Chapter 38: Chapter 38

"Adrian, stop it! Are you guys really going to fight a second time?"

"Hell yeah. Even if it's necessary I'll beat him over and over again until I'm satisfied. He can never understand where his boundaries are to what's mine," I replied as Daniel pulled me back and now Mabel was standing halfway between me and Ashton. "Get out of the way, Mabel. This has to be over right now,"

My muscles tightened, my blood rushed, and my strength just got so strong. I couldn't control myself. Ashton kissed Mabel right in front of me! What was that bastard thinking? All this time I had been holding back my patience until there was no room left in me to be patient for his actions which had now really crossed the line.

"Just get out of the way, Mabel." Ashton said, trying to reach me for his revenge punch. Miranda tried hard to pull him back.

"You don't get to tell me what to do!" Mabel shouted back at us. She looked depressed. Yeah, depressed with the situation. I tried not to look into her eyes, it would only weaken me. If I didn't give Ashton what he deserved, then in the future he could just act on his own and make the same mistakes, or maybe worse. It would happen again, even repeat. So what he did earlier would be the last time, I assured myself.

Rainy froze in place, watching with a blank expression on her face. She didn't do anything and then suddenly interrupted just as Mabel was about to continue what she wanted to say. "Isn't this what you want, Mabel? You want two men to fight over you? For you? You want that, right? Now you feel beautiful and more, than me? But no, Mabel. I hate you, so much. I hate you all. And you, Ashton? Can't you at least appreciate my efforts to make you fall in love with me? Every time you just break me from the inside slowly. It's driving me crazy, and you don't even care. Oh God, I was hoping you at least cared."

Silence, all suddenly silent. I could see how Ashton looked like he really wanted to be unaffected by Rainy's words, but couldn't.

Drop by drop, tears rolled down Rainy's cheeks. Not that I cared for her, but I couldn't bear to see a woman cry. Putting her ugly temper aside, I could understand the brokenness her heart was feeling. Enduring on and on with a man who couldn't love her, until she couldn't anymore.

"Rainy, I'm really sorry for what might have hurt you. Sorry, but I can't love you no matter how I try to see you as more than just friends. There's only one woman that I love and all those years of feelings I thought would run out swallowed by time it stays there and even gets stronger," Ashton explained, looking at Rainy then his eyes shifted to Mabel. "It's you, Mabel. The woman I told you about is you,"

"What?" whispered Mabel, shaking and in that moment I knew she could lose herself in a split second. So I immediately let go of Daniel's hands from me and went to her. "No, Adrian. I'm fine," She brushed aside when my hand was about to embrace her. Her eyes stared down, doing nothing, but I could tell her brain was working and trying to process what she just found out.

"I never had the courage to say this, I was afraid that you would become far away from me because of my stupid feelings. For years I covered up what I felt until I didn't realize that precisely because of that I could lose you like now,"

"I'm getting out of here," Rainy wiped away her tears before leaving, looked at Mabel one more time and sarcastically said. "You should thank me, because of me you can know that your love is not one-sided."

"What does it mean?" Ashton asked. Obviously Rainy's words just raised questions for him. The anger on his face turned to confusion. He looked at Mabel curiously. "Mabel? Answer me!"

"That's enough, Ashton! Leave Mabel alone," I quickly barged in between them. I was not going to let Ashton take one step closer to Mabel. I pushed him, but he aggressively pushed me back.

"This is between me and Mabel, you have no right to separate us." Ashton cursed back and it made the fire I felt flare up again.

"Whoa, guys. Can we finish this non-violently?" Daniel immediately said. I forgot he and Miranda were still around us. "Fighting won't solve anything, look at Mabel anyway, she's stressed."

Hearing Daniel's words, I immediately turned around to check on Mabel. She didn't move, her gaze still on the ground. I became very worried. "Oh shit, Mabel, I'm sorry." I sighed, immediately hugging her tightly. "Everything is fine, you don't need to think about it."

"Mabel-" I heard Ashton speak again right behind me. I almost wanted to curse him if Daniel didn't cut him off in a hurry.

"Come on, man. Let her cool down. You'll only make things worse by being pushy,"

"But-"

"No buts, give them some alone time. I know you're her best friend, but now she has a boyfriend and husband-to-be with her. She's going to be fine, so we all better get out of here."

Daniel managed to drag Ashton out of the room followed by Miranda. Mabel and I were still silent, with me holding her tightly explaining how I was afraid to lose her. For a second she still didn't wrap her arms around me, I knew something was wrong. Something had happened between her and herself. It was a war from within. Sighing, I chose to take her back to her room and thought that it would be best if the vacation was over soon tomorrow. Nothing was fine with all of us under one roof. From the first day everything was so gray.

That night Mabel wasn't herself. She was more quiet and aloof. I was there for her, with her all night, but I felt like she didn't even need me. She was physically with me when she wasn't really with me. I got the feeling she didn't want me to do anything about it and just let it go until she found her own light. It worried me; I was worried because I didn't know what was going through her head, what had broken her heart, whether it was because of Rainy's words or because she finally found out that Ashton also had the same feelings as she used to feel and she regretted having erased those feelings and fell in love with me instead. The last option is impossible, right? She told me herself that she's in love with me.

"Good morning," I said, carrying a tray of breakfast as I walked into Mabel's room. I thought she was still asleep, but apparently she had woken up and was sitting on the bed. Her eyes instantly shifted to me, then down to the piece of bread with peanut butter that I brought her. "I thought you'd be hungry when you woke up, so I tried to make you as much breakfast as I could." I smiled, trying to show her the best of me.

"Adrian," Mabel sighed, her voice raspy from sleep. "That night shouldn't have happened, I shouldn't have dumped you when you didn't even do anything. I just feel screwed,"

"Shhh," My index finger made its way to Mabel's soft lips. "Now have breakfast, then we are ready to go home."

Mabel didn't do what I said, nor took her eyes off me. "After this vacation, and then what?"

"What?" I didn't know what to answer and I just stupidly repeated the question.

"After my dad and Sarah got married and we got engaged, then what?" Mabel let out a hollow sigh as I remained silent. "I'm thinking about what will happen in the future. Will we be okay like this even after being married? What if later I get hurt and can't run to you? Now that you're here for me, can you convince me that you'll still be there for me as it is today?"

My heart broke for the question. It was heartbreaking to see Mabel sad at the thought. I brought my face closer to her and cupped her cheek. "I love you, Mabel. And you know I would never leave you unless it was you who asked me to,"

"I would never ask you to do that,"

"Good," I smiled, pulling away from Mabel to take the piece of bread. Trying to stay strong when she was so fragile just wasn't me. It hurt me because she had me, but I couldn't shake off what hurt her. "Now open your mouth, I will feed you."

"I love you too, Adrian. What Ashton said last night has no effect on me anymore. I was looking for what feelings I should feel at that time, but there was nothing. I just feel guilty letting him keep those feelings in for so long, seeing me with you, I even told him to make his relationship and Rainy work. I really have been selfish without knowing the truth. All this time he must have been tormented,"

"It's his fault for not taking action the way a man should. He should also be able to see the signs that it was not just him that's being tormented by it, but you as well." I gritted my teeth when I said that with a feeling between angry because of Ashton's stupidity to Mabel for years having to be hurt because of a broken heart and also feeling grateful that because of it, I could be with her now.

Mabel looked at me and suddenly put her mouth close to the bread that was still in my hand. She took the first bite, managing to make me freeze with her unexpected action. "Thanks," She smiled sweetly, so sweet I couldn't even blink. Damn that smile of hers. But eventually her face returned to shine as it should.

I smiled and chuckled lightly. "You never stop surprising me with your actions,"

"Don't know how to stop," Mabel shrugged and snatched the bread from my hand. She then fed me. I swore, I really loved her even more than myself. If I ever thought that falling in love again after Selena was impossible, then this beautiful woman in front of me was a miracle I got.

That morning it was raining in Bali, even so, Rainy still left. Her eyes were puffy and red. A view I never thought would bother me. Somehow I felt sorry for her. She didn't say goodbye to us and I could confirm that at that time there was only me watching her departure from afar without her noticing. After that Daniel and Miranda came out, simultaneously asking me how Mabel was doing. Both of them were worried. I explained to them about it and how I had booked plane tickets for them for an afternoon flight as the weather was very rough that morning.

"Sorry I can't give you guys a ride on my private jet, Mabel and I have to be somewhere else from here." I gave them a brief explanation. Actually that wasn't the only reason, because Mabel and I thought it would give them some time to be together. I knew there was something between them. I hoped it would work, P.S. Daniel had been a playboy for too long, it was high time to end it and bring him to his knees for only one woman.

"It's okay," Miranda and Daniel said in unison. Surprised, the two glanced at each other with a sinister look. I smirked at the obvious chemistry between them. Sooner or later they would feel it when the time came.

"Well, I need to check on Mabel again. Have a safe and pleasant journey home,"