Isabella was a tourist in London, England when she meets McFly and unknowingly falls for Danny.
~~~
It was a calm and quiet monday morning in London, England and Isabella Brady was enjoying the sights, sounds, and scents coming from every direction of the street. Isabella was one of few tourists in England during this time of the year. While most people were at work or school, Isabella had already graduated and her job wasn’t considered a worthwhile career.
She was a writer. She always had been. It was her strongest talent. She considered her experiences in England good for the book she was currently working on. The main reason for her being in London, England had nothing to do with her writing though. She had a strong disagreement with her family about what she chose to do with her life and she couldn’t stand to be there and attempt to deal with it any longer so she left and got on the first plane leaving Tulsa, Oklahoma for England.
So there she was, walking around the semi-quiet streets at 8:30 in the morning. While she was walking, her sidekick rang. She looked at the screen and saw that she had just received a text from her sister. She was begging her to come back home and listen to what their parents had to say. Isabella started typing a reply and wasn’t paying attention to where she was going and bumped into someone.
“I’m so sorry. I need to pay more attention to where I’m going.” Isabella said as she hit the send button on her phone and looked up.
“It’s ok.” the stranger said and smiled at her. “I’m Tom.” At that statement, he held out his hand for her to shake.
“Nice to meet you, Tom. I’m Isabella.” she said and shook his hand. Isabella knew who he was but she wasn’t a major fangirl. She wasn’t the kind of girl to scream when meeting someone like him.
At that exact moment, his cell phone rang. He looked at his watch and realized that he was late for an interview.
“Well, Isabella, I have to go but it was very nice meeting you.” he said and rushed off in the direction he was going in before he ran into her. Isabella watched him rush off and then continued walking.
About an hour and a half later, she was starting to get hungry, so she walked back to a restaurant she had passed and waited to be seated. When she was finally seated and had placed her order, she took out a notebook and started brainstorming ideas for her current book.
Not far from her, in a booth seat, sat Tom with three other guys. They were Danny, Dougie, and Harry. Altogether, they were a popular British-rock band called McFly. They were talking amongst themselves when Isabella had gotten her drink. Tom looked to his left when he heard someone start coughing. Isabella had taken a drink of her Pina Colada and started coughing when she swallowed because it almost went down her airway. Tom saw her and exused himself from the booth. The other three guys watched him to see where he was going.
“Must be a small world for two people to be at the same place at the same exact time.” Tom said and had to prevent himself from laughing when Isabella jumped. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“It’s fine. I tend to zone out when I’m writing.” Isabella said and started cleaning up the drink that she spilled on the table.
“Here. Let me help.” Tom said and got a napkin. As soon as they had gotten the table cleaned up, Isabella put her notebook and pen back in her bag. “Would you care to join me and my friends?” Tom said and motioned towards the booth that he just came from.
“I don’t want to get in the way.”
“Oh, no. It’s no problem. Come on.” Tom said and helped Isabella get her things and walked her to the booth.
~~~
While they were walking back tot he booth, Danny couldn’t stop looking at Isabella. That was until Harry and Dougie slapped him upside the head. When Isabella and Tom finally got to the booth, Tom looked at Danny, saw the way he would look at Isabella when he thought no one was looking, and had Dougie scoot over so that Isabella could sit next to him.
“Watch your hands, Poynter!” Harry warned.
“Oh shut up! My hands are no where near you!”
“Both of you! Just shut up!” Tom said.
“Are we embarrasing you, Tomi boy?” Danny teased and smirked until Tom slapped him upside the head. “What is it with people hitting me all the time! Are you trying to make me brain dead?”
“Shut up!” the other three guys said in unison.
Isabella had just witnessed what had to be the cutest and most amusing argument she had ever seen in her entire life. She couldn’t hold in her laughter any longer, and started laughing so hard that her sides and stomach started to hurt. Upon hearing Isabella laughing, Danny, Tom, Dougie, and Harry stopped arguing.
“So guys, this is Isabella. Isabella, these idiots are…”
“I know who ya’ll are. By the way, call me Bella.” Isabella said and smiled.
“So, you’re not from here. Where are you from?” Dougie asked.
“Tulsa, Oklahoma.” Isabella, or Bella, as she prefers to be called, replied.
“How are you enjoying England so far?” Harry asked Bella.
Bella just started smiling. “It’s absolutely perfect here. I’ve always wanted to tour England and I love finally being able to.”
“Do you have a boyfriend or anything like that back in Tulsa?” Danny asked and then noticed the looks he was getting from his friends. “What?! You can’t say you weren’t wondering!” Danny exclaimed.
“No. It’s fine. I was seeing someone for about 3 years.” Bella said and tried to hide the upset look on her face.
“What happened?” Tom asked and then he wished he hadn’t.
“I went to his house to see if he wanted to go to a movie or something and walked in on him and my best friend. That was the day I found out that they were messing around behind my back from almost the exact moment we started dating.” Bella said and started fidgeting.
A couple of hours later, Bella had finished eating and every 30 minutes or so, she would check her watch.
“You have to go.” Tom said, noticing that she watched the time.
Bella looked up at them apologetically and nodded.
“Do you want me to walk you back to where ever it is you’re staying?” Tom asked, hoping she would accept the offer.
“No, it’s ok. I think I can make it back. Thank you, though, for the offer.” Bella said and said goodbye to them before leaving. They watched her leave and when she was out of hearing reange, Tom slapped Danny upside the head again.
“What was that for?!” Danny complained.
“I’m never inviting anyone I like to hang out with us after that little show!” Tom exclaimed and walked out of the restaurant.
“He has every right to act this way, Danny. That little question you presented was totally… I can’t even think of a way to describe how wrong it was.” Dougie said and left the restaurant as well.
“Do you feel the same way, Harry?” Danny asked.
“I don’t want to get in the middle of this so I have no comment.” Harry replied and left, leaving Danny standing there in a now practically empty restaurant.
~~~
Isabella had lied when she told them she could find her way back to the hotel without getting lost. She had been wandering around and she didn’t know where she was. Since she didn’t know where she was or where she was going, she started thinking. She mainly thought about what went on during dinner. At first glance, it would seem that Tom and Danny were just goofing off. You’d have to look past the normalcy of the situation to see the real meaning behind it. She was almost certain that both Tom and Danny liked her.
While trying to prove to herself that she was imagining things, she heard someone calling her name. She looked around to see who it was, and saw four people across the street. She had to look harder to recognize two of hem. It was Harry and Dougie. The other two people were girls.
They ran over to her from across the street and as soon as they got to her, Dougie asked Bella what she was doing wandering around London at this time of night. Bella blushed and looked down at her feet before saying, “I actually, um, might have gotten lost.”
“Well, where are you staying?” Harry asked her. Bella dug in her bag and pulled our a small piece of paper and handed it to Harry. Harry looked at the paper and showed it to Dougie, who started laughing. “Yeah, you are lost.” Harry said while Dougie attempted to calm himself down.
Harry, Dougie, and the two girls, who introduced themselves as Mahsa and Amy, led Bella to the hotel. After the guys and Amy and Mahsa left, Bella went into the hotel only to find out that they had made a mistake and had booked her room for that day only and had just booked their last room about an hour ago.
Bella got her bags and walked out of the hotel lobby and into the chilly, night air. She took out her phone and was just about to book a flight back to Oklahoma when her phone rang.
“Who could it be now?” she thought out loud. She didn’t think anyone but her family had her new number and she didn’t recognize this number anyway. She took a deep breath and answered the phone. “Hello?”
“Hey Bella.”
“Oh dear god! It’s just you. You scared the crap out of me. How did you get my cell phone number?” Bella asked.
“I’m sneaky.” the mystery caller said. Bella laughed as best she could considering her circumstances. “What’s wrong, Bells?”
Bella smiled at the sudden use of a new nickname. “I don’t have a place to stay. The hotel made a slight mistake so I don’t have a room there now. I was just about to book a flight home when you called.” Bella answered.
“Oh. Hold on, Bells. Let me get Harry and we’ll be right there. You can stay with us.”
“No, wait Dougie. I will not impose myself on you or the others.” Bella replied.
“You won’t be. It’s called helping a friend in need.” Dougie said and hung up his phone. Bella smiled to herself as she put her phone in her pocket. That one little word had made her life better than it had been for a very long time.
~~~
Bella had been waiting in front of the hotel for no more than fifteen minutes when an electric blue car pulled up and parked right in front of her. The car door opened and Tom stepped onto the sidewalk. Bella was extemely confused and it showed on her face.
“Harry’s keys went missing and while they were looking for them, Doug’s keys just mysteriously disappeared.” Tom explained and grinned. Bella finally caught on and laughed.
“You’re so evil, Tom.”
“No, I’m not. Don’t you see my halo?” Tom said, fighting a laugh.
“No, to be honest, I don’t. Did you leave it at home?” Bella said and couldn’t hold in her laughter any longer.
Not long after she started laughing, Tom ended up laughing as well. When they had finally calmed down, Tom helped Bella with her bags and then opened the car door for her. When they were both in the car, Tom pulled away from the curb and turned the car around and started driving back to his house.
Bella was turned at an uncomfortable angle and was digging in her bag, trying to find a hoodie. Tom glanced over at her and when he realized what she was trying to find, he reached around and grabbed something from the back and handed it to her. Bella looked at Tom and then back down.
“Thank you.” she said and draped the hoodie over her arms. Tom smiles to himself and allows himself one last glance at Bella. She is blushing and fidgeting slightly. She turns her head to look at Tom and as soon as she realizes he was looking at her, she turns her head back around so fast that she almost got whiplash.
Tom laughs to himself and pulls the car into an empty lot that is in front of this extremely huge house. Just then, a cab pulls up next to Tom’s car and Danny gets out and starts walking towards the house. When Danny reaches the door, it opens and Dougie runs out of the house and towards Tom’s car.
”
What the hell is going on with these people?” Danny asks, mostly to himself. It wasn’t until Dougie opened the door on the passenger side of Tom’s car and helped Bella out that he realized what was in store for him.
He quickly made his way into the house and up the stairs before anyone could stop him. He barely made it to his room before the front door opened again and Tom, Dougie, and Bella walked in.
Tom and Dougie put Bella’s bags in a guest room that had never been used and gave her a quick tour of the house before they sat down in the huge livingroom. Bella had zoned out and when she came back down to earth, she was greeted by two sets of confused eyes and realized what had just happened.
“What were you thinking about?” Tom asks.
“Just trying to figure out if I did something to offend Danny. Did you see the look on his face when he saw me?” Bella asked and looked down at her hands.
~~~
They had talked for a few hours until Tom and Harry retreated to their rooms for the night and Dougie stayed long enough to wish Bella a good night. After that, they both went their seperate ways for the night.
It was now 1:45 in the morning and Bella hadn’t been able to sleep. She dragged herself out of bed and over to her laptop, which Harry had hooked up for her. She turned it on and waited for it to boot up. When it was finally loaded, Bella sat down and opened the internet and went straight to her favorite virtual chat site, IMVU.
She signed in and clicked Chat Now and waited for the site to find someone for her to chat with. While she was changing her avatars outfit, a name popped on the screen. She finished what she was doing and started chatting.
LonelyGirlInABigWorld- Hi.
BestGuitaristEver- Hello.
LonelyGirlInABigWorld- How are you?
BestGuitaristEver- I can’t really complain. I’ve had worse days. You?
LonelyGirlInABigWorld- About the same. You play guitar?
BestGuitaristEver- Yeah.
LonelyGirlInABigWorld- That’s cool. I tried to learn but gave up. I’ll stick to what I know.
BestGuitaristEver- lol. What is it that you know?
LonelyGirlInABigWorld- I’m a writer. Well, …I wanna be. I write fairly good fiction. It’s just that everybody I’ve ever met think it’s a waste of time. I had a fight with my family about it and I haven’t spoken to them since. I’m not like them. I won’t do a job that I can’t stand and act like I’m ecstatic about it.
BestGuitaristEver- That’s major BS. I totally understand you. How are we expected to be good at our job if we don’t love what we do?
LonelyGirlInABigWorld- Yeah, exactly.
Bella didn’t know what to say up to that point but would knowing who she was talking to have helped her?
Danny’s POV
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I couldn’t sleep with so many thoughts running through my head so I got up and turned on my laptop and went to a chat site that I had found one day while I was checking my mail. When it loaded up, I sat down.
About five minutes after I sat down, I got a chat invite. I accepted it and waited for the person’s avatar to load. I saw their screen name and was instantly reminded of someone I had only just met. I wondered if it was possible that my assumptions were right so I went to their profile.
When the page had loaded, I looked at the About Me section and lost all the air that was in my lungs. Staring me straight in the face was the one name I was hoping to not see. Isabella Brady. When I had finally closed her profile, I saw that she had started chatting with me.
We started talking and then all of a sudden she stopped replying. I left my room and walked down the stairs as quietly as possible. When I got downstairs, I went over to her door and was just about to knock when I heard her crying.
~~~
Bella’s POV
The sunlight hitting my face was the only thing I could feel. When I started waking up, I started becoming more aware of my surroundings. There wasn’t a window in my temporary room so how could the sunlight be hitting my face? I had to practically pry my eyes open and at first, everything was just a blur.
When things started clearing up, I went to sit up and noticed at that mooment that there was a pair of arms wrapped around me. I moved my eyes up a bit to see a freckled face and a head of curly, brown hair. What had happened last night and how can I not remember anything in between me trying to fall asleep and waking up in here.
I looked back at who I had just confirmed was Danny and smiled. He looks so sweet when he is sleeping. When I realized what I was saying to myself, I mentally slapped myself. I can’t like him. I also couldn’t tell him why? If he knew that I am afraid to fall in love with him, he would most likely assume I am weird, crazy, and so not worth being around.
It’s best for everyone if I just pack my bags and leave. I won’t go back home but I can’t stay here. It was in that moment that I realized I had already fallen in love with him. I had to leave right now so I packed my things and wrote them a note.
Guys,
I’m sorry about all of this. I shouldn’t have ever let things get this far and I hope that one day you all can forgive me. The short time that I spent with you all has been so perfect and I wouldn’t have changed anything. I just can’t do this anymore. So I’m leaving as soon as I finish this letter. I never wanted to hurt ya’ll. I’m so sorry if I have caused you all pain. Don’t go looking for me because you won’t find me. I’m sorry but it’s better this way.
Sincerely, Isabella Marie Brady
When I finished the note, I put it on the bottom step of the staircase, took one last look at the room, and left the house.
Danny’s POV
I was sleeping peacefully until someone came into my room and shook me awake.
“Doug, if you don’t leave me be and let me sleep, you will regret it for the rest of your life.” I said and turned over to fall back asleep. He didn’t leave though.
“She’s gone, Danny.”
I sat up quickly and looked over at him. He handed me a piece of plain, white paper and I looked at it. She really was gone. Everything that happened after that moment passed by in a blue. She was gone.
~~~
Bellas POV
I was leaving England when bits and pieces of what had happened the night before started becoming clearer. I looked down at my arm and saw the bandages and knew what I had started again without really knowing it.
We had kissed. That much I knew. The thoughts running through my head when I thought about the kiss where jumbled. I was thinking about how much I cared about him but also how much I was afraid of him.
He reminded me of my last relationship. Every little thing he said or did and even the way he acted reminded me of my ex and that scared me. I didn’t want to get hurt again. I don’t think I could handle it if I did. So I shut him out. I ran away from the only thing that mattered to me.
I must have passed out while kissing him though because after that, I couldn’t remember anything. I remembered the kiss and then waking up. Everything else was just black. One thing was certain now more than ever. I had fallen in love with Danny and nothing could change that.
Dannys POV
I still couldn’t believe she was gone. Everyday I woke up hoping that she was still next to me. She never explained why she left. She just left. Everyday I stay in my room and just play different chords on my guitar. I don’t know why but ever since I found out she was gone, I’ve played the same tune. It finally got so bad that I just wrote the notes down so I wouldn’t forget them. I don’t think I’d be able to though. It’s like I’m letting go of how I’m feeling through the music.
The guys still try to get me out of my room and I do go downstairs now but I never really talk to them. I just stay in my own little world.
I’ve overheard them talking to our manager about me. They have said I’m becoming depressed. Is that what this is? I’ve become numb. I guess I feel like if I just don’t feel then I can’t hurt. That’s a lie. I still feel like my heart has been ripped out of my chest.
Dougie came into my room today and asked if he could borrow my laptop. His had just stopped working about a week ago and he was having someone work on it. If they couldn’t fix it, he was just gonna end up getting a new one. He hasn’t been around that much nowadays. Sometimes he just disappears and doesn’t get back until the sun is setting.
Anyways, back on topic. Dougie had asked me if he could borrow my laptop for a while and I just nodded to say yeah. He walked over to the table and picked it up and left the room, leaving me in my own little world again.
Dougies POV
I still remember going downstairs and seeing Tom and Harry and the note. I still remember how I’d felt after reading what she had written before she left. I wanted to talk to her and tell her that she was wrong to leave and that she should come back and stay with us.
The one person that was hurting more than me was Danny. He may be trying to act like it didn’t bother him that she left and that he is moving on but all he is doing is blocking everyone out of his life. He barely ever comes downstairs. He is always in his room. He has been playing the same song over and over again.
I have been sneaking off sometimes. No one knows where I have been going. I found out Bella’s new cell phone number. She still doesn’t know how I got it and I’m not telling. I had called her one day and we talked for a few minutes. I’ve been talking to her since then. I have to just drive around or go somewhere away from the rest of the guys so they don’t find out that I’m still talking to her. I don’t know how they would react but she had made me promise that I wouldn’t tell them I know where she is. I don’t always know though.
She moves around so much now that I gave up trying to keep track of her. She tells me about the problems she is going through at the moment and I keep trying to get her to come back. She tells me about her book and just about everything. She doesn’t tell me about why she left though and sometimes she almost does and that’s when she mysteriously has to go.
One day, I needed to check something online and seeing as how my laptop is being worked on because it decided it wasn’t going to work one day, I asked Tom and Harry if I could borrow one of theirs but they were both on them so I went to ask Danny. As soon as I got to his door, I heard him playing the song that he has been playing everyday since Bella left. I knocked on the door before opening it and walking in.
“Dude, um, …….Can I borrow your laptop? I won’t be on long. I just need to check something real quick.” I asked.
He only nodded, letting me know I could so I walked over to get it and walked out of the room and to my room. I pulled up the internet and started typing in the link.
You know how sometimes when you go online, it saves what you were searching for or what websites you were on? Well, I was typing in the link and a list of sites showed up. I looked at them and saw one that struck my curiosity. I clicked on it and waited for it to load. When it had finished loading, I scrolled through the page, my eyes getting wider by the second.
What was Danny doing to himself?!
~~~
Dougies POV
I quickly checked what I needed to and then went to Danny’s room to return his laptop. I also had to know why he had a site about helping people who cut on his laptop. After I had placed his laptop down on the little table, I turned towards Danny and took a deep breath.
“Dude, why the hell do you have a site about cutting on your laptop?!”
He looked up at me with wide eyes, almost like I had just caught him red-handed. He took deep breaths before becoming defensive.
“It’s for a friend, Doug, and why are you messing with shit that is none of your business anyway?!”
I was shocked at his behavior. He never acted like this until Bella left. I left his room and quickly went downstairs. I had to talk to Tom and Harry about this. As soon as I found them, I sat down at the kitchen counter and waited for them to finish their previous conversation about the up-coming tour.
“Hey Doug. What’s up?” Tom asked as soon as he noticed me.
“Something’s wrong with Danny and it can’t be good. ” I said to both of them and then proceeded to tell them about the website I found on his laptop.
“We need to talk to him. We have a few months until we go on tour. If he is cutting, we need to know about it now.” Harry said and we began to walk upstairs to Danny’s room. Harry opened the door without knocking and we all walked in. Danny looked up at us and his faced started to pale. We practically cornered him to get him to talk to us and tell us what’s up.
“Dude, tell us the damn truth right now. Are you cutting?!” I said and everyone looked at me. They must have been a bit shocked. I’m not the most outspoken in the band. I have usually always kept quiet during interviews and other things.
Danny looked down at his hands before taking a deep breath and looking up at us again.
“I’m not cutting. I was telling you the truth when I said it was for a friend. I just can’t help her if she won’t even come back.” Danny said, zoning out.
“Bella.” Tom and Harry said and that was when Danny realized he had said something he shouldn’t have.
I quickly left the room and all you’d have heard was the front door slam shut as I left and went to find Bella. I don’t care how long it took me. I was going to find her and get her to listen to me. I didn’t have to go very far. She was still in England. She had been in her hotel room. The same place she was the last time I spoke to her. I had luckily found someone who could help talk to her. Someone who knew what she was going through and had the same problems she has. He had been a cutter but hadn’t done it for over 5 years.
~5 years later~
I had gotten a call from Bella today and she sounded ecstatic. She told me that she hasn’t been cutting for 2 1/2 years and that she had finished her book finally. I was so happy for her that I couldn’t help but let out a laugh at her hyperness. This the Bella that I wished I had had a chance to get to know. She told me that she sent her book to a publishing company and is now just waiting for a response. She then said that she had to go. Her and a couple of girls she met a week ago were going shopping and then to a movie.
“Thank you so much Dougie. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to say thanks enough. Okay, I really have to go now. I’m getting people impatient. Love you. Bye.” Bella said before she hung up the phone.
I couldn’t help but chuckle at that quick rushed goodbye. I really do miss her but she sounds happy for the first time since I talked to her. If being away from here made her happy than I was willing to accept that and just hope for her happiness forever.
~~~
Bellas POV
It’s been over 5 years since I left London, England and things are starting to get better for me. I finished my first book and thanks to Dougie and a guy that he had found who had the same problems with cutting that I had, I haven’t been cutting for over 2 1/2 years now. Life is great for me now. Only one thing keeps nagging at me and it’s the one thing I’m not ready to confront yet. Daniel Alan David Jones.
They are on tour again so everywhere I go, all I see is McFly posters and cds and articles in magazines. I still move around a bit but not as much as I had been. I went to check the front desk to see if I had gotten any messages and the receptionist handed me a telegram, smiling as she did. I read it and a smile spread across my face. I then quickly ran upstairs and packed my suitcases.
I texted Dougie, telling him that if he was going to come see me that I might not be here because I was going to Los Angeles. I quickly re-read the telegram, savoring every moment. It read-
Miss Brady-
We have just finished reading the script that you sent to us and we would like to be the first to let you know that we thought it was delightful. We are going to publish it and we would like to meet you and work out a contract. We have set up a first class seat for you on the 11:30 am flight from London to L.A. and when you arrive at the airport, a car will be waiting for you.
B & J Publishing Company
I got in a cab that took me to the London airport and got onto the planned flight. The whole way to Los Angeles, I was fidgeting and couldn’t focus on one thing for more than a minute. I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I remember was a stewardess was gently shaking me awake and telling me we had landed.
I slowly walked through the terminal and looked around for the person who was waiting for me. I saw her no more than four feet away from me. She walked up to me and introduced herself.
“Hi. I’m Cynthia. You must be Isabella. It’s really nice to meet you.” she said, shaking my hand and smiling. She was probably the nicest person I had met. Well, besides 4 other people.
“It’s really nice to meet you too. Call me Bella.” I said, smiling sincerely.
She helped me with my luggage and on the way to the company, we chatted about everything. I even mentioned meeting McFly. She found that exciting and wanted to know everything. I didn’t have much to tell her though because I had only really known them for a day.
When we arrived at the publishing company, she walked me into the building and to the room that they were waiting for me in. Everything that happened after that was a blur. It was exciting and so amazing but it was almost like a dream. We made the contract which I signed and then we planned a book tour and some signings. I casually glanced at the clock on the wall but not casually enough. The main woman in the meeting with me, who had introduced herself as Jacqui, told me that we were almost done. We just needed to discuss my first payment.
An hour or so later, I don’t really know how long I was inside the building, the meeting was over and I slowly walked outside. This was all happening so quickly but it was a dream come true for me.
~2 1/2 months later~
Dannys POV
Her face haunts my dreams and now it is haunting every waking moment I spend inside or outside. We have been on tour for a few months now and I have been getting a bit better at coping with Bella not being here. It doesn’t help though when everywhere I turn I see her face. She has apparently finished her book and is doing a book tour.
Strangely enough, our tour has changed slightly so now we are sometimes at the same places she is. I keep feeling like everyone is expecting me to react someway or do something. One day I just got sick of it so I went for a walk to get some air. As I was passing a book store, I looked in the window and I saw her. The one person in the world that I had been dying to see. I couldn’t react. I just stood there staring at her from outside. Then she looked up and saw me. Her face started to pale as I walked into the store. Her lips mouthed one name.
“Danny…..”
~~~
Bellas POV
I was at my third or fourth book signing today and it was going wonderfully. I had people coming up to me, telling me that they had read my book and loved every single moment of it. Some of them said it helped them through some trialing times in their lives. I couldn’t hope for more.
When the book signing started, all these people came to get my autograph. They wanted my autograph. They should have seen me before the book came out. I was and still am no better than anyone in this world. Why am I classified that way when I’m just like they are?
When I had finished signing somone’s book, I looked up and proceeded to say thank you for taking the time to read the book and I hoped they had a great day but something out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. I looked over to the front of the store and saw the one person I was hoping not to see yet. I am sure my heart stopped and my face paled when he opened the door and entered the store.
He stopped in front of the table and his eyes looked glassy. I stood up and went to walk around him and leave the store but he grabbed me by my wrist, pulled me towards him which resulted in me being shocked and him stumbling backwards a bit, and then he kissed me. It was a kiss unlike any other. It was passionate and I could feel all the pain I had caused him. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling and I had to push him away from me.
I quickly glanced at him before running out of the store. When I was far enough away from him, I walked down an alleyway so I could be left alone, and broke down. How could he do that? He hasn’t seen me in years and he doesn’t even know me? I couldn’t help but remember the look on his face.
He was trying so hard to not cry. He probably thinks I hate him but I don’t. I just need some time. I had started a book that explains why I run away from things that matter to me. I was planning to publish it. I figured that because I can’t tell him myself that I could write it and if he read it he would understand. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to get over the past and embrace the present. I hope one day I can because then maybe I would be lucky to meet a guy like Danny. I only hope that Danny will understand and forgive me one day.
I slowly got to my feet and started walking back towards the book store but was met halfway by Cynthia.
“Are you okay? Here, we need to fix you up. You look a mess.” Cynthia said and we walked back to the hotel that we were staying at.
We stayed up late that night, me eating strawberry ice cream, my favorite, and we watched cheesy romance films. Later, while we were trying to sleep, I started telling her about my life. From the very moment bad things started happening to me to now. She listened to every single word, never interrupting me. When I was finished, tears were rolling down my cheeks and the only thought running through my head was Danny.
“You love him, don’t you?”
It was the one question I knew the answer to but was hoping that it was wrong and this was just a crush.
“Yeah, I do.” I said and fell asleep, thinking about him.
~4 1/2 months later~
I had finally finished the book that I hope can explain to Danny why I acted so harshly. I had sent it in to the publishing company and waited a few months and they sent me the extra copy I had requested. I put it in my bag and went down to the lobby because the front office had just called me, saying that there was someone from a magazine company that would like to speak with me. As soon as I got to the lobby, I went over to chat with the editor of the magazine company and they told me that they needed an article down on a band’s rise to fame. I said that that wouldn’t be a problem with me. We went over the questions that I needed to get answers to and as the editor was getting ready to leave, I asked one final question.
“What band am I interviewing?”
The editor, who introduced herself as Lauren, turned around and smiled.
“McFly.”
~~~
Bellas POV
“McFly…” Lauren said. “Is that a problem?”
“No. It’s not a problem. When do you need it by again?” I said, trying to stay calm and rational.
“I need it by next month.”
“Okay, I’ll have it in by then.” I said and she smiled one last time before walking out of the lobby and getting into her car.
I ran to the elevator and repeatedly pushed the button because the doors weren’t opening fast enough. As soon as the doors open, I rushed inside the elevator, pushed my floor number and tapped my foot impatiently. I couldn’t believe what I had gotten myself into. How am I going to do this? I can’t tell Dougie because then I’m sure he would have to tell the other guys, which means Danny would know. I can’t just show up.
I finally got to my floor and went to my room to pack. I was going back to where this started. Was I scared? Yes but I had to do this. I didn’t have a choice. I had to get past this and the only way to do that was to confront my fears.
As soon as my bags were packed, I called the lobby and asked them if they could please call me cab. I then proceeded to drag my bags out to the elevator to go back down to the lobby. This was going to be a long month.
~Later that day~
Dannys POV
I was sitting in the kitchen for the first time all day, which Harry, Tom, and Dougie were happy about. I was sitting at the counter, drinking a cup of coffee, when the doorbell rang. Dougie ran to answer it and didn’t come back or call us or anything. Tom and Harry went to see what was holding him up and they didn’t come back either. I stood up and left the kitchen to go back upstairs. I didn’t make it to the stairs though. Standing in the doorway was Isabella Marie Brady. I was shocked and she didn’t look much better. I stood there for a minute or two before running upstairs and into my room, slamming the door shut.
Dougies POV
I had heard the doorbell ring and ran to see who it was. I wasn’t expecting it to be Bella but I can’t say I wasn’t happy to see her because I was. I stood in one spot in shock before I smiled and hugged her which caught her off-guard. She finally responded and hugged me back.
“It’s good to see you too, Doug. I kinda can’t breathe though.”
“Oh, sorry.” I said and let her go right as Harry and Tom walked up. They smiled as soon as they saw her and Harry went over to hug her. When Harry had pulled away from her and stood by me, Tom went over to hug her and didn’t let go for a few minutes. During that time, Bella’s face fell a bit and I wondered what he had said to her. When he let her go and went to stand by Harry, she looked at each of us, causing her smile to widen until her gaze settled on something behind us. We all turned to see Danny standing near the stairs. He looked freaked out but before we could say anything to him, he ran up the stairs and all we heard after that was his door slamming shut.
“How have you been?” Tom asked her as he moved out of the way so she could come inside and he grabbed her bags.
“I’ve been good. I guess I have Dougie to thank for that though.” she said as she smiled at me. “Oh, which reminds me, I have a book for ya’ll.” she said and reached into one of her many bags and pulled out a book and put it on the counter.
“What’s it about?” I asked.
“You’ll just have to read it. I would like it if Danny would read it first though. I don’t know if he will but it would really be a great thing if he did.”
Tom and Harry nodded in understanding. It seems I’m out of the loop on something. How could that have happened though if she hasn’t spoken to them since she left? Tom then picked up the book and headed upstairs.
“He’ll make sure he reads it even if we have to tie him to a chair and make him read it.” Harry said, causing Bella to chuckle.
“Why are you here, Bells?” I asked.
“I was hired to do an interview on ya’ll. I don’t want this to be awkward but it seems I’m out of luck.”
“Okay, well, do you have a place to stay while you’re here?” Tom asked from the kitchen doorway. How long had he been standing there?
“Yeah, I do actually. I’m staying at a hotel. Don’t worry. They actually got things right this time.” Bella said, causing us all to laugh.
“Well, let me at least give you a ride back to the hotel?” Tom offered.
“No. That’s fine. I actually have a cab waiting for me. When do ya’ll want to start this?”
“Tomorrow afternoon good for you?” Harry asked, helping her get her bags rounded up.
“Yeah, that’s good. Well, I’ll see you all tomorrow.” Bella said, waving goodbye to us as she walked out the door and to the cab.
~~~
Bella’s POV
After I arrived at the hotel, Cynthia, who had insisted on coming along for moral support, ran out to the cab and helped me with my bags.
“How did it go?” she asked, sincerely concerned.
“It went better than I thought it would. Of course, Danny never came downstairs.” I replied with a frown. Cynthia hugged me and when she pulled away from me, we went back into the hotel.
“He’ll come around, Bella. He just needs to understand your point of view. Did you give them the book?”
“Yeah. I just hope you’re right.” I replied as we got in the elevator.
The rest of the night went fast. Cynthia and I watched movies and laughed at the lousy acting of the actors and actresses. Cynthia dyed my hair for me. She, of course, was exstatic about the way it turned out. I had to get used to it. I went from a blonde to dark brown or black. She also offered to do help me style my hair and do my make-up before I leave for the interview. I accepted and went to quickly take a shower before bed.
I went over things in my head while the hot water washed away all the stress and relaxed my muscles. When I had finished with my shower and had brushed my teeth, I went to bed and thankfully had dreamless sleep.
The next morning, I was woken up by falling off the bed. The sound of laughter filled the air. I grumpily looked up at Cynthia and she immediatly stopped laughing and rushed me to the shower so I could get done with that. Today was going to be a long day.
Tom’s POV
After Bella left, I excused myself because it was late and I wanted to be able to be ready ahead of schedule. I also wanted to be able to find out if Danny had gotten off his ass to read the book that Bella had requested he read first.
I had known for a few months now that Bella cared more for Danny than she did for me. I had told her that when I hugged her. I also realized that she needed a friend. She has Dougie and I’m not saying he isn’t a good friend but he is immature 99.9% of the time. I guess what I’m trying to say is Dougie is the kind of friend who you can hang out with and get away from all your problems.
Anyways, as I went upstairs so I could get ready for bed, I stopped at Danny’s door and knocked on it. When I didn’t get an answer, I cracked the door open and looked inside. Figures. Danny was in fact asleep but after taking a second glance, I saw that the book was in his hand and it was open. I smiled and closed the door.
I had been thinking about how Bella and Danny reacted around each other and noticed Bella zoned out when she thought about him. I didn’t think tomorrow was gonna be any easier for her so I had a plan on how to help her out. I only had to tell Dougie and Harry in the morning when I rudely wake them from any amazing dreams they might be having. The thought made me smile before I snapped out of the thought and went to get to bed.
Dougie’s POV
Last night was a good night although I woke up thinking it was a dream. Strange though, seeing how Tom woke me up early this morning, saying something about a plan he had to help Bella with the interview today. When I had fully woken up and gotten dressed, I went downstairs and got a cup of coffee. As I sat down Harry and Tom came downstairs with a handheld tape recorder.
“What’s that for?” I asked, which I know is a stupid question but if you remember, I practically just woke up so I was still pretty much asleep.
“Okay, have you ever noticed how Bella zones out?” Tom asked.
“Yeah, but just that one time when she was trying to figure out if she had pissed Danny off somehow.” I said. About two or three minutes later, I understood what Tom was getting at and we started figuring out how we were going to do this.
Danny’s POV
I didn’t want to get up this morning, but I didn’t exactly have a choice. I reluctantly dragged myself out of bed and started getting ready before going downstairs. As I was walking down the stairs, I heard Tom, Harry, and Dougie talking amongst themselves. As I got to the kitchen, the doorbell signaled Bella’s arrival.
Tom went to escort her in and when she appeared in the doorway, I lost my breath. I was shocked for one. I almost didn’t recognize her but I could never forget her ocean blue eyes. Her blonde hair was now black and she had a lot of eyeliner which only made her blue eyes stand out more. She had dark eyeshadow on as well and lipstick that was a color somewhere between red and purple.
She looked amazing and I think she knew that. Everyone but me went into the livingroom and when I realized that I was still standing in the kitchen, I mentally kicked myself before walking into the livingroom. Strangely enough, the only available spot to sit was next to Bella.
“I’m, uh, I think I’m gonna sit on the floor.” I said, realizing that I wasn’t gonna get away with it before I finished my sentence.
“Sit by Bella, dude. She isn’t gonna bite you.” Dougie said, chuckling.
I reluctantly and awkwardly sat down beside her and tried to avoid any contact with her. While she was asking us questions, I kept my gaze averted to the floor and kept my mouth shut. It was probably a good thing though because I wasn’t focusing all too much on the interview.
It seemed like it was only a thirty minute interview but when I looked at the clock after she had left with Tom, it had started an hour and a half ago. I then went back upstairs and to my room and continued reading.
No one expects me to read this book that Bella brought with her but I’m gonna prove them wrong and finish it before we have to go on tour next month.
Bella’s POV
During the interview, I had a problem staying focused. I kept zoning out and thank goodness for Tom, Dougie, and Harry because they kept getting my attention again. After I had finished asking all the questions that I needed to, I stood up to leave and Tom followed me out.
“Did I forget something?” I asked, knowing my tendency to leave important things in random places.
“No, I just wanted to take you out to lunch. Not as a date. Just as friends. No worries.” Tom said, doing a halo over his head, causing me to smile.
“I see you found your halo.” I said, which caused him to smile.
“Yep. It seems it was hiding from me for a while. I had to trick it out of it’s hiding place.”
After that comment, I couldn’t keep from laughing. I laughed so hard that I cried.
“Okay okay. Let’s go to lunch.” I said, attempting to keep the laughter under control. While we were waiting for our food to arrive and after I had persuaded him to let me pay for my own, he handed me a handheld tape recorder.
“What’s this for?” I asked, looking at the tape recorder and then at him.
“I knew that you would most likely need the interview on tape. I figured out the thing that triggers your zoning out most of the time.”
“Danny.” I mumbled, looking down at the table.
“Bella, it’s not something that you should be ashamed about. It’s understandable. Just consider it a friend helping a friend.” Tom said as the food arrived.
While we ate, we joked around and chatted about how things were going for us. While we were leaving the fast food place, Tom handed me an envelope.
“I know that you have a busy schedule and all now but if you have the time, I would really like it if you could come to one of our shows. Dougie was actually the one who brought this up. Harry and I thought it was a great idea. Just don’t worry about Danny. He is just being an ass.”
I smiled at Tom and for once, I felt like taking a chance.
“I’ll be there. I plan my own schedule anyways.”
Tom looked almost shocked at my quick answer but then smiled before hugging me goodbye and getting in his car and heading back to his house. I walked back to my hotel, which was luckily only a block from where I was at the moment, and smiled the whole way there.
When I got to the hotel, Cynthia met me at the elevator. This girl has got to have some weird power or something! She noticed my huge smile and asked me what I was smiling about.
“I don’t know. I just think things have gotten easier somehow.”
I wasn’t going to tell her about the concert just yet. I had to figure out how I was going to do this. I didn’t know this new feeling that had just started. It was weird and alien to me. This felt like the start of something new but what?
~~~
Danny’s POV
Since the day Bella left, I had been playing these random chords and notes. I started writing them down and realized that I had subconsciously written a song. I played it for the guys and they liked it and we started writing words to it. Well, I actually wrote the words. It was just how I was feeling during the time I was writing it. That was the birth of one of the songs off our new album.
The song was called Falling In Love and we were going to be performing it for the first time at the show we had tonight. Tom had been acting a bit weird since the interview with Bella and nobody knew why. I think he is hiding something. Dougie had gotten a package of some sort the other day. Turns out, it was the magazine with the article that Bella had written on us.
During most of the day, I’ve been reading the book that she had written and given to us. I think I have an idea of what this book is about but I haven’t mentioned it to Tom, Harry, or even Dougie. They will read it in their own time.
The day went fairly fast and it wasn’t long before we were heading onstage. I smiled at the sound of our fans. I looked around at the other three guys and Harry and Dougie were grinning as well but Tom was nowhere to be seen. I was just about to go looking for him when we were led onstage. Tom, of course, appeared in front of me but I didn’t see where he had come from. The set list was mostly the songs from our new album. The We had just finished performing Do Ya and Tom motioned for me to go ahead with what I was going to say before the next song.
“So this next song is called Falling In Love. It was written for someone who means a lot to me and I just want her to know that I will always be there for her. This one’s for you.” I said, finally seeing what Tom was keeping from all of us.
Bella was standing near the front but not close enough that she would be noticed. She saw me and her eyes started tearing up as we started the song.
Bella’s POV
I was nervous about the show tonight but before I could have changed my mind and left the now crowded venue, Tom came to talk to me before the show. He told me that Danny had read the book and also that no one knew about me being here. I was surprised he hadn’t even told Dougie or Harry.
As he walked away so he could get onstage, I snuck off to stand in the crowd. The songs were amazing and they performed so wonderfully. Dougie seemed to be the most active onstage. I couldn’t help but laugh because a couple of times he almost got caught on the wires.
At the end of the song that had been introduced as Do Ya, Danny started talking about the next song. I almost couldn’t breathe when I realized who the song was about or what inspired it. As I listened to the words, I couldn’t help the tears that started forming but I sure as hell tried to keep them from falling. It didn’t work, of course, and I had move from the spot that I was in. I went further into the back so that I could attempt to calm down.
It had to have been only forty-five minutes since I had walked to the back of the room when the crowd started to thin out. I quickly left and went outside. I quickly started running down the sidewalk to get to the hotel that I was at.
I know that I was acting stupid but I just couldn’t face any of them when I was like this. I finally arrived at the hotel and went inside and up to my room. Would I ever get over this?
Tom’s POV
I noticed that Danny had figured out what I had been keeping from him. I was kind of happy about that but when I noticed Bella walk to the back of the crowd, I started wondering if this was a good idea or if I shouldn’t have invited her. I do think she needed to hear the song but I was worried about how she would react to all of this being dropped on her lap like this. Then after the concert had ended and we went to leave, I noticed that she had left.
“She left about fifteen minutes after the rest of the fans started leaving.” our manager said, giving me a sympathetic look.
We all got into the van that we came in and headed back to the hotel we were staying at this time. I looked at Dougie, Harry, and Danny and noticed that they were lost in thought as well. What they were thinking about was a mystery but I had an idea that it wasn’t as big of one as it usually is. I was sure that they were wondering the same thing I was. Would we ever see her again? Only time would tell.
THE END
