Chapter 73 No Place In His Life
William returned from work, still in his formal attire that made her stare at the handsome man with her purest affection.
Her feelings blooming intensely, face glowing with the imagination of him standing beside her.
Holding her waist and dancing along the rhythm like a fairytale.
Placing her hand over her heart, she was lost of words, only admiring the man walking forward while holding his sister’s hand.
And his eyes widened when he saw Arabella, “My, my, Bella, are my eyes deceiving me?”
“What?”
“You look absolutely gorgeous, your date must be so lucky. And these bangs, they suit you so much.” He complimented.
And since then, she kept bangs, till today.
Checking her out, tilting his head towards Luke who was playing games on his phone, completely uninterested.
“Doesn’t she, Luke?”
He replied without looking, “You look like Dora the Explorer,”
“Fuck you, asshole,” She growled.
Showing him her middle finger, earning a nervous chuckle from William.
Recalling her grace, she quickly cleared her throat and regained her sheepish posture, solely locking her eyes on William who grinned.
“Why are you two going alone? Where is your date?” Luke asked casually, ignoring Arabella’s glare.
“That Madam here doesn’t have one and Hayden’s car broke so I am accompanying her,”
“Why? These are the years to enjoy your life. Helana told me about that guy who was interested in you. I thought you would go with him,”
William suggested, always wanting them to enjoy their years as this time won’t arrive again. Their glee was his glee.
He wanted them to live their lives to the fullest, indulge in every possible moment since he couldn’t.
“I am not sure anymore, if he wants me, propose to me,” Arabella muttered, having zero concerns about that ordeal.
Unless used to forget about William that failed to work nor she was interested in any man apart from him.
William hummed in agreement, “Well, high standard. Good, you should know your worth,”
“Anyway, enjoy your-”
Clearing his throat, he waved his hand at them, motioning to the driver to drop them and turned to leave to freshen up.
Not wanting to miss this opportunity, Arabella’s body reacted on its own and held his sleeves innocently.
Feasting her gaze at his one formal appearance, filled with ecstatic sparks.
She dressed for him, and to her false imagination, for her own satisfaction, she convinced herself he dressed for her too.
“William, will you take a picture with me? Please?”
He knitted his brows together, “Why?”
“I… uh..” ‘Think, Arabella, think of a reason!!’
“I am regretting now, I just want to take a picture with a guy,” She stammered hurriedly, hoping her excuse was believable.
“Why not with Luke?” Helena interrupted, she glared at him, “Like hell,”
“As if I am dying,” He smirked, not bothering to glance at her even.
“Oh, okay,”
William nodded and stood beside her, with his one hand in his pocket and asked in a low tone, “Do you mind if I place my hand on your shoulder? To make it look realistic?”
“Sure,”
Her heart skipped a beat, linking her gaze to his attractive ones, failing to part them with a tender smile.
Drowned in him, her body shivered with euphoria when he placed his hand over her shoulder, flashing a radiant grin, enhancing his features.
‘How could someone be this beautiful?’ She thought in mesmerization, dying to hold his shirt and stare until she couldn’t.
His one normal action induced exuberance as if it was her only yearning and nothing else mattered before it.
To him, it was a meaningless action, to her, it was everything.
‘Why am I invisible in your world, William?’
And when he didn’t look back into her eyes, her chest constricted.
‘Why are you ignorant of my gaze? Unaware of my feelings? Look into my eyes and realize no one will ever love you as much as I do,’
She thought desperately. Words at the edge, dying to find redemption but the fear of it all ending in naught purloined her energy.
She saw NO place in his eyes for her.
And then a highly unpleasant perception evoked-
‘One day he will marry someone and I will stare just like I am doing now,’
Arabella thought with tears brimming in her eyes, forcing a smile to never reveal the aching desire growing wildly.
It was becoming uncontrollable.
“There you go,” Helena forced a smile, catching attention of her friend’s resistance.
“Thanks,” Whispering, she quickly took the phone back and left for the prom.
Seeing everyone being a couple while deliberately staying alone began to induce realizations in her, the loneliness converted into suffocation.
She eventually understood it was not healthy. It won’t lead her anywhere.
So in the passing months, after convincing herself all the time, she abruptly enunciated.
“That’s it, I have decided to date, Helena,”
But, she ditched that man, the second Luke said he wasn’t befitting.
She just wanted to move on from him, or at least tried to because it was wrong nor fruitful.
All of it was pointless, at the end of the day, it led her into her cold bed with his thoughts knocking on her hollow chest and left her with this question-
‘What is the point of everything?’
And as if stopping emotion was done at will.
“Okay, we will see you guys later. Bye,” Helena called as they left.
On the way, Arabella was sheepishly looking down while Helena gave her a hopeless look, almost pitying her state..
“You just can’t control yourself around William, do you?” She sighed.
“Stop my heart if you want me to stop coming after him,”
“Don’t say this, Bella, please. You- you won’t get anything by going after him. Please,” Helena whispered as an uncertainty emerged that distressed Arabella.
“What.. Do you mean?” She gulped, afraid of hearing something she shouldn’t.
“Bella, six months ago. I asked William if he will ever consider thinking about her.. Romantically,”
Her heart ended up hammering, lips drying with an unforeseen dread building in her. She was afraid to hear yet intrigue got the best of her.
“What…” She gulped, “What did he say?”
“Arabella is the last person I will think romantically about. I cannot make things complicated between us,”
William knew dating her or unfavorable circumstances could result in her breakage of their everlasting friendship.
Things were fine how they were, he declined any romantic perspective ‘yet’
Tears began to fill her eyes, the indirect rejection constricted her chest, suffocating her that to cope with this pain became unbearable.
“And you are telling me this now?”
“I didn't want your heart to shatter. I knew your love towards William… I couldn’t. But, if it remained like this, all you will get is pain,”
“I see…”
That was the moment when she realized- She had no place in his life. Her dreams were going to remain incomplete forever.
“So please… move on,”
Helena pleaded with her, holding her hands firmly and with a tear of heartache rolling down her cheek, she nodded.
“Okay… I will try,”
But, in the end, who could stop a fiery heart dying to be loved?