A/N Sorry at the lengthy delay, had to get this right, plus had visitors...they sure make writing more difficult!

Chapter Forty Six

Nina stretched out on her sun bed and groaned, there was nothing as pleasing as the warmth of the Mexican sun in December. Whilst London and Brighton suffered with cold and extremely wet weather, she was lounging in the warmth of the Central American sun, in her mind a million miles away from that. And that made her smile in a way she had barely managed in weeks.

"Piña Colada?"

Hearing her friend's voice, she looked up to see Lilah swaggering towards her with two highly decorated cocktails in her hands.

"You been flirting with that young barman again?"

Lilah had the decency to blush as she rested the glasses on the table that was wedged between their loungers which were positioned on the beach looking out over the white sand and turquoise sea of the Pacific Ocean.

Reaching for her drink, she took a long slow sip as Lilah started to protest.

"I'm not flirting with him!"

Nina looked across at the man, stood behind the Tiki style hut bar his eyes rarely leaving Lilah and rolled her eyes, "he is hot with a capital H, and he lurves you!"

Lilah rolled her eyes as she reached for her own drink, lowering herself to her own sun bed. "Leave it there! Let me enjoy this drink."

Nina nodded and closed her eyes for a moment, "can we stay here forever?"

"We could try." Lilah chuckled, "though life does go on. What are you going to do when you get back?"

In the four weeks since she'd walked out on Theo, and even the ten days that they'd been in Mexico, she hadn't mentioned Theo at all. This trip was meant to be for Lilah, to cheer her up after her trauma, but Lilah wasn't stupid. Nina knew that her silence told her more than a few words would.

"Got a few commissions, got to sort out Dad's house...lot's to do." Her large dark glasses hid the truth.

Lilah lifted her own shades and gave her a wry glance, "what happened Nina? I know something did."

Nina smiled confident her glasses hid the tears that welled in her eyes, "I slept with a man Lilah, that doesn't mean I was committing for the rest of my life. It's not for me...I'm better on my own, I always have been."

That gave Lilah reason to pause as she digested that, "you don't do casual sex though Nina, that's not you. So I don't believe you invested time and effort for no reason."

She shrugged, "just maybe he made me realise that I could have fun. I mean I've lived like a bloody nun for years, we had fun, we were great in the sack...but I'm too independent and too headstrong to settle into a relationship. I'll never bend for anyone else."

Lilah sipped at her drink thoughtfully, "a relationship isn't about bending, it's about moulding babe, you change together, you become a duo...you can't be two singles in a double act."

Nina was starting to sweat, nausea rising and her heart racing, this was approaching stressful levels and she wasn't here to investigate her issues. They were there for Lilah; this was about making her happy.

"What time is the water polo?"

Lilah lifted her glasses again, "I'll let you change this conversation for now, but I'm worried about you Nina. We will have this chat."

Nina knew what she had to do, and from that moment until they flew home she was going to be the life and soul of the party. She could prove to Lilah that she was happy on her own, away from Theo.

She shuddered at the thought of him, because she hadn't let her mind wander to the car crash that was the last day in his home, when something bordering on perfect dissolved into hell.

Theo had accused her of so much, conspiring with his ex, putting Melody in jeopardy...when all she'd done was step up to the mark. But then she shouldn't be so surprised, they'd argued and he'd misjudged her from the moment they'd met and she wasn't about to understand him time after time.

And in all that time he hadn't called, or text. No message, no hint at an apology. Nothing. And that hurt even more. She might have talked to him, might have tried to understand him if he had. But he hadn't, and he didn't deserve her making the first move, he owed her so much more than he'd given her.

She was better off without someone like him in her life, she knew that. Yet it wasn't enough to ease the pain that threatened to overwhelm her on so many occasions. But she wasn't going to let him ruin another day of her life, so she switched to Operation Party Animal. They were staying in an all-inclusive resort in Mexico; she could be the person she used to be, pre-Theo.

Two days later she was sat astride the shoulders of three men as she was paraded around the pool, she'd won the beach tournament, a triathlon of sorts, a sea swim, canoe and then tree climb. She'd been an avid tree climber as a kid, and this palm tree offered little resistance, she'd flown up it to the flag ensconced in the branches before anyone else, male or female got close to her.

Lilah, glamorous, but decidedly unathletic had watched her screeching her encouragement. Now there was to be a presentation. She was going to be crowned Queen of the resort, whilst Brad, a muscled blonde American was the equivalent King.

As she was lowered to the pool edge, Brad winked at her, then they were both crowned.

"For one night only, the King and Queen have pride of place at both dinner, and the evening entertainment. In fact they dictate exactly what that entertainment is!"

Brad leaned into her, waggling his eyebrows, "skinny dipping? Or a wet t-shirt competition?"

She rolled her eyes, typical man, instead of acknowledging his ridiculous suggestions; she turned to the event organiser, "a beach fire and party, that's my choice."

It was met with a resounding cheer from the gathered crowd, her choice won.

"I don't ever remember you being such a good tree climber," Lilah commented as they got ready for the beach party. She was wearing a wild fabric bikini top, string and triangles that barely covered her perfect boobs, and with the short shorts, she looked like a beach goddess, all sexy, Amazonian. Nina looked at her own reflection, short and dumpy...that was the story of her life. She was wearing a sarong, and her short hair was brushed flat, and Lilah had secured a large flower over one ear. She looked at best 'cute', rolling her eyes she glanced across at Lilah.

"There was a huge tree outside my bedroom as a kid; it was my route in and out of my prison for years. No nanny or my father even knew that I escaped, but I did."

Lilah giggled, "as each day passes I learn more about you. How is that?"

Nina shrugged, "I don't know Lilah, I think that I'm an open book." Which is why that man could hurt me so much.

"What's going on chick?"

Nina lifted her head, "what do you mean?" That was met with silence, Lila just watched her. "There's nothing to tell, honestly. Things with Theo came to an end, MY choice, and I'm over it. You seem more worried about this than me."

"Why don't I believe that?"

Nina gave a wry laugh, "because you're still stunned that I got involved in the first place. I know that."

"Partly. I suppose. But...we've been here for well over a week and you're quiet, pale, I don't know. You aren't the woman I know and love. You've tried the last few days, I get that, but I wish you'd tell me what happened that day."

Shrugging, she brushed her hair once more, "he proved that just like all men, he puts himself first. He got drunk, I looked after his daughter cos he couldn't...then he accused me of having ulterior motives for doing it. I don't get involved because the world is full of selfish untrustworthy people...and he just reinforced that."

"But you WERE happy..."

She threw those words out there then sat back and watched, Nina knew what she was doing, "so I liked him, I thought he was different...but all we did was fight anyway. He started of judging me, and ended up exactly the same way. I don't need that Lilah."

She sighed, "but what if he's your one...don't you have to get over a few blips...you were good together, I could see that straight away. I've never known you be that close to anyone, to be that happy."

Nina blinked rapidly, she'd avoided thinking about the good side of Theo, instead she had focussed on all that was bad, now Lilah was pushing past that, and she hated that tears threatened to fall. Shaking her head vehemently, she turned to Lilah.

"I'm not like you, I don't believe that everyone has a single soul mate, that there's one man out there for you or me...look at my 'love' life, at my poor mother's, and your own. I mean how many frogs do we have to kiss to find the right one? Nope, a long term relationship is finding someone you can tolerate more than anyone else you've met. And Theo Peterson is not that man."

Lilah sighed, "you've always been cynical, but this is bad even for you."

Nina shrugged off her concern, "he couldn't even be arsed to call me after I walked out, so don't make out that this is a blip. It's over, I move on. C'est la vie. As my grandmother would always say. We're in Mexico, about to go to a beach party. What can possibly make me sad tonight?"

She knew her friend may not buy the casual way she was playing down her split, but she wasn't about to continue the conversation any further.

Two hours later they were the life and soul of the party once more. Music blasted, the fire warmed the beach, the barbeque was in full swing and trays of cocktails were being walked around the sand by hotel staff.

"This is perfect," Lilah smiled as they swayed to the music watching some of the others knocking back shots of tequila. They both had so much to forget, and Nina knew that this was exactly what they both needed.

Instead of sharing that, she nodded, "makes everything else fade away...that's what we both need Lilah." Swinging an arm around her friend's shoulders, she led her towards a large group watching a limbo competition, and as they got close, she sang in her ear, "how LOW can you go?"

Theo wasn't anywhere near her conscious levels for as long as they were busy, but then after the beach party Lilah didn't come home. The Tiki bar man was successful at last, and she was spending the night under the stars with him. Nina had similar offers, but there was no way that she was about to become involved in tonsil tennis with a stranger. It just meant that she had an empty room and an empty brain with nothing to fill it for one night.

She took out her phone; it had been off since she arrived. Theo hadn't phoned her in the weeks building up to the trip, but she wondered if he had now. She hoped he had...just to make her feel a little more smug, because at the moment, his lack of caring about what happened was more painful than the actual argument they'd had that sparked all this off.

There was none.

A week later on Christmas Day they flew home to London landing early on Boxing Day. Typically it was raining heavily and they were both shivering and a little sombre when they finally got to their home in Brighton. The heating hadn't been on for three weeks, and the whole place seemed like a mausoleum.

"Let's get changed, then go to the pub, lunch, beer and some Christmas cheer might just get us both back in the mood."

Their nearest pub was full of people avoiding the dire weather, and there were many familiar faces. They were both laughing, well fed and rather merry when they left the bar.

The short walk to their home was lengthened by them walking in zigzags and stopping to make ridiculous observations and to talk inanely about how much they loved each other.

It wasn't until they turned into their street that Nina paused, hanging around outside their door was a familiar figure. Gabriel.

Lilah squeezed her arm and theatrically whispered, "who the hell is that hotty?"

She grimaced, "that is Mansell's grandson, the black sheep."

Lilah giggled as they got closer, "he is yummy!"

Nina hadn't really noticed, all she knew was that there was unease taking over her drunken brain, because he wasn't the sort of man to just call in for a chat, no, him being there meant something was wrong.