Some Comfort Here Ch. 04

"I hope so." He turned and left the café, having no time to waste. He took his horse Carlton Flight and rode into the town, searching every direction possible as he tried to fight the panic. Isabel was still disturbed and unstable. Her disappearance did not seem healthy at all. Yes, she was in the habit of going away without telling anybody sometimes, but she usually returned in a while. This time, it was deeply worrying.

He wandered into the distant end of the town, barely any civilization in sight and definitely no sign of Isabel. He had looked at every possible place, asked everybody, but she was nowhere. But he refused to give up. He hoped to find her under a tree somewhere, reading.

He did.

She was under the oak tree by the side of the lake, all alone. It was the end of the town. He wondered how she had got there.

"Someday," he panted, dismounting his horse. "You'll be arrested for causing life-threatening worry."

Isabel looked up from the book, unperturbed. She glanced at his horse and then back at him.

"Still riding Flight?" she asked. "You should be showing off your new car."

"If I were taking you out, I would." He walked up to her, then sat on the grass beside her. "But not when your frantic brother calls me and says that you're missing. God." He wiped a trickle of sweat from his sideburn and reached for his phone. "I'll inform Ben."

She did not react as he made the call, only continued to read while he assured Ben that he had found her safe and would take her back home.

"You deserve a punishment for this," he joked, smiling at her. She looked up again.

"Sure," she said flatly. "You want to beat me up? Hit me with a golf club? Or maybe throw me against the wall until my skull breaks into half?"

Brandon physically recoiled at those words, his stomach churning. "I was joking," he explained, then sighed. "I'm sorry I just keep reminding you of past things, don't I?"

"My life is to blame for that, not you." She turned over a page, moving a dark lock from her face. It did not look like she had brushed her hair. "I'm not going anywhere until I finish this book," she said. "You'll have to wait if you really want to take me home."

"I'm waiting," he said, leaning against the shady tree. "How did you get here?"

"Took a bus. Then walked."

"Everyone's worried, you know. You shouldn't have just disappeared like that."

"I didn't feel like being home. And I also wanted to come to the lake. Remember you kissed me here for the first time?"

Brandon smiled. Of course, he remembered. Not too long ago, he had brought her there on horseback, and had suddenly claimed her lips while recounting his childhood picnics by the lake. When she had asked him what he was doing, he had said he was making memories.

"So you were thinking of me, huh?" he chuckled, giving her a side-long glance.

"Not really." She shook her head, staring out at the still, blue water. "This place just reminds me of that day."

He shifted closer, moved the tendril of hair that kept falling into her eyes. Then he took the liberty to lean in and kiss her forehead.

"You really want to leave me?" he whispered to her. "After everything we've been through together, everything that's happened between us...?"

"I was never holding on to you," she replied, her eyes never leaving the book.

"But I was. And I intend to, for the rest of my life."

"Life is too long. And at the rate it is changing for you right now, I doubt you'll be having these feelings after a while."

"You don't trust me?" he asked. Isabel shrugged.

"I do." Closing the thick book with a soft thud, she sighed. "But I'm screwed up, Brandy," she stared at him. "I'm not fit for you."

"Do you love me?"

Isabel did not reply. She wordlessly picked at the corner of the book's cover until she had managed to erase a little of the illustration. Brandon held her chin, lifted her face, and looked into her eyes.

"Do you?" he repeated. Isabel nodded quietly.

"I never said I didn't." She held his gaze. "If you meant nothing to me, I wouldn't worry about losing you after I did this..." Looking down, she held up her left hand. Brandon's throat painfully tightened and he willed his eyes to not water. He had always known that, but hearing it from her just made it so much better.

"Have you listened to our songs?" he asked. "There are only two until the album releases, but..."

She shook her head. "Hearing and listening aren't the same things." Lowering her gaze, she picked at the book cover some more. "I don't listen to music anymore."

"Why not?"

"It makes me sad."

"How are you going to perform at Hawks Well then?"

Isabel gaped at him. "I'm not."

"You are. Ben told me."

"I..." She sank back against the tree. "It was just a passing mention. Not that I was serious."

"So let's make it serious. Let's hear you sing again."

"Brandy, I—"

He put a finger over her lips, shaking his head. Then he started to croon.

"I wanna know...

Whoever told you I was letting go

Of the only joy that I have ever known...

Girl, they were lying...

Just look around

And all of the people that we used to know

Have just given up, they wanna let it go

But we're still trying..."

The tears managed to spill over. He stared into Isabel's beautiful dark orbs, falling a little more, a little deeper in love.

"So you should know this love we share was never made to die

I'm glad we're on this one-way street just you and I...

Just you and I..."

Their lips met. Brandon quickly wiped off his tears and cupped her small face, feeling her soft, full mouth kissing him back with warmth that equalled his. Her cheeks were flushed when they broke, and it made his heart flip.

"I forgot something," he said, reaching into the pocket of his jacket. "I got you this from London but didn't have the chance to give it to you."

He had planned to give it to her the evening he went to meet two days ago. But things went downhill and the gift remained inside his jacket.

"I don't know if you'll like it," he said, fishing out a small case that held a dainty gold charm necklace. "But I got it custom engraved." He turned the tiny heart tag around to reveal an Irish inscription on the back.

"What does it say?" He teased her. She stared for a while and it made Brandon laugh inside his head. Not for the first time, she was possibly wondering again why the verb had to come first.

"My love goes with you," she murmured. He nodded.

"You are improving," he said, securing the chain around her neck. It was light and dainty, perfect for her. He moved her hair from her neck to stare at how pretty it looked on her.

"Thank you," she said softly. "It's beautiful."

"Just like you," he smiled, dropping a kiss onto her hair. She heaved a small sigh and crept into his arms, snuggling like a cat. He enfolded her, closing his eyes. "I love you," he whispered to her, felt her breath against the crook of his neck.

"I love you too," she whispered back.

"Emily said you had a panic attack a few days ago," he said, stretching his legs, letting her snuggle in further. "Was it because of me?"

"No." She looked up. "Why would you think that?"

"Just saying. Did you have a nightmare then?"

"Sort of. Uncle and aunt helped me. Aunt Emily slept with me that night, just to keep me safe." She exhaled deeply. "Nobody has ever done that for me."

"You know when the time comes, I'll do that for you." He stroked her hair. "Let you sleep in my arms, keep you safe from all nightmares."

"I know. I'd love for you to do that."

His heart leapt, the overwhelming joy searching for an outlet. Then he realised it was getting late. He was also hungry.

"What do you want to sing for the concert?" he asked. She shrugged her shoulders.

"I know just the song," he looked down at her face, smiling. "Come, let's go home now."

(To be concluded)