Page 22 of Liberating Bells
My pulse picks up again, just out of self-preservation. Maybe if I don’t move, they won’t see me. I have no desire to be manhandled by a power-tripping security guard tonight.
Just keep walking. Just keep walking.
Instead, of course, the footsteps slow and then stop right in front of me. I squeeze my eyes shut and start to prepare an excuse.
But instead...my flight-or-fight response goes into overdrive when I hear:
“Bells?”
9
RYAN
The barbell fallsonto the frame with a metal clang. I stand up from beneath it and reach for my t-shirt, hanging loosely on the rack. Running the fabric across my forehead, I gather the drops of sweat dripping into my eyes. I let out a sigh as I feel my heart rate drop back down from the physical exertion.
I hit a new personal record this evening on back squats. Now I feel like my legs are jelly.
Grabbing my water bottle off the ground, I make my way out of the workout room. I desperately need a protein shake and a shower. I wrap my t-shirt around my neck like a towel and head up the stairs to my unit, taking the stairs two at a time, pushing my leg muscles just a little longer before calling it quits.
When I reach the top landing, I’m out of breath again, and I slowly walk down the hallway. I rub at my eyes with the edge of my shirt and then glance down the hall. I’m startled when I see a crumpled heap curled up in front of my door.
My eyebrows furrow as I walk closer. I’d know that woman anywhere.What in the hell?
“Bells?” I say out loud, my voice laced with surprise.
Izabel pops her head up in shock, her blue eyes focusing on me. I frown when I see them tinged with red.
“What are you doing here? What’s wrong?”
Her jaw slackens as her eyes roam over my sweaty skin, taking in the post-workout glow. I catch her attention tuned in on the scar above my left hipbone. I can still remember sliding down the cliff and catching on a rock, feeling it tear into my skin. The scar has faded over the years, but the mangled skin still stands out; the physical reminder of our time spent together at the cabin in the woods.
“Bells,” I say softly, pulling her attention back to me. As if drenched in cold water, Izabel scrambles up to her feet and looks at me sheepishly.
“Hey, I’m sorry. I don’t know what I’m doing here. I just needed to see you, and I?—”
I step closer to her, unsure of what is giving me this kind of confidence. Maybe it’s how flustered she is, or the red-rimmed eyes that are making my heart hurt. She looks like she’s unraveling at the edges. I cup her cheek and hold her eyes with my own.
“It’s okay. You’re okay. Do you want to come in?”
Izabel inhales deeply and presses her lips together, nodding wordlessly. She steps aside when I pull my key out of my pocket and reach around to unlock the door, leaving it open for her to follow me. I hear her footsteps, hesitant, but they trail my own.
“Can I get you anything to drink?” I ask her, tossing my keys onto the stand by the door. I yank on the shirt hanging around my neck and pull it on, effectively hiding the scar on my abdomen that Izabel was staring at. Walking over to the fridge, I pull out the protein shake I had prepared before heading to the gym.
Izabel grips her fingers together in front of her, knotting and unknotting them. “Do you have a Sprite?”
I peek over my shoulder at her with a confused smile and then back at the fridge. “Uh yeah, I do, actually.” I grab thecan off the shelf and hand it to her. She wraps her small hands around the drink and pops open the top.
Ushering her over to the couch, I sit down next to her. I take a deep swig of my shake and watch as she takes a teeny tiny sip of her Sprite. Her eyes glance around my condo, trying to take it all in.
“This is a nice place,” she says by way of small talk.
I rub the back of my neck. “Uh yeah, thanks. It’s not fully furnished.”
What is even happening right now?It’s not fully furnished?Who am I, a Property Brother?
A smile plays on Izabel’s lips, and she glances at me, her eyes sparkling.
“How’s school going?” I manage to ask her.
