𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐲

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟑

-𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐄𝐒-

I made my way down the corridor and then knocked on the door I knew belonged to Della. She opened it and was ready to go to the pool. She had wiped off her mascara so it wouldn't leak out underneath her eyes. Her towel on her shoulder as she wore bath flip flops. We silently walked to the elevator that brought us to the roof pool. It was actually closed but our team got acces to go at night as well. We dropped our stuff on a sun bathing bed and I pulled off my flip flops and a shirt before diving in quickly. I turned myself around to see that Della was frowning at her phone a little. She had already undressed and was left in a pastel green bikini. It looked amazing on her body. She was the perfect amount of slime and I had to say... I admire her body. She pushed her hair back behind her ear as she started typing on her phone. I looked better at her and noticed bruises and small cuts on her body. It's a weird place because those are places she can easily cover up when wearing a shirt or something else. She threw her phone on the bench and sat on the side of the pool. Her legs dangling in the water before she gently lowered herself in the water. The infinity pool was amazing and it looked out over the city beautifully. I looked at it and was leaning on the edge with my arms. Della leaned next to me with some space between us. I was invested in knowing everything of her. She was a big mystery ready to be solved by me.

"Why don't you tell people anything?"

"I've learned my lesson over the last years..."

"But don't you want someone to know about your thoughts and your problems? So that you can let it all go sometimes?"

"Sometimes a little. I know I shouldn't so that's what keeps me shut off."

"I'm sorry Della."

"For what?"

"The way we started off... I was convinced that you were some stuck up princess... but I think I'm wrong since I saw you today... with your father and your friends."

"It's alright... I guess I wasn't the nicest to let my filter slip the first time we met."

She was staring in the distance as I looked at her. Her hair was wet and hung in thick strands around her face. She looked kind of sad and on the edge of spilling.

"Let's start over okay? Let's be friends."

"I don't want friends Charles... not in the way you want to be my friend... I won't allow myself."

"Why though? I'm trying to understand you... not so I can help you but so I know how I can be someone you want to be around."

"I like being the invisible girl. I don't want to be invisible as much as possible but we'll unlucky for me my dream job has to be something around people and media."

"Nobody is happy as an invisible person Della..."

"I am Charles. I'm happier now I'm an invisible person then I was when I was a drunk stupid college student. I know nobody will hurt me again... I spilled too much already."

"It's alright... I won't share anything with anyone okay. If it makes you feel any better I'll share something of mine?"

"No it's okay..."

I swallowed softly as I looked out over the city again. I looked again at Della her body full of marks and bruises.

"How did you get those? The bruises and marks?"

"I... I'm just clumsy. Fell in the bushes when I got drunk... not my best moment."

She was lying. I want sure but I had a feeling about the way the words left her mouth and she had sucked in her breath. She swallowed hard before she looked at me. She smiled softly at me and then looked away again. The tension that wasn't here before was thick and I saw how she wasn't comfortable around me. She wasn't comfortable from the first minute but it was worse now.

"Maybe we should get some sleep."

Her voice spoke up first. I looked at her. Her eyes already on me. I gave her a nod and we dried ourselves off before getting dressed again. We went to our corridor and walked to our rooms.

"Dellaphina! Here you are."

She froze in her place and I looked at her face. She was staring in front of her tightly. I looked behind her and saw her father. He must have been one of the persons to hurt her because she reacted badly to his voice only. She turned around and swallowed as her eyes found his.

"Father..."

He walked towards us. I noticed he was holding a small knife and I quickly looked up to his face hoping he didn't see me notice it. That must have been the way that she god her marks and bruises.

"I was searching for you. But you weren't in your room. How come?"

He eyed me up and down as he had a fake smile plastered on his face. Della looked at me with a soft fake smile as well. Her eyes had a panic in them but I wasn't sure. I spoke up before she could tell him herself.

"We decided to take a break sir. We were working on the car and the data of today. We needed to take a look at it together. We went for a swim so we could take a pause. We need another hour or more of work and then head to bed quickly before we have another day of testing tomorrow."

I smiled at Paul, Della's father. He looked suspiciously at me and then at Della.

"I'm sorry father but we really should go. We've some work to finish and I would like to go to bed as early as possible so I'm well rested."

Her French sounded perfect like always. If we were talking together we would always speak French because it was easier for us. I refocused myself on the conversation and looked at Paul.

"Good luck then. I need you home as quick as possible. It's time."

He tapped his watch as he said his last 2 words. He turned around and walked away as Della and I entered her room. She walked to the bathroom and locked the door. It was silent until I heard a weird sound coming from the bathroom. Like someone couldn't get air or something? I knocked on the door softly.

"Della? Are you okay?"

"Yes I'm fine. Can you leave my room now please?"

"Della you don't sound fine..."

"I am."

"No your not. Your voice is shaky."

"I will be fine. Just let me have some time alone."

"I'm not leaving you right now... what if your dad is coming back? I saw the knife in his hand Della... is he the one hurting you?"

"Charles don't investigate in my life. I don't want you too."

"You can't lock out everybody Della."

"I can. Leave. Now!"

I didn't feel like fighting her. She's a stubborn girl so I opened the door looked out over the corridor and then went to my own room after making sure Paul wasn't there anymore.

(1233 words)