"I'm going to kiss you." Chris said suddenly as if he felt the need to prepare her.
"OK." Belle tilted her head to the side and parted her lips as invitation that Chris wasted no time in taking.
In the second row along the 3rd base line Belle felt h...
The next morning Chris was up before Belle and made her breakfast in bed. A little after 9 am he finally woke her up.
"You made me breakfast?" She yawned.
Chris nodded, "I sure did. You have to share it with me though." He climbed in the bed next to her.
"I think I can do that." She smiled.
"Can we talk about last night?" He asked.
Belle's smile disappeared. "Ok." She said quietly.
"I need to know that while I'm gone you're ok. Promise me you won't read anymore of that tabloid trash. Stay off the gossip websites. Don't watch E!" He gave her a look.
"Ok." She agreed with a slight nod of her head.
"Belle, I mean it. I see how it gets to you. And I understand. If you had any idea how jealous I am of Hunter...." He shook his head. "I know how badly he regrets losing you. How could he not?"
Belle shrugged, "I'm just not use to being in the headlines. No one's cared before about who I date. Even with Hunter it wasn't like it is with you."
"I don't want that causing you to be upset or have anxiety. I'm with you. You're the only one I see. The only one I want to be with."
"Ok." She gave him a small smile.
"I love you."
"I love you to." She puckered her lips and he leaned over to kiss her.
Sunday evening came way to fast and Chris was back on the plane to Atlanta while Belle, finally feeling much better, decided to go over to Allie's for dinner.
"You better?" Allie answered her door with her shirt covering the bottom of her face up to her nose.
"Yes, I'm not contagious any longer." Belle shoved her way in with Killen on her heels.
"You brought my boyfriend." Allie bent down to greet Killen.
"Yeah, He's been at Chris's with me all day so." Belle shrugged.
"I can't believe he came home for a day."
"What can I say? He loves me." She wrinkled her nose happily.
"He must. Speaking of love.....look what Matt sent me." Allie walked over to her kitchen table where a bouquet of flowers almost as large as the table its-self sat.
"Wow. So you 2 are a thing now?"
"Yeah I guess so." Allie grinned.
"I thought Chris and I were going to break up last night." Belle admitted sitting down at the kitchen table.
"What? Why?"
Belle explained the whole story of what happened with the magazine and how he got upset with her.
"How much longer does he have to go in Atlanta?"
"2-3 weeks."
"Well that's not bad. It's doable. As long as you do what he says and don't read and believe every article you hear or see."
"Easier said then done. Hunter promised me the same thing. He loved me, he would never hurt me."
"Stop comparing Hunter to Chris. Hasn't Chris proved himself."
"We've only been dating 4 months Allie. And Chris has a little more opportunity and temptation then Hunter did."
"Hunter was a creep. Stop sabotaging what you have with Chris because of what Hunter did to you."
"I'm not trying to!" Belle exclaimed. "It's just seeing him with those other women. I hate it. And I sit at home alone at night and it just gets to overwhelming. I remember being so naïve with Hunter. I don't want to be that same girl."
"You're not. And Chris won't do that to you."
"You don't know that." Belle was unconvinced.
"Don't you know it?" Allie searched Belle's face.
"I want to....." She trailed off. "Let's order some food."
The next few weeks were hard on Belle. She did her best to avoid the tabloids. It was hard though when she saw her face splashed across cover after cover at the grocery store. Paparazzi started to follow her shoving their cameras in her face, asking her a million questions. She started to avoid going out altogether. It was only 2 ½ weeks Chris was away and Belle felt herself slipping away.
The night before Chris was set to return home Belle took Killen out for a long run. She was trying to delay going home where she knew she wouldn't be able to end the night sober. The drinking was her only escape.
Turning the last corner in the lap around the park a paparazzi seemed to jump out of the shadows startling Belle. Killen automatically went into defense mode and snarled at the photographer.
"BELLE BELLE!" The pap called. "What do you have to say about Chris's night out?"
"What?" Belle removed her ear bud and pulled back on Killen's harness. "No Killen."
"Chris was seen out with Karen Gillan last night. Did you know they were together in Atlanta?!"
"Wait, what?" Belle shook her head confused.
"You don't know...." The man took a step towards her and Killen growled.
"I have to go." Belle shoved her ear bud back in her ear and took off as fast as she could towards the parking lot.
Once in the safety of her car Belle did the one thing she had been deliberately avoiding and pulled up Chris on safari.
And just like the dang paparazzi had claimed there was photo after photo of Chris with some of his co-stars and Karen who Belle didn't even know was in Atlanta. Chris did look awful cozy next to her. Chris hadn't even told her he was going out last night. Tears welled in her eyes and she threw her phone down in the passenger chair before slamming her car into drive and tearing out of the parking lot.
