CHAPTER THIRTY

Book:His Blonde Little Secret Published:2024-5-1

“Get off me Brody!” I yell, tears brimming my eyes. I thrash around in his hold, my force doing nothing to slow him down. Brody doesn’t react to my outburst at all, he continues staring straight ahead. The only change is that his jaw clenches with frustration.
“Put me down!” I state firmly, my words blunt. I stop struggling and remain still, looking anywhere but at him. My chest is rising and falling heavily, stained cheeks from my heartbreak. Brody continues to walk down the dark empty streets, the only light coming from the street lamps. The air is cold and bitter yet I can barely feel it due to the adrenaline running through my body. My heart is thumping against my chest, threatening to burst through any moment.
Out of nowhere, Brody stops walking and pauses before bending down to place me back onto the ground. I swallow the lump in my throat, grateful to feel the floor under my feet once again.
“Thank you,” I mutter, dusting myself off. I glance around at my surroundings and notice I’m a few streets away from home. Right now, that’s exactly where I want to be. I barely glance in Brody’s direction, scared that if I look into his eyes, I’ll break again.
“Goodnight.” I whisper. I turn and begin to walk away, feeling my heart drop to the pit of my stomach. Beatrice knows my secret. Brody knows how much Beatrice would ruin my life from this day on.
Why did he ever get involved with me?
I am a nobody. A shadow. Barely visible.
Why did he choose me?
All I want to do is survive.
I inhale the cold air deeply and continue on my way. “Bella.”
I pause, his voice echoing me. The voice that sends shivers down my spine. Every time I hear that voice, I glow on the inside, my heart bursting with happiness. I close my eyes and breathe deeply, hands trembling by my side.
“Bella, turn around.”
I spin around and came face to face with Brody. He’s stood directly in front of me, inches away. His green eyes stare directly in mine, gold flecks burning brightly despite the darkness of the night. His dark hair falls over into his eyes and he reaches up, combing it backwards with his hand. A smudge of dirt is smeared on his left cheek and his lips are a ruby red shade, almost as if he’s been biting them.
“Yes?” I respond, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Let me help you.” He replies without hesitation. His voice is sincere, holding a tone of truthfulness behind it. Brody wants to help me but he can’t.
No-one can.
“I don’t need your help,” I mutter, reaching up to wipe at my eyes. I inhale deeply, squeezing my palms into my eyes to stop myself from bawling out my emotions in front of Brody. I don’t know why I’m so afraid of people. So afraid to talk to people, socialise and make friendships. The thought of doing so terrifies me.
And now because of my inability to act normal, Beatrice is going to ruin my life. I hate to say it but Brody is the cause of that. I was just another student she could bully from time to time when she became bored. . . but now that she knows Brody and I are talking to each other, I’ve become her target.
Her arrows are pointing straight at me, ready to rip through me.
“Bella, let me help you!” Brody repeats, reaching out to grab hold of my arm. He’s becoming impatient, desperate. I close my eyes and let out a deep sigh —
“You’re not my knight in shining armour Brody.” “I can stop her.” Brody hits back at me.
“You can’t get her to stop, no-one can! This is Beatrice, she rules the entire school. Her and her gang of minions are going to ruin my life. All I wanted was to stay hidden Brody! I was hidden until you decided to enter my life! What do you want with me?” I question, my voice rising until it’s echoing down the dark streets. I don’t realise I’m yelling but once I start, I can’t stop.
“Why are you even talking to me? I’m a loner, a freak! No-one likes me. What do you want? Where is this even going?” I yell, tears streaming down my face. I’m struggling to breathe and begin to gasp for air. I turn around, running down the road. I want to get away from him, never speak to him again. I let out a loud sob, my hand covering my mouth as I ran.
“Bella!” I hear him yell from behind me but I continue to run, my legs burning from the effort. A hand wraps around my waist in seconds, stopping me in my tracks.
“No!” I protest, the last few weeks of bullying finally crashing down on me all at once. I feel broken, a empty shell of a person. I cry out loud, slapping a hand over my mouth to muffle my pained cries. I’ve never felt such loneliness, fear and sadness all in one.
Brody’s arms tighten around me, refusing to let go. He pull me back into his chest, wrapping his arms around me from behind into a bear hug. The warmth of his body spreads into mine and I shake my head. I don’t want to let him in, I can’t.
I never let anyone in.
“Please let me go,” I whisper, my voice totally falling apart along with me. Brody barely flinches from behind me and instead interlocks his fingers in mine, stopping me from struggling. His head dips low until his lips meet my ears —
“No. I’m here to stay.” He says firmly. Only then I realise I’ve stopped struggling, slumping back into his body in defeat. The tears are still falling freely down my face despite my effort to stop them. I don’t like to cry in front of people, I prefer to cry alone at night.
The darkness doesn’t judge you for crying. It doesn’t feel fake sympathy towards you. It simply sits back and allows you to pour out your frustrations until you can’t cry any further.
“What do you want?” I whisper, my body and mind exhausted. “I want you Bella. I want to help you.”
His words send a shiver running down my spine. “You can’t help me Brody.”
“Oh darling, watch me.”
My stomach somersaults and I inhale deeply, noticing just how close our bodies are right now. I’m pressed right against him, his arms wrapped right around my body. It’s almost as if he’s protected me, shielding me away from the danger of the world. I spin around slowly until I’m facing him.
I sniffle, the tears on my face now drying up. Brody’s lips tug upwards into a small smile, his eyes flickering between mine.
“It’s not the end of the world,” he whispers, reaching up with his hand. He places it onto my cheek and uses his thumb to wipe away a tear. My entire body relaxes, sinking further into his warmth.
“Isn’t it?” I ask him, my voice trembling.
Brody simply shakes his head, green eyes shining down at me.
“You’ve got so much to learn Bella, so much to see. I’m going to show you it all.” He smiles, his hand dropping to trail down my bare arm. His touch causes my skin to erupt into goosebumps and I shiver.
“What are you going to show me?” I ask, sucking in a deep breath as I watch his fingers stroke the skin on my arms. When I look back at Brody, he’s leaning in closer towards me. His eyes are trained on my lips, mouth parted slightly. I immediately let my eyelids flutter shut, not caring that he doesn’t answer my question.
The second his lips press against mine, my mind becomes blank and I melt against him. His kiss is soft and gentle, his hand resting against my lower back. The soft pressure of his lips makes me swoon and a fog fills my mind. Any thoughts about Beatrice or school completely vanish and in this moment, I feel alive.
That’s when I realise this is part of him showing me. He wants me to feel this electricity, feel alive.
I pull away slowly, wanting to let him know how he makes me feel. Brody frowns slightly, his eyes turning questionable due to my sudden action.
“Brody,” I start, looking up into those green eyes that make my insides turn to mush. Eyes that I fear I’m falling deeply for.
“Yeah?” He responds, his voice lined with nerves. It’s weird not seeing him so confident, his features appear. . . worried. I can’t help but find it adorable.
I pause for a moment, taking a deep breath in. It’s time for him to know how I feel. Come on Bella, you can do this.
“Y-You make me forget about everything else happening in my life, your presence alone is enough to make me feel happy. When I’m with you, I don’t feel so lonely anymore. I guess what I’m trying to say is. . . I like you. I really like you Brody.” I whisper, feeling fear settle inside my stomach.
Is this when Brody rejects me? Tells me he doesn’t feel the same?
Brody’s lip twitch up into a smile, his confidence shooting straight back up. The gold in his eyes shine brightly and I nervously wait for his reaction.
“Say something,” I mumble, slapping his chest lightly. He immediately grabs hold of my hand, raising it up to his lips.
I watch in awe as he places a tender kiss on the back of my hand, his lips lingering for a few seconds. I can physically feel my heart swell and my stomach somersault a million times. A blush creeps up onto my cheeks and I can’t help my lips tugging upwards into a wide smile. Brody doesn’t have to speak, his actions answer my question for me.
“Bella Winters, I think you may have just captured my heart.”
I bite down on my lower lip, happiness filling my body. Even though his tone is teasing, his eyes are nothing but truthful. I really think Brody’s words hold truth behind them . . .
I’ve captured his heart.