Page 8 of Liberating Bells
I want to wrap my arms around him, just to be close to him, to feel him against me one more time.
But I can’t.
“Well,” he says finally, breaking the silence. “I was actually on my way out, so… It was good seeing you, Bells. You look good.” His lips tighten into a smirk. “Tell Marky Mark I saidhi.”
My eyes widen at him as he turns on his heel and walks away. I want to call after him, make him stop, and draw me into his arms again, but I don’t. He grabs his coat out of the closet and walks out the front door without another glance. Then, feeling another set of eyes on me, I turn to see Mark sitting in the living room. His eyes are narrowed, and I instantly know he witnessed the whole exchange.
My shoulders slump, defeated, as I know Mark will let me know just how much he’s bothered by our little interlude, no matter how innocent it was. Instead of waiting around for him to say something, I head back into the kitchen. I’m sure Juliet is wondering where I disappeared to.
The party continues on. We all enjoy our cake—maybe not as much as the birthday boy—and move into the living room for presents. It’s a big show, and while Ashton loves the toys his parents help him unwrap, he keeps getting distracted by the wrapping paper.
We all watch and cheer him on as he moves from present to present. Mark sits next to me, a hand over my knee. He grins widely when Ashton loves the toy we picked out for him. I smile too.
His hand tightens as soon as Ashton turns his attention to his next gift. I look over at Mark to see him watching me, his eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
He leans forward and murmurs, “Don’t think I’ve forgotten what I saw, Izabel. Wewillbe discussing whatever that was.”
A chill runs down my spine, but I nod my head. Without a response, I turn back to Ashton and force myself to have fun for the remainder of the party. It works, and I do enjoy myself immensely, but still, I catch myself glimpsing back at the front door every few minutes, wishing the only person I want to see right now would walk back in.
4
IZABEL
The following morning,I wake up to the familiar smell of coffee brewing and the delectable mix of pancakes and maple syrup. I stretch out in bed, noting a slight soreness to my muscles. I slept terribly last night, unable to quiet my racing mind, which resulted in me tossing and turning all hours of the night.
I reach for my phone sitting on the nightstand on my side of the bed and check the time. Surprise rises through me when I realize I’ve slept late into the morning. It’s almost ten-thirty already.
The sound of a crash and Mark’s familiar deep voice swearing in the kitchen finally has me tossing the covers off and sliding out of bed. I pad through the already opened bedroom door, down the hallway and into the kitchen.
After the party yesterday, Mark practically insisted that I come over to his place to spend the night. My head and my heart were a mess after seeing Ryan, so it wasn’t my first choice, but Mark had been so persistent that I couldn’t say no.
I’m surprised when I see my boyfriend standing in front of the stove, wiping up a mess of spilled white powder.
I make my presence known as I saunter up to him, wrapping my arm around his side and leaning my head on his shoulder. He looks down at me, a bit startled, but his expression morphs into one of fondness.
“Good morning. I was wondering when you were gonna wake up.” He leans over and presses a kiss to the top of my head. My stomach flutters at the gesture.
“What’s happening in here?” I question, pulling away and looking up at him before turning my pointed gaze to the mess of flour all over the stove and countertop.
Mark clears his throat and chuckles sheepishly. “I thought I’d surprise you with a nice breakfast. But turns out the pancakes got the best of me.”
I pat his shoulder before walking over to the sink and wetting a rag. “It was a nice thought, really. But do you want me to take over?” I fight off the smile threatening to pull on my lips.
“Maybe that would be for the best.”
With an amused shake of my head, I do just that. I reach for the bowl and the whisk and start from scratch, measuring out the proper amounts of each ingredient before mixing it together into a batter with perfect consistency. Mark steps away and lets me take the helm, choosing to sit over at the kitchen table. He watches me with a satisfied smile, and I can’t deny that it makes everything seem better this morning.
I wasn’t sure what version of Mark I was going to wake up to after yesterday’s events. He had been in a foul mood all night following the run-in with Ryan, even after I had agreed to stay the night to quell whatever possessive feelings he was experiencing. But it’s a relief to know that I get the sunny version of him rather than the broody, irritable one. This more playful side of him doesn’t come out very often anymore.
When the pancakes are perfectly golden and stacked onto a plate, I shuffle over to where he’s sitting. After setting thepancakes down, I grab each of us another plate and utensils, along with the syrup and butter so we can dig in.
Mark eagerly picks up his fork and knife before shooting me a grin. “These look great, babe.”
I settle in my seat and smile back, a sense of pride blooming in my chest. Mark digs into his breakfast, making a satisfied sound when the first bite of pancake hits his tongue. He gives me an appreciative nod, and I smile even wider before taking a bite of my own.
As we eat our breakfast, I watch him closely, waiting for the ball to drop. Mark hasn’t been this pleasant in what feels like days—weeks. And even though I’m enjoying it, I can’t help but feel like there’s a giantbutwaiting to drop.
It finally comes as soon as Mark has finished his breakfast and has pushed away his plate. He turns to me, studying me with those brown eyes in a way that makes me squirm. Once I finish my own breakfast, I shoot him a questioning look.
