Denial

[Belle.]

Denial

One-Shot

Belle & Drew

Romance, Angst

T

By Belle.

Continuation of 'Infatuation' in Belle's point of view.

Constructive criticism appreciated.

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It had been like this for weeks now, silence, fighting, misery, defiance, rejection, sadness, anger, frustration… and jealousy. I often found myself sitting alone on the beach at night contemplating life, and trying to work out how I felt for him; him, being my ex, Drew Curtis.

Tonight was the night of the Hospital Ball, hosted by none-other than Colleen Smart. She’d hired out the surf club for the night and had decorated the bar with lights, tinsel and any other bright shining object she could refuge from the Christmas decoration box that was often stashed in a cupboard in her caravan. Her efforts had been a great success because now the surf club looked like a giant shining wonderland packed with people from the town. A giant chandelier hung from the middle of the room, giving off a huge amount of heat, fuelling the 36 degree room with some more heat to mingle with the temperature of the rest of the dancing bodies in here.

The air conditioning was blasting cool air from its vents, but to no avail did the room attempt to be cool. My glass of cool drink was slowly condensing on the bar top. I absentmindedly used my finger to wipe the droplets of water away, as my other hand moved to pull my dark hair off my neck. I considered going outside for some air, but from what I’d heard it was even hotter and stickier than in here!

From the other side of the room I could feel someone watching me. I knew who it was. He’d been sitting on the couch all night, not even attempting to move, or get up and dance for that matter. For all it was worth, I half wished he’d get up and come and pester me about my feelings for him; but the other part of me knew I should be more focused on tonight, and my boyfriend Lucas who had disappeared a few minutes ago, probably to go and find some fresh air, or to talk to someone. I didn’t really care. In his absence I had plenty of time to think about how I was feeling… or at least how I was feeling about Drew.

He was here with his new girlfriend, Lisa. I didn’t like her. She was just so sure of herself, and annoyingly confident – not unlike Drew. Their personalities clashed in my opinion, and I thought Drew was better suited to a quieter girl… like me. As soon as the thought entered my head, I scolded myself. I shouldn’t be thinking that way.

An excitable Matilda sitting beside me suddenly interrupted my thoughts,

“Hey Belle! Enjoying the party? she asked, ordering herself a drink from Alf and brushing her fringe off her face. I looked at her mockingly and continued wiping the water droplets from my glass.

“Sure. It’s great,” I replied hastily, looking over my shoulder at Drew who was now in conversation with Lucas. ‘Great’ I thought to myself. Drew looked over at me, and my heart skipped a beat. Embarrassed to be caught looking at him, I turned back to Mattie.

“So how are you and Lucas?” she asked, taking a long sip of her drink. I rolled my eyes and shrugged.

“Fine,” I replied as Lucas came and stood beside me.

“Hey Belle,” he said sensitively. I could sense the tension between us. It had been like this since we’d slept together. Well, since I found out Drew and Lisa hadn’t actually…

“Do you want to dance?” Luc asked as a slow song came on. I noticed people had begun pairing off and slow dancing around the room. I sighed heavily and smiled awkwardly,

“Sure,”

I took the hand he’d offered me and stepped down off my barstool. His arm immediately hooked around my waist and he held me close to him.

“What’s been going on with you lately?” he asked. I winced, knowing this was coming. “You’ve been a little short with me all week,”

I knew there was no getting out of this. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Lisa sit down beside Drew. He looked disinterested in what she was saying to him. I watched as Lisa got up off the couch and started yelling at Drew, before picking up a glass of orange juice and throwing it at him!

Everyone stopped to look. I stared open-mouthed at both of them as Lisa turned and ran out of the surf club. I caught Drew’s eye, seeing the embarrassment in his features before he turned and walked out of the surf club the opposite way to Lisa.

“Ouch,” I heard Lucas remark as he winced. I sighed disgustedly at him, letting go of him and stepping back. People had begun gossiping about the events that had just taken place. Jack called Luc over to him, probably to ask him what had just happened, and I used this as an escape to find Drew.

He was standing out overlooking the beach; his hands leant against the pine fence before the sand dunes. I watched him for a few moments, taking him in; his dark hair contrasting to his tanned skin, his body that I longed to hold. Seeing him so hurt and embarrassed made me feel upset too. He turned around, looking a little shocked to see me. I stood awkwardly with my arms held tightly around my middle protectively.

“Belle,” he said huskily. I could feel the hurt and anguish in his voice, he wouldn’t look at me. I took a step toward him, testing the boundary.

“What happened?” I finally asked, looking up at him. My voice was torn and broken, as if I hadn’t spoken in weeks. He looked sullen and anxious, but began to speak.

“Lisa…and I are over,” he explained. This shocked me, but a wave of relief washed over me as I continued to search his eyes for an explanation.

“Taylor, for weeks now… it’s been, intense, between you and me, and…” he began, his hands seeking each other as he nervously linked his fingers together, still not meeting my gaze.

“…and I’m still in love with you,” he admitted.

My heart began beating faster, and butterflies arose in my stomach. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing!

“I’ve tried to fight it… I’ve tried to deny it but I can’t anymore. I love you, Taylor,” Drew confessed, looking me in the eye sincerely. I didn’t know what to say, so many thoughts and emotions were rushing through my head. I wanted to scream, I wanted to cry, I wanted to take him in my arms and never let go, but my body was frozen to the spot.

“I don’t expect you to say anything,” Drew said softly, taking a step forward to leave, but I stopped him.

“I love you too,” I finally admitted, quietly, looking up at him. My breathing became short and ragged as we moved closer to each other. I looked up at him, examining his features. His dark curls that hung over his forehead, giving him a look of mysteriousness. His dark eyes compelled me; and his lips, soft and moist, fuelled my desire for him more. Our breathing became erratic, and his hand touched my waist as I allowed my hand to fall upon his chest. I closed my eyes as he touched his lips to mine. This time, I did not attempt to reject him, nor leave my mark on his face. I relaxed into his arms, deepening this moment between us.

After a few moments, I took my lips from his to breathe. We were still extremely close, and if Lucas or anyone else for that matter were to walk out and find us like this, I would have a lot of explaining to do; but in this moment in time, I didn’t care. I wanted to be with Drew, because when I was with him nothing else mattered. All the pain, hurt, and anguish from before had gone and it was just him and me, standing together in obscurity.

I sighed, pressing my head to his chest to hear his heart beat. I was finally happy. He smiled as he looked down at me, before capturing my lips in one more kiss, sealing our love for one another with no more words needed.

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