There's a Place For Us (Complete)

Part 26

I. An Exquisitely Tragic Love Affair

(Part 26)

"I thought you don't kiss on the first date?" Adam asked contentedly in an almost whisper. He still hovered above her with his hands on either side of her flushed face. She grinned, but the grin had a hint of sadness. A sadness Adam couldn't quite place.

"I guess you've changed me." She pushed on his chest and got up off the small couch. Adam followed her and she walked to the door.

"'Night," he said in a soothingly calm voice. She smiled through her eyelashes, though Adam was pretty sure she didn't do it on purpose. She was just beautiful and somewhat flirtatious all on her own.

Isabella watched as he got into the red car his father had let him borrow. After closing the door, she wrapped her arms around herself and looked up at the ceiling as if she were looking for a sign. In a way, she was. She was looking for reassurance,

for acceptance...,

for anything...

"Forgive me, my soldier boy..." she whispered. She wiped at the single tear that dripped off of her nose. She felt sad and lost, but not guilty. And when she remembered the way Adam had caressed her after the kiss had broke, or how he had placed tiny kisses up and down her neck, or the gentle, reassuring feel of his lips, she didn't want to mourn or cry, she wanted to smile. He made her smile even when he wasn't there. When she was alone, she could still feel his hands in hers or see his smile or hear his laugh. Those things comforted her and made her want to be happy. They gave her a reason to live, in a world where she thought she was just a pawn being used in a corrupt game, being played in all of the most wicked situations.

Isabella met Adam at his locker at the end of eighth period, and together they walked down to the tutoring room. It wasn't exactly tutoring anymore; he never really needed it in the first place. Adam was actually extremely smart and when he tried, he was a genius. Although Mr. Rosenband had said Adam would only have to be tutored until his grades went up, he obviously took that back, because he hadn't said a word yet to Adam about stopping, even though Adam's grade point average had gone up by 12 whole points. Both Isabella and Adam assumed it was "payback" for Adam siding with Isabella in the whole mental institution thing.

Real mature.

They didn't mind though. It gave them a time and place to hang out and talk. They still hadn't gone out on a second date. Adam had been trying to think of something that would top their first, but nothing came to mind. How on earth would he figure it out? Thursday had been incredible and now, two and a half weeks later, Adam still hadn't asked Isabella to go somewhere else in fear that it wouldn't be as good as Valentines's day and Isabella would think he was a boring guy. But then one night, Adam had been given an idea. He had told his brother, but of course Jake had laughed in his face saying he was whipped. Whipped by a girl. Whipped, no less, by the freak of the school. Rolling his eyes, Adam had headed downstairs to ask his mom. He talked to her a lot these days, and Adam realized she was very easy to talk to and gave her personal opinion; be it brutal or kind. She had cheered at the idea, squeezing his cheek the way all Italian grandmothers did, saying he was the sweetest boy she had ever met. She hadn't met many apparently, because Adam doubted he was the "sweetest boy." First off, he wasn't sweet. He was thoughtful, because it sounded manlier. And even if he was a thoughtful guy, there were plenty of guys that Adam was now envious of, who had impeccable taste and ideas on all things women.

She stepped out of the shower, placing a delicate foot on the cold tile. She ran a brush through her long blonde hair and then placed it back in the drawer. Isabella stood in front of the mirror and stared at her naked body. It looked whole, and healthy, and real, but Isabella knew the eyes didn't always see the truth. She knew underneath she was a shattered body, sick with grief, and a ghost drifting through life. Not living, just existing...