𝙎𝙋𝘼𝙍𝙆𝙎; 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙨𝙡𝙤𝙖𝙣

|| 28 ||

Natalie was sitting at the edge of her bed the same look on her face. The only thing that had changed since she walked out of the kitchen was her clothes.

Natalie looked up at her sister, but before she could say anything Bella continued. "If this is what we talked about last night, you don't need to worry. I've learnt to live with it. Of course I'm still learning, but I didn't tell you to worry you. I just wanted to share it with you."

"I'll always worry about you, no matter were you are or who you are with. Or anything... I'll always worry Bel. You're my little sister. I don't know how to not worry about you." Natalie smiled at her. She hadn't truly worked in her head about what was going on with her sister. But she didn't want to show her that. Her illness didn't change the fact that she was her sister. And she was proud that she didn't let it hold her back.

"I love you Nat." Bella said and sat next to her, wrapping one arm around her shoulder. Natalie couldn't help but let out a sound at the phrase her sister had told her. "What?" Bella asked confused. Natalie stayed silent. "You wanna tell me what's wrong with you?"

Natalie let out a sigh. "When you went to bed last night, I left. I'm sort of seeing someone. Not sort of. I am seeing someone." Natalie began saying.

"The hot plastic surgeon." Bella interrupted her. "I saw you sneaking him out of your room one morning. I wanted to make fun of you. You have levelled up since the time you were sneaking Isaac out of your room." Bella teased her. Natalie gave her a glare as a reply. "Oh please, you're lucky mom didn't see you. You would have never heard the end of it." Bella remarked.

"I need her to go back to San Francisco. You can stay, but she needs to go." Natalie sighed. She couldn't take any more of her mother. She loved her but it had been way too many weeks. "But if you insist on leaving, please take her with you."

"I will, I promise." Bella laughed. Being the one who left the house way too soon, Bella knew how crazy their mother could get, so she could tolerate the craziness a little bit more than Natalie. "Now tell me about Mark."

Bella laid down in bed and Natalie followed her lead. Natalie was looking at the ceiling as she spoke, and Bella was focused on her sister. "Last night I went to see him. We haven't been together long. But we had this thing going on since I got divorced. But there was always something happening and we reached a year and a half later to actually be together."

"So last night," she continued "he told me that he loved me. And I freaked out and he knows that I freaked out and he tried to tone it down, but I took off and I haven't spoken to him yet." Natalie finished the short version of the story.

"That's it?" Bella asked confused. "I thought you found him cheating on you or something."

"Oh please," Natalie scoffed. "I'd be in prison for cutting his penis off, if that happened. He knows I'd do it. I broke it once, I'd do it again if I had to." She stated.

"You broke his penis?" Bella exclaimed and sat up in excitement. "I'm so proud of you."

"Shut up." Natalie laughed at her. "I felt so bad. He was in pain for weeks."

"Wow. I need to tell Liam." Bella said making Natalie sat up.

"Don't you dare." Natalie warned her.

"Fine. Fine." Bella promised. "So you don't feel the same way? That's why you freaked out? Because I don't see any problem with what he said. He seemed really concerned about you in the hospital."

"I do. That's the problem. I do feel the same. But I'm terrified that those feelings are going to burn me to the ground. And I don't want to burn again."