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CHAPTER NINE:
Alex put the car in park, and turned off the engine. He had decided to bring Isabel to the quary where the group would meet sometimes to discuss the latest crisis. It was about a fifteen minute drive to get there, which gave both of them a chance to calm down. The location was completely private, so they could take freely without anyone disturbing them.
Isabel stared at Alex, a gentle smile brightening her face. Alex looked at her, and couldn't help but smile in return.
"Thank you," said Isabel. "For being there for me. For being my knight in shining armor."
Alex chuckled. "Pleasure, milady."
Isabel leaned over and gently kissed Alex on the lips. Then, she pulled Alex's head closer to hers, and began to kiss him more passionately. Alex began to kiss her back, their tongues dancing with each other. He put his arms around her, and pulled her closer to him. But then Alex pulled away, and gently put his hands on Isabel's shoulders to push her back.
"Isabel," said Alex. "The events of tonight, um...emotions are running high. I know you are grateful to me for helping you, but you don't have to..."
"Have to...what," said Isabel, in a confused tone. Then, a look of despair registered on her face. "You think I was offering you that as a reward for..."
She opened the car door, and jumped out of the car. Running to the front of the car, facing the water filled quarry, Isabel began to cry.
"Dammit," said Alex, to himself.
He got out of the car and walked slowly over to Isabel. Hearing her sobs, Alex gently put his hand on Isabel's shoulder. She shook it away.
"What do you think of me, Alex?" she asked, between sobs. "You think I am that low, that I would only want to give you...intimacy to thank you?"
"No, Isabel," said Alex. Once again, put gently put his hand on one shoulder. She didn't shrug it away. He turned her gently to look at him, then put his arms around her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that, really. I just meant that, like you said, I'm your knight in shining armor at the moment. Its only natural that you would find me...attractive. But what about the morning, Isabel? When you wake in the morning, how would you feel?"
"Happy," said Isabel. "I would be waking up in your arms."
"Isabel," said Alex. "Don't do this to me again."
"Do what?" asked Isabel.
"Get my hopes up," said Alex. "Lean on me during a difficult time, then when you're finished with me..."
"No, Alex!" said Isabel. "I'd never do that to you!"
"You did it before!" said Alex.
"I know," said Isabel. "I hurt you, and I don't know if I can ever forgive myself for that. Especially since I've been regretting letting you go! Not realizing until I had already lost you, just how much I care about you!" Then, in a low, quiet voice, she looked into his eyes, and said, "how much I love you."
Alex looked at her for a long time, quietly contemplating the woman who stood before him. Her cheeks were wet with recent tears, her expression and her eyes full of anticipation and fear, fear that he would reject her. That he would rebuff her, telling Isabel that he didn't love her anymore. He also saw something else in Isabel's eyes, something he wasn't sure he had ever seen in them before. Maybe he hadn't been looking closely enough, or maybe she never opened herself up enough to see it. He could actually see love in her eyes. Love for him. But he had to be sure.
"But you went to the prom with Rick Ashton," he said quietly, tentatively.
"You already had a date," said Isabel.
He was quiet for a moment, pondering something. Then, a look of realization came over his face. "That day in the library, when you were talking about the prom. You were dropping hints, weren't you? You wanted me to take you to the prom."
Isabel nodded, and fresh tears flowed down her cheeks. "I thought that it would be a chance for us to start over, for me to show you how much I care for you. For me to show you that I'm ready now for the kind of relationship it would be, if we became close again. But you had Leeana, and I knew that it was too late. I only went to the prom with Rick because it was the only way I could deal with the fact that I had lost you, probably for good. The old, shallow Isabel, would have gone with someone like Rick. Fancy limosuine, fancy clothes, a good looking smart ass..."
"You could chew up and spit back out again," finished Alex. "Just like that guy in Vegas."
"Yeah," said Isabel. "Look, Alex, I know that you are with Leeana now. I know that I probably blew whatever chance I had with you long ago. So, I want you to forget what I told you. I'll walk away. I want us to still be friends, but I know..."
Alex didn't let Isabel finish her sentence. Instead, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her passionately on the lips. She responded almost immediately, wrapping her arms around him, presseing herself closer to Alex's body. When they finally broke their kiss, Alex still held her incredibly close to him, his arms locked around her. He reached up, and gently caressed Isabel's tear stained cheek with his hand.
"Isabel, I never stopped loving you," said Alex. "No matter how much I told myself I was over you, my heart still loved you. My mind kept having to tell my heart to shut up and leave me alone, because I thought that you and I were just not going to be together. But every time I kissed Leeana, every time I looked at her, a little part of me wished it was you."
Alex and Isabel kissed again, then she rested her head on his shoulder. She had never felt so content and loved in her whole life than she did at that moment, in Alex's warm embrace.
"Never leave me, Alex," said Isabel.
Alex kissed Isabel's hair gently, then caressed her back. She raised her head from his shoulders, and they smiled at one another. "I won't leave you, Isabel," said Alex. "Wherever we go from here, we do it together."
End of Chapter Nine. Chapter Ten coming soon.
So, they are back together. But there is still one more thing left to resolve. Find out what in the next chapter. There's still more drama to come in the last few chapters of this story, so be sure to stay tuned for updates. In the meantime, please keep those reviews coming. Feedback is always welcomed and appreciated.
CHAPTER NINE:
Alex put the car in park, and turned off the engine. He had decided to bring Isabel to the quary where the group would meet sometimes to discuss the latest crisis. It was about a fifteen minute drive to get there, which gave both of them a chance to calm down. The location was completely private, so they could take freely without anyone disturbing them.
Isabel stared at Alex, a gentle smile brightening her face. Alex looked at her, and couldn't help but smile in return.
"Thank you," said Isabel. "For being there for me. For being my knight in shining armor."
Alex chuckled. "Pleasure, milady."
Isabel leaned over and gently kissed Alex on the lips. Then, she pulled Alex's head closer to hers, and began to kiss him more passionately. Alex began to kiss her back, their tongues dancing with each other. He put his arms around her, and pulled her closer to him. But then Alex pulled away, and gently put his hands on Isabel's shoulders to push her back.
"Isabel," said Alex. "The events of tonight, um...emotions are running high. I know you are grateful to me for helping you, but you don't have to..."
"Have to...what," said Isabel, in a confused tone. Then, a look of despair registered on her face. "You think I was offering you that as a reward for..."
She opened the car door, and jumped out of the car. Running to the front of the car, facing the water filled quarry, Isabel began to cry.
"Dammit," said Alex, to himself.
He got out of the car and walked slowly over to Isabel. Hearing her sobs, Alex gently put his hand on Isabel's shoulder. She shook it away.
"What do you think of me, Alex?" she asked, between sobs. "You think I am that low, that I would only want to give you...intimacy to thank you?"
"No, Isabel," said Alex. Once again, put gently put his hand on one shoulder. She didn't shrug it away. He turned her gently to look at him, then put his arms around her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that, really. I just meant that, like you said, I'm your knight in shining armor at the moment. Its only natural that you would find me...attractive. But what about the morning, Isabel? When you wake in the morning, how would you feel?"
"Happy," said Isabel. "I would be waking up in your arms."
"Isabel," said Alex. "Don't do this to me again."
"Do what?" asked Isabel.
"Get my hopes up," said Alex. "Lean on me during a difficult time, then when you're finished with me..."
"No, Alex!" said Isabel. "I'd never do that to you!"
"You did it before!" said Alex.
"I know," said Isabel. "I hurt you, and I don't know if I can ever forgive myself for that. Especially since I've been regretting letting you go! Not realizing until I had already lost you, just how much I care about you!" Then, in a low, quiet voice, she looked into his eyes, and said, "how much I love you."
Alex looked at her for a long time, quietly contemplating the woman who stood before him. Her cheeks were wet with recent tears, her expression and her eyes full of anticipation and fear, fear that he would reject her. That he would rebuff her, telling Isabel that he didn't love her anymore. He also saw something else in Isabel's eyes, something he wasn't sure he had ever seen in them before. Maybe he hadn't been looking closely enough, or maybe she never opened herself up enough to see it. He could actually see love in her eyes. Love for him. But he had to be sure.
"But you went to the prom with Rick Ashton," he said quietly, tentatively.
"You already had a date," said Isabel.
He was quiet for a moment, pondering something. Then, a look of realization came over his face. "That day in the library, when you were talking about the prom. You were dropping hints, weren't you? You wanted me to take you to the prom."
Isabel nodded, and fresh tears flowed down her cheeks. "I thought that it would be a chance for us to start over, for me to show you how much I care for you. For me to show you that I'm ready now for the kind of relationship it would be, if we became close again. But you had Leeana, and I knew that it was too late. I only went to the prom with Rick because it was the only way I could deal with the fact that I had lost you, probably for good. The old, shallow Isabel, would have gone with someone like Rick. Fancy limosuine, fancy clothes, a good looking smart ass..."
"You could chew up and spit back out again," finished Alex. "Just like that guy in Vegas."
"Yeah," said Isabel. "Look, Alex, I know that you are with Leeana now. I know that I probably blew whatever chance I had with you long ago. So, I want you to forget what I told you. I'll walk away. I want us to still be friends, but I know..."
Alex didn't let Isabel finish her sentence. Instead, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her passionately on the lips. She responded almost immediately, wrapping her arms around him, presseing herself closer to Alex's body. When they finally broke their kiss, Alex still held her incredibly close to him, his arms locked around her. He reached up, and gently caressed Isabel's tear stained cheek with his hand.
"Isabel, I never stopped loving you," said Alex. "No matter how much I told myself I was over you, my heart still loved you. My mind kept having to tell my heart to shut up and leave me alone, because I thought that you and I were just not going to be together. But every time I kissed Leeana, every time I looked at her, a little part of me wished it was you."
Alex and Isabel kissed again, then she rested her head on his shoulder. She had never felt so content and loved in her whole life than she did at that moment, in Alex's warm embrace.
"Never leave me, Alex," said Isabel.
Alex kissed Isabel's hair gently, then caressed her back. She raised her head from his shoulders, and they smiled at one another. "I won't leave you, Isabel," said Alex. "Wherever we go from here, we do it together."
End of Chapter Nine. Chapter Ten coming soon.
So, they are back together. But there is still one more thing left to resolve. Find out what in the next chapter. There's still more drama to come in the last few chapters of this story, so be sure to stay tuned for updates. In the meantime, please keep those reviews coming. Feedback is always welcomed and appreciated.