Chapter Twenty Three
2246 Words
Bella
“Cannot believe that I would see your beautiful face again.” Someone spoke on my back. “Here, in my very own coffees shop.”
I smiled at the tall handsome looking at me with a bright smile on his lip. I waved at him lightly.
“Fancy seeing you here, Cohen.” I say as I accept his offer for a warm friendly hug. Since he’s a bulky guy, it seems like he’s only hugging himself.
“How are you, pretty?”
“Oh I’m good. Just buying a cake for someone’s special day. How are you? It’s been a long time.”
“I know. Took sometime to visit me here.” I smirked.
I shook my head, “Not exactly visiting you though. I have a couple of errands to run and I’m just lucky to bump into you.”
“Do not ruin the fantasy, pretty girl.”
I shook my head from the different silly names he’s been calling me. He invited me to sit down on one of the tables while I wait for the cake I ordered for Helios’s birthday.
Today is his 25th birthday and I wanted to surprise him with his favourite cake. I wanted to gift him this as a thank you for the times he’s been with me, from the good days and the worst days of my life.
There’s this thing called ‘best friend’, and I could say that Helios has been that friend for so many years now. He accepted and helped me in any ways he know. He’s a sweet man and I’m always going to be thankful that I met a guy like him.
“So, Bella is it?”
“Yes. Why?
I tilted my head and looked at him straight in the eye. He held the same innocent stare.
“What’s your full name?”
I furrowed my brow, “Isabella Amarillo.”
“Beautiful name for a beautiful girl.”
He’s wearing a weird smirk while he’s tapping his fingers loudly on tip of the table as if he’s excited on something I don’t know.
“Why— thank you.”
“You’re interesting you know? How about we have a dinner and let me know a lot about you?”
Is he hitting on me? Leon told me when a guy called me pretty names for a couple of times and asked for my name and asked me for a dinner, he’s hitting on me.
“Uhm... I’m actually busy.” I lied.
I’m not actually busy since I’m only going to celebrate Helios’s birthday today and go back to the mansion tomorrow to clean and take care of the lilies. But if this Cohen guy is really hitting on me, I should turn him away because like what Leon said, he will get jealous and mad when someone asked me for a dinner.
“That sucks.” He says. He looked into his wristwatch and utter some profanities before turning his gaze to me.
The waitress served the cake I ordered. I ready myself to pay when Cohen grabbed my hand and smiled to me. “Keep that. That cake is on me.”
“No. I need to pay, this is your business anyways.”
“Exactly, Bella. This place is mine and I can say whenever you can pay or not. So keep that money.”
I tried to say something when he just covered both of his ears and acted like I’m not in front of him. I shook my head and decided to keep the money.
“Alright. Thank you. I have to go now.”
“Me too. Boss is calling me. See you when I see you?”
“Sure.”
After that I waited for Helios outside the cafe because I wanted to take him to the park where we used to play as kids. It’s been a while since I’ve been there so I wanted to take this opportunity to visit the park and celebrate Helios’s birthday.
I waited patiently, letting my thoughts go far.
I looked at the small bruise on my left hand. Papa slapped my so hard earlier when I tried to be nice and send him a healthy breakfast. He insulted me like it was part of him, being a father to me. He gets a lot of happiness when he’s insulting me.
I tried not to cry when I left him alone to eat. He never asked how am I doing or where the hell I am six days a week. He never showed that he cares about my existence anymore. My heart breaks every time he looks at me with disgust and hatred.
What did ever do to him?
He is my father. My Papa. I love him so much but he hated me. I love my mother so much but he left.
Is that wrong? Is me, loving someone a mistake? Should I never confess to anyone how important they are to me?
The questions up in my head are always left unanswered. I never what to think and what to do. My head is down right messed up. Things are too complicated to me.
I’m starting to think that maybe, there’s things aren’t suppose to happen to me because I don’t deserve them.
Do I deserve being born? Both of my parents are too far from me. Emotionally and physically.
“Hey.”
I flinched when someone pulled me out of my thoughts. Helios is standing right in front me, smiling like he is the reason why the sun is up beautifully right now.
“Hi.” I greeted.
“I’ve here for almost five minutes and you’re too deep over your thoughts.” He flicked my forehead playfully. “What is up?”
“Nothing much. Just waiting for you.”
“Are you sure? We can cancel our plan for today if you’re not feeling well.” Concern is visible in his voice.
“I’m okay. Let’s go the park. The day is too pretty to waste, Helios.”
I walked pass him to pull out his thoughts about my situation. Knowing him, he will question me and make me feel better until he is satisfied that I’m really okay.
Sometimes he acts like a father figure to me. Way better than my own Papa. He nags and glare at me like a good father figure that he is. Sometimes I feel like he looks at me like I’m not his friend but rather his only daughter.
He left out a deep sigh but didn’t say anything. He silently started the car and drive the way to the park. Our place since we are just a little kid.
I small smile is plastered up on my lips when he parked his car facing the beautiful lake of the park. There’s a lot of kids with their parents, happily sitting on the grass. There’s pigeons flying and walking around the place while there’s others that feeding them with either bread or bird feed.
I chose the spot wherein we can watch the beautiful lake and the sunset later on.
I opened the cake and I lit the candle and offered it to Helios, who’s looking at me intently.
“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Helios. Happy birthday to you.”
I sang softly while he’s just there, sitting in front of me.
“I— you... you don’t have to do this, Bell. You should’ve just kept your money.” He said worried, but he blew the candle and set the cake on the side where the other snacks are sitting in.
“No. I loved to buy you a cake and sing to you just like what you always do every single year on my birthday.” I said, smiling and squeezing both of his calloused hands. “Thank you for being the big brother that I never had. The brother and a best friend.”
I have a lot of things I wanted to say to him but, he is Helios. He knows me more than I know myself. We grew up together after all.
“You do not have to thank me. I did what I did because I wanted to protect you and make you happy. We promised that we will protect each other right?”
I nodded happily. “Yeah. But over the years, you’re the only one protecting me.”
“Because as your brother, that’s my job. I want you safe all the time, you know?”
“I know. That’s why I wanted to thank you for everything and for the future things that you’re about to do. I am so thankful that you came into my life.”
He chuckles as he threw some grapes on me.
“Be careful, your boyfriend might murder me if he hears you saying that to me.”
I shook my head, already disagreeing to him.
I told him what is the real score between me and Leon. I don’t want to keep a single secret from him because it doesn’t feel right at all. He told me everything even though most of the time, he’s oversharing things.
When I told him that I have my very first boyfriend, he went on father figure mode and told me all the things I should and should not do with Leon. Hell, he even asked me if I got my first kiss already.
“He won’t. I told him about our beautiful friendship and he will not mind if I say I love you to you, Sir.” I say.
I remember when Leon told me that he doesn’t like how Helios look at me. I found it silly because looks can be decide on. Just like the old phrase— even salt looks like sugar. Or something close to that.
At first he was kind of hesitant and want me to stay away from Helios but I cannot simply do that.
I mean, yes he is my boyfriend. We are in a relationship but dictating what I need to do or who I need to stay away from doesn’t really count. If that’s the definition of relationship to him, dictating me all around then I don’t want it.
It looks like I’m not afraid to lose everything we have just for my own sake then so be it. Relationships doesn’t involve holding your partner by their neck and act like the Lord. That’s not how relationships roll.
“If you say so. But remember what I told you? Always prioritise yourself. If he hit you, or say something inappropriate like insult, run. He’s already in his thirties. His brain is already fully developed.”
“Yes, Sir.” I chuckled.
He threw some grapes on me, holding his laughter as he tries to glare at me. “Don’t call me that, you t**t. I’m just looking out for you. This is your first relationship and good heavens he is way older than you.”
“Over 10 years age gap. Is that bad, Helios?”
“Eh, age is just a number. But people might see that odd because hell, you’re only nineteen and he’s like what? thirty-nine?”
“No, you silly.” I punched his shoulder playfully. “He’s only thirty two? As far as I know.”
“Well damn, that’s close. Anyways, whatever people will say doesn’t matter as long as you two are happy.”
“I’m happy, Helios.” I admitted. For once in my life, I’m genuinely happy. And I’m so in love how my life’s going on right now.
He smiled at me and ruffled my hair like a puppy.
“I can see it in your eyes, sweetheart. I’m happy for you. My little sister’s growing up so fast.” He faked a sob.
We share a couple of laughters throughout his birthday. I enjoyed being in a park just watching the toddlers playing with their parents or the dogs running around with a free spirit.
At the back of my head, I’ve praying so hard to always have a day like this. Full of laughter and enjoying the company of the people I really do care about.
But just a calm ocean, the storm will come any day and the big waves of suffering will come like a thunder and I’m not going to be ready for it.
- Writer
