The Covenant - Uncovering Secrets -

Chapter Twenty-One - Over Protective

Belle and I had arrived back a couple hours ago, more carefree and happy than we had been before going shopping. I hadn't liked hiding things from her when we were shopping but Pogue had told me it would make her worry less if I just tried to make her focus on the shopping trip. Fat chance. I'm never listening to him again when it comes to another female, I don't know why I even listened to him in the first place, I mean what does he know about how the female mind works. She seemed to relax a little more once she finally knew why she'd been taken hostage essentially but I could still see she was thinking about the boys, about Caleb and Reid. Several times I'd looked over to get her opinion on a dress only to find her staring off into the distance, her eyebrows drawn together as if she was deep in her thoughts. I know though that she'd tried to begin our day together again after lunch but she wasn't completely with me, and I understood why, even if she had yet to truly realise why she was so distracted. It made me smile, when I saw her with Reid, to know what she'd yet come to realise, to know what Reid had not yet gained the courage to admit. They cared deeply for each other. Even though not much time had passed since she came into our lives and most would say it was far too soon for them to have developed such a close relationship that could be based on anything important, they did. You could touch it, it was that clear to see. The small glances they'd cast over at each other as if checking the other was okay when together in the same vicinity but not close. The way they seemed to orbit closer to each other the longer they were around each other as if they needed to be closer. I'd never seen Reid like this, not with anyone. When Belle had first arrived and his interest had been sparked I immediately worried he'd do the same thing he'd done with over dozens of girls at Spencer, charm them, bed them and dispose of them. He'd always approached any girl as a potential conquest waiting to be conquered and let's face it most girls swooned at just the thought that Reid Garwin was looking at them and yes while they had been one or two that tried to resist him at first it had still ended the same way. Not Belle though. He'd made it clear to the others and me that he was attracted to her but I'd never seen him genuinely care about a girl's feelings or wellbeing, I'd never seen him worry about a girl, hell I'd never seen him care for anyone outside his family, his 'brothers' or me. I'd never seen him stand up to Caleb the way he was this morning when Pogue and I walked in on them arguing. Yes, I'd seen him many a time go out of his way to rub Caleb up the wrong way just to piss him off but I'd never seen him stand up to Caleb for anything other than wanting to use his powers as he liked, when he liked. Caleb was different too, just like Belle had said. I'd seen him go up against Reid before when it came to stopping them from doing stupid things or getting into trouble but he'd always done it because he cared. He'd said himself many times that he was pleased to see Reid growing up and taking responsibility, to see him caring about someone outside family and us. He was pleased Belle was making him grow up, he'd been supportive about the two of them growing closer. He'd even talked to Reid when he'd been worried about Belle being with Chase, he'd told him they'd make sure they got her back here with us, with Reid. So, what had changed?

"Belle?" I knocked gently on her bedroom door after telling Pogue we'd meet him in the kitchen. "Belle?" She jumped turning from her window as I called her name again giving me a small smile as she let her curtain fall back into place. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I think my mind is in the clouds."

"Well it's pretty cloudy out there so it's no surprised its lost up there." I smiled laughing as she chuckled. "Coming down for dinner. Tyler order us pizzas and we're going to watch a film, something funny."

"Who picked funny?" She asked joining me as I backed into the hallway.

"I did. You really think I'd let them pick a movie." I sniggered wrapping my arm round hers. "We'd be stuck with horrors and action movies full of blood, guts, guns and cars if I let them have their way. Seriously, I am not watching anything gory tonight." Entering the living room, I felt Belle pause following her line of sight to see Reid slumped into an armchair. Biting my lip, I tugged her down next to me on the two-seater couch. "It's still a girls' day, just pretend they aren't here."