Marry. Ride. Love.

Maybe that helped

*Isabella*

I was about to go downstairs to the kitchen when my phone started vibrating. I took one look at the screen and my heart immediately jumped.

"Maxie!", I happily answered the call.

"Hey, Bella, I don't think you've ever been so happy to hear me. Do you miss me?" he laughed, and my heart felt heavier than ever.

"Very much," I whispered, sinking down on the big staircase.

"That doesn't sound good," he murmured.

I dropped my face into my free hand and tried not to burst into tears. I had never felt so lonely in my life as I had in the last two weeks. After the first evening alone here, when everyone had spoken only Italian at dinner and I had had no chance to participate in the conversation, I had sat at dinner two more times, only to experience the same debacle as before. By the fourth evening, I had stopped eating with them.

I couldn't stand sitting there and feeling so lonely because everyone was talking and passing me over as if I wasn't even there. I pressed my hand tighter over my mouth and tried to breathe calmly as the first tears ran down my face.

"Bella?" asked Max cautiously.

"No, I'm fine. I'm just so happy to hear you. We're usually together.", I knew how fake that sounded. I knew he wouldn't believe me.

"Fuck Bella. If I didn't have to leave right now..."

"I'll be fine," I mumbled "It sucks and I'm alone, but I'll be fine."

"Man Bella...I wish I could do something from here. Is he that unfriendly?"

"He just doesn't talk to me at all. So pretty much nothing. The little bit he does talk is hardly worth mentioning."

"He's still ignoring you? What's wrong with him?"

"I don't know. Most of the time he's up at the motorcross track anyway."

"And you're not?"

"No, I haven't been there yet."

"Well, it's about time! You love motorbikes and motorsports. You don't want to be stuck in the house. Go on, go there!"

"He doesn't want to see me there."
"So what? You are the Misses of the house. You are his wife. You can go wherever you want. And if you want to visit him there, you just do it. What do you want him to do? Stop talking to you? I thought he already didn't. Go on. Get out. I want to hear tonight how well you liked it."

"Max...I don't know."

"Shit Bella! You're an engineer! You can put bikes like this together in your sleep. Show him that side of you!"

I nodded. I could do that and I really missed it. I really missed hearing and fixing motorcycles. Maybe once the guys checked out that I could fix their bikes, I could do more here than just buy groceries and cook.

"Okay. I'll do it. But if this goes as modestly as your plan last time, I'll never listen to you again."

"Couldn't have known he'd be gone when you got back," he laughed, now I had to laugh too.

His laugh was just infectious.

"That's what I want to hear you say!", I let my head tip back into its usual position.

"Thanks Max.", I really didn't know what I would do without my best friend. He really managed to make me laugh even in the silliest of times.

"Not for this. And after the race, I'll come down to Tavullia. And then we'll hang out, okay?"