Two Lonely Souls

Chapter 3

So… What Now?

Isabella stood at the window of her penthouse overlooking the city. She'd been out of the hospital now for four weeks. Four weeks and she hadn't heard from him. She had gotten used to seeing him every day, joining his friends for pizza, playing chess and poker long into the night, sharing war stories, realizing just how much they had in common. Perhaps for the first time ever, excluding her uncle or father or the Special Ops guys of course, she may have met a man she could trust and not have secrets from. She thought it was wonderful that Colby had such a terrific support system, with his friends and family visiting, which he always included her in. Other than the initial visits from the General and Denny, and most of the Special Ops guys who stayed and hung out for a few days, she didn't have many visitors. They were suspicious of the FBI team, but liked Colby immediately after learning he spent time in Afghanistan as well. She didn't have much in common with many in her academic pursuits, and then there were always the money vultures of all kind that she kept away from her.

After sharing a hospital bed and meals almost every day, they had walked out the door and picked up their lives where they left off. He hadn't called to check on her, ask for a date, not even a call to make her laugh.

Isabella picked up the phone and tentatively hit the speed dial he had programmed on her phone. She was nervous. She was Isabella Worthington and she did not call for dates. Yet, here she was, dialing his number. She kept telling herself she just wanted to see how he was. That's all. It was certainly not a sweat inducing event. So why was she sweating? While the call went through she took a drink of water to calm her nerves. He picked up this cell phone on the third ring.

"Granger."

"Hey you."

"Isabella." He had let his voice drop to almost a whisper.

"Am I calling at a bad time Colby?"

"No, no, I'm just getting some coffee. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine. I've cut my hours at the foundation since I'm tired so much. But my teaching continues as scheduled. I still haven't found a body guard to replace Bobby. It is sort of a word of mouth thing. And then I keep getting these vibes from the ones I have interviewed that they think I am part of their perk package. It's pretty discouraging. I'm starting to think maybe I don't need a bodyguard." She was a little mortified that she had prattled off like that. What had happened to cool and collected Isabella Worthington?

"Bella, would you like me to find you a suitable bodyguard? You need one right way, and I'll feel a lot better knowing you have someone watching over you. I wish it could be me." Other than the Special Ops guys, no one but Colby called her Bella. Everyone else used her full name or Isa. She loved that he called her Bella.

"If you have time, Colby I would really appreciate it. And you know Colby, a body guard can't be involved with their protectee. I wouldn't want you to be my bodyguard."

" Well, I wouldn't mind guarding your body, but not like a body guard. I'll start asking around right away."

"Thank you, Colby. I figured that you would be guarding my body by now. What happened?"

"Hold on, I'm going to walk into an empty conference room so I can talk." Isabella heard the door open and close again. Colby then continued. "I think about you every day, the first thing in the morning and the last thing before I fall asleep at night. I just wasn't sure about calling. Our lives are so different and I wasn't sure you would want to hear from me again."

"We slept in the same bed for three weeks while we were in the hospital, much to the chagrin of the doctors and nurses. Even though it was just sleep, and maybe a little making out, it was pretty intimate. We spent countless hours talking, hanging out with friends, playing games. What about that time spent would give you the idea that I wouldn't want to be with you? Trust me. There hasn't been a man in my bed for a long time by my choice. You were there because I wanted you there, and I thought you wanted to be there as well."

"You aren't embarrassed by me? You are rich and famous, whether you want to be or not. I'm just a meathead from Idaho. I couldn't even afford to buy you an engagement ring that would be appropriate. You can buy anything you want. You deserve someone who can be with you and socialize with your Ivy League friends and buy you fancy things and do all the things a socialite like you do. Some of those Special Forces guys that flew across the country might fit the bill. Especially the Lt. Col, he seemed quite concerned."

"Now you are going all Neanderthal on me, making my choices for me and getting jealous over nothing. You are more than the man you just described. I've read your file, not the blacked out one either. We have more in common than you realize. You are brave and strong and a true hero. I think I do deserve you. If you get a chance today, look up my file. It's already been flagged to give you access, but just for today Colby. Read the file and you'll understand how much we have in common. As for buying me things, I can buy whatever I want to. I don't need you to buy it for me. As for engagement rings, why don't we worry about that if and when we get there although I do like that you are thinking about us that way. Let's start with maybe dinner, sex, moving in together. Then we can talk about rings. And I don't know what you think my life is like, but I don't have any Ivy League friends. Other than the Special Forces guys you met, I don't have any friends at all that aren't just interested in my money. I teach college classes at CalSci just like Amita and Charlie. I run a foundation, which gives away money. And sometimes I do work for the government. You can read about that. I'm not a hero like you. I don't save lives every day. I don't solve complicated crimes that make the world a better place. Your life, what you do, and who you are do NOT embarrass me. I welcome you into my life if you want to be there. I hope that you welcome me into yours."

" I've been going crazy thinking about you the last few weeks. I just didn't see a way. I'll look at your file and see what you are talking about. And Bella, I want to be in your life and you in mine. Can I see you tonight? It's been a long time."

"I would love to see you tonight. I have missed you so much."

"Me too. Your place at 7?"

"I'll have Rosa fix extra for dinner," and then in a whisper she added "And maybe you should bring some extra clothes? Just in case." She laughed deeply into the phone and hung up without waiting for his reply.