His Bella

THIRTEEN

"It's only for a while Bella, I'll be back soon", she chuckled.

I pouted, "I don't care"

Stacy was leaving for a few weeks to stay in her aunt's house downtown. No matter how much she told me I was going to be fine, I dreaded the fact that I would be alone in the apartment. I hated being alone for too long and it was worse this time because I wasn't working.

"Why do you have to go anyway?", I whined.

"My aunt is sick and I have to see her, it might not be anything serious", she rolled her eyes, "you know Linda loves to exaggerate"

Linda was Stacy's closest cousin and Linda's mother was Stacy's most adored aunt. Their bond was probably stronger than the relationship Stacy had with her mother.

"So, I'm sure I'll be back soon, don't worry, you'll be just fine", she said smiling at me before placing the last folded shirt in her bag and zipping it up.

"I highly doubt that", I muttered.

She walked over to the white dressing table with a large mirror hanging above it opposite her bed and sat on the chair behind it before grabbing a brush to straighten her hair.

"Noah is going to be here with you"

I walked towards her, standing behind her and placing my hands on her shoulders.

"Yeah, well Noah is not you"

She dropped the brush and smiled at my reflection in the mirror. I smiled back.

"You're right", she said, "I'm more awesome"

I chuckled and she stood up, walking towards the bed to grab her luggage before we headed out of the room.

Stacy left the bag next to the door and we walked into the kitchen to find Noah setting a plate of pancakes on the counter in the middle of the room.

"Eat before you go?", he asked Stacy cheerily.

"Sure thanks", she said dryly, sitting down to eat.

Noah turned his back on us and continued making the pancakes.

"Is it just me or is he happy about the fact that I'm leaving?", Stacy whispered to me.

"I don't know, looks like it", I said amusingly.

"He wants to spend more time being clingy to you", she said, rolling her eyes.

Noah turned to face us and set pancakes in front of me, "you can have some too Bella", he said smiling.

I smiled and nodded as I ate greedily. I had skipped dinner the night before because I was sad Stacy was leaving, I hadn't realized just how hungry I was.

"So, did you finally convince her to calm down?", Noah asked Stacy as he sat in front of us, with his plate of pancakes.

"She'll be okay", Stacy said, "right Bella?", she asked, turning to look at me.

I nodded, chewing my food slowly.

Noah chuckled, "you know you can just come stay with me if you're so paranoid", he said making me gulp quickly.

"W-what?", I asked.

"You can stay with me while Stacy is gone", he shrugged.

Staying with Noah wasn't actually a bad idea. The only bad thing about it was that I had plans of going back to work and Noah didn't live close for comfort.

"You live an hour away", I said and he frowned, "and I want to go back to work soon"

"Really?", Stacy asked.

"Yeah, it'll help so I won't be alone all the time", I said smiling at her, "I think I'm ready to go back"

"I don't think you are", Noah said firmly.

"Excuse me?", I raised an eyebrow. He couldn't tell me what to do.

"You were attacked Bella, I don't even think you should go back at all", he said, "you don't even like your job"

Stacy chuckled.

"But I actually want to go back, I've been doing nothing but sitting home bored and it'll get worse when Stacy leaves", I tried to explain.

"Okay okay, calm down you two", Stacy said on noticing the building tension in the room.

"Noah, maybe it'll be better if Bella goes back to work, she needs it", she said to Noah, "Bella, understand that all Noah wants is for you to be safe", she smiled at me but I knew she was faking it. She probably thought he was being clingy again.

"Okay, I'm sorry Noah", I said softly, staring at me pancakes.

He didn't say anything in return. Silence hung in the air as we ate.

"So, when are you going back?", Stacy broke the silence after eating the last pancake on her plate.

"I'm not sure yet, I'll call Frank", I smiled at her.

"Okay", she turned to Noah, "thanks for the pancakes"

He nodded; his mouth full as he chewed slowly. Stacy stood to drop her plate in the sink and I ate the last pancake on my plate quickly before following her. As we dropped our plates and washed our hands, she bumped me with her shoulder and cocked her head towards Noah.

I sighed. I knew he felt bad but if there was one thing I hated- it was being controlled and I couldn't help but feel like Noah was trying to control me even when he said he was only concerned for my safety.

Stacy walked out of the kitchen leaving Noah and I. I sat on the chair closest to his.

"Hey, I'm sorry", I said in a soft tone.

He stared at me with a strange look in his eyes, "it's fine Bella", he said, "I just get really worried when I don't know what's going on with you", he added, "the whole thing with Daniel scared me and it's even more frightening to think that there is a killer out there on the loose and the police haven't found out who it is yet"

I froze and guilt ran through me. I knew who the killer was. It was Wade and he had confessed a week ago but I refused to tell anyone what I knew. I used my fear of what could happen to me as an excuse for not turning Wade in to the police but could I really see him put in jail? Even while not knowing what exactly he was now capable of after ten years?

He had stopped contacting me. I glanced at the top of the fridge in the kitchen where a white vase stood with the first bouquet of flowers, he sent to me in it. I knew he wouldn't want to see me. He probably hated me for rejecting him. He hadn't contacted me since the night of the dinner. I convinced myself that it was a good thing he didn't. He may have fulfilled his promise of coming back- although it took too long, but he wasn't the Wade who made that promise in the first place.

"I need you to be able to trust and talk to me all the time Bella", Noah pleaded, breaking into my thoughts, "please"

I nodded, "okay"

I wondered if I should have just open up to Noah about Wade- while leaving out certain information like Danny's death of course but I couldn't bring myself to do that for fear that Noah may only let jealousy cloud his judgement. I wouldn't be so psyched if his ex before me whom he was in love with showed up all of a sudden either.

"I love you", he studied my face as he said too.

"I love you too", I said beaming.

"You better", he said amusingly, making me chuckle.

Stacy popped her head in through the door, "y'all okay?", she asked.

"Yeah", Noah and I said cheerily in unison.

"Good", Stacy said smiling as she walked into the kitchen, holding her bag, "because I'm ready to leave"

Noah didn't finish his pancakes. Instead, he stood and shoved his hands into his back pocket, pulling out his keys before grabbing my hand.

"I'll drop you off"