Sorry for such the long wait between updates on this - I've been concentrating on other things! But here are the final two chapters of Run To Me.
Chapter Two
Staring at the calendar hanging from her wall, Isabel felt a numbness spread within her. A raging cold, filling her veins and leaving no room for any other feeling than numb. Even at the height of her Ice Princess days, she'd always had an inner fire behind those frosty walls. It was ironic that only now, with the walls shattered beyond repair, did she truly feel like she was made of Ice. But not the Ice of her old nickname, the solid as steel, uncaring front she had projected. Real Ice. Strong only to the casual observer, who never looked close enough to see the flaws. Ice wasn't strong, it was brittle. Apply heat and it melted, apply force and it shattered. Into thousands of pieces that, no matter how hard you tried, you would never get back together in the same way again. But even in millions of pieces, it remained Ice. When Isabel said she was Ice, she thought of shattered Ice. Because no matter what happened, she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she'd never be the same again. So the last five months had been spent doing the only thing shattered ice could do. Melting. Because as water, the pieces of ice could come together again.
So it was strange, that now, after she'd spent so long trying to become water, that she felt more like ice than ever before. It was as clear as day to her now that everything she'd been telling herself over the last few months, the statements of how she was getting better, how she had accepted what had happened, had been delusions. She was as broken now, sitting on her bed staring at the calendar, as she had been five months ago. She was just broken in a different way. The pain had mutated, changing from soul-wrenching agony to a constant, throbbing ache beneath her skin. She hadn't healed, she'd just pushed it deep inside. And all it had taken for it to come rushing back was a date upon her calendar.
It had only taken one glance to send bolts of ice shooting through her body. She'd been dreading this day for weeks, but nothing had prepared her for the agony that seeing this date would cause. This date was a monument to her agony, a reminder of everything the world had lost that fateful night. What should have been a day of celebration had become a day of mourning. Everything she had been trying so desperately to leave behind was brought back to the surface. Every memory they'd made together, every feeling he'd created from even the simplest of words or actions. And above all, the bone-shattering heartbreak of that moment when she'd realized that those moments were all she was ever going to have. That she'd never get to see his goofy smile again, that she'd never get to hear his voice or lose herself in his arms. That he'd never celebrate another birthday.
It seemed wrong somehow, that she should see this day when he could not. This was supposed to be his day of celebration, when she would get to repay him for the fool he'd made of himself upon hers. He was supposed to be here. Without him, she didn't know what to do. He'd been the center of her universe, and without him she didn't know how to feel anything anymore. The only thing she knew with absolute certainty was that she wouldn't get through this day alone. She needed someone and something to keep her occupied. She needed Kyle.
- -
- - - - - -
Hush, you don't have to say a word
Trust
that I'm not gonna hate you for it
Feels like my
touch only brings back the pain
Someday those
memories will fade away
- - - - - - - -
The look in her eyes when he opened the door told him everything he needed to know. The pain radiated from her as clearly as if she was carrying a billboard proclaiming it for the world to see. This day was always going to be a harsh reminder, a test of just how well she was truly coping. That she'd turned up on his doorstep wasn't entirely unexpected, but the sheer power of her brokenness sent a jolt of agony through his heart, making him wonder whether his actions over the last two months had helped or hindered her.
After the incident in the Evans's living room, Kyle had begun to retreat from Isabel's life. Slowly but surely he'd been forcing her to stand upon her own two feet, to come out of the self-imposed isolation she'd hidden behind and deal with the real world once more. Though he'd known she wasn't dealing well, the very fact she was even trying had been progress. But now, as she stood on his doorstep looking like a lost lamb, he knew she was almost right back to where she started. And she'd come to him. Knowing, as they both did, that he'd be there for her. That he'd know, without her ever having to say a word, exactly what she needed.
And right now, she needed him. She needed to know that she wasn't alone, that she didn't need to deal with this by herself anymore. Years of isolating herself from those around her had left their mark upon her character, and sharing her feelings with others wasn't something she was good at. So she needed him. Someone who could tell simply from the look in her eyes exactly how she was feeling, who wouldn't push her to open up but just hold her until she felt able to stand alone. Pulling her into his arms, Kyle felt her façade shatter as she let the tears she'd been fighting fall.
Continued….