Chapter 18 #2
“I know I broke your heart. I know I did, and I’ll carry that with me forever. But the person you rebuilt yourself into?” His voice softens. “She’s incredible, Isabel. You are the strongest, bravest, most courageous, and caring person I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing.”
He swallows, eyes shining. “I put you through hell, and somehow you’re still standing here, still giving me the benefit of the doubt – something I don’t deserve. That says everything about you.”
He squeezes my hand gently. “You are special, Isabel. And I love you.”
“I love you too Noah. But I gotta ask one thing”.
“Well, you got me all night, because according to the million texts on my phone, I am on Bella duty tonight saying you are terrified of hospitals. So hit me with your best shot” he winks at me, still holding my hand and kicking his feet on my bed.
“What did you say to Liam when he got here?” looking at him, because he was never able to lie to my face, or so I thought.
“Cori told me what he last said to you, so when I saw him I lost it but in a controlled way.” He pushes a strand of hair behind my ear, “You are ten times the woman, you were when we dated. So he gets a better version of you, than what I had”.
“You don’t mean that” nervousness filling the room.
“No, I really do, Bella. The strength you found to become this …. woman, makes you even more incredible” winking at me.
We sat there silent for a few minutes, just enjoying each other's company for the first time in months. I have missed my best friend so much it hurts, I don’t even care that we were in love at one point, I just missed my best friend.
The one who always had my back and made me feel safe, I missed him. And now, I think I might have him back.
As if he could read my mind, Noah squeezes my hand and smiles.
“Ask the other questions on your mind, Isabel” breaking the silence.
“Why didn’t either of you tell me you knew each other the night of Olivia’s party?” refusing to make eye contact with him because that night was intense and a touchy subject for us both.
“Well, I was smashed, and when I saw you with him and how you smiled at him, I couldn’t do that to you again.
I knew that if you found out that he was my girlfriend's stepbrother you would not have continued your relationship, and when I heard you laugh in the kitchen from whatever he said, I knew I had to just allow him to tell you… but he didn’t.
Then you met his parents, and he still hadn’t told you, so I just went along with it.
” Sighing as if a weight had been taken off his shoulder.
“You know I didn’t mean it right? Like in that moment I did, but not in general?” looking at him referring to when I called him a piece of shit.
A piece of shit would not save my life.
“ I know. But I felt it at that moment, and probably in general I am” shrugging his shoulder.
“Why did you beg me to get back together with you even though you were dating her? That is what doesn’t make sense to me.”
“I guess when I saw you two together I just lost it. I saw what I lost and that he got and my heart shattered, and if you agreed to take me back I would’ve dumped her in a heartbeat.
It’s kind of messed up but I guess that was my logic at the time.
The amount of alcohol in my system didn’t help either”.
A moment of silence came upon us, and he answered what I had been wondering for months.
Noah cared about me. He not only saved my life, but he made sure that all of the people I loved knew about me.
Just that time, a knock at my door, with a giant bouquet of lilies.
“Wow, Liam must feel bad about everything, that is massive” jokingly rolled his eyes, “What’s the note say?”
“Feel better Isabel, Love Ollie” I read out loud.
“Ollie? Pleasantly surprised. So what’s the deal with you and Ollie?” as he puts the flowers on the windowsill.
“We’re just friends. I really missed hanging out.
He suggested we do a ‘last hoorah’ next weekend at the beach house with all of us since I have orientation, but now that will likely not happen with the whole Sydney and Liam thing, and you know Brad and I are hospitalized” a sigh of disappointment leaves my lips because I was really looking forward to this weekend.
“Well forget about Sydney and Liam. You and Brad should be better by then, why don’t the four of us and Ollie go? It will be a blast. We can rent a house on the water, please, Bella. You and Brad … we all need this” he pleads like a child asking for a piece of candy at the store.
“Fine” I groan, “But I have enough going on, I am not planning it. You three deal with it. Keep me and Brad out of it so we can heal. Speaking of the devil, how is he?” just as there's a knock at the door. “Well, I’ll be damned! Brad, how the hell are ya, buddy? ” I exclaim as he and Tony walk in.
Brad was in a wheelchair in a hospital gown and mask, assuming to keep my infection away from him. He and Tony kept their distance and sat back by the door.
“I heard we got a new girl on the floor, so I had to come check her out myself! You look” glaring me up and down “fucking awful, Bella” he starts laughing “Noah, I see you’re here as well. Thanks for saving my life and all” he shrugs.
“Well, look at Noah. Saving two lives in one day. Our knight in shining armor” I wink, squeezing his hand, which is still intertwined in mine.
“Tony, oh my god, sit down” pointing at the empty chair.
“Spill the drama since I’ve been out” Brad chuckles, “Liv says it was messy”.
Noah and I look at each other and laugh. Messy. That is one word for it.
“Noah, you go ahead and explain our day”.
Brad and Tony listen attentively as he explains our whole day from the three am phone call to the moment they walked in. Brad listened to every bit with no judgment.
Tony spoke up and said “Well, I’m glad you made your peace. So are you going to get back together?” motioning to our still intertwined hands.
Why were we still holding hands?
“No. We just made up and we both needed comforting so here we are” I shrugged my shoulders.
“So what about you and Liv?” Noah asks, diverting the attention from us.
“Yeah, we’re back together. I apologized for my stupidity and she took me back” Brad shrugged.
“You were kind of dramatic though, don’t you think?” winking at him.
“The most” Tony chuckled.
Michelle walks in “Okay, Brad. Your time is up. Back to your room”.
I blew a kiss “Thank you for visiting. I’ll be here all week”.
“So not boyfriend, what’s your name?” Michelle chuckles.
“Noah. And not boyfriend? ” he laughs looking at me.
“Well, when I started shift she asked for you first and let you sleep at her bedside. And then got another boy in here for five minutes who she claims was her boyfriend, but they were quiet and you’re still here. You seem more like her boyfriend than the other boy” she shrugs and walks back out.
“I mean she’s got a point” I chuckle but it hurts my heart because why did it take three hours for Liam to come? Why did he only stay five minutes?
“Where’s my phone?” I ask, a flicker of hope that there are missed texts from Liam.
“It’s still at your place,” Noah says carefully. “Your mom’s bringing it when she checks on you in the morning. Here –” He hands me his phone. “Just use mine.”
I dial Liam’s number. It rings. And rings. No answer.
“He must be sleeping or something,” I say, glancing at the clock– only eight o’clock.
“I hope so,” Noah mutters, too quietly, his jaw tightening.
I look at him. “Why don’t you like him? Besides, you know, him dating me and all. You’re supposed to like your girlfriend’s siblings.”
Noah hesitates, then exhales slowly, like he’s choosing his words on purpose.
“I don’t know, Bella,” he says. “Something about him just doesn’t sit right with me. Before you two started dating, he was seeing this girl – Jessica. They both said it was nothing, that they were ‘just friends,’ but it was definitely something.”
He shakes his head. “It ended badly. Messy. And the way he talked about it – about her–it wasn’t normal. It was like everything was always someone else’s fault. Like he rewrote things until he was the victim.”
Noah meets my eyes, protective now, serious. “I’m not saying he’s evil. I’m just saying… he scares me a little. And I don’t like the way he gets inside your head.”
He squeezes my hand. “I just want you safe, Bella. That’s it.”
The words linger-quiet, unsettling, impossible to ignore.
I begin dialing Oliver’s number.
“Hey, Noah. How is our girl?” making me blush at the term ‘our girl’.
“Well, I’d say I’m alive. That’s all you get for now”
“I will take it. How are you feeling?”
“Like hell, but a little better now that I have a giant bouquet of my favorite flowers to keep me company. Thank you by the way” I can’t help but smile at the smallest gesture of remembering my favorite flowers.
“You are welcome! Isabel, I really hate to cut this short but it’s late for me and I am exhausted. I’ll try to stop by and see you later this week okay? And Bella, I’m really glad you’re okay”.
“Thank you, Ollie. It means a lot”.
We hang up, and a small smile lingers on my face.
Then it hits me.
A wave of cold washes over my body. My stomach turns violently, my hands going clammy as the room starts to blur around the edges. The smile vanishes.
I look at Noah, panic flooding my chest. He sees it instantly – my face, my breathing, the way I freeze.
“Bella,” he says sharply, already moving closer, “what is it?”
The urgency in his voice cuts through the fog, almost like he’s shouting into a tunnel… grounding me just enough to know something is wrong.
“Noah… call Michelle,” I gasp, struggling to draw in air, my words barely audible.
“Michelle!” Noah shouts, panic lacing his voice as he fumbles for his phone.
Darkness suddenly engulfs me.
The sound of his frantic voice echoes faintly in the void, and my heart races, trapped between fear and helplessness.