I wake up and immediately drive to Belle's. I don't bother knocking, I let myself in and go straight to her room.
Her bed is empty and made.
"Where is she?" I ask Michael.
"She left. She's staying with some family and before you go looking for her, she wants things this way. Give her some space and time." He gives me a sympathetic look.
I bolted out and got back in my car. I sped to places I thought she could be. I needed her. I felt like a mad man for this, but I'm nothing without her. If she's not there, am I?
I call her phone and get an answer.
"Baby, I'm sick. I need you. I'm worried. I'm lonely. Please come home." I say immediately.
I hear a heavy sigh, "Luke, I'm literally in town trying to have alone time. We are starting to become everything I feared."
"I need to see you, I have to. I'm going crazy, please." I beg.
"Go home, your house, I'll come over later." She groans.
"Thank God, okay. Good." I feel myself breathing heavily.
"Bye." She hangs up.
I drive home and get in the house. It's started to rain and I hope Belle drives safely. I wait by the door, pacing back and forth. I hear the door open and immediately hug her.
"I'm so sorry. I'll never force you to do anything again. I'm just destructive and demanding and it wouldn't be healthy for you if we officially lived together. I'm scaring you away, and I'm going to stop—" she cuts me off and kisses me sweetly.
"We are together all the time. And I'm not complaining. I love when you show up in my room at midnight or I come over after school. But I am not ready to take that big step of moving in together officially. Even though we practically live together, I don't want to feel stuck." Belle explains.
"And you... you're going through something, baby. All of your abandonment issues are catching up which is causing you to attach to me. Michael and I talked about this and you have never been like this." She stared at me with those sympathetic eyes until I collapsed.
"I'm so sorry." I let her hold me as we sat on the ground.
"It's not your fault, something is just going on right now. I'm not going to leave you. We're going to get through this. You are going to get through this." She plays with my hair.
"I love you so much, and I'm sorry that I rely on you so much—" She cuts me off with another kiss.
"That's not the problem. The problem is that you think you are going to lose me when you can't. I'm sorry about last night... I kinda lashed out. I'm not going to leave you, we are just going to have to establish alone time. But I'm here, for the long run. I love you, Luke." She tears up.
"I don't want to be a beast, Belle." I pout but laugh lightly at my joke.
"I'm not going to let you." I she promises.
