Page 88 of Liberating Bells
Izabel looks at me, her eyebrows pulled together. I frown. That can’t be a good sign. But I’m not sure what to make of the whole thing.
Our friends hang out for a while longer before taking off. Once again, Izabel and I are alone in my apartment. I can tell she’s not quite sure how she’s supposed to act. She’s struggling, but I’m not sure how to help her.
I'm just biding my time. We'll take this at her pace. I'm not in any type of rush. I've waited eight years to have her back, so what's a few more months while she establishes her new normal?
Monday morning I'm getting ready for work, and Bells is sitting on my bed cross-legged, watching me. Her chin rests in her hand.
I pull on my suit jacket and turn to her. "Are yousureyou're going to be okay by yourself?"
I've asked her this a hundred times. I'm hoping she'll ask me to stay. I wouldn't mind calling into work. If Bells says she’ll be okay, I have to take her word for it. She needs to be able to make decisions on her own and be assured that I'm not going to turn on her like Mark did.
Izabel stands up off the bed and stands right in front of me. Her fingers grip the edges of my jacket, and she straightens it. "I'll be okay, Ryno. I'll just stay inside and watch movies, or read a book or something. Don't worry about me."
With a sigh, I reach a hand around her waist, pulling her into me. "That's an impossible request, you know."
I feel her smile against me, and she trails her hands up my back, clutching me to her in a hug. "That's why I feel so safe."
I reluctantly let her go and grab the rest of my things, and Izabel remains the highlight of my musings as I drive to work.
Josie is waiting for me when I get there. She's leaning against the edge of my desk, her arms crossed in front of her. A few weeks ago, I offered Josie a more permanent place at my firm. She now has her own office and contracts out as part of my team.
I step into the office and shake off my suit jacket as I stare at her in silence. She widens her hazel eyes at me, begging me to spill the beans.
“Well?” she asks.
“Well, what?”
“Are you gonna tell me what happened or not?”
I straighten my tie around my neck and walk toward my desk. “Izabel dropped by the other night to let me know that she called off the wedding.” I look at her with a grin. “And she left Mark, officially.”
Josie’s face splits into a smile, and she throws a friendly punch at my shoulder. “See, I told you everything would work out! That’s great, Ryan. I’m so happy for you both.” I rub at thespot and chuckle. Josie plants her hands on the surface of my desk and leans over. “So then what happened?”
I glance at her as I pull my emails up. Shit, there’s a ton. Just another day in the life. “Uh, nothing really. She’s been staying with me all weekend. She’ll probably officially move in once things settle down. We’re not sure how Mark is going to react. He's been eerily absent all weekend.” I frown at the subject line of one email.Great, this call will take all day.
“Well, hopefully, he’ll just disappear into the shadows and leave you alone.”
I chuckle under my breath, hoping we’ll get that lucky. “Yeah, we’ll see. I’m just glad she’s away from him.”
Josie pats my shoulder in solidarity, and then leaves me to the mess of an email I need to get to work on.
It’s no surprise that I run late that evening, and it’s almost nine by the time I get home. My condo is dark, and I see Izabel’s door is closed. I set my briefcase by the door and shuffle to my own room, treading carefully to not wake her up. I was hoping to see her tonight, but I guess that’s my own fault. Life of a business owner.
I take a quick shower and then fall onto my bed, clicking on the TV and looking for something to watch. Tucking one arm behind my head, I let my mind wander as I stare at the images flashing across the screen.
I think about how I want things to progress with Izabel. The idea of counseling flashes through my mind, but I’m not sure how she would respond if I brought it up. She needs to talk to someone about everything that she went through with Mark. She keeps telling me she’s okay and that she’s over it, but based on the reactions and mannerisms I've observed over the last few days, I don’t think that’s genuinely the case. I wish she would talk to me. She’s probably worried about being a burden to me,but that’s what I’m here for. I have to get her to realize that I have her back for better or for worse.
I don’t know how we’re going to move forward if she’s repressing everything she’s been through in the last few years. Maybe I’ll approach the topic tomorrow. I wish there was something I could do to help her, but I don’t know where to start. I'm entirely helpless in this situation. All I can do is make myself available. She'll come to me when she's ready.
I jump a little when I hear my door crack open. Bells peeks her head through the gap and looks at me sheepishly. “Hey,” I say softly, sitting up a little straighter. “Everything okay?”
She opens the door wider and pulls her hands together in front of her. “Um. I was wondering if I could sleep in here tonight?”
“What happened?” I ask her, my spine going ramrod straight. My pulse quickens. Did Mark come here? Did he threaten her? Is she hurt?
Izabel shakes her head and moves closer to me. “Nothing, I’m just feeling a little—I just wanted to be near you.”
Yeah. Everything is most definitelynotokay with her.
