"I wish it was like that." (24)

Bella and I called the Uber and sat in the back seats of the car.

A song started playing from the speakers of the radio as we were hugging each other:

>

In the moment we both looked at each other and smiled warmly.

>

In that moment Bella took my hand and squeezed it gently, just like that song...

I shivered at that sweet contact.

My heart was beating so loud.

I rested my head on her shoulder, cuddling into her arms as our sighs intertwined in the car.

I let out a silent sigh.

I had a strange feeling about that song... as if it was talking about us or to us.

I clung to Bella's waist and tightened my fingers on her dress.

My heart was pounding and I could feel from her deepening breath that she was feeling the same.

When I closed my eyes I heard her heart beating.

Beating in a pawing way.

I could feel that Bella was seeking for my eye-contact, I took the courage and looked up.

We both stared at each other but neither of us dared to speak yet.

Maybe there was no need to speak because the way we held each other, spoke more than a thousand words.

Bella's trembling hand came close to my face and with her index finger traced the contours of my lips, leaving a caress just below my cheek.

My eyes languished in that moment, but I appealed to all my strength not to burst into tears.

The tips of our lips slowly approached with desire.

We shared a smooth kiss, Bella's lips parted, our tongues softly tasting each other.

Her fingers brushed over my jaw, my hand on her hair.

The song keep playing in the background:

>

Our lips paused at times to catch their breath and then returned to kiss warmly.

It's like were suffocating words in those soft kisses.

Something important that perhaps we didn't have the courage to say yet.

The car began to slow down, suggesting the imminent arrival at our destination.

Bella swallowed. "I think we have to go..." She whispered surrenderedly when the car stopped in front of the resort.

We slowly walked in silence down the tree-lined avenue.

It seems to have a different meaning to me... it no longer looked like the place Joe and I had chosen to get married but the place where she and I discovered each other.

And that was beautiful but also very scary.

I was feeling so vulnerable about it.

Her presence makes me vulnerable because when I was with her, I let my guard down and I was completely defenseless to all my emotions.

I kept coming back to the lyrics of the song we just heard in the car...

Bella froze in the middle of the street and stared at something not far away from us:

"Can we... would you like to see the sea?"

~

We found our way through the resort's pools to the beach.

"Wait..." Bella said, raising an eyebrow mischievously.

She grabbed a beach towel that was leaning against a chair and giggled.

"Oh..." I said shaking my head in an amused way.

"What?" She winked sarcastically.

"It's just on loan..."

She always found a way to cheering me up.

"No... it's just... you know..." I said trying to find the right words to say.

"Just tell me, Ellie..." She encouraged me

"I think that you're different from all the people I've ever met." I finally spoke.

"Do you really mean it?"

"Never been more serious." I smiled.

We walked down the few steps that lead us to the beach.

Bella spread the towel on the sand and we sat on it.

The sea made the air cooler and sn half moon was reflected in the water.

It all seemed so quiet and far away.

"Different how?..." She asked me, interested.

I clasped my arms on my knees pondering: "You don't care what people think of you and most important... you are not afraid to say what you really think."

"It's not always a good thing..." Bella smiled wistfully, then lay down more comfortably on the towel.

"I've lost so many people along the way for that reason." She confessed.

Her voice was unsteady, but she tried to control herself.

"I'm sorry to hear that..."

She looked right into my eyes:

"Don't be. Maybe it was meant to be..."

She sighed: "And... I know that I'm an  outspoken person, but truth is that... I can really open up to very few people."

I was stunned.

"Lie with me?" She asked, extending a hand for me to grab it.

I was still mesmerized by her words that I

I didn't even realize that I hadn't said a word.

I took her hand and she gently accompanied me to lie down.

I clutched my hand into her dress again and rested my head on her shoulder.

Her breathing was so calm and controlled now.

"I feel... I can open up to you, Ellie." She whispered slowly stroking my hair.

"You do...?" My face must be really surprised.

"Never been more serious." She stated.

"I will listen to you." I said looking up to her.

Bella smiled: "I had no doubt."

"Is there... something you need to say?" My voice was trembling as I spoke.

"Actually, yes, Ellie..." Her voice more nervous now.

I noticed how her eyes were getting more and more emotional.

She sighed:

"I wish for once, just for once... people stop getting in the way between... me and you. I know it's too much to ask, but can it happen?"

Those words hit me straight into my heart.

I clutched her dress; I was out of breath.

I couldn't tell her a lie.

"I don't know... I really don't know, Bella..." I whispered softly, looking wistfully at the sudden change in her expression.

"I wish it was like that." She affirmed.

Her tone of voice was confident, but her lower lip trembled.

"I wish that too. I'm longing for that." I sighed bitterly looking at the sky above us.

Why such a pure and beautiful feeling can be also this ruthless and cruel?

I think she understood my vulnerability because her hand gently rubbed my back.

Our bodies wrapped in a big embrace.

We exchanged little kisses above the neck and on the cheek; I was still grapping into her dress.

Bella held me in her arms, I clung to her neck as our sighs intertwined.

I felt her warmth; I smelled her hypnotic perfume.

We remained in that comfortable position for I don't know how long... but long enough to me feeling the weight in my heart becoming less and less heavier.

"Are you okay? Maybe I shouldn't have..."

"I'm fine, Bella. I'm really fine with you." I clarified, still smiling dreamily.

Bella giggled, caressing my hair.

"What are you laughing about?" I raised both my eyebrows.

She continued to laugh good-naturedly: "I think you're a little sleepy, Ellie..."

"No... Bella... I'm just relaxing..." I replied hiding a smile.

"Your shoulder is very comfortable..." I added, playing with a thread of her hair.

"Thanks... I guess..." She burst out laughing.

She ran her fingers through my hair, gently massaging it, which increased my relaxed feeling even more.

No one made me feel this comfortable.

"Maybe we really should go rest now. What do you think?" She said as she watched me carefully.

I should have had a completely dazed facial expression, by now.

I mumbled a fake whine, she laughed.

"Fine... maybe you're right..." I finally confessed.

"I have an idea to make this separation less harder..." Bella said taking my hand as we began to walk again.

Her expression strangely serious.

"Go ahead..." I nodded.

"Would you like to see the sunrise tomorrow morning?"

I looked at her in amazement: "Will your mind ever stop fabricating new ideas?"

She laughed: "Never."

"Yes."

"Is that your answer?" She smiled.

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

I gave her a shy smile: "How many yeses do you want to hear?"

She smirked. "Never enough, I guess."

We walked to the hotel lobby, we took the elevator and went inside.

Bella stared at the clock on her phone:

"So, I'll see you at... let's say before 6am..."

She looked up to me: "Are you still sure of..."

I placed a finger over her lips.

She understood instantly and stopped talking, a satisfied smile appeared on her face.

The elevator quickly arrived to my floor...

I wish it had taken much longer.

Bella opposed a hand in front of the doors to keep them from closing and threw herself into my arms to give me a kiss.

And again our tongues intertwined, deepening in a very hot way.

Suddenly I was out of breath again.

"Will you miss me during these hours?" She asked me.

Her voice so calm and soothing.

My heart was racing too loud and my face suddenly blushed.

"Yes." I whispered, biting my lip.

"Are you sure?" She raised both of her eyebrows.

"Stop it..." I blushed, laughing embarrassed.

Bella moved her hand that blocked the elevator doors.

"I'll see you in this floor, tomorrow morning."

I moved a few steps closer to her, I didn't want to let go, not yet... I felt the need to gave her another kiss.

She smirked blissfully.

"Good night, then..." I smiled.

"Good night, sweetie." She replied.

I stepped back slowly, my smile already nostalgic.

She gave me a reassuring nod.

Then the elevator doors closed.

I was smiling like a child while a thousand thoughts made room in my mind.

Did I really live that day? Was it all a dream?

The sweetest dream I could ever imagine... but that was all true.

I walked through my room and opened the door.

The bed was empty.

I immediately went to the bathroom, took my makeup off, and washed my face with a copious amounts of water.

I remembered to set the alarm clock before going to bed, but I have to unlock my phone first...

I took the courage...

Joe had texted me three photos of him, all three posing with a surfboard, shirtless, wet hair, and his usual sly smile.

His text: >

I reread his text twice and those feelings of sadness, anger and resignation made room in my heart.

All of a sudden my body became stiff and tense.

Joe couldn't see an inch from his nose, yet... he keeps acting as if everything is owed to him.

Wasn't he the one who left me here?

And I was finally happy now because of that.

Because I was alone with Bella and not with him.

I wrote him back a cold text: >

I put the phone down and I closed my eyes.

It is already past midnight... and I can't stop thinking about the fact that tomorrow is going to be the last day with Bella.

A whole day with her... I was happy and in pain at the same time.

I'm starting to realize I was divided into two part.

There was the rational part of me that was hopelessly afraid and felt wrong about everything, and kept wondering why this is happening.

I was trying to pretend that this part of me didn't exist, at least for now...

And then there was a part of me that kept telling me there was no real explanation. Being with Bella made me feel good— I had never felt this good.

I was feeling things, things I had never felt before and I shouldn't  worry about it. This is how it was supposed to be.

I turned my face, staring at the empty part of my bed.

I closed my eyes and began to imagine that Bella was next to me.

I could almost see her... as if we were still at the beach.

With that thought I began to feel more peaceful and I fell asleep.

A/N

I hope you liked this chapter. ♥️

Looking forward for the next one... 🥹