Kristen and Sherry (Koshivuh and banshee69) picked through this with me. They are two absolutely amazing girls, and I am so blessed to be able to call them my red sharpies and voices of reason but, most of all, my friends. xx

For those who asked, yes, this will have a HEA. It is a slow ride, with a lot of burn, mixed with heartache and, of course, some frustration, but the end result will make you smile. Promise.

-TLWLW-

-29-

New Year's flashed by in a flurry of Leah and Jake craziness. Once again, Bella found herself at the bar, not working, and actually enjoying herself. Jake really made it impossible to mope around him. His offbeat personality seemed to be exactly what Bella needed to lift her spirits, and as she danced the night away, Jake doing some funky rendition of the moonwalk beside her while Leah howled in laughter, Bella smiled, really smiled and just let herself go. Her body moved with the music, her eyes closed, her hips swayed. She could feel all the eyes on her, men who had tried countless times to get her to go out with them, or even just to dance even one song with them. They didn't bother her anymore, probably assuming she was a lesbian or a frigid bitch, she didn't care either way, but they still watched. She ignored them and just let herself feel.

January flew by, and Bella loved every second of her clinic time at the mental health center. In fact, she even made a friend, who just happened to be a seventy-year-old woman suffering from Alzheimer's, but an amazing friend nonetheless.

She spent countless hours, long after her shifts, just sitting with the elderly woman and listening to her tales. Bella wasn't sure which ones, if any, held any merit to them, but they were beautiful tales of true love and aching heartbreak. They mesmerized her, and she felt as if she could relate, as if this beautiful soul had suffered the same fate as her.


Gonna try for two chapters a day. So we can move the story-line along a bit faster for y'all. That work for you?

xx