Isabella: Every Lover's Deception

CHAPTER 3: I WANT MORE

I lay there for a while, my phone resting on my chest, Tony’s message still unanswered. My mind was wavering from Tony to Diego. The mere thought of Tony, his message, and his concern, lay in my mind, and I found myself wanting to respond, just to see what would happen.

As I stared up at the ceiling, I barely noticed when Maya walked in. She set the grocery bags down and came over to the couch, her eyes scanning me with concern.

"Isabella, you’re... different all of a sudden," she said, eyeing me carefully. "A minute ago, you sounded so drained, but now, - -" She paused, narrowing her gaze as she studied my face. "What happened? Why do you look so... excited?"

I froze, realizing I had exposed myself to an unwarranted query. My heart was beating a little too fast, and I quickly tried to downplay it, forcing a tired expression onto my face, but I could tell Maya wasn’t buying it.

"Nothing, I … I'm just still a little dizzy from earlier," I stammered, sitting up slowly, trying to act it."I guess I’m just trying to shake it off."

But Maya wasn’t fooled. She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, giving me that knowing look she always did when I wasn’t being honest. "Isabella, come on. You were just lying here, completely out of it, and now there’s something in your eyes, like you’ve got a secret. What is it? Did something happen?"

I hesitated, biting my lip as I felt my phone buzz again in my hand. The thought of Tony’s message flashed across my mind, and I quickly glanced at the screen. But in that small moment, I realized Maya had noticed.

"Wait... is that what this is about?" she asked, pointing at my phone. "Who’s texting you?"

I tried to brush it off. "No one, it’s nothing, really."

Maya wasn’t having it. "Isabella," she said, looking concerned. "You don’t have to hide things from me. You’ve been dealing with so much, and if something, or someone, has made you feel even a little bit alive, you can tell me."

Her words hit harder than I expected. I opened my mouth to speak but could not. How could I tell her about Tony?

Suddenly, Diego appeared at the top of the stairs. He walked into the living room, his expression blank as he glanced between us.

Maya immediately turned to him, her concern now focused on him as she asked, "Diego, how did your meeting go? Isabella said you were on a conference call."

There was a pause, a heavy silence that filled the room, and I could feel my stomach drop. Diego didn’t even look at me. His eyes were on Maya as he replied, his voice cool and indifferent. "Meeting?" he scoffed. "I wasn’t in any meeting. I was taking a nap."

Maya’s eyes widened, turning back to me, confused. I could feel the color drain from my face as my lie unraveled in front of us both. I hadn’t expected Diego to expose me so easily, but there he was, casually throwing me under the bus without even a second thought.

"Maya," Diego continued, "she lied to you." His tone wasn’t angry, just factual, as if this was a matter of no importance to him. He shrugged and walked past us toward the front door, leaving both Maya and me stunned, and speechless.

Maya turned to me, her expression a mix of confusion and hurt. She didn’t say a word, but her eyes spoke volumes. She was waiting for me to explain, to justify why I had lied to her.

Diego didn’t bother with a goodbye. He grabbed his car keys and walked out the door, leaving us in the silence of the living room. A few seconds later, I heard the car engine start, and the sound of him driving away.

I sat there, frozen, knowing that the afternoon had just taken a sharp turn. I could feel Maya’s gaze still on me, waiting for answers, but I didn’t have any. Not now. Not after everything that had just happened.

Maya’s face was a storm of anger the moment Diego left. She turned to me, her voice sharp and accusing. "So, you’re not sick? You’ve been lying to me this whole time, haven’t you? What is going on, Isabella?"

I held up my hands, trying to calm her down, but she was relentless. "Maya, I did faint! I swear! Diego has … he’s just been acting... strange. He’s misbehaving, and I didn’t want to worry you." But my explanation did nothing to ease her frustration.

"Misbehaving?" Maya snapped, crossing her arms and glaring at me. "Isabella, I came here because I thought you were in real trouble, and now it seems like I’m being dragged into something else entirely!"

"Look, Maya... I’m not lying. There’s more to this." I opened Tony’s message and handed her the phone.

Her eyes scanned the screen, and I saw her expression soften instantly. She blinked, glanced at me, and then back at the phone. Slowly, a smile crept onto her face, and before I knew it, she started laughing.

"You have got to be kidding me," she chuckled, she believed me, or so I thought, and her anger faded like it had never been there. "Tony? The college crush Tony? You’ve got him texting you now?" She shook her head, clearly amused by the turn of events. "This explains everything."

I couldn’t help but smile a little, relieved that the tension had broken. "Maya, it’s not what you think. I’m not going to reply or call him. I swear. It’s just... It’s complicated."

Maya smiled. “You’ve sure got some explaining to do,”

I looked at her, knowing I had to say something. “All I know is that I fainted and then woke up to see that I was in Tony's hand while Diego had gone to seek help. See, it's just complicated.”

Maya gave me a teasing smile, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "Oh, I bet it is. Just be careful, okay? This is dangerous territory, Isabella. I know things with Diego are a mess, but... you don’t want to make things worse by getting caught up in something else."

I nodded, "I know, Maya. I won’t reply to him. It’s just... well, it’s nice to feel noticed for once, you know?"

Maya sighed and smiled, giving me a knowing look. "I get it. Believe me, I do." She paused, then glanced around the room. "Do you need anything? Want me to stick around for a bit?"

I shook my head, though I appreciated the offer. "No, I’m okay. But if you could grab me a snack or something to bite, that’d be great. I’m starving."

Maya smiled, rolling her eyes affectionately. "Alright, I’ll go get you something. But seriously, don’t make any rash decisions while I’m gone, okay?"

I laughed lightly, the tension now fully broken. "Promise. No replying to Tony. If you get me snacks."

She left, still chuckling to herself, and I was alone. The afternoon had taken so many twists, and as I sat there, my phone still buzzing on my lap.

As soon as Maya stepped out to get snacks, I settled back on the couch, trying to collect my thoughts. My mind was still racing from everything that had happened, Diego’s indifference, Maya’s disbelief, and the way Tony’s message had lingered in the back of my mind, teasing me with possibilities I couldn’t afford to entertain.

Then, the doorbell rang. I frowned, glancing at the clock. Maya couldn’t have returned so quickly. Thought she knew how much I hated that bell. Pushing myself up from the couch, I made my way to the door, expecting some delivery or a neighbor passing by. But as I opened it, my heart stopped.

It wasn’t Maya. There, standing in front of me, was Tony.

For a moment, I couldn’t move. My breath caught in my throat, and the world seemed to slow down. He was just as handsome as I remembered, his striking features even more defined, and his presence commanded the space around him effortlessly. His eyes met mine, and I saw something beam in them, concern, curiosity, maybe even something deeper.