"Isabella."
"Tristan, I know. I know. You don't have to tell me again and again."
Tristan let out an exasperated sigh as his fist tightened more, digging his fingers to his palm deeper in an attempt to prevent from lashing his anger and pain to the person in front of him.
"D-Does he…Does he know?"
Isabella looked up at the sudden question of Tristan, a sadden and sympathetic look showing straight back at the man she had grown up with.
"Don't give me that face, Isabella. I'm okay."
Isabella's eyes wavered as her gaze went back down to her lap. She couldn't look at Tristan right now for the older was showing looks that made Isabella's heart tear apart. And even though he said he was okay, Isabella knew he was far from it. Very, very far.
"Tristan…What if, What if you—”
"Don't even go there, Isabella. You know I won't do that."
“But isn’t it what you want too? How can you not do it? Tristan, please.”
"I won't, Isabella," Tristan said using a serious tone, clearly wanting Isabella to get her mind off the stupid ideas she was having. He stood up and side glanced at Isabella with an expression Isabella didn't want to see before opening the door and went out.
Isabella then let her tears out, her body shaking uncontrollably, feeling sorry for herself and for the person she had considered and treated as her own brother. Of course, she understood him. His words, although he remained unwavering as he faced her, Isabella knew what they meant.
It wasn’t at all that he didn’t want to. It was just that he couldn’t.
Tristan-this person whom everyone believed to be the bravest and strongest among them-was afraid to face his best friend, Chase.
"One, two, three, ahhh!!" Isabella screamed as the roller coaster finally moved down, making her stomach flip and heart beat wildly. On her side was Chase who had a smile on his face that didn't leave for straight two hours by now.
Chase screamed along with Isabella as the ride went in a circling motion, flipping, turning, making people scream at the top of their lungs. It was certainly extreme and definitely not recommended for the weak.
It was their fourth month being together officially and they decided to celebrate at an amusement park that Isabella “really, really, really” wanted to see, as Chase recalled the exact words.
Chase tightened his hold on Isabella's hand as the ride started to climb yet again, now both were preparing for the sudden fall coming. Chase quickly stole a kiss from Isabella's lips leaving the other’s mouth gaping out of surprise but didn't have the time to say another word other than "AHHHHH!" because of the fall.
Chase took the opportunity to shout his feelings out, oblivious to the fact they were in public.
"I LOVE YOU, ISABELLA GOMEZ! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!"
When Chase caught Isabella's tomato face by his side, he knew he had succeeded. He felt proud and giddy, his heart full at the sight and moment he had with this person. The person he would never stop loving.
Some months ago, he didn't have the time to go into amusement parks like this. He had even bet he’d never even have the interest to go into one. If Isabella didn't appear at that bookstore back then, Chase couldn't imagine what his life might have been. Perhaps, he'd be a completely lifeless person, a zombie, by now with work occupying a hundred percent of his brain.
Chase grabbed Isabella's wrist, pulling her closer as soon as they left the roller coaster. He planted a kiss on Isabella's forehead and earned another tomato face from the woman in return.
"Chase, we're in public. And your disguise is so lame people might see you," Isabella whispered after regaining the natural color of her face. Chase chuckled at Isabella's cuteness. His girlfriend really was the most adorable thing ever.
"Ow, Chase!" Isabella pouted and glared at Chase and Chase laughed at the adorable sight, now realizing he had pinched Isabella's cheeks like a small, fluffy squirrel.
"Sorry, you're too adorable I couldn't help it," Chase gave her a goofy smile that made Isabella mirror the sight.
Isabella grabbed his hand and walked towards a booth next to which Chase assumed a mini cafe with sweets…Oh boy, Chase thought.
"This one! And this as well! This, this, oh—”
"Miss, we'll take this one and this one. Just those two," Chase made his way and picked the sweets instead, interrupting Isabella purposely.
That being done, Chase earned another glare from the younger as they took their seats on one of the tables for two scattered around the small area of the mini cafe. Chase took his phone out from his pocket then and started taking pictures of his sulking lover.
"Don't take pictures of me, I'm still mad at you!" Isabella pouted while crossing her arms across her chest. Chase chuckled.
"Baby," Chase cooed.
"Don't baby me!"
Chase sighed then, thinking maybe he'd really made his girlfriend upset and he didn't mean that at all.
"Isabella. You know eating too much sweets—”
"Is bad for your health. Isabella, it's gluttony. You know that's bad, right?" Isabella scoffed after cutting Chase off and mimicked Chase's supposed to be line.
"If you already know then why would—”
"Because I love sweets! Chase, why are you doing this to me?!" His girlfriend started to grit her teeth like her life depended on it, completely showing she was upset.
“Alright, alright,” Chase let out a sigh and started nodding, making Isabella look up at him with hopeful eyes.
"Okay. Go on then," Chase said and watched his girlfriend quickly get up from her seat and headed to the counter, starting to pick one two three four cakes.
Chase rolled his eyes and messed his hair, sighing heavily and in defeat as he still could.
Chase didn’t know if he was waiting for their orders to come or for Isabella to stop eating like a pig. Unsurprisingly, Isabella ordered a variety of cake and she had made her point to Chase that everything was hers by simply glaring at Chase when Chase tried to scoop on the banana ice cream cake once. And yes, there were more orders to come.
"Chase, say 'ahhh'," Isabella suddenly said, which surprised Chase. Is this a trap? Chase eyed her for a few seconds, but he did it anyway.
Isabella shoved a spoonful of blueberry cheesecake to his mouth making Chase make a very sour face. Isabella then laughed hard, and Chase knew it was too late when he heard Isabella's phone click. Once, twice, thrice.
"So cute! Chase, you have the cutest sour face ever!" the younger teasingly exclaimed while looking at the captured images of Chase in her phone.
Chase was about to tease her back regarding her gluttony but was then stopped by Isabella's phone ringing. They were both startled by the sound, even Isabella who was holding the phone herself.
"Hello?" Isabella greeted immediately without even looking at the caller ID.
Chase just stared at Isabella while Isabella did the same, eyeing Chase while answering some words like "yes," "okay," "no,” the words being repeated over and over again as what Chase had noticed. When the call ended, Isabella immediately slid her phone down her pocket and looked at Chase with unreadable eyes.
"Who is it?" Chase decided to ask as he took a sip of his milkshake, forcing the weird noises in his heart and stomach to stop whatever they were trying to do to Chase.
"M-My friend," Isabella answered now with her gaze down her lap. Chase eyed Isabella more, feeling something was off with the way the younger was suddenly behaving.
"Who?" Chase asked again, this time with a more serious tone in his voice. It would look like Chase was acting like a possessive boyfriend by now, but he just wanted answers. He absolutely knew knowing one’s girlfriend's friends' names was just fine. It wasn't like he was invading Isabella's privacy for simply asking names.
"Tristan… He’s from my hometown," Isabella then answered, now meeting his gaze. Again, Chase couldn't read them. So, he just sighed and began nodding his head.
"Okay. What does he want? Is there any problem?" Chase asked once again, getting a bit irritated on how Isabella wouldn't just tell him everything about this Trista guy and not make Chase ask short question after question.
"He wanted to meet me r-right now," Isabella answered, eyes looking everywhere but Chase.
Chase sighed and started to nod again, looking at the sweets in plates placed neatly and prettily on their table.
"Okay. Meet him then," Chase finally said with a smile on his face. It was clearly a fake one, which made Isabella tilt her head up and look at him in disbelief, to which Chase continued his words, "Here."