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Enchanting Beauty

Pride

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She snuggled down further, yawning a little as my arms held her tighter around her belly. Her damp hair was cool against my bare chest, and I felt her smile a little into my chest, as my heartbeats became irregular momentarily. I couldn't help it. With Belle Taylor, I could never help it.

The quick breathing, the fast heart beat, the jelly legs, and the butterfly filled stomach. That was all her, I thought sighing in contentment as she moved a little, trying to remain comfortable. Her breathing slowed, and I looked down to see her eyes flutter shut gently, almost falling into a deep sleep.

Too bad I was a big old meanie, and wanted to spend as much time with her in a conscious state.

"Hey angel girl, your not falling asleep on me, are you?" I asked tenderly, nudging her a bit as her eyes flickered open and she smiled sleepily up at me.

"Angel girl?" She said, smirking, stifling a yawn that attempted to escape. Pushing gently on my stomach, she moved herself into a sitting position, and instantly I missed the warmth and feel of her tiny body. "Are we using pet names now muffin?" She mocked, pinching my cheek as I cast a disgusted look at her.

"Muffin? I can't have something more dashing and charming… or dark and mysterious?" I asked, nudging her as she smirked at me.

"Mmm…" She said, pretending to think about it "Nope, sorry, see, your not really either of those too." She laughed, now wide-awake, her eyes dancing with happiness.

"Ouch." I replied, clutching at me heart and feigning hurt. "You're a cruel woman." I said, as she punched me gently. "I mean, you're a beautiful woman." I continued, as she smiled up at me.

"We're strange." She said suddenly, her smile fading a bit as she looked at me. "I mean, we're a couple. And we do couplely things. But then, we're not a couple, and we do these odd things." She began to ramble, her face turning a light shade of pink. "Do you think its okay that we're… odd, and not normal?" She asked me finally, her eyes wide with fear and anticipation.

Were we really that strange? I didn't know. I'd never been in this place before. It felt like… so much more than something a 17 year old was supposed to feel. That definitely wasn't normal. But with Belle, did I ever want it to be normal? I didn't think so. If this was what strange felt like… if this is what strange was, then I didn't think I ever wanted not to be strange. Not if it wasn't with her.

I looked into her brown eyes and smiled at her, pulling her closer to me. She moved instinctively into my lap, as my arms moved around her small figure, pulling her closer to me. I leant my forehead against her own as she smiled at me.

"Whatever this is, I don't ever want to not feel it." I said finally, and watched happily as her smile grew into an adorable grin. "So what if we don't give one another pet names, or call one another babe every second of every day. So what if we have these odd moments when we can't stand one another, or when we can't keep our hands off one another. And so what if we're the cynical couple thrown together because we needed someone to love?" I began to ramble, but paused at the look on Belle's face.

"What?" I asked her quietly. She broke her eyes away from mine, and in my arms I felt her body become tense. Her body felt awkward in my arms, and I began to worry, but my pride refused to let it show through. "Belle," I asked her, refusing to let this sudden change in personality scare me as much as it should. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." She replied suddenly, her stubbornness shining through as she pushed herself out of my arms and walked quickly across the room, obviously wanting to make a quick exit. Which obviously meant nothing was not wrong.

"Belle" I yelled out to her, my tone pleading with her, which caused her to stop, but not to turn around and face me. "Would you just put your pride aside for once in your life and tell me what the hell is wrong?" I cried, my voice cracking, a mix of anger and fear.

"Love." She whispered finally, her voice barely there.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Love." She snapped at me over her shoulder. "You said we needed someone to love." She continued timidly. "Is that it? Are we just, who we are, and what we are, because we're alone?" She said, her voice failing her as her hand quickly flew up to her face, furiously rubbing what I could only guess were tears out of her eyes.

"Oh Belle…" I began, only to be cut off.

"No. Don't 'Oh Belle' me… I can't do this Drew." She said, turning to look at me. "I can't fall… be…" She stuttered "in love with you if you aren't with me."

I made a movement towards her but she held her hands up, signaling me to stop. And I knew better than to fight with her when she really didn't want me to.

"All along, I was just waiting, waiting for that moment when your stubbornness and pride got in the way, and told you to give up on me, because the spark was gone. The passion had disappeared. And all that was left was a broken girl with no dreams, only fears." She said, crumbling into the chair that was next to her. "And every time I thought it was about to happen, you'd draw me back in. With your smile, with your words, with that damn touch that's so fucking addictive." She screamed. "But I can't deal with it any more. Not if I'm just that person that you turn to for comfort in your time of need. Not if we're just thrown together. Not if you don't believe in us like I do. Its not fair, on me." She sniffed finally, her voice becoming quiet as she cried gently.

Where was that devilish vixen with the strawberry now? Was all I could think as I watched the enchanting beauty crumble before me, becoming nothing more than a vulnerable girl. Scared and alone. How had I done this to her? How could she even believe that I didn't want her… need her… to survive? When had I ever let her think that? How had I ever let her believe that I didn't… that I didn't…

"How can you think I don't love you Belle?" I asked her suddenly, rushing forward and kneeling down by her side and taking her hand gently in my own. "How can you even believe I'm simply with you because there's no one else? I mean, there is no one else, but not in that way. There's no one else because there will never be another you Belle, there will never be another person that even comes close to making me how you make me feel."

Her tears stopped falling, but she still wouldn't look at me. Her eyes closed and she sighed, shuffling away from my body and pulling her hand out of my grasp.

"Why won't you believe me?" I pleaded with her "When have I ever lied to you? When have I ever let you down?" I appealed to her, grabbing her face in my hands and turning her head towards me, forcing her eyes to lock onto mine. Her eyes glazed over with ice as she glared down at me.

"Everyone lies." She said harshly, her voice tone icy. "We can't help. Its part of human nature."

"Well I don't." I said, just as harshly, glaring back at her, keeping her eyes locked on mine. "You can't shut out people every time you start feeling something other than hate Belle." I said to her calmly "Let your damn pride down so you can let me in. Just let me love you."

Her eyes swept over my form, as she crumbled once more, but I caught her safely in my arms. I pulled her into my as her arms moved around my neck, her face moved into the crook of my neck, as my ears filled with her sobs. And what was left, was a broken girl and a broken boy.

A broken life.

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AN: Another already written story, that I just hadn't posted on here. Did you hate it, or like it? Either way, I'd like to know.