02

DAMIEN

This was the last place I would have thought to see Isabella and I wondered what the fuck she was doing here and dressed like that.

I had only meant to follow her and discover where she was staying but when the man had began making passes at her, I had been forced to intervene.

She was as beautiful as I had always envisioned she would be, with such stunning and always startled eyes which led me to wonder what she was doing here.

I did not think she recognized me and although I had not been expecting her to, I was a little bit disappointed that she was staring at me like I was some stranger.

She had to see some level of recognition, doesn’t she? I thought to myself as we sat by the bar and she took glass after glass of scotch.

I did not make any move to stop her from drinking; it was quite obvious that there was something wrong with her and she was drinking to forget.

Now wasn’t the time to remind her of who I was. I was going to have to do that later when she was sober.

“Thank you” She finally slurred, moments later. “I don’t know what I would have done if you had not helped me

I nodded at her, my eyes remaining on her while she downed another glass.

“You seemed to be handling yourself quite okay if you ask me” I told her while she laughed at this

“What is the matter with you?” I finally asked

“With me?” She echoed in confusion. “There is nothing wrong with…”

“You have been drinking for a long while and although I do not plan to stop you, I want to understand what is making you drink this much” I explained, interrupting her.

She laughed, like I had said something she found very amusing before she sobered up, her eyes blurring as she gazed in my direction.

“I was dumped…no… I was cheated on by my fiance with my best friend. Now how sick is that?” She asked although I did not think she was expecting any form of response. “You would think that these sort of things happen in movies and in books but never in real life because you expect them to be loyal but what do I get?”

She reached into her dress pocket, flipping out a box and then opening it up so I could see the ring.

“I had all the plans to propose to him today…grand plans that I had thought he would be happy about” She continued, smiling to herself and then replacing the box from where she had gotten it.

“Then you caught him cheating” I declared, finally understanding where she was coming from.

“Then I did” She concurred in a small voice. “It had been happening for quite a while, apparently.” she murmured, laughing again

“He is a fool to cheat on you and it is not your fault that he is” I reassured her.

She said nothing while I wondered who the fuck her fiance was and what kind of asshole he is to have done this to her. I felt a pang of jealousy at the fact that I had been hung up over her, unable to move on while she had been planning to get married to someone else.

“Today is my birthday” She said quietly, staring into the glass in front of her.

I knew it was her birthday. I had selected today to come back into town and begin my search for her.

“Happy Birthday, Isabella” I told her

She glanced at me, a frown appearing at the center of her forehead. It remained there for a while until a song came up and it cleared.

“Do you want to dance, Damien?” She inquired, rising on shaky feet while I tried to catch her.

“I am not much of a dancer; you can go ahead” I told her

“Nobody is, scaredy cat… but the key is to follow the rhythm. Come, let me show you” she smiled.

I followed, allowing her pull me to the dance floor and I watched as she began moving against me as the song protested. I followed her lead, my arms coming around her as we twirled and she began laughing.

It was one of the most beautiful sounds I have ever heard and I could not stop myself from laughing along with her.

The song slowed, pulling us into a deep embrace. She clung to me and I held her like she was the most fragile thing in the world because at that moment, she was.

When the song stopped, she stared up at me with soulful eyes and I could tell she was no longer as drunk as she had been when we talked earlier.

“Do you want to get out of here?” She asked, her eyes suggesting something I have always wanted

“Where to?”

“I booked a hotel” She began and then blushed, her cheeks coloring up as she realized her words.

“It was supposed to be for my birthday celebration but I am not celebrating anything anymore” She muttered, her voice soft.

“I would love to, Isabella” I told her.

We reached the bar and I paid for the drinks, hailing a cab outside and settling into the back. Her phone began ringing then, trilling incessantly as she pointedly ignored it.

“Are you not going to get that?” I asked her

“It is the ex and we are officially over so no I am not going to get it and allow him ruin an otherwise beautiful night” She responded, keeping her face straight ahead.

I reached for her hand and squeezed it slightly to show her I was here and there was nothing to worry about.

Even though she did not recognize me, I was going to protect her and nobody would ever have the opportunity to hurt her for as long as I lived. She was mine and she was going to realize that soon.