All Chapters of CRAVING ISABELLA: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

ISABELLA"I'm fine, Chloe. Seriously."I wedge my phone between my shoulder and ear as I shove my notebook into my bag, the lecture hall already emptying out around me. I finally get out of the hall. "Yes. I knew you'd say that. I just wanted to be sure." Chloe replies. I can hear the traffic on her end, maybe wind. I'm sure she's rushing to the diner but I don't ask. "Can I hang up now?" "No. Don't you dare! How was class?"Is this her excuse to keep me on the phone? Whatever it is. It's pathetic. I'll just hang up if I want to. But I don't want to... because it's nice hearing her voice after two days of avoiding her calls.At the end of the corridor, there's so much noise. "I just had a long day. I'm tired. That's all.""Mmhmm," she hums. "I can imagine. You've spent the day where? The library?"I stop myself from smiling. She knows me too well. Since I've spent the last two days in my parents' place, I leave the house early and I spend the day in the library studying my ass out.

NOAH I lean back in the plush leather chair, my fingers digging into my scalp until I can feel how it actually hurts. I keep my eyes clamped shut, trying to block out the annoying thrum of Ms. Diane's voice. She's doing that thing again... You know, the 'Academic Advisor' voice. It's all sharp consonants and pseudo-intellectual filler words, a bunch of gibberish meant to dress up the fact that I can practically see how wet she is in her seat. "The bureaucratic infrastructure of the housing department is, as you know, quite rigid, Noah," she drones. I can hear the rustle of her blouse as she leans forward. What colour of bra is she even wearing? Wait... she isn't wearing one. I thought I saw her nipples when I came in here. Is that even ethical? For a lecturer to not wear underwears? "However, given the unique nature of oversight, one has to wonder if the long-term viability of this arrangement serves the institution's best interests. Or yours." I don't open my eyes still. I d

ISABELLAGiovanni is sitting on one of the grey couches as I enter, my duffel bag in my hand. The straps are fucking digging into my palm, and my fingers are already sore from gripping them. I stare around the place, breathing in the familiar calming scent."Hey," He says, raising a hand. "Hi," I tell him, forcing my feet to move as I walk inside fully. "Is... Noah home?" He shrugs, before smiling that annoying smile he always gives. "Don't know. Go check." "Gio..." I don't have the time for this. I inhale, narrowing my eyes. "Is he home?""Yes. Can't you take a joke?" He frowns, leaning back on the couch he's on. "He's in his room."I don't wait to hear the rest of this commentary on my mood. It's a sour one, thanks to my mom. When I get inside my room, I drop the duffel on the floor and throw the curtains open, letting the sunlight flood in. I just stand there for a second, staring around.Then I grab my phone.I stare at the screen. I don’t even know what I’m waiting for. A not

NOAHI love her. I love her enough to leave. I love her enough to let her hate me as long as she keeps her scholarship and her dreams. I can't choose myself. I've never been worth choosing anyway. The bourbon in my hand hasn't done its job. It was supposed to numb the image of Kol's smug face. It did nothing. I still see him pointing at me and jeering."I’m a fucking coward," I whisper, closing my eyes."Noah?"I force my eyes open. Is she really standing there? Or are my eyes deceiving me? Or... maybe it's the alcohol. "Are you kidding me?" Oh shit. It's her. It's fucking her! She starts moving toward me. "Do you have any idea what time it is? I’ve been calling you! Giovanni didn't know where you were, and I’ve been walking around like a crazy person looking for you!"She reaches me and grabs my arm, hauling me upward with more strength than I expected. "You’re wasted! Do you smell yourself?"I let her pull me. This is it. I should tell her. But my mouth doesn't open and I all I d

Three Years Later.ISABELLAI'm staring at the fresh ink on my thigh, with a content smile on my face. It's an infinity symbol. Very small, compared to the ink I've got on my back. I wonder what Derek will say when he sees this one. He always has something to say.My hair, now longer and darker than it was at nineteen, falls forward, shielding my face as I lean down to inspect the work. At twenty-two, my face has lost its soft roundness. All I can see when I look at the mirror are sharp edges and distant eyes.Suddenly, a pair of hands clap onto the shoulder. "Boo!"I jump, looking up to see Chloe's grinning face. In her arms is a toddler with curls and chubby cheeks. I grin at Nadia. She looks so much like her mother even at two. Yes. Nadia is Chloe and Leo's daughter. Those two really went all in when they had this little girl. "Got you," Chloe says."You are the worst," She steps forward, drops Nadia on the floor and wraps one arm around me carefully. "You look good, bestie." She