Chapter 22 – Grayson

“Grayson!” Isabelle calls down the hallway. I stop and wait for her to catch up. “What was that back there?”

“That was me proving a point.”

“And what point was that?”

“That you’re still so concerned with Cam and his feelings. That you’re terrified of letting anyone close. That I’m a nice distraction for you but not good enough for anything more. I don’t know.” I rub my hands over my face. “Take your pick.”

“You’re wrong,” she says.

“Whatever.” I shake my head and turn to leave.

“Don’t walk away from me.”

I spin around. “Then stop making it so easy.”

We’re now standing chest to chest, and as I stare down at her, I’m struck with just how badly I want this girl. She drives me nuts, but she also challenges me and makes me laugh. And God help me, I can’t stop thinking about that kiss. I have no idea what she’s so afraid of, but it doesn’t matter. She’s worth the risk.

I caress her cheek with my hand, and she leans into my touch. “Go to homecoming with me,” I whisper.

She looks up at me with those big, brown eyes, and it’s like a sucker punch to the gut. “Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

“Okay.” She nods. “Yes.”

“Good.” I let out a sigh of relief and rest my forehead against hers. “Now, for the love of everything holy, please let me kiss you again before I lose my mind.”

“You have to shut up long enough to—”

I crush my mouth over hers, silencing her. She wraps her arms around my neck and eagerly accepts my kiss. Everything about her is amazing, but the way she fits in my arms is pure perfection.

“Mmm,” she says, her eyelids fluttering open. “I think we’re going to need another do-over.”

“Just one?”

She smiles. “As many as it takes to get it right.”

“Are you saying I’m a bad kisser?”

Isabelle laughs. “No. Just like everything else you do, you’re really good at it.”

I lean down and give her another kiss, which is interrupted by someone whistling. I glance over Isabelle’s shoulder to see Vick and Hannah standing at the other end of the hallway.

“That’s my boy, Grayson,” he hollers. “You get that girl.”

Hannah slaps him, and he laughs, rubbing the spot she hit.

The first bell rings, and I sigh. I really don’t want to leave her right now. “We should probably get to class.”

“Yeah, probably.” But she doesn’t move away from me.

“I’m getting a do-over tonight,” I say, grinning.

“For what? Getting beat at the arcade? Or kissing?”

“Both.” I take her hand into mine and lace our fingers. “Can we hang out today after school?”

“That depends. Are you going to make me sit outside in a rainstorm?”

I laugh. “No. I was thinking we could go to my house and work on the cooking part of our project.”

Her face pales.

She doesn’t need to say anything for me to know the scenarios that are running through her mind. They’ve crossed mine, too. “Don’t worry. My dad will be home.”

“Oh. Okay.” She nods. “Sure.”

“See you later.” With a chaste kiss to her lips, I force myself to go to class. I can’t wipe the smile from my face as I race down the hallway and rush into the room seconds before the final bell rings.

“So.” Vick grins and nods at me with all the arrogance of a guy who knows something no one else does. “You and Isabelle, huh?”

I playfully punch his arm.

“Do you two always go at each other like that?” he whispers.

Miss Keaton writes an assignment on the white board. “This is due by the end of class.” She points to what she wrote. “I don’t care if you want to work with a partner, but let’s keep the noise level to a minimum, okay?” Her normally soft voice is nasal, like she’s sick, and there are bags under her eyes.

“Not always,” I say, flipping open my history book. I’m sorry Miss Keaton is sick, but I’m glad I don’t have to listen to her talk for fifty-five minutes. I honestly don’t think I can sit still that long.

“I haven’t seen her act like that since before…her brother died,” Vick says.

I glance at him, confused. “Act like what?”

He shrugs. “Confident. Strong. Fun. She really held her ground with you. I didn’t know she still had it in her, but it’s good to see her like that again.”

“Yeah, well, I think there’s a lot about her that you don’t know.” I read over the first question and groan. Essay questions? I don’t have the focus for this.

Thankfully, Vick doesn’t say anything else, and I spend the period writing what are probably weak answers to the questions, but by the time the bell rings, I’m done. I drop my paper on Miss Keaton’s desk and walk into the hallway.

“Hey, did you ask Isabelle why she bailed on my Labor Day party?” Vick asks as he falls into step beside me.

“No. Want me to?”

“Nah, I was just wondering.”

“Okay.” Then why did he even bring it up? He can be weird at times. I wave to Vick and veer off toward my locker. When I get there, Isabelle is waiting for me. My heart races at the sight of her. “Hey.”

She steps to the side so I can get to my locker. “I’m driving my car to your house today.”

“What’s wrong? Don’t like my motorcycle?”

“Your motorcycle is fine. It’s your driving that terrifies me.”

“Hey now,” I say with fake offense. “My driving is fantastic.”

“If you say so.” She hugs her books to her chest.

I switch out my books, close my locker, and face her. Her cheeks are flushed, and her eyes are bright. She is so beautiful, and I thank God for creating her and putting her in my life. “Belle?”

“Yeah?” Her voice is breathless.

I slide my hand along the side of her neck, holding her so she can’t look away. “I want to make sure there’s absolutely no confusion about what’s going on here.”

She narrows her eyes but doesn’t speak.

Taking a deep breath, I lick my lips, suddenly worried that maybe I’m misreading the situation between us. But I’ll never know unless I say something. Here goes nothing. “I don’t just want to hang out and work on our project and go to homecoming. I want to be the only guy you kiss and hold hands with and yell at. I want to be your boyfriend, Isabelle.”

Her expression remains stoic for a moment too long, and I worry our relationship will be over before it ever begins. But then she breaks into a breathtaking smile. “I think I can manage that. On one condition.”

My heart stops. “What’s that?”

“You don’t ever call me Isabelle again.” She pats my chest. “To you, I’m just Belle, okay?”

I sigh with relief. “Okay.” Taking her hand from my chest, I place a kiss on her palm before lacing our fingers and heading down the hall with her. When I first met her, she was adamant that I didn’t call her Belle, and now that’s all she wants. I wonder why. Then I remember what Cam said during lunch…

“Why?” I ask.

“What?”

“Why can I only call you Belle?” I squeeze her hand gently, hoping she knows I’m not looking to start a fight. “Everyone else calls you Isabelle.”

She keeps her gaze on her feet. “I like the way you say it.”

I can’t shake the feeling there’s more to it than that. We stop outside the door to her next class, and I tug her a little closer. “Is that all?” I ask softly.

She sighs. “My brother is the only person who ever called me Belle. When he died, I couldn’t stand to hear it, but I don’t know. Hearing you say it…” She pauses. “It just sounds right. When I’m with you and you call me Belle, I feel like I’m that girl again. The girl I was before he died. And I really liked who I was back then.”

I press my lips to her forehead in a tender kiss, and her eyes flutter closed. I don’t know how to feel about what she just told me. Sad that she’s been living a lie for the past few months? Or honored that she trusts me enough to use a name that’s so precious to her?

Reluctantly, I pull back and stare into her eyes. “Okay.” I brush a strand of hair from her face and tuck it behind her ear. “I’ll call you Belle.”

“Thank you.”

“But I have a condition, too.”

She raises a brow. “What?” she says slowly.

“You have to give me a do-over at the arcade.”

Belle flings her head back and laughs. “You really need to get over that. I beat you. Deal with it.”

“You cheated.”

She takes a small step closer, putting us chest to chest, a teasing grin pulling at her mouth. “Prove it.”

I can’t stop the loud laugh that escapes me, and I shake my head. This girl is going to make me crazy, and I love it! The bell rings to alert us that it’s time for our last class of the day. “Meet you at your locker after class and we’ll head to my house?”

She nods. “Yup.”

I stare after her as she walks away, and I once again wonder how I’m lucky enough to have her in my life. But it’s not luck. It’s God. He gave me Isabelle—Belle, and for the first time in years, I want to give my life to Him again, to openly praise Him like I used to. I turn to head to my class when I catch Cam glaring at me. If looks could kill… I give him a pleasant smile and walk by him, which causes him to glare harder.

Maybe he’s finally starting to realize what he lost when he broke up with Belle. Unfortunately for him, it’s too late. Belle’s with me now, and I’m not going to do anything to mess this up.

When I get into class, I send Dad a quick message to ask if Belle can come over. I know he won’t care, but I don’t want to surprise him, either. Who knows what he’ll be doing when I get home. Maybe if he knows I’m having company he won’t do anything that will require another trip to the ER.

Dad: this the girl from the pizza place?

It’s not like I’ve mentioned any other girls to him, and even if I had, does it matter? yes. I hit send just in time for the teacher to give me a stern look. I shove my phone into my pocket and spend most of the class staring at the clock, willing time to go faster.