors Angel thought were closed to her. After a stroke of luck in winning the money, she could start the process of actually starting her very own garage. While it hadn't been easy to convince Buster to let her go, he'd agreed on it so long as she would still come work for him if he ever needed the help. Angel wanted her shop to be strictly for cars and not the illegal side of things that her ex-boss got most of his income from. While she knew it wouldn't be easy at first, it felt all too good to not at least try to chase her dream. That being said, Angel wasn't going to be able to do it alone which was why she'd called on the person she trusted most to make him an offer. "So, since I got the money and you know, the borders are opening..." The girl's voice faded off for a moment so that she could give a bit of suspension before asking the big question. "I was kind of wondering if you wanted to go into business with me and open a garage of our own? We always were the dream team after all." Each other was the only reason they got through some of their times off the Isle and she hoped that could continue on to her next adventure. "You know, if you're interested."

༝༝ ✧ ༝༝ 

"Have you seen my bra?" The blonde asked looking around on the floor for her missing item of clothing after putting on her shirt without one. Visiting Landon had become an easy way to relieve some of her pent-up stress without the concern that either of them was growing a desire for more. He'd actually provided a safe place for her to talk about the man who had single-handedly confused her into thinking she could've been the next Charming. Instead, she'd gotten humiliated in front of everyone as the girl who almost had something with the infamous Kit Charming. It had a display of how out of place she'd been the entire time, having finally seen all the glances that had been blinded by the affection of the man they adored. Once she'd gained clarity, Angel had been trying to establish a new life for herself, and with the borders open it had given her the perfect opportunity. "Good thing I was looking at properties for the shop before I came over but I think I might've gotten a better deal on the rent if I showed up like this," she joked giving a glance down at her oversized t-shirt and not much left to the imagination. "I still am like kind of waiting to get told it's all a fucked up joke." The blonde flopped back into his bed for their usual gossip session.

His heart pounded as he drove through the dark night. His thoughts were on her, weighed down by the sinking grief that he might lose her forever. Perhaps he was being selfish for constantly wanting her, but there was no one else like her. Kit knew that, and he had experienced it firsthand.

His car stopped in front of the junkyard, and he knew she would recognize the sound of his engine. He waited outside, which felt like an eternity. Soon enough she came around, and his longing eyes met hers. "I'm sorry to keep you up."

Angel didn't have a good excuse as to why she'd decided to tell him her whereabouts, her subconscious still clinging to the life it had created for them when she lived in his house. That was until reality hit her like a semi coming through an abandoned highway and she could still feel the bruises it had left behind. Whatever fantasy world the blonde had been in while under his roof had been revealed as the dream she could only reach for and ever grasp. While she'd known he was too good to be true she hadn't prepared for the things that still lingered. Whether it was unsaid words, a ghostly touch, or just the longing to see his face, Angel couldn't deny that something in her still craved him.

The familiar hum of his car engine drew her outside, grabbing her jean jacket as she went to join him. Even if it wasn't that cold out she felt the need to pull her arms through the outerwear so that she had the cuffs to fidget with when the tension inevitably rose. Whether they said a word to each other she could feel it like a thread between them that made her lose her better judgment whenever he was around. "I was up anyway finishing work," Angel said simply. "You wanna go for a drive?" Not only could she use the air but she found it easier to talk openly when she was in the cabin of a car where the world couldn't hear her.

With whispers of the border opening, Kit faced a glaring question: what lay ahead? What awaited him beyond the horizon, and how would he respond? He lay on his king-size bed, staring at the ceiling, his thoughts occupied by the uncertainty. His father had always wanted him to stay, to tend to the estates and propagate the vineyard. But a persistent itch gnawed at him—the urge to see what lay beyond. Then it hit him like a punch to the chest. She was leaving. Without a doubt, she was going to leave this island, and he didn't know if he'll ever see her again.

Kit took out his phone and looked at her number, their picture still the profile image. He sighed, deliberating whether to disturb her peace. Yet, somehow, his fingers started typing. "Hey." Too casual. He deleted it. "Angel, how are you?" Again, he sighed and deleted it.

"I miss you." Before he could second-guess himself, he accidentally hit send.

Angel thumped her wrench rhythmically against the hood of the rust bucket her boss wanted for pickup the following morning. While the blonde hated that she'd been stuck there working late, it also meant she was the best mechanic at the shop which she wasn't one to deny. No one else would've been able to get it ready in that time and when Buster needed to make a sale nothing stood in his way. It was only the familiar ding of her phone with his name that could've distracted her like this and caused her stomach to churn. He'd felt like a distant memory she had to remind herself existed, feeling like the good between them was a dream Angel couldn't have again. No matter how many times she closed her eyes nothing took her back to those moments.

The words felt etched into her skin as Angel read them over again. Like a burn she'd been unable to soothe, he stuck to her and she was left to deal with the scars. Still, she found herself typing back when she knew she shouldn't but better judgment was taking a backseat to the throttle. "Don't say that. You don't get to say that," she typed, instinctively hitting send. Angel paused before she kept going because she knew there would be no going back. "Junkyard gate is open, I'm working late," the blonde sent before her brain got the best of her. An invitation she didn't need to spell out but left for him to accept at his own risk. That was the only way she knew how to tell him that she felt the same without uttering the words Angel couldn't trust anymore.

Florence Pugh photographed by Daniel Paik

“I’ve simply come to my senses,” he added. Perhaps in his desperate attempts to find her, he found himself facing his fears instead—and the glaring fact that he was meant to be alone, a pawn to the business. And she was meant for greater things, a better life, and a man who wasn’t stuck in his ways. She would find peace, knowing that the elites wouldn't look at her in mockery anymore. Perhaps this was a battle they couldn’t win. Kit looked up at her and sighed. “Angel, you don’t have to take care of me anymore,” he added with a weary chuckle. He wanted to ask her how her life was now that he was gone. Did she sleep peacefully? Were his funds reaching her? He wanted to know if she was okay, beyond what he could see and beyond what he had done—but it wasn't his place anymore. “You can leave me, again.”

The words stung against her ears, flinching as the truth ricocheted off of her guarded body. He hadn't been incorrect but she thought hearing about what had happened was a good enough reason. Angel ran the first glimpse she'd gotten at the reality that in a single moment he could obliterate her. A girl who was known to be made of steel had a lot more cracks in her armor than she let on, knowing he had a few battle scars of his own. "Why didn't you try to find me?" The bluntness of her question cut through the air that hung heavily between them. "You know what's stupid is I actually thought you liked me. I thought you'd show up at Atta's doorstep and say it was me but you never came." A truth of her own, wondering for far too many days when he would return for her. "I waited for you and you - you just found someone else to fill an empty space in your bed," Angel spat with more emotion than she'd intended to reveal to him. He'd poked the bear until the hurt she kept to herself was pushed to the surface.

Her hands ran across her face while the words tried to untangle themselves on her tongue. "Do you have to make everything so dramatic?" The girl groaned, letting her hands fall and her expression scolding as it observed him. There were things she wanted to say, things she couldn't say, and things she should've said. Angel hoped to find a common ground for them all but it was her heart that won out over her head. A defeated sigh released from her gut, her gaze averting to the ground so that she could get the words out. "I never wanted to leave you in the first place," she confessed with bitterness in her own tone. "I never had to take care of you. Did you ever think that maybe I want to? That I might actually care about your dumb ass? You're always so caught up in what everyone else thinks that you can't see what's right in front of you."

“Take me home with you,” he pleaded, sounding almost childlike in his desperation. Beyond Kit’s usual charm and sophistication, under the influence, he was reduced to a vulnerable boy, haunted by the absence of his mother and burdened by the expectations of his father. In the midst of social gatherings, he played the part of the carefree host, surrounded by his toys—guests trying to entertain him. But she was different, she was his favorite toy, one he had lost along the way. “Don’t bring me back, I—“ he faltered, his voice trailing off as he looked down, his vulnerability laid bare. “Leave me here, if you want. Just don’t bring me back.”

Angel continued to observe him with eyebrows arched unamused by his attempt at sobriety. This wasn't the first time she'd looked straight into the eyes of a Kit overtaken with the substances he covered his world in. Things would have to be written more clearly to get a real answer out of him instead of the same nonsense. "What do you want from me, seriously? I'm not in the mood to play this little game with you." It hadn't come as a surprise that things couldn't be simple but Angel desperately wished they could. Perhaps in another life they stayed in the blanket fort and never let the world's influences in. "Last we talked to had another blonde conveniently named Angelique to do that," she reminded him. A woman's face she hadn't been able to forget since, obsessed with the idea of what she had that Angel didn't.

"Kit..." Her voice trailed off while she let out a shaky breath and pushed stray hair back from her face. "You know I can't do that." Things had changed between them whether he wanted to pretend like they still belonged to one another. The blonde's feet pulled her forward before her better judgment could stop her, getting to her knees once she reached his driver's seat. "You wouldn't wanna see my place anyway, I don't even have a room to myself," Angel explained so that he didn't fight her further on it. "You don't have to go back to your house but I'm not going to leave you out here alone especially not when you're like this." Maybe she should but now she couldn't get herself to move.