Letters to Isabella

nineteen.

Rocky's POV

"So... you and Trisha are like a thing now?" Ratliff asked me, a glint of mischief appearing in his dark green eyes.

I chuckled happily at him and took a sip from my beer, shrugging my shoulders carelessly at him. "I guess." I admitted. I turned my head and grinned once Trisha came into view. She was stood beside Laura and Vanessa looking absolutely beautiful in her princess costume. She waved and reluctantly I waved back, shyly turning my head back to an excited Ratliff. I sighed and smirked. "Okay yes, we're a thing."

He slapped me excitedly on the back and wrapped his arm tightly around my shoulder. "I'm so happy for you man! You deserve this!"

I smiled and nodded. "I do, don't I?"

There was still a small voice in the back of my mind telling me how awful of a human being I was to have moved on so quickly after Brianna's death but I was trying my very hardest to ignore it.

Trisha made me happy. In fact, she made me more than happy. When I was around her I found the world a little more brighter than I did when I was by myself.

She used to be nothing more than my sister in law's cousin but now she was my everything. I wanted to protect her; and not just in a brotherly way but in a, 'she's my girl, don't touch her' kind of way.

Of course I loved Brianna. I'd loved her with every aching bone in my body and at one point she too had been my everything, but now the universe had given me a second chance at love — a second chance to live a happy life with someone I truly imagined a future with and I sure as hell was going to take it.

"So, is this going to be a little fling or a long term thing?" Ratliff asked, his voice breaking into my thoughts.

I glanced at him, the both of us taking slow sips from our bottles of half drunk beer. "I'm done with flings." I admitted, staring down at the ground. "Not that I had many." I added with a chuckle which in turn made Ratliff smile. "I think she might be the one for me..." I turned my head slowly and glanced at him nervously once again. "Unless you think I'm moving too fast to be thinking like that?"

Ratliff shook his head and placed his hand on top of mine. "I don't think you're moving too fast at all. No matter how many relationships you have or how many girls cross your path you should envision the best with each and every one of them."

"I don't want to scare her off by being needy or expressing how much she means to me just yet." I explained which Ratliff nodded understandingly at. "But I also don't want to hide my feelings or pretend that I'm cool with all of this because she makes my heart race, man. I can barely catch my breath when she's around. I feel all these butterflies in the pit of my stomach and I have to admit, it kind of scares me. The fact that this beautiful woman can have such power over me and my feelings... it's kind of terrifying."

Ratliff's lips curved into a smile. "You're in love."

I chuckled uneasily to myself. "No." I quickly stated. I could feel my heart racing in my chest and Ratliff continued to smirk at me. "Me? Falling in love? Please."

I felt a heavy hand on my shoulder and slowly I turned to see Rydel stood behind me with her arms wrapped tightly around her waist. She punched me on the shoulder and grabbed me by my arm. "You've been locking lips with Laura's little cousin! What the hell's wrong with you?"

"Ew!" I exclaimed as she took a seat beside both Ratliff and I on the couch. "Don't say it like that! She's a woman now, Delly." I watched as my sister's face fell into a frown. "Besides," I added with a grin. "she's only a couple of years younger than I am. It's no big deal."