Most girls would be jealous of Calliope Draycott. She seemingly has it all. The friends, the money, the boyfriend, and in a few years, if all goes to plan, she'll have the job too. So why doesn't she feel happy? It's after a disastrous family dinner...
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When the doorbell rings, I know that this time it isn't Cece with a bag filled with bottles of wine, or Josh and the boys coming over to bring us more and crash our girls day, because this time it's Isaac.
It's the end of the two weeks, and I'm just as confused as I was before the break, well, actually, that's a lie. I think I'm more confused now.
I open the door and there he is.
He's leaning against the wall, and I know he's come straight from work, but he looks so dishevelled. A shell of the man I know.
His tie is crooked and loose, his top button is undone, and his shirt is usually crisp and wrinkle-free, but it looks like he's slept in it.
I frown, as I take in his appearance and wonder if I'm to blame for this, but his smile is so bright when he sees me, it gets rid of all of my doubts.
He comes inside, and I'm too anxious to get this talk over with because I don't know where it's going to go, so I don't offer him a tea this time. I think he's on the same page too, because he heads upstairs to my bedroom without so much of a shout of 'hello,' to Arden. Which doesn't matter at all because she's gone over to Josh's to give Isaac and I some privacy.
'I've missed you,' he says when the door to my bedroom is shut. His voice is hoarse. 'These two weeks have been torture for me.'
I sit down on my bed and look at my hands, anywhere but here, 'me too,' I admit because they have been torture. I've missed him. I've cried over him.
He sits down on the bed next to me and takes one of my hands in his. 'I think I forget that you're only nineteen at times,' he says with a shallow laugh, 'and that when I tell you what I want for us in the future it probably makes you feel overwhelmed.'
I nod my head, unable to speak because overwhelmed perfectly describes how I feel right now.
'It doesn't change the fact that I'm not ready to give you everything you want,' I say, finally finding my voice.
Because it doesn't. I've missed him, but these two weeks haven't changed anything. I'm not ready to talk about living together yet, or marriage, or houses, or children. I want all those things, but not yet.
He sighs, 'no, it doesn't.'
We sit in uncomfortable silence for a few minutes. Neither of us knows the magic words to say to fix us, or even if there is anything that could be said to fix us.
'I love you, Isaac,' I say quietly, and his head whips up in surprise. Whatever he had been expecting me to say, it definitely hadn't been that. Until a sad look takes over the rest of his features.
'Just not enough,' he finishes.
'That's not what I was going to say.'
He rubs my hand soothingly, 'then what were you going to say?' and his voice is filled with hope.
