Page 54 of Isabelle & Jason
A bowl was pushed toward her, and she stared down at the cookie dough that Charlie had whipped together. Without looking up, she knew Charlie was staring at her.
Part of her wondered if Jason had orchestrated this little get-together. Charlie had pushed hard to stop by. Now she was stuck in her kitchen with her friend who could see too much.
Their last argument hadn’t exactly been resolved, and that had been three weeks ago.
Likewise, her argument with Jason hadn’t been hashed out either. It appeared her friends were willing to overlook her poorbehavior because they understood she was dealing with her own demons.
But it was only a matter of time before they pushed her into an intervention. She shuddered at the thought of Jason leading something like that. He wouldn’t destroy her trust like that, would he? No. He wouldn’t. That wasn’t like him.
Then again, maybe it would be Charlie who tried to push her into something. She could be persuasive when she wanted to be.
“Izzie,” Charlie said quietly, “you gonna help make these cookies or what?”
Isabelle frowned, not raising her eyes to meet her friend’s. “You’re the one who wanted to make them.”
Charlie sighed. The tension in the air was palpable. Isabelle could practically hear the words that Charlie wanted to say but was too scared to utter.
Well, Isabelle wasn’t going to be the one to coax her. She didn’t even want this little get-together to begin with.
The runs in the morning seemed to keep her from straying too far into the darkness. Jason had to agree with that. So why was Charlie trying so hard to make her face it?
“Izzie.”
This time Charlie didn’t speak again until Isabelle looked up.
“Are you doing okay?”
Isabelle nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
It was a lie, and they both knew it. Lies upon more lies.
Charlie nodded, but the hurt was evident in the set of her jaw and the tightness of her eyes. “Okay.”
And that was it. Charlie chattered on about feeling as big as a barn. Her due date was next week. She did her best to keep her voice upbeat, but even Isabelle could hear the weariness in it.
She did that. Isabelle was a poison who brought down the people who meant the most to her. Even though she hadn’t toldCharlie anything about what she was dealing with, her friend was suffering.
This was what falling felt like.
She was spiraling, and there wasn’t anything she could do to stop.
Isabelle pickedat her cuticles as she wandered down the street with Jason. They’d just come out of a movie—one she hadn’t paid enough attention to. If someone asked her what it was about, she wouldn’t have been able to give them anything.
Jason had been quiet, and that was saying something considering they were supposed to keep their mouths shut during a movie. But this quiet was different.
There was a coldness about it.
Isabelle could practically sense the impending doom.
What guy wanted to be with someone who couldn’t figure out what was wrong with her? Logic told her that there were so many worse things in the world. Wars had been waged. People were murdered. Her attack could have been worse. Those were the excuses she made every single time the thought of therapy filtered into her mind.
She was right and no one could convince her otherwise. Countless people dealt with sleeplessness and anxiety. Maybe she should go to the doctor and get a prescription. She hadn’t bothered trying anything after the first one hadn’t worked, but there were other options out there.
A large, warm hand slipped into hers and she startled before turning her attention to Jason. They’d stopped outside of a bar and grill. His brows were furrowed and he looked so…sad. This was it. This was when he planned on breaking up with her.
Isabelle’s heart plummeted. She didn’t want that. Jason was her lifeline. He was everything she needed. This was just a rough patch.
“Jason—”
