Isabel, The Beauty Next Door Pt. 09

I take another deep breath and relax the tension the conversation has created. I open my eyes and talk through what I am doing. Miley listens and takes in my instruction, and within a quarter of an hour, we are sitting facing each other in total silence in our relaxing world.

I hear Miley quietly get up and leave me. I'm unsure how long we had been there, but I'm not ready to open my eyes yet. Instead, I run through what she had said to me. She was right with everything she said, including that I'd been told this already, but she added Isabel into the mix, which I hadn't fully considered because I had moved to protect her. I have only ever lost one person: my kendo teacher.

I feel an overwhelming anger build as I imagine life without my Isabel. My eyes open, and I get up. I walk in without seeing anyone, although I am vaguely aware of people trying to greet me. I go to our room to get my Shinai (bamboo sword).

I return to where I was meditating and stripped my shirt off. I start with a few slower moves and build as my anguish at the thought of losing Isabel builds. I attack my imaginary foe time and time again as I battle my demons. Tears are flowing down my cheek as I fight to regain my sanity. Everyone knows I did the right thing, and now I see. It comes pouring out of me through anger and grief as I vent all my energy that's been festering on this shadow, and finally, as I feel the intensity of my attack start to waver, I launch myself in the air with one last strike. I scream as I rotate and strike the shadow behind me with all my might. My Shinai shatters on impact as the shadow disappears, and my tree shakes in its place, letting several leaves fall to the ground in a symbolic surrender.

A hand touches my shoulder. "Come on, my love," Isabel whispers.

******

"JAY," Sam shouts as we walk through the VIP doors at the airport. She launches herself at me and hugs me tightly, tighter than normal, and she doesn't look like she will let go any time soon.

"Hey, Munchkin," I finally say, "Dad, Mum, Sarah, Heather, Harry, and hello Zac. I notice Sarah and Zac are not standing together."

I'm thrown. "I'll tell you later," Isabel whispers. I greeted everyone with a side hug because Sam still held on to me.

"Hey, Munchkin, can we get to the cars?" I ask. Sam doesn't answer; she releases her grip and slides down. I keep hold of her hand and touch her chin. "I'm back now, safe and sound," I say as our eyes meet.

Her eyes fill with tears. "Christ Jay, we could have lost you or Isabel to that maniac. I love you two too much to...." Sam trails off, even the words seem to stick in her throat.

I pick up two suitcases, and dad takes a third. Harry brings up the rear with the last case as we walk toward the car park. It's good to be home. "So where are we going?"

"To our houses," Sam says. "Today is the day we move in."

I look at Isabel with raised eyebrows. "James," she says, using my entire Christian name. "The world still rotated, and I didn't want to bother you with things when I knew you would just go along with what I wanted."

I laugh, "Fair enough," I say. I look at Sarah. "And what's your story?"

"Someone got caught with his hand up the wrong girl's skirt at school," she says, staring daggers at Zac. Zac just turns red and puts his head down.

"Oh," I say. "Zac, you are an idiot for losing the love of my sister. I won't tell you how awkward living so close together will be." I look at Sarah. "For the both of you."

"Not my problem," Sarah says coldly.

Mum gets into the Richards SUV so Sam and Sarah can travel with us. All the doors clunk closed, and we head towards the city centre.

As we pull up outside the two renovated houses, the outsides decorated with bunting and a banner to welcome Isabel and me home.

"Dad, they look fantastic. Good job," I say as he parks in front.

We get out, and I notice through one of the front windows that several people are waiting to greet us. I admire a new Lexus parked in one of the four parking spots outside. I can see Sam's car parked next door with Hannah's next to it.

"Surprise," everyone shouts as we enter our house. There are many people from work, as well as Andrew and Edward.

Hannah rushes over and wraps her arms around me. I look at Sam with a surprised look, and she just nods in understanding that her partner has got an attachment to me. I return her hug and kiss the top of her head; she looks up at me. "Jay, please don't do anything like that again."

"I'll try, Hannah, but I didn't get given a choice," I reply. I look at Edward, who is waiting his turn to say something. "It won't affect work, will it?" I ask.

He smiles. "I'm sure we will live. Anyway, you saved the life of the legend known as Mac. I can't see that hurting none." Hannah releases me and kisses me before returning to ensure everyone has food and drink.

"Is that your new Lexus parked out front?"

"No, that would be your new company car. It's a rental, so if you don't like it, we can change it." Edward says. "It was part of the new contract, and all-electric to go with our new greener image," he adds. I look toward Isabel, and she nods.

"Well, I can't grumble then. So what's new?"

"Sorry, Jay, the only gossip is about you, so why did the guy do it?" Edwards asks.

"He's the son of the man involved in the accident that killed Mac's Ma and Pa. He blames Mac's family for the troubles his family is in."

"Well, at least Mac knows there's no main threat then."

"Yeah, but the family has insisted on security until everything is settled."

"I guess that's inevitable. Anyway, you need to say hi to your other guests and have a look at this place that we've all worked hard to complete for your return."

I pat Edward on the shoulder and go around greeting people. I am surprised at all the hugs I'm getting, and not just from the ladies. The ground floor where we are is incredible. Before, it was a large reception area, but Dad has opened it out and made it into an open-plan kitchen and living area. Two large patio doors at the back lead out onto a deck. I had drawn it all up but hadn't expected it to be complete.

I look across and see Andrew looking at me. "Your handy work," I say, pointing at the raised deck. He nods, and I raise my glass of cider I have been handed to thank him. As I walk out onto the deck, I look up and can see the underside of the balcony that protrudes from the master bedroom. My eyes scan the garden, and I am pleased to see I have been left with something to do.

Dad walks up next to me. "Jay, what do you think?"

"I can't believe how much you got done. You must have had half of my work helping?"

"Yeah, and the rest. Andrew and Edward took two weeks off to help with the decor and the deck at the back."

"Dad, you've got to let me pay something."

"Nah, 'Happy Housewarming'," he says, patting me on my back before walking away.

Isabel comes rushing out. "Baby, you've got to come and see our bedroom and.....oh baby, come and see." I've never seen her so excited.

Isabel's not one to be so animated. "I blame Sam," I say.

"Blame Sam for what?" Isabel asks, beaming at me.

"Nothing, baby, show me our home," I say, smiling at my beautiful girlfriend. Isabel grabs me by my hand and pulls me back through the kitchen area. I see people smiling at us as we make our way through our friends, new neighbours, and colleagues.

Isabel stops at the open front door, and I get to look from the entrance for the first time. When we viewed the place, the staircase was enclosed with plasterboard walls. My dad opened it out and discovered the original bannister underneath. It looks like the builder who blocked the stairway off had thought of this moment in years to come. The handrails are made of oak and have been given a new coat of varnish. Behind the intricately turned newel post are equally beautiful turned spindles or balusters. The spindles are all painted white and lead the eyes up to the landing at the top, where the large stained glass window dominates. Down the centre of the stairway is the first piece of carpet.

"Shoes," Isabel says.

I kick my shoes off, and she leads me up the stairs to the first landing. At the top are three doors spread across the back wall, a fourth for the room facing out the front of the property. There are three bedrooms and a bathroom. None have been carpeted or furnished yet, but that will give Isabel and me something to do. The bathroom must be the largest I have ever seen. It has a large bath, two sinks, and a large double shower. The staircase doesn't stop either and continues to a second floor. A skylight is at the top and illuminates the upper level. I run my hand along the smooth handrail as we walk. I'm silent as Isabel fills me in with all the information she got from Sam.

As we reach the second landing, we are presented with four doors--two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a door leading to the balcony corridor. I have seen this on paper and in photos my dad had sent, but to see our house for the first time is something else.

The door to the master bedroom is closed, and Isabel waits for my full attention before she opens the ornate double door. To say my breath is taken away will be the understatement of the decade. A queen-sized bed dominates the room, but my eyes are drawn directly to the folded back doors that lead to the balcony. Dad had again done an incredible job putting the balcony in without changing the roof line. The one thing the conservationists insisted on. The folding back doors are triple-glazed so that they can shut out the winter weather.

Isabel distracts me by first opening the ensuite bathroom door and then the built-in wardrobe door with all our clothes in. I walk over and into the bathroom. Again, it is a generous size with a large bath, double sink, and double shower, which Isabel points out with raised eyebrows. The walk-in wardrobe is a similar size to the bathroom, with places for Isabel's shoes and my suits. At the moment it is looking a little empty, but it gives us room to grow.

Sam and Hannah come in through the balcony window. "Jay, do you have time to check our place out?"

"Sure, Munchkin, lead the way." I quickly look at Isabel to check that it's okay, and she just smiles and pushes me out onto the balcony.

I take in the view over the park behind the houses before Sam takes my hand and leads me through the gap separating the two places. The master bedroom is similar to ours and is spotless. I smile at the decor; it is Sam all over with a mix of pink, frilly, and pastel colours. Sam shows me her house, which is like Isabel's and my place. The main difference is the downstairs, where it's not so open-planned. There's a separate kitchen, dining room, lounge, and office that Sam requested. Again, I had seen all this in my designs, but there's no comparison to seeing it in real life.

We head back to the other house through the front doors and get food before chatting to everyone who's turned up. I am introduced to some neighbours; I even make a speech thanking everyone for their support. The love from the room is almost overwhelming as I look out at the faces I now count as friends. It's not until the light begins to fade that people start to say their goodbyes, leaving just our families here. This gives me a chance to have a look behind all the doors. I designed it to have a downstairs toilet, a hidden utility room, and a cloakroom. If we choose, this house could be a forever house, although I see myself moving back to North Devon one day. On our first night in our new home, we make love for a long, slow time, and we sleep deeply after.

The next week is intense. We work on Mac's HQ, and I am due to fly out with Drew and Isabel to Dubai to see the final touches to the first building I had anything to do with. The first level looks incredible as the greenery takes the eye, making it less harsh from the street. Drew has sent me many photos.

Rumours are everywhere about Adele collaborating with Mac and the imminent release. The amount of time I get asked by people I know, who know I know Mac, about it is incredible. I know from our chats that he will be appearing with Adele on the MTV VMAs. It's a secret now, and the organisers want to keep it that way. There's also talk that Mac and Miley's song, Emma, is the favourite to win several awards.

I get a phone call just before I leave work. "James, we got it," Olivia says.

"That's good news, Olivia; when do you want me on site?"

"It will be after the end-of-year meeting. Once we get permission, we will get you over so we can get everything in place and make sure we are ahead of the curve."

"No problem, Olivia, keep me in the loop with everything," I say. She knows what I am talking about.

"No problem. I'm looking forward to it. See you later, Jay."

"See you, Olivia," and the line goes quiet.

******

Life is moving on, and I still have the odd bad dream. I'm feeling a lot better since my blowout at the ranch, and I'm feeling more relaxed within myself. Isabel, Sam, Hannah, and I sit and watch the MTV Awards. We all know what's coming, but again, MTV has kept this quiet until a couple of weeks before. There were hints during the adverts for the VMAs; they showed enough to get people talking but not enough to show what people were going to see. It helped that Mac was going to be there to perform with Miley. She has been at the ranch since we returned and, from what Mac tells me, is feeling a lot more herself.

We sit through the show and watch Mac and Miley pick up a couple of awards, Best Song and Best Collaboration. The song also wins the best video, but Mac doesn't go up for it, and the film's director, Mona Achache, walks up and collects it. In her speech, she talks about how the video made itself with such a beautiful song.

"We need to go and see that film," Isabel whispers.

"We saw it when you were away. It's a beautiful film," Hannah says.

"Is it still on anywhere?" Isabel asks. Sam gets her phone out but then puts it down as Mac takes the stage with Miley, and they sing Emma. "I thought he wasn't doing this sort of thing?" Sam says as we all stare at the screen.

"He wouldn't have, but he's there for Adele tonight," Isabel replies.

We watch Mac and Miley in silence as the song's meaning comes across. Isabel squeezes my hand and rests her head on my shoulder. I kiss the top of her head as the camera pans around our friend playing his guitar at the front of the stage. You can clearly see the emotions play across his face as his guitar sings like an angel. As his solo comes to an end, Miley comes up and puts her arm around him, and their heads together as they harmonise. Mac has his eyes closed as the song winds down to the end.

"Not as good as our live performance," Sam says. We all laugh at the memory.

The camera comes back temporarily to the presenter to announce the next award, and I can feel the tension in our room because we are getting close.

Then it starts with no announcement, no build-up. All the lights in the arena go out, and the place goes into confusion. White beams of light start moving around, not focussing on anything. Then, on a huge screen, Adele's eyes appear. She looks right, and on the screen on the other side of the stage, Mac's eyes appear. His eyes look left toward Adele.

You can feel the tension in the arena as the two pairs of eyes look forward and then fade as a guitar that only can be Mac starts to play. He had told me about the record, but he had chosen not to have a copy so that he wouldn't be tempted to play it to us.

We see two shadows, and then the camera is on Adele as she starts to sing. She's not looking out over the crowd but directly at Mac. They are both standing on two separate platforms in the middle of the arena.

Mac and Adele exchange what I can only tell you are two people mourning their lost love. It's an incredible song, and you can see Adele's talented writing skills all over it. The way she portrays the tension between two ex-lovers as they fight to move on. All four of us are on the edge of our seats as these two incredible artists perform their song for the first time.

"Fuck," is the only word spoken as the song comes to an end. Even the presenter, who I don't recognise, is speechless. We all sit back at the same time and just stare at the screen for a moment.

I stand. "Tea, anyone?"

After that, the song was everywhere and soon hit the number-one spot around the world. Mac doesn't seem any different on the phone, but I didn't expect him to be. We are expecting written confirmation that the planning has been fully approved in the next couple of weeks. Mac then needs the go-ahead from the Board before the place is cleared, and I return to supervise the start of the build.

******

Meanwhile, Isabel and I are going to Dubai to visit the new build and see how we close a build. It doesn't stop there. Obviously, there will be workers on site for a while after the building is handed over to get rid of any glitches.

When we walk onto the viewing deck that I helped design; nothing prepares you for the view, even though I had done the computer simulation. The kitchen on the viewing deck was the first part to open, and even today, it is entertaining possible investors or companies looking to rent space.

The building is very impressive, and we are up for a number of awards around the world. One of the directors sees Isabel, Drew, and I sitting eating and comes over.

"Mr. Stokes, I heard you would be making your first visit this weekend," the man says.

I stand and hold out my hand. "A pleasure to meet such a distinguished man as yourself, Mansour Al Muhairi," I say to the man's delight. He shakes my hand, placing his second on top.

"I hope the finished article has come up to how you imagined it in your mind?" He asks.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that question?" I say.

"Is there any chance I can have a word in private?" He asks. We walk over to an empty section that had just been cleared. "A rumour is circulating that you are renovating the HQ of the C&W group?"

"That's not a rumour but a known fact," I reply.

"Mmmm yeah, but it's the rumour about the windows that double as solar panels that interests me," he adds.

"I'm sure it would if it were true," I say.

"And it's not?"

"The HQ is still at the planning stage. So, I do not know where you could get such information. I'm sorry, but I can't discuss another client with you, so if you will excuse me, I see my meal has arrived." I say. Mansour Al Muhairi smiles and bows his defeat.

I walk back to my table. "What was that about?" Isabel asks.

"I was asked about C&W's HQ, and its solar windows."

"Well, it's a matter of public record now," Isabel says. "I'm surprised that it got out so quickly."

I get my phone out and call Mac. "James, aren't you in Dubai?"

"Hey, Mac. Yes, I am, but I just got approached by a very powerful man called Mansour Al Muhairi about our solar windows."

Mac laughs. "Well, I'm surprised it happened so soon, but it had to come. Do you have any of the cards Olivia gave you?"

"Yeah, I've still got them in my wallet. Do you want me to give him one?"

"If you don't mind doing a little business for us. Olivia can take it from there," Mac says.

"Okay, Mac. Sorry to have bothered you," I say.

"Any time, my friend," he says.

We hang up, and I get up and walk over to Mansour Al Muhairi; he stands as I approach. "Apologies for being so vague, but I wasn't sure what I could say. I phoned Michael Carter, and he has asked me to give you this. If you have any questions, Olivia will be more than happy to answer them." I hand him a card and bow slightly out of respect before turning to leave.

"James, tell me. What percentage of the building's usage do the windows create?"