Chapter 24

Bella slammed her truck door closed and took unwary steps towards her home. Bane was here. Why had he come? What was he expecting to happen? Did Ailani know he was coming? His mother? Why hadn't they warned her? And as a clue, her phone buzzed in her jacket's pocket. She took it out and answered.

"Ailani, Bane is here," she breathed to her phone.

"Yes, honey, that's the reason I called. I just talked with his mum, and she told me. She had just found out it herself," Ailani said.

"Why didn't she call me," Bella wondered.

"I called her to ask something else, and she had just finished talking with Bane. He hadn't told anybody about his plans. Maybe it was that no one wouldn't give you a heads up," Ailani told her.

"Well, he most certainly took me by surprise. Have you seen him lately? How's he been?" Bella asked her friend.

"I haven't seen him very often. I've been working on my new exhibition, and he's been busy with his summer courses. I saw him about two weeks ago, and he seemed to be faring a bit better. His mum said the same," Ailani said.

"Oh, ok. Well, I better go in and see what it's all about. I was at Paul's when dad called me, and I'm just about to go inside."

"How are things with Paul?" Ailani asked.

"Hey, I have to talk to you later about that. Things had gotten quite intense lately, I tell you that much."

"Sounds yummy," Ailani giggled.

"That and other stuff too. Hey, I have to go now. Thank you for calling me. Talk to you soon."

"Ok, bye, honey. Good luck with Bane. Maybe he just wants some kind of closure."

"Yeah, I hope so. I hate the idea of him spending all that money on the flight tickets, though," Bella sighed.

They ended the call, and Bella opened the door. She took a deep breath and went in.

"Hi, dad!" she said.

She heard talking from the living room and went to look for her dad and Bane. They were sitting and watching some game on TV. Charlie looked like he wanted to be anywhere else than here in this very awkward situation. Bane jumped off the couch and came to greet her. He hugged her and kissed her on the cheek.

"Hi, Bella!"

"Hi, Bane! What are you doing here?"

"Well, it is good to see you too," Bane said, sounding offended. Well, it probably wasn't the nicest thing to say, but she really didn't understand why he had come here. Used so much money and time and did not even tell her he was coming. What if she hadn't been around.

"Sorry, Bane, I'm just very surprised to see you here," she apologized.

"Yeah, I probably should have told you, but I wanted to surprise you."

"Why?"

"Hey, I'm off to bed," Charlie said and got up from his recliner. It was 9.30 pm and maybe a bit early to sleep, but Bella understood that he didn't want to stay and listen.

"I've told Bane that he can crash on the couch for the night and depending on his plans for other nights, too," Charlie said.

"Yes, that is very kind of you, sir," Bane said.

"Don't mention it," Charlie huffed and limbed to the stairs. It looked more painful again.

"Are you in more pain?" Bella asked worriedly.

"Nah, it's just stiffness. Good night kiddo, Bane."

"Night, dad."

They both watched Charlie disappear upstairs, and Bella turned back to Bane.

"Are you hungry?"

"No, but I would like to have something to drink."

"Ok, let's go to the kitchen and see if there is anything else than water," Bella said and led the way.

This was awkward. What did Bane try to accomplish by surprising her? It didn't make sense. She had been very, very, clear about them being finished. Surely, he wasn't trying to get them back together.

"So, how have you been?" Bella asked and gave him a beer. She wanted to know why he was here, but she didn't want him to feel any more unwelcome than he probably already did.

They sat by the table, facing each other.

"Been better," he answered. "You look great. Things are going well for you. I've seen Ailani a bit, and she told me that you found a great flat in Seattle."

"Yes, it is great. And Alicia's friend Megan, who will live there with me, seems very nice. She has that lovely Kiwi accent as Alicia," Bella said lightly but could feel the tension rising.

"That sounds good."

Bane looked tired and nervous. He fiddled with the tag on the bottle.

"I'm going, to be honest with you and say that I was hoping to get you to see that we are meant to be together. Your mum encouraged me to come. I came here so you can remember what it was like to be us," Bane said, looking deep into her eyes with such a strong emotion that Bella felt her heart breaking again.

Shit. It wasn't about closure. And why Reneé had interfered? Stupid, thoughtless mum.

"Bane…"

"No, let me finish. I've had a lot of time to think about this, about us, and I know what I did was wrong. I tried to control you and make you be something you weren't," he took a shaky breath and continued, "but you see, I can change; you don't have to change; you are perfect as you are, and…"

"No one is perfect, Bane," Bella interrupted him.

"But you are for me. You are perfect for me," Bane said with desperation in his voice.

Shit, shit. shit!

"I see it now. We don't have to get married to be happy, and we can…"

"Bane, stop. Listen to me. No one should have to change to be with someone. I don't want you to change. You are a great guy, but you aren't the one for me. I have had time to think about lots of stuff too. And as much as it hurts me to say, I'm not in love with you anymore. I wasn't in love with you when I left. I hadn't been in quite some time, actually. It's just not the marriage thing or our different values about family life and such. It's what you are, and I am, and we aren't meant to be."

Bane's face turned red. His jaw clenched, and his whole body tensed. He was shaking. He stared at Bella with eyes that had turned black.

"There is someone else, isn't there?" he barked.

"Bane, keep your voice down. There is no need to get all worked up. You know where I stand on this. We've talked hours and hours about this. We agreed in the end that we could only be friends. What changed?"

She could guess, though, that it was her selfish, stupid mother.

But Bane wasn't listening to her.

"No need to get all worked up?! What the fuck are you saying? I come here, pay my ass off to get to see you, talk to you, and make you see sense, and after being turned down, I'm not allowed to be upset," Bane shouted.

"Is everything ok down there?" They heard Charlie asking from upstairs.

"Fuck," Bane hissed. And stood up and paced back and forth in the kitchen.

"Yeah, dad, all is good."

"There is someone else, isn't there?" Bane interrogated like a prosecutor, pacing towards her.

"What does it matter? I wouldn't be with you either way."

"Ha," Bane barked, sounding menacing, "you sure didn't waste your time to get fucked, did you. Is he that friend of yours, Jacob, or what the hell his name is? Is his dick bigger than mine, hmm?! Does he suck your pussy and make you cum like a whore?" Bane was livid and not in control.

Bella's breath hitched in surprise. What has gone into him? This wasn't Bane. He never used words like that and talked like that, not to her, not to anybody.

Bella heard Charlie coming down the stairs.

"Bane, stop it. What are you? 18 again? This isn't what you are like. Please stop. I want us to talk about things and try to stay friends."

"What there is to talk about? Hmm!? You obviously never cared about me, or you wouldn't be spreading your legs for the first guy you met after coming here. It's been less than three months, Bella. I've been crying my eyes out while you've been fucking around. Is it just one guy, or is there more?"

"That's enough, boy! You don't talk to my daughter like that," Charlie had come to the kitchen, and the look on his face was enough to shut Bane down.

The men stared at each other for a while, and then Bane turned to the front door.

"Bane, please don't go. Stay. I get that you are mad. But this isn't the way to handle things. We are adults. Please stay so we can talk. Sleep on it, and we talk in the morning. We can go to the beach. I'll show you my favorite spots. You don't have to go, right, dad?"

Bella was desperate. She didn't want Bane to leave. She would be worried and anxious about him.

"Yes, don't go. You should stay, Bane. You are not in a state to drive anywhere. It is ok to be mad even though I don't accept the words you said to Bella. But it's safer that you stay," Charlie tried to convince Bane, but he was clearly adamant about leaving.

"No, I have to go. Goodbye Bella. Have a nice life." And he left. He dashed out of the house to his rental car and drove off.

"Damn that boy," Charlie whistled. "Are you ok, kiddo?" He walked to Bella and grabbed her into his arms.

Bella was crying. She felt shit. This was exactly what she had been afraid might happen.

"I'm fine. I... I just feel so guilty making him suffer," she wept into his father's shirt.

"Hey, you can't choose who you fell in love with. You told that to me when you brought that Lahote boy here. And for the record, I still think that he's not right for you, but that's beside the point."

"Yeah, I know. But it hurts all the same."

Charlie sighed and tightened his arms around Bella. Bella nuzzled into his chest.

"I'll try to contact him tomorrow. I'll call his mother now and tell her what happened. She knows everything that has been going on between us. She might be able to get through to him and make him talk to me. It is insane that he flies here and rushes off like that."

"We do insane things when we are in love, sweetheart."

"Yeah, I guess we do," Bella sighed and squeezed his father. "I'll go up to my room and try to call him. I know he won't answer, but I must try. And then I call his mom. Just that she knows what happened."

"Ok, kiddo. Try to get some sleep, too," Charlie kissed the top of Bella's head and went to the fridge.

Bella climbed up to her room and crashed on her bed. She tried Bane's phone, but it was closed. Then she called Edena. They talked quite a long time about how Bane's been doing, and Edena was frustrated by his behavior. Of course, she understood him, but she had also thought he was doing better.

Bella told her suspicions that her mum had something to do with it. Edena agreed with Bella that it was wrong of her mother to encourage Bane to come to see Bella. She gave him false hope, and knowing Reneé, she had her motivation guiding her; she wanted Bella back to Honolulu.

Edena promised to talk to her mum too. Not that Reneé would see sense, but just to let her know that Bella wasn't moving back to Hawaii.

After the phone call with Edena, she was too exhausted to talk with Paul. It wouldn't be an easy call. So, she texted him instead. She knew he would be anxious to know what had happened with Bane.

She told him that all was good and he didn't need to be worried. She would call him tomorrow.

She had to call her mother too, but it could wait. Reneé really did step over the line this time.

This day has been a total emotional rollercoaster. She hasn't even had time to think about what Paul had said to her. He used such powerful and emotionally loaded words that her head hurt to think about them now. She was also very confused about her own feelings, and how strongly she felt about him after such a short time. But all that just had to wait. She just didn't have anything left in her.

Bella woke up in the morning with a throbbing headache. She had been unable to sleep and stayed up until early morning. She tried to think how she would be able to reach Bane if he didn't want to be found. She should ask dad if Bane told him anything about his plans. She was terrified of Bane leaving without them talking. Even if she didn't love him the way she used to, she cared for him deeply.

She called Paul. He answered right away.

"How are you, baby?" he asked, sounding worried.

"I'm ok, exhausted and with a terrible headache, but I'll live."

"So why had Bane come all the way here?" Paul asked warily.

Bella sighed.

"I know you don't want to hear it, but he came so he could convince me to understand that he and I are meant to be."

"I knew it," Paul said, huffing steam; she could almost picture it.

"Hey baby, before you go any further, listen," Bella said, stopping him right there. No reason for him to go up to the wall about this.

"I said that it wouldn't happen. He got mad and left. I'm going to try to get hold of him. It is silly of him to pay hundreds of dollars to come here to see me and then just after a few minutes of talking to flip and drive off."

"And before you start, I need to talk to him, ok," Bella said firmly.

Paul was silent and said, "I know you have to. Is there anything I can do?"

"No. He did guess that there was someone else, and that was the thing that made him see red. I guess he would have taken it better if I wasn't with anybody. Although I didn't say yes or no to his question, he just assumed and turned very nasty with his remarks."

"That son of a bitch..." Paul started, but Bella interrupted him again. She had learned his temper, and the best way to handle it was to cut it short when his fuses began to blow.

"No, I don't mind him being a jerk. I get that he's angry, and I'm sure he didn't mean the things he said. And Charlie said his piece about his usage of language. I wasn't offended, not; he did say some things that are actually true," Bella said.

"And what might them be?" Bella heard a smirk in Paul's voice.

"That you eat my pussy and make me come," Bella whispered loudly and giggled.

"Hmmm, baby, you made me hungry," Paul said huskily, "I'm starving here."

"Go and eat your breakfast. I must see dad before he leaves for work. I'll see how things go with Bane, and I'll let you know if I can come over to your place tonight."

"I hope he's flown back to Honolulu by now and stays there."

"Don't be a baby."'