More Than This by Dominique Wolf
CHAPTER 44:
Giovanni
H
er confession to Nate brought on a sudden wave of happiness. I didn't plan to eavesdrop. I was on my way to find her and as I got to the top of the stairs, I heard their voices. I didn't want to interrupt, but I was also way too nosey to turn away. It wasn't right, but I couldn't help it. It angered me that Nate was so upfront about wanting her back. She clearly said she was here with me, but that didn't matter to him.
“You're in love with him?” I heard Nate mutter.
“Of course I am,” she replied. “I've moved on with my life. You broke up with me a long time ago, Nate, and this is probably not what you want to hear, but I'm glad that you did.”
“How could you be glad? Did our relationship mean that little to you?” There was a flicker of sadness in his voice.
“No, of course not. I loved you, but I just realized that I wasn't in love with you.”
Ouch.
That couldn't have been easy for him to hear. I didn't care about his feelings, but there was no denying that one probably hurt.
“I'm sorry, Nate, but you can't just waltz back into my life and think I'm going to drop everything to be with you. I'm not the same woman you once knew. I've changed and I'm happy that I left London that day.”
“I don't understand, Isabella,” Nate muttered. “Your mother said that I had a chance of winning you bac-”.
“I'm sorry, did you just say my mother?”
I heard the anger in Isabella's voice rise at that new piece of information. Her mother was a generally disrespectful woman when it came to our relationship, but talking to her ex about trying to win her back was a low blow.
“Yes,” he answered sheepishly. “After I saw you, I reached out to her. I needed some advice.”
“Here's some advice for you, Nate. Move on with your life.”
She was angry now and I couldn't stay in the shadows any longer. I climbed the last few stairs and they came into view. Isabella looked over Nate's shoulder and met my eyes.
“Giovanni,” she breathed.
“I came to find you,” I explained. “You had been gone for quite a while.”
I walked over to her and reached for her hand. “Is everything okay here?”
Isabella nodded. “Nate and I were just saying goodbye.”
Nate looked defeated. He couldn't hide the very obvious regret in his eyes. He avoided my eyes and didn't even mutter a word to me. Instead, he turned and made his way back downstairs. I watched as he disappeared from view before turning to Isabella.
“What was that about?” I pretended not to know.
She shook her head, trying to get rid of the shocked expression across her face. She strolled over to the small bench against the wall and sat down. I followed her lead and took a seat next to her.
“Just my ex-boyfriend teaming up with my mother to try and win me back,” she muttered.
I acted surprised, but I didn't have to pretend when it came to the irritation I felt over that. “Nate wants you back?”
She nodded. “Apparently so.”
“And how do you feel about that?”
She clicked her tongue. “I'm more annoyed than anything else. My mother has no boundaries and Nate has no chance. The relationship he and I had is long gone.”
She reached out and grabbed my hand. Her simple touch set my body on fire. She had been holding back all night. I could tell she wanted more from me. She wanted me to kiss her but out of respect, I didn't. I wanted her to be sure. If she was sure, she would tell me and I would happily give in to her request.
“Seriously, what the hell is wrong with my mother?” she continued, trying to control her anger. “The last she knew was that you and I were together but she still thought it would be the right thing to help Nate win me back.”
She shook her head as I rubbed my thumb over hers, reminding her that I was here for her. She hadn't told her family about us splitting up. That didn’t surprise me too much but I was surprised that it didn't come up in conversation with them up until now. Mainly with her father - I figured that she and her mother still weren't on speaking terms.
“What Nate and I had was platonic love. It was never the kind of love that I really wanted.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “That I found with you, Giovanni.”
I lifted my eyes to meet hers.
