B E L L A M Y
My hangover the next morning was not too bad. My entire body felt sore, and I felt disgusting, but that was pretty much it.
So, I stretched and slowly got out of bed, groaning at my painful muscles.
The house was quiet, so I assumed Isaac wasn't home yet and Noah was still asleep. It gave a little time 'alone'—so to speak.
I threw my dirty clothes and underwear on my laundry pile, grabbed a bath bomb that my mother got for me once, and made my way to the bathroom.
Usually, I'd go for the shower, but today I felt like soaking in the bath until I would be all wrinkly. So I did.
The intense flowery smell of the bath bomb hit me in the face as the tub filled up, and I listened to the purple ball as it fizzed.
As I slid into the hot water, I let out a soft moan. This was bliss.
The fragrance that surrounded me was almost too strong, but I closed my eyes and laid back, enjoying the warmth of the water that engulfed me.
I never lived in a house with a tub before, not even when Isaac and I were kids, so you bet your ass I was going to take advantage of it now.
As I listened to the water move, I wondered why I didn't put music on. Or grabbed something to read. And drink.
Ok, I was going to do this properly next time.
There was one thing that could make this bath even better—make me relax even more.
Keeping my eyes shut, I glided my hands over my body, grabbing one breast and massaging it, while my free hand slowly made its way down my stomach.
A little breathless, I took a nipple between my fingers and played with it, winding myself up for the real deal. The showerhead.
I imagined large, tattooed hands on me, a little rough but oh, so delicate. Fingers moved around the sensitive zones on my body, teasing me.
Finally, I grabbed the showerhead and turned it on, placing it over my core.
The initial contact made me let out a little shriek, but once I found the right position, I enjoyed the bolts of pleasure shooting through me.
I couldn't help but let out a small moan, aware that Noah was still in the house, yes, but also totally in my little bubble.
It didn't take long for me to get utterly lost in the feeling of euphoria, dancing on the edge and ready to get pushed over.
As my orgasm washed over me, I held my breath before I let out a soft moan. "Oh, Noah..."
My eyes shot open, and I quickly turned off the showerhead. Oh my god.
This was not happening.
I sat up in the bath, running my hand over my face.
Did I just moan Noah's name?
—
I couldn't shake the thought out of my head, not even when Maria came by for a day at the pool.
The sun was out and the sky was clear, so we took the opportunity to do some tanning. Not that Maria needed it but whatever.
"What's wrong?" she asked from my bed as I rummaged through my closet for my bikinis. "And what's with your face?"
I took a few seconds to reply, think about what I wanted to tell her.
"It's just," I sighed, turning with a navy swimsuit in my hands. How could I tell the truth without actually telling the truth? "Noah's just getting on my nerves."
Solid.
"Hmm," she hummed, nodding. "I get that. Why is he such an asshole to you anyway?"
Happy that she didn't ask me to elaborate about the cut in my cheek, I shrugged. "No idea."
It was something I had been asking myself from day one. I had nothing against him before that—I would almost say that I liked him. Until he opened his mouth.
I sighed as I put on my bikini, adjusting the straps on my shoulders.
"Ready?" I asked, and Maria jumped up from my bed, her boobs bouncing up and down in the pink triangle top.
I chuckled at her enthusiasm, grabbing some sunscreen before I followed her downstairs.
In the hall, Noah passed us, and I swore I heard him say a 'Jesus' under his breath, but I tried to ignore it.
"God, it's hot today," Maria said as she stepped onto the veranda, tiptoeing to one of the lounge beds.
"Fuck," I shrieked softly when my toes made contact with the searing wood too, and I followed Maria's lead, quickly making my way to one of the beds.
Isaac had gone all out with this pool, and I couldn't appreciate it more right now.
One day I had to move out, get my own place again, but now I could enjoy the luxury of living at my brother's. And Maria too.
She looked like she belonged there as she put on her big sunglasses, tying her dark hair in a bun on top of her head, and sitting back.
A little jealous, I grabbed the tube of sunscreen and made sure I wouldn't get a sunburn.
"Herra," I said when I was done, holding out the tube for her.
Once we were both done, we faced the sun and closed our eyes.
"This is amazing." Maria sighed, rolling her head to me and smiling brightly.
I smiled back, frowning when her face fell.
"What's wrong?" I sat up, scooting my lounger a little closer.
She did the same, moving her sunglasses onto her head and chewing on her bottom lip before she answered. "I went to Robert's this morning."
I leaned back on my arms, waiting for her to continue.
"To break up."
The smile that had forced itself onto my face vanished quickly after, because Marie seemed devastated. "And?"
"I couldn't. He had bruises all over his face." She leaned a little closer. "Apparently he got in a fight at the football stadium yesterday."
I blinked rapidly, suppressing a scoff.
"What?" she asked, her brows raised.
"I was the one who beat his ass. Yesterday. At the same club we were at."
She let out a long breath but didn't seem too surprised. She knew he had been unfaithful before, but I guess she had a little hope that he wouldn't again.
"That nasty, little..." she cursed, jumping from her seat. "Where's my phone?"
I smirked as I stood up too, pointing to her bag.
Excitement coursed through me as she roughly unlocked her phone and looked up Robert's contact.
I love where this is going.
"You filthy piece of shit," she exclaimed as soon as the snake had picked up, and I tried not to clap my hands. There was my best friend I had missed so much.
The Latina paced around the pool as she called Robert every name in the book—English and Spanish—and I just sat back and admired the show.
Finally, he was getting what he deserved, and Maria too. She deserves so much more than him, and I was happy to see that she knew it too.
"If your shit isn't out of my apartment by tomorrow morning, I'm going to burn it together with your tiny dick."
She aggressively hung up the phone and tossed it onto her towel.
"You go girl," I cheered, walking up to her and giving her a hug.
"Fuck, you were right, Bella." She pulled back and smiled at me with watery eyes.
I didn't reply—mostly because I couldn't agree more—but just nudged my head to the pool.
"Yes, but we need drinks!" she squealed, running off.
I groaned softly but followed her to the kitchen. This really was something to celebrate, and we all knew I couldn't say no to alcohol.
Maria pulled open almost every drawer and every cupboard in the house in search of ingredients, and just when she had found the rum, Isaac came down the stairs.
"Hey, I didn't know you were home yet?" I said, my eyes narrowing at the dark circles under his eyes.
"Yeah, just got here," he replied, walking around Maria to grab some water as she continued to make our cocktails. Or at least something that resembled cocktails. "By the way, Dad's birthday is Saturday, don't forget."
I nodded, definitely not telling him about last night.
"Do rum and tequila go together?" Maria asked, and I screwed up my face.
"I don't think—" I tried, but she had already poured us some. She added some pineapple juice and smiled in satisfaction.
"Want one?" she asked Isaac and he backed away slowly.
"No, thank you. I want to live."
"Ugh." Maria waved him off. "Don't be so dramatic."
I looked from my brother to the drinks, debating if it was a good idea to drink them.
It wasn't.
Just when I got a text from Maria that she had made it home later that day, nausea started to build.
Normally I knew what to do to keep myself from throwing up, but not this time. Oh, no. Not this time.
"Oh my, fuck," I exclaimed, running to the bathroom, the door of my room slamming against the wall as I pushed it open.
I only just managed to make it to the toilet before my lunch and the makeshift cocktail came back out.
Groaning, I tried to get my hair out of my face, avoid it from getting wet.
I hate my life.
I was going to murder Maria.
"What the—" I heard behind me, but the next wave of nausea hit me like a truck, so back in the toilet I went.
Goosebumps appeared over my entire body when I felt someone gather my hair—and no matter how much I wanted it to be Isaac, I knew it wasn't.
"You alright?" Noah asked, and I tried not to breathe in the stench that came from below me.
"I'm dying," I replied, grabbing the toilet seat with more force.
"Dramatic, huh?" From the corner of my eye, I could see Isaac leaning against the doorpost, smirking at me with his arms crossed.
"Fuck off," I managed to say before I was pulled back at the task at hand: getting every single drop of the awful drink out of me.