Four days.
The last time I saw Thomas was four days ago. It was Christmas Eve and I had barely talked to Thomas. Besides the good morning and good night texts, our interactions with one another ended there. Every time I asked him if he wanted to hang out, his typical reply would be, "Sorry. I'm really busy today." As much as I really hated to admit it, there was always a constant ache that comes and goes, returning tenfold with each passing rejection.
I never knew that missing someone could consume every fiber of your being, but now I do. It was definitely a torment I wasn't prepared for.
"Isabella!"
I looked up to see Alex as he poked his head in. I was thankful for the distraction. "Yeah?"
"Someone's at the door for you."
"Who?"
Maybe it was Jason. Ever since the time at the park together, he'd been showing up at my house lately. The sudden friendship was quite a shock at first, but hanging out with Jason was almost . . . comforting. The feeling was hard to describe, but every time I'm with him, I just feel complete—like we were once best friends.
"Don't know. Some guy. I think his name was Thomas?"
My heart thudded faster in my chest. "Did anyone see him?"
He shook his head. "No, he's still waiting outside."
"Thank g—"
"—but, I think John's downstairs. He said something about going outside earlier."
It took me less than a second to process that, and then I broke out into a run. Nearly knocking Alex as I passed him, I ran down the stairs going as fast as I could without falling.
"Don't you dare open that door!" I yelled when I saw my brother near the entrance of our doorway.
John paused in his steps as he heard my voice. "And why shouldn't I?"
"Because Thomas is out there!"
John stared at my face for what seemed like a long time. After a moment, he sighed and dropped his gaze. "Look. I promise I'm not going to hurt him. I just want to talk to him rationally."
My body stiffened. "No, you can't! He doesn't know I'm Isabella Ace."
John settled himself against the door. "I still don't understand why you're going through with this plan of yours."
"You know why."
"Bell. If you really wanted revenge, I could've beaten the hell out of him for you." He swung his leg up and demonstrated his boxing skills.
"I know, John, but I need to do this myself. I can't always depend on you for everything, you know?"
"Do you honestly think you'll get your revenge by breaking his heart though?" I felt a sharp, stinging blow to my chest at his remark. "Are your feelings for him even true?"
"Why are you bringing that up again?"
"If you really like him, how would you feel if you actually went through with it?" John asked.
"What do you mean? I'll feel happy . . . right?" My voice faltered momentarily. Somehow, that didn't sound right, even to me.
"I don't know, Bell," he finally said. "But, I would rethink this revenge plan of yours before someone ends up badly hurt."
Why did it sound like he was talking about me when he said that? I couldn't possibly end up hurt. I'm the one who's breaking up with him, not the other way around.
I shook that ridiculous thought out of my head and headed out the front door. I quickened my pace when a cold, gust of wind blew against my skin. I huddled myself more tightly together, trying to keep warm. Stuffing my hands inside my pockets, I smiled when I saw him leaning against the gate.
"You know," I started to say, startling him. He turned around as I laughed at his equally surprised face. "You could come in."
"I know, but it got you out here didn't it?"
"Thanks to that, I'm freezing."
Thomas stepped through the gate and took off his coat. "Here." He draped it around my shoulders and pulled my body flushed against his. My stomach did a flop when he put his hand over mine and squeezed.
"Won't you be cold though?" I asked when I felt him shivering against me.
"It doesn't matter as long as you're warm."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure." He grinned and entwined our hands together. "This is all I need." He winked and gave me a quick peck on the lips. I smiled despite myself. "Come on, let's go inside and warm up."
I nodded and followed. When we reached the front door, I looked inside for any signs of my family. When I saw no one, I opened the door wider for Thomas.
"So, what have you been up to?" I asked, once we were in the living room. I grabbed a seat and faced Thomas. "I haven't seen you in days."
"Work."
"For what?" I asked.
"Oh you know . . . stuff."
I frowned. Yeah, like that tells me anything. "Fine, don't tell me." I pouted as he continued to look at me with that stupid smile on his face. "Why are you here anyways?" I decided to ask.
"Well . . ." he began, his eyes transfixed on the ground. "I was wondering if you're um . . . free tonight?" His eyes finally glanced up at me.
"I don't think I have anything planned." He smiled hearing this. "Why?"
"I was thinking we could spend the rest of the day together. Like on a date."
"A date?"
"Yeah, our first date," he said excitedly. "How about it?"
I grinned. "I would love that!"
"Great! Go get dressed in something a bit formal."
I nodded and wasted no time running up stairs. When I reached my closet, I went towards the back, knowing exactly what I wanted to wear. It was a simple, white sweater dress that went a little bit past my thighs. The turtleneck portion of the dress may have been a little bit modest but it still gave off an alluring effect with how much of my legs it showed. Knowing how cold the weather is, I paired the outfit with some wool leggings and ankle boots. Smoothing the wrinkles in the dress, I made sure my hair wasn't sticking up in weird angles before adding a cute beanie to complete the look.
Wanting to get back to Thomas as soon as possible, I skipped out on makeup and ran downstairs to see him alone, still. "Ready!"
Thomas turned around at the sound of my voice. When he saw me, his eyes widened. I giggled, loving the way he looked at me. "You look . . . breathtaking, Izzy."
I blushed at the compliment. "Thank you." He was still staring at me intensely; a strange gleam in his eyes. "Where exactly are we going?"
He snapped out of his trance, his eyes going back to their normal blue. "It's a surprise."
"A surprise?" I tried sounding excited but I honestly hated surprises. I blame my curiosity.
"Don't worry. You'll love it." A flawless grin stretched across his lips. He intertwined our hands together and led me outside.
About half an hour later, Thomas parked the car. Looking out the side window, I stared at the place in confusion. We're having our first date at a bookstore? Did he plan something here? Or was there a significant with this particular book store I'm forgetting about? I didn't think Thomas enjoyed reading . . . but maybe he did?
"Um, Thomas?" I cranked my neck to look at him. "What's this?"
"A bookstore." He looked at me and laughed. "This isn't the place if that's what you're thinking."
"Then what are we doing here?"
"I told you, it's a surprise," he said. "It wouldn't be a surprise if I drove you straight there, would it?"
I stuck my bottom lip out. "Don't I at least get a clue?"
He looked away. "Don't give me that look. It won't work this time."
I sighed in defeat. "Fine. You win."
The left side of his mouth pulled up into a grin at my response. "I promise it won't be long now," he said, as he took his keys out of the ignition. "Come on, let's go."
I followed his lead and climbed out of his car. When I went to close the door, I felt something thin covering my eyes. With my vision darkened, I started thrashing my arms around. "Thomas? What are you doing?" I screamed.
I felt his hot breath as I heard his laughter close to my ear. For some strange reason, his laughter was able to calm me down, even though months ago it tormented me. "Blindfolding you." His cold fingers touched my face. "You do trust me, don't you?"
"I do."
Surprisingly, it wasn't a lie.
"Good. Just follow my lead." I felt his hands on my shoulders guiding me forward. "Just keep walking straight," he said softly, his breath tickling my face.
I nodded and followed his instructions. We headed straight down a pathway for a few minutes before he told me to stop. "Now, turn right."
I did what he said, and I was immediately engulfed in the sweet aroma of Italian food. Just by the atmosphere and the people chatting animatedly in the background, I knew it had to be somewhere popular. "Hi, reservations under Reed," Thomas said smoothly.
A few seconds later, I heard a female's voice. "Right this way."
"Come on," Thomas muttered, as I felt his warm hand pulling me across the restaurant. "This way."
"Can I please take the blindfold off now?" I asked. I bet people were staring at me weirdly as we speak.
"Just a little bit longer, okay?"
"Okay." Hearing fancy orders being called out, I wondered what kind of restaurant he brought me to. I was really hoping it wasn't an expensive one. I didn't need him sending his hard earned money on me. He could've saved it for something more important . . .
"You can take it off now."
Finally!
Taking off my blindfold, my eyes blinked rapidly, as they tried to adjust to the light. When I looked around, I was completely blown away by the classy interior. Plush seats, candle lit tables, and floral print wall decorations. Recognizing the golden plate mounted on the wall, I gasped knowing exactly where we were. The Golden Globe—one of the best restaurants in town according to Andy Hayler, a top notch food critic in New York City.
"Thomas. This place—"
"I know. It's amazing." He laughed, finishing my sentence. "Bet you're wondering how I even got a reservation."
"Kind of."
"Well, you know, Gabe right?" I nodded. How could I not? He's one of Thomas' good friends. "He knows the owner of this place and after pulling some strings, he was able to get me a spot."
"Thomas. You didn't have to do that . . . having dinner at some local diner in town is enough."
"I know." He smiled. "But I wanted to. You deserved something special for Christmas."
"But, this is too—"
"—it's not," he cut in. "I wanted to do this for you, Izzy."
"I-I don't know what to say." I choked back some tears that were threatening to come out. I didn't want him to see me cry. I didn't want him to see just how much he affected me . . .
"Then don't say anything. Just sit and enjoy the food." He held the chair out for me, ushering me to take a seat.
He's right.
I smiled gratefully at him, and sat down. He took the seat across from mine, sliding his chair forward.
"Thomas. Where exactly did you get the money to afford this?" I dared asked.
"With the money I'd saved up for the past few weeks. I'd been putting in extra hours the last couple of days to earn a little bit more cash," he told me like it was no big deal. "That's why I was so busy."
I was left speechless. That was the reason why he was always so busy? Because of me? And here I was, being pathetic and sad he wasn't talking to me as much. While he was working his ass off just to do this for me.
"You're really sweet, you know that," I found myself finally saying. I leaned over the table and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Thomas."
His eyes sparkled with laughter. "Nah, I just wanted to do something special for my girlfriend." Okay. Does he enjoy making me feel guilty here? It's bad enough that his parents are gone, but now he's working long shifts just to take me out on a date? Maybe John's right. Maybe I should rethink this revenge plan of mine.
"Hello," another voice said. I looked up to see a young man, smiling politely at me. He gave us each our menus and then glanced back at me. "My name is Jeremy, I'll be your waiter for tonight. Care for any drinks before ordering?"
"Water is fine." I smiled at him.
"Pepsi," Thomas said with an edge of annoyance. I looked at him strangely. What's wrong with him?
"I'll be back with your drinks soon."
Once he left, I shot Thomas a look. "What's wrong?" I asked, seeing the glare in his eyes.
"Nothing."
I arched a brow at him. "Right. So, you glare randomly at nothing? Sounds like the truth."
"Izzy." He sighed, rubbing his temple. "Don't give me that look."
"What look?"
"That disappointed look."
"Then don't lie to me," I shot back.
"I didn't lie—" He was about to grab my hand when the waiter from before came back, and placed our drinks in the middle of the table. He smiled quickly when he saw me.
"Hi. Are you ready to order now?"
"Um . . ." I quickly glanced at my menu, ordering the first thing I saw—which happened to be a chicken caesar salad. He flashed me a quick smile and wrote down my order.
"And," Thomas practically shouted, "I'll have the chicken marengo."
"Yeah. Sure." He nodded, not glancing at Thomas at all. He quickly wrote the order down and then glanced my way.
"I'll be back with your orders soon." I didn't miss the quick wink he sent my way as he walked off.
I smirked, and turned to Thomas. Now I get it. "Tommybear," I cooed, grabbing his hand. "You're not jealous are you?"
He suddenly blushed, confirming my suspicion. I giggled, covering my mouth. "He freaking winked at you!" I threw my head back, laughing out loud. The way Thomas was acting right now was hilarious. Who would've thought that Thomas Reed would ever be jealous. Especially over me.
"Thomas. He's just being nice."
"Right. I'm sure he was." The sarcasm was literally dripping from his mouth. I couldn't help but laugh again. He was being overly dramatic about this.
"Izzy." I stopped laughing and looked up to see his eyes, burning intensely while he stared at me.
I gulped. "Yeah?"
"I have something for you."
My eyes fluttered closed in confusion. "What?"
"I wanted to wait after dinner to give you this, but I can't wait any longer." He took something out from his pockets. When I saw the jewelry box, I gasped. He didn't. I thought dinner was my present.
"I wanted to get you something special for Christmas but after seeing the prices for this place, and getting Megan her gift, I knew I couldn't afford anything expensive," he said as he brought my hands to his. He then proceeded to place the box carefully on top of my hand and then closed his hands over mine. "I really hope you still like it."
I looked down and felt the soft texture of the box. As I lifted the top off slowly, a diamond necklace lay perfectly in place. It featured an open heart pendant with elegantly contrasting blue and white diamonds. The middle was adorned with a blue sapphire, giving the gold necklace an unique, whimsical feel to the piece.
"I thought you said this wasn't going to be expensive?"
"I didn't buy it," was his only answer.
"Then how did you get this?"
"It was my mother's. My dad gave this to her when they started dating. It's the only thing I have left of hers."
I shut the box. "Thomas, I can't take this." This was his mother's for god sake! I couldn't take something so special away from him. Especially if it's the only thing he has left of hers.
"Why not?" he asked, as I heard his voice shake. "You don't like it?"
"No! That's not it. I love it! But it was your mother's. What if I break it or something?" I would never forgive myself if that ever happened.
"I trust you, Izzy." His eyes pierced deep in my soul, showing me total openness and trust. I felt my pulse speed up when he took the box, and started walking behind me. I wanted to debate against it one more time when I felt the necklace being placed around my neck.
"Thomas." I grasped his arm. "I really can't."
He shook his head, not listening. "Izzy, you can." His eyes crinkled at the corners. "I want you to have it."
I looked down and touched it. The necklace suddenly felt heavy around my neck as the guilt started to weigh me down more and more. But as I saw the look on Thomas' face, I couldn't deny how much I wanted to keep that smile on his face. Or how much I wanted him to keep smiling like that because of me . . .
I sighed, knowing I was in way too deep. "Fine, but I'm buying you whatever you want for Christmas and you can't say no."
He beamed. "I don't want anything, Izzy. I have the best present ever, already." He gently caressed my cheek. "You."
"M-me?"
"Yeah, Izzy." He nodded. "You're the best thing that has ever happened to me."
"I am?"
"You are." He was about to kiss me when the waiter came out shouting, "Food's ready!" Hearing a groan coming from Thomas, he shot him a look before the waiter placed our food on the table. The waiter turned towards me, looking like he wanted to say something but then his eyes made contact with the necklace around my neck. He quickly glanced at Thomas and then looked back at me. His shoulders slumped, excusing himself.
I gave Thomas a confused look as I saw the victory smirk on his face.
"Uh, what just happened?"
He chuckled. "That'll show him to flirt with what's mine," I heard him whisper. "Let's eat."
I nodded, absentmindedly poking a piece of chicken with my fork. As I chewed slowly, all I could think about were his words.
I was his.
Why did those words sound so right coming from Thomas' mouth? Why did he have to be so sweet and buy me dinner? Why did he have to trust me so much to give me his mom's necklace? Maybe, I was wrong. Maybe he does genuinely like me. And maybe, just maybe, I genuinely like him too.