Three's a Crowd (18 page)

I hugged Eve tighter. This couldn’t be happening.

Over Eve’s shoulder I could see Ryan and Chloe walking up past the pool. Alejandro went over to them. I could hear him talking quietly, explaining everything. Ryan swore. Chloe gasped. I watched her hand fly up to her mouth. Then they both looked over at me and Eve.

I looked away, kissing Eve’s hair. It didn’t feel real. Surely, it wasn’t real.

“Come in now, Eve.” Jonno’s voice boomed out from the main lobby doorway. He was standing with his legs apart, chewing on his cigar. I itched to walk over and ram it down his throat.

Eve disentangled herself from me.

“I have to say goodbye to everyone,” she sniffed.

I caught her hand. “Now?” I said. “Right now?”

“Eve’s leaving immediately,” Jonno said. “Best to avoid long goodbyes, I always think. So easy to get carried away with them.”

He glared at me.

Eve let go of my hand and walked down to the others. I watched her hug each of them in turn. I could see Chloe was crying.

I was numb. Surely I would wake up in a minute and this would be a dream.

Jonno clapped his hand on my shoulder. “Hope you enjoy next term, Mr Sensitive.” He took a big puff on his cigar.

“
You
bastard,
” I said. “You can’t do this.”

Jonno grinned. “Watch me.”

Eve came back. She ignored her dad and took my hand. “We’re saying goodbye in private,” she said, tugging me away.

“You’ve got two minutes,” Jonno called out.

Clutching each other’s hands, we stumbled past the pool, past the others. Through the trees. Onto the beach.

We stood on the sand, the warm breeze salty in our faces. Dazed, I looked round. Only a few other people strolling about. You couldn’t even hear the Garito from here.

Eve hugged me. “Hold me,” she said.

I held her, my head starting to clear. “Let’s run away,” I said. “We can go right down the beach, onto the rocks. Climb up. Walk into Cala del Toro. Hide.”

Eve shook her head. “We wouldn’t get anywhere in two minutes. Anyway, we don’t have any money and my dad would find us.” She paused. “I’m doing what he says so he won’t hurt you, Luke.”

“I can look after mys—”

“Sssh.” Eve tilted her face up to me. Her eyes were red and puffy and her skin was marked with tear tracks. “Face it, Luke. He’s won. For now, he’s won.”

I stared at her, letting what she said sink in, accepting what had to happen now. I smiled, as an old thought reoccurred to me.

“What?” she said.

“You’re so beautiful,” I said. “Even when you’ve been crying. You’re more beautiful than anyone.”

I leaned down and kissed her. I put everything I had into that kiss. Everything I felt for her. All my desire. All my heart.

“Don’t forget me,” I said.

“EVE!” Jonno’s voice bellowed out from the hotel.

God, was he standing there with a stopwatch or something?

I raised my eyes.

Eve smiled. “Don’t come up to the hotel with me.” Her voice faltered. “I want to remember last seeing you here, like this.”

Something cracked in my chest. “We’ll see each other soon, yeah?”

Eve nodded. Her eyes were desperate. “Wait for me.”

“EVE!”

“I have to go,” she said. She stood for a moment, staring at me.

Then she reached up and kissed me one last time.

“I love you,” she said.

And she turned and ran away into the trees.

Ryan found me sitting on the sand ten minutes later. He took me down to the Garito. We sat on the step, listening to the music.

After a while, Chloe and Alejandro turned up with a bottle of tequila. We sat around drinking for hours.

At first, I thought the booze was helping. But then I was sick on the beach, walking back to the room – which, of course, felt totally rubbish.

Then it was morning. We had to leave before ten a.m. Jonno was still out, presumably wherever he had taken Eve. He had left instructions for one of the hotel clerks – an old guy who spoke very little English – to drive us to the airport.

I hardly said anything on the way home. I tried to text and call Eve several times, but her phone seemed to be permanently switched off.

Mum met us at the airport. I could see her looking round for Eve. Then Chloe explained what had happened.

Mum looked good. Really happy. And all fat round the middle. I told her I was pleased she was having a baby, and this time I meant it. She hugged me, but she didn’t say anything about Eve until we got home and we were on our own.

Then she listened sympathetically as I raged about how unreasonable Jonno had been.

“But four months isn’t
such
a long time, Luke.”

I glanced at her. What was she talking about?

Mum smiled. “I mean, I know it feels bad right now, but Eve’ll be back before you know it. And, you know, you’re both still pretty young to be getting so serious about each other.”

She just didn’t get it.

I got a call from Jonno the day after we got home.

“I wanted to let you know Eve’s settling in nicely.”

“Where?” I said.

Jonno snorted. “Not telling you, sunshine. And don’t bother asking Eve’s mum. I’ve told her not to say anything, especially to you. Anyway, I’m calling to say you can stop phoning. They don’t allow the girls to have mobiles where she is now.”

“Sounds like a prison.”

“Needs to be, mate,” Jonno chuckled. “Keep little shits like you out.”

“Why are you doing this?” I said, my temper rising. “Why is me being with Eve such a big deal? Such a big threat?”

Jonno laughed. I could hear him rolling his cigar around in his mouth. “You’ll work it out as you get older,” he said. “All other guys are a threat when it comes to girls like Eve.”

He hung up.

I stared at the phone. Then, slowly, I smiled.

Okay, Jonno, I thought. You win for now.

I’ll accept it. I’ll get on with my life. Go back to school.

But you can’t keep Eve locked up forever.

And when she’s free, I’ll still be waiting for her.

And there won’t be anything you can do about it.