Heart on Fire | Noah Sebastian

Chapter 11

The taxi ride home from the hospital was quiet. Belle wrapped her arm around mine and laid her head on my shoulder and dozed most of the way home. I held a hand on her thigh and laid my head lightly upon hers.

I paid the taxi driver and walked Belle to her door. "Thank you for bringing me home Noah, I'll get you taxi money tomorrow" Belle says sleepily as she unlocks her door. I immediately denied the money. As she entered her house, I stayed in the doorway. One, I've never actually been inside her house before, and two, I figured she'd rather just go to sleep and get some rest. "Aren't you coming in?" She smiled at me and gestured for me to follow her in.

I gently accepted her invitation and followed her inside. Belle led me through her living room and into the kitchen. "Please excuse the mess. I've been a bit preoccupied lately" she says as she enters the kitchen. The mess in which she was currently referring to was a pair of her fire boots beside the shoe rack, not on it, a blanket that was draped half over the couch that could pass for a throw blanket and a few plates and glasses still sitting in the sink unwashed. If she considers this messy she'd have an aneurysm if she walked into my house. My house still reeks of trauma escapee and single bachelor who knows almost nothing about being an adult on their own. I still have boxes laying in the hallway of all my studio gear I bought for my band. I should probably call them at some point...

Belle offered me a drink and I accepted. She guided me to her living room where she had all of her alcohol and good glasses on display in a nice hardwood, oaky coloured hutch. She had a variety of vodkas, spiced rums, whiskeys and a few other cocktail spirits on display with soft blue fairy lights glued to the shelves that were reflected in the mirrored glass on the back. On the bottom of the hutch in clear cabinet doors she stored her nice whiskey and cocktail glasses. She chose to drink a simple Fireball and coke and poured me one too. She topped with an ice cube and we sat on her lounge chair in front of a black TV. The dusty remote laid upon a meticulously clean coffee table. She sat our drinks on blue resin coasters.

"Gosh I'm hungry!" she pouts out loud. "I don't even think I have anything to cook for us" she turns to me.

"You don't have to cook Belle, you need rest. How about I order us pizza and dessert?" I offered.

"Yes. Do that. But I'm paying tonight and don't say no. Because I already blew you off this morning for work when I wasn't meant to be working and you spent half the day next to my hospital bed and got me home. The least I can do is buy you pizza and say thank you". I admitted defeat and ordered us pizza. Belle bolted for the door as soon as the doorbell rang to make sure she paid for the pizza. We decided to eat the pizza straight from the box.

Belle let out a big sigh as she sat down, relaxing into the couch and taking a big swig of her drink. "Are you okay?" I asked, turning to face her. I looked down to meet a very tired Belle who still had life in her eyes. They still remained that same tropical ocean blue I'd fallen so deeply in love with. I wiped away some dust from her cheek.

She took another big mouthful. "Yeah I'm okay. Just tired. It was a big day" she paused and looked at me. "Thank you for looking after me Noah" she says as she wraps her arm around mine and lays her head on my shoulder like she did in the taxi ride home. God I could get used to this feeling.

"I'm just glad you're okay" I whispered into her ear and squeezed her leg slightly. I lifted my arm from hers and gestured for her to cuddle into my side and wrapped my arm back around her shoulder. She sat her head on my chest and put her arm around my belly and held me close. My thumb absent-mindedly began caressing her shoulder.

We sat in silence, but it was a comfortable silence. I soaked up the precious feeling of having her next to me and finally having her in my arms. My heart felt like fireworks, but for real this time. I felt like a void I didn't know I had was filled. She felt like the missing piece that finally completed me. Dare i say she repaired the crack in my ribs. I so desperately wanted to kiss her, but decided right now wasn't the right time.