-LINA'S POV-

Lifting my head, it feels as though a million brick houses filled with rocks have been placed upon it. My vision is blurry, my legs feel weak and my arms are being violently tickled by a hundred minuscule shooting needles.

Nausea runs through me, however I feel better then I did last night.

What the fuck happened last night?

I try to wiggle out of bed to grab a drink of water but two things stop me. Firstly, it fucking hurts, and secondly, an arm tight around my waist prevents me from going anywhere.

"Sin?" I whisper, not remembering when we decided he could stay.

My chest flutters at the feeling of his arm round my waist, my heart urging me to place my head on his chest forever, my mind slapping my senses into me; I need to move.

"Shhh, go back to sleep, Lina."

I poke him gently on the cheek. "You need to wake up. I think your phone woke me up, I'm not sure."

"I don't care, go back to sleep." He groans, still half-awake, his arm tightening its grip round my waist.

I shake my head. "Sin, we can't stay like this forever. Wake up, it's not real."

His hand rubs the edge of my hip as he turns my body to face him. His eyes stare into mine for a minute.

For just a minute.

I remember why he stayed.

"I'll always love you, little red."

Am I hallucinating? Did he really say that? Is this the drugs talking? What do I reply to that?

"Stay, you soppy shit."

I can't make it too clear that I care. He has a girlfriend. I'm still not sure I even heard him right.

"Let me pretend for a minute. Just for a minute, please." Sin replies, his eyes pleading with me.

I bite my lip.

"Okay."

***
After that minute, we pretended like nothing happened. We leapt out of bed, got ready for our day and got in the car. I still feel like shit, so Sin determined a visit to The Bigger Apple and some wedding planning would help me out.

"You have Christmas trees up already?" I ask, looking at him confused as I enter.

He shrugs. "I wasn't aware Liz had put them up."

"It's what, December 3rd? That's way too early for Christmas trees. Besides, Christmas is overrated."

"My very own Grinch." He responds with a grin.

Except I'm not yours.

Taylor and Annabel both engulf me in a bear hug. Despite barely knowing Annabel, she's a lovely girl and I think she is going far in life. And I personally know how great Taylor is- he's always had potential.

"You look amazing, as always." Taylor winks at me, but I notice he squeezes Annabel's hand in reassurance as he says so.

I grin. "Thank you, Taylor. Although let's not fool ourselves, I doubt my primark tracksuit is anything special."

"No, you're a babe, he's right." Annabel agrees.

We sit in a booth, due to the fact they aren't that busy. I feel like I'm watching a rom-com, like the typical worker trope with a younger innocent girl and an older boy.

If I wasn't a heartless bitch, I'd say I'm rooting for them.

"Where's Sin?"

Beth the Bitchface appears from nowhere, her bleached yellow hair practically blinding me.

Taylor and Annabel exchange an awkward glance.

"I'm not sure, boss. Would you like me to go find him?" Taylor asks, only for Elizabeth to agree, leaving us three girls at the booth.

Beth crosses her arms, staring between us both. "Hi Catalina, I didn't know you were going to be here today!"

"Hello Beth. Neither did I, Sin made me come." I smile sweetly at her, mimicking her folded arms.

She breathes in deeply. "Oh, right. More wedding plan I presume? It's so adorable of you two to do this for Rhiannon and Brandon! It must suck being around each other, yet you still do it for your best friends."

"No, actually, I thought it would suck, but it's pretty great catching up on all this lost time. Some things never change." I reply with a grin.

Annabel shuffles on her seat, in the midst of the tension.

Beth rolls her eyes. "I find that such a bullshit statement. Everything changes. It always does. Nothing stays the same ever."

"And that's your opinion. Remind me why your here again?" I ask, yawning.

She glares at me. "Because it's my workplace?"

"Oh, right, can you serve us? I really fancy a lemonade. No, an oasis. Maybe just some water actually. Shit, can you come back in five minutes?"

"Why are you here?" She says, completing ignoring my thirst.

"God, the customer service here is shit. I'm here because Sin brought me here? Is that a problem for you, Beth?"

"Lizzie," she frowns, "it's Lizzie. And yes, actually. I know you still like him."

"Sorry, you're what, twenty seven? And you're currently acting like a ten year old. I don't know you, Beth, and I'm glad I don't, because you seem like a bitch. I don't like Sin and even if I did, you shouldn't have anything to worry about seeing as your his girlfriend. Can I please have that drink now?" I ask, on the verge of being extremely pissed off.

She looks at Annabel. "Go make her a drink."

"But it's my break-"

"Do you want to be fired?" Beth responds, looking very pathetically angry.

Annabel stands up, gives me a look of despair and goes to make my drink. I feel awful, I really do, but I can't say more on the matter as I don't want her to get fired.

"That was unnecessarily rude."

"What, telling my staff to do their job?"

"Can you not do your own job?" I raise an eyebrow at her, "It seems to me the three people who do the work here are Sin, Taylor and Annabel. You appear to be pretty fucking useless."

"How dare you!" Her tone of voice changes, the pitch getting higher and her face getting redder, "I want you out my pub."

"Isn't this the restaurant bit?"

The reaction is pretty goddamn funny. Beth's fingers roll into the palm of her hand, squeezing a fist as she glares at me. Her cheeks are red and flustered, her eyes mimicking a toddler who wasn't brought the toy they wanted. Her nostrils flare and you can see her arms shaking.

Of course Sin comes to interrupt my fun.

"Woah, woah, woah, what's happening here? Are you alright, babe?" He asks, his arm snaking round Lizzie's waist.

A triumphant aura creeps around her. She gives kiss a Sin, then throws a proud look towards me. "Nothing, Catalina was just ordering."

"Actually, Beth was just being a bitch because she's obsessed with you, I already ordered and she wouldn't take it. Annabel had to get me a drink on her break, the poor girl."

Sin instantly drops his arm from the freak's waist.

"You made Annabel work on her break? You know she works her ass off, Lizzie, she's eighteen, give her a break. Are you their boss, or their bully? Where is Annabel? Go find her, Lizzie, tell her you're sorry and tell her she can have extended break. Then you can make Lina's drink," he turns to me, "what are you having?"

"I'll have an oasis mixed with lemonade, please."

"I'll do that, but I want her fucking out of here, Sin. She's rude and I don't like her."

"Well, I want her fucking here, Elizabeth. You're acting like a child. She's a customer and my friend, she's staying. If not, I'll leave with her, as we have wedding planning to do."

Beth pouts, acting like a toddler once more, before whispering something in Sin's ear and walking off.

He lets out a deep breath, sitting opposite me in the booth, his head held in his hands.

"I'm not too worried about that drink." I whisper, nudging his arm gently.

He looks up at me with a grin, shaking his head. "I know you aren't, trouble, which is good because she said no to making it. Do you want to plan here or do you wanna go somewhere else?"

"I don't know. You look like you need to smoke, I have some on me if you want any?"

"I don't think that's a good idea after last night, is it?" He replies with a raised eyebrow.

I roll my eyes. "Fags, you twat, not weed. God I wish these were zoots and not cigarettes."

"Oh shit. Then fuck yes, we can smoke in the car. I can't be seen by-"

"By darling Beth? Are you in a relationship or is she your bloody mum?" I reply.

He rolls his eyes, pouting his lips because he knows I'm right. We head to his car and I pass him a cigarette and my favourite red lighter, engraved with my initials and the flag of Spain.

"Fucking hell," he exhales, "I want to start smoking again."

"So do it?" What's stopping you, don't let a woman control you."

"That's rich coming from you." He says.

I look at him. "How so?"

"You've always had control over me." He whispers, passing me back the lighter.

It's just a simple comment, but it's the way he said it and the way he looked at me when he said it that seemed to make it a lot more complicated.

I cough. "I have control over everyone. I'm just that amazing."

"Of course you are," He laughs, before his face turns serious, "Are you gonna get help, Lina? It's really helped me. I'm in recovery, I haven't relapsed in.. in a while. I'm doing well, you could too."

"I'm fine, Sin. I'm not an addict." I snap, before seeing his face.

Placing my hand on his knee, I try and think about my words. Sin meant, means, more to me than I could explain and despite being so well at it, it has never been my intention to hurt him.

"I'm sorry. That wasn't meant to sound like that. I am so proud of you and so so so happy for you and this life you've built. But it is all yours, Sin. I'm fine; I don't need to change everything about me to be happy. I'm comfortable in my fucked-up life, being my usual fucked-up self. Honestly, I'm okay."

"You didn't seem fucking okay yesterday, did you Cat? And how dare you, I didn't change everything about me. This is me."

"What? This professional, responsible man with his bitch of a girlfriend? Owning a pub in the same shitty town you went to college in? Get real, Sin. This is not you."

"Really?" He responds, a humorous yet pissed off tone laced in his words. "Really? This isn't me. Maybe I wasn't professional or responsible back in the day, but I always looked out for us, didn't I? You can't tell me I didn't. I think I was pretty fucking responsible, actually"

"Responsible? You nearly died from alcohol poisoning, I'd hardly call that responsible."

Okay, maybe I shouldn't have said that.

Sin bites his lip, chucking the finished cigarette out of the window. He turns to face me, shaking his head.

"And you say my current girlfriend is a bitch. I'll drive you back to the hotel. Maybe you can invite Apollo round again. Seatbelt on, please."

I roll my eyes, grabbing my seatbelt and making sure its secure.

"Hang on," I pause, "What do you mean again? How do you know Apollo came to my hotel room?"

"I didn't, but apparently I was right." He says through gritted teeth.

"That's quite a random presumption, Sin."

"Then I'm a fucking psychic, Catalina, aren't I? What do you want me to say, that I'm some weird stalker? Stop arguing with me when I'm trying to drive."

"Then press the fucking brakes, because I'm not going to let the fact you've turned into Joe from You slide. When did you become that ex? The creepy stalker one? If you wanted to know who I'm shagging, just ask me next time."

I bite my tongue. It was such an easy little lie to throw into the conversation, to throw him off track.

I've never shagged Apollo. I haven't even kissed him. He's tried, many times, but every-time he's tried my head goes to Sin.

Sadly, that's where my head will always be.

With Sin.

"You've shagged him?" He replies, slamming on the brakes in some random quiet road.

I look up at him. "What's it to you? Why do you sound annoyed? You have a girlfriend, surely I'm allowed a fuck here and there?"

He sighs, slamming his head against the steering wheel.

"Why are we like this, Catalina? Leave us alone for two minutes and we're arguing. We aren't children anymore, there's no need for this, so why? Can we not even be mature enough to be friends?"

"Hey, you started this..." I defend myself, "I was just asking for the truth due to the fact you just gave away you're stalking me."

"The idea of you fucking him, or any guy, is revolting to me. That's the truth. I haven't been able to touch Lizzie, or let her touch me in a sexual manner, since you've been back. There's your fucking truth, Catalina. You haven't even been back that long and you've fucked up everything. Do you want more honesty, or can I take you back to your hotel room now?"

I shake my head. "No. You're a dick and I'm walking."

Then I jump out the car, ferociously slamming the door behind me.