Princess Can Fight |✓

Chapter 26: You don't have to be here

"Izabelle?"

"Yeah?"

"You're not asleep?"

"Neither are you."

"Good point." He chuckled.

"This sleeping thing, isn't working."

"Nope. It's not."

"Talk to me." I said, sitting up.

"Hey, Austin's the talker, not me."

"But Austin's not here right now, is he?"

"Alright, what do you want to me to talk about?" His blue eyes gleamed. I didn't need a shit ton of light to notice that.

"You're happy. Explain." I smirked.

"How could I ever be unhappy in the company of Izabelle Carson."

"I see now why you're not the talker." I giggled.

"Hey it is close to five a.m. I didn't know you expected anything better than that." He smiled.

"Brad?"

"Yeah?"

"It's really dark, you know?"

"I know."

"Do you want to try and maybe make out with me? Nobody has to know."

He laughed. He didn't say anything, he just laughed.

"It didn't sound that stupid!" I protested.

"You'll have your wish some day Izabelle. Not today, but some day."

"I can live with that." I nodded.

"I need coffee." He groaned.

"You're not going to get any coffee! You get cranky when you drink coffee!" I huffed.

"And what are you going to do to stop me?" He chuckled playfully.

"Don't you dare challenge me."

"Or what Princess?" He sat up now. Inches away from my face, with a goofy smile on his lips. Awwww.

"I don't know, I haven't come up with it yet! But rest assured, you'll suffer." I crossed my arms against my chest.

"You're adorable, you're absolutely adorable Princess." He allowed his body to fall back on the bed.

"Are you going to tell me why you're so happy? It's getting annoying now!"

"Yeesh and I'm apparently the cranky one." He was enjoying himself. I loved it. I was still annoyed but I didn't mind now. He was happy and that was the only thing that meant something to me right now.

"Brad! Tell me!"

"What? Doesn't this make you happy? Just being here. Now. Having this moment just to ourselves. Not thinking about anything else. Letting go in the simplest, yet most powerful way." He was smiling. It was just-- perfect? Maybe because I knew I hardly saw him this way? It just made me happy in so many ways?

He took my hand in his.

"Izabelle, I enjoy this, this feeling of almost untamed freedom, it's different for me. Knowing that maybe-- maybe there's still a chance that if not every thing, at least some things can go back to being the way they always were. Maybe I still have a shot at happiness." There was almost nothing special about this moment. It was just us being us? No excitement, no danger, no false pretences, just us.

This wasn't him lying or trying to trick me into liking him. This was just him. A guy trying to be happy. And for now, succeeding brilliantly.

It was such an innocent want. Happiness.