"Bella, please, you have to tell me what exactly happened with Joe at work, because I'm terrified now that he did something to you."

As I said that, she took a step closer to me.
"First of all, Ellie... are you okay?"
"No..."
She sighed wistfully, "Let's sit down one minute, shall we?"
"Yes. But let's go by the sea, please..."

Bella agreed at my proposal and we silently headed towards the beach.
She grabbed someone's towel and laid it on the sand, the sea was just a few steps away from us.

She opened the cap of the water bottle and handed it back to me, "Drink it? It might help you relax a bit..."
I ended up drinking almost half of it as my throat was dry.

"Ehy, do you want something to eat together? No pressure, we can take it slow." She suggested.
"Yes," I smiled, "But can we... share it?"
"Sure, no problem." She nodded, understanding my problem.
We shared a bag of chips and a toast.

I sighed softly.
"You believe me now if I told you I didn't believe a single thing Joe said about your fight?"

"Yes, Ellie, I do." She glanced at me with an apologetic look.
"I'm sorry... I put my pressure on you and you didn't deserve it. I was just scared you didn't believe me."
I tilted my head and smiled at her. "How could I not believe you?"

"I'm going to tell you what happened..."
She hesitated for a moment, her eyes searching mine like she was was looking for some kind of reassurance.
My hand rested on hers, comforting her.
She looked down to our hands intertwined and calmed down a little.

Then, with a deep breath, she started.
"Joe asked me to falsify some documents for their company. He wanted me to cover up something illegal to regain more money. That's probably why he hired me in the first place."

Fuck him. I knew something was off.
"Son of a bitch." I burst out.
Bella squeezed my hand.
"Son of a bitch, indeed."

She continued her story.
"I refused and it turned into a huge argument. He got furious and that's when he really lost it."

"Bella, did he... did he hurt you?" I asked, my voice trembling with concern, hoping for an answer that would calm my fear and anger.

"No, he did not, Ellie. He yelled, and growled... but that's it. I wasn't going to let him get away with it, anyway." She replied firmly.

"No, of course not." I finally smiled a little.
"Continue, please..." I asked her.

"I told him that if I found out he was doing anything illegal from now on, I would report him. And I said that I wouldn't be part of any shady business practices."

"What did he tell you after that?" I asked, immediately understanding that it wouldn't have been anything good.

"Oh, he was so pissed off, Ellie— he was  mad at me, but I held my position. And I won't lie to you... it was fucking satisfying seeing him like that..." She smirked, before looking right into my eyes with a knowing expression.

Her words made me shiver with pleasure, I won't lie.
"You must have enjoyed that way too much, I like that..." I teased, appreciating her.

Bella held my hand, pulling me closer, her expression satisfied.
"You know that about me..."

"Does... Leo know about all of this?" I asked.
She sighed sharply: "I found out that he didn't know anything about it, but when I told him, he fucking downplayed it, like he always do..."

"I mean..." She sighed again. "It's clear they care more about their damn society than about us, Ellie."  She affirmed.
Her expression was almost indifferent, as if this truth didn't bother her, just something she accepted.

I smiled at her.
"Well, I don't give a damn about them, Bella. I already told you that."

She smiled back and in that moment... everything felt right.

She pulled me closer, wrapping her arms around my waist.
I rested my head on her shoulder as she gently stroked my hair.

My heart won't stop pounding.
"I just... don't understand... why didn't you tell me this earlier?" My eyes melting with concern.

"I was just too hurt and messed up." Her gaze and voice suddenly dropped.

"I'm sorry... I wish... I could take all the pain myself..."
I felt a knot tighten in my stomach as I spoke.

Bella suddenly raised herself up, starting to pace back and forth.
"It's easy for you to say, Ellie, when every time I see you with him, I just want to burn everything down." Her voice sharpened with frustration.

I raised myself up too.
"It hurts me too, Bella... being with him when my heart is with you."

It was like everything we had been holding back poured into that single moment

She took a deep breath.
"Do you really want to know why I didn't told that you earlier...?"

"Yes. Yes, I do."

"I didn't want you to choose me because of a negative opinion of him. I wanted you to see us for what we are.... but you didn't, Ellie." Tears filled her eyes, and she blinked them away.

My heart shattered for her.
We stood there, inches apart and our eyes met for a long, silent moment.
And that was the moment I knew.

"I can't do this anymore..." I whispered, on the verge of crying.

I ran toward her, and before I knew it, my arms were rising, encircling her shoulders and squeezing with everything I had left in me.
Pleading silently that she wouldn't reject me.

Bella wrapped her arms around me as I pressed my face into the hollow of her neck.
I hugged her so tightly, like we were holding on to life itself.

"Why did it take you so long?" She almost smiled about it.

I lifted my head, our eyes meeting, our heartbeats syncing.
I leaned in, my lips brushing against hers. We kissed... slow and soft, like a sweet memory.

Desire was just below the surface, the hesitation slowly fading, and the kiss deepened, becoming more urgent.
Passion took over, and the desire we were both holding back spilled out, impossible to contain any longer.

I pulled her closer, wanting more, needing more. There's no stopping it now.
I've waited for this moment since the second she left my room.

Bella's hands grip tighter around me, and we fall into each other's arms, breathless and trembling.

"It's always been you..." I whispered, sobbing.
She looked into my eyes and she was about to cry as well.

"I didn't have to make a decision because my choice was always you from the beginning." I cried.

Bella started to sob.
"It's okay, it's okay, please don't cry..."

"I wish I could rewrite the past, but I can't, even if I wanted it so badly..." I murmured.

"Even in the worst moment, it was always me and you, Ellie." She affirmed, wiping my tears away.

"I know, but how can you not hate for what I put you trough?" I sobbed so hard, there's no way these tears could stop.

"Baby..." she cried and we both wiped each other's tears.
"I cared for you even when I hated you. And that's how I knew I didn't hate you at all."

I was completely overwhelmed by how I felt for her. I held her tighter, stroking her hair and her back.
Bella suddenly looked down.

"About that, Ellie... I wanted to say that I'm sorry for everything."
"Everything?" I echoed.
"Yes... don't pretend that my words didn't hurt you that night. Because I know my words cut you deep." I could feel the regret in her voice as she pulled me closer.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to say those words to you..." her voice trembled.
"It's okay, Bella. I know you're not like that. We both said things we didn't mean." My hand slid down her back, comforting her.

We hugged tightly and I feel our hearts melting with desire and something unexpected that was about to burst.

"I love you." I said.
"I love you, Bella."

She wided her eyes as a tear shed upon her beautiful face.
"I love you." She said.
"I love you too, Ellie."

❤️