A Map for Bella Books 1-4

by Paula Kay

  Isabella followed Dylan back toward the group, smiling and thinking how easy it seemed to make friends around there. Nina had been right when she’d told her about the specialness of the community and how easy it felt to stay and work from there for awhile. Isabella could already tell that it was the case, and she’d only been there not even two full days yet.

  “Hi, guys. I want you to meet my new friend Bella, who just arrived in town yesterday.”

  Dylan went around the table and Isabella tried to do a good job of connecting names with faces so that she’d remember if she saw them around town later.

  “I’ll go order us some coffees. Cappuccino good for you?”

  “Oh yeah, that’s great, but why don’t you let me get this? Please, Dylan.”

  “No, no. That’s not necessary. You have a seat and let this crew talk your ear off trying to get to know you before I come back. Oh, and don’t believe a word they say about me either.”

  Isabella laughed. “Noted.”

  They spent the next hour in the cafe, with Isabella’s entire world shifting as she realized how many people were traveling or living abroad, while supporting themselves by writing or doing any number of different businesses online. She found each person that she met that day completely interesting, and it reminded her of just how fascinated she’d been when Nina had told her that she’d been making a living with her photography and her blog.

  “Dylan, did you tell Bella about the party tomorrow night?” one of the guys yelled across the table.

  Dylan smiled. “No, I hadn’t gotten around to it yet, but since you’ve brought it up…” He turned toward Isabella. “A few of us—this bunch and a few more—have rented out a restaurant for the evening. There will be a local band, good food and some drinks—all the makings of what has the potential to be a fun night. I’d be happy to come pick you up, if you’d like to join us. And you can tell me tomorrow if you’d rather. No pressure.”

  Isabella smiled, delighted with the invitation, especially since she’d just met so many of Dylan’s interesting friends. “Sure. I’d love to go. And I’m afraid I am starting to feel a bit tired. I think I should head back.”

  “I’ll walk with you.”

  “Oh, you don’t have to go on my account.”

  “No. I have to get my bike anyway. And besides, I can hang out with this lot any old time.” He laughed, as did the friends that were sitting near enough to hear him.

  They said their goodbyes and left the cafe, Isabella feeling more content than she’d felt in a long time—a fact that both surprised her and worried her just a bit, for reasons she couldn’t quite pinpoint in the moment.

  Chapter 14

  Isabella and Dylan walked along in comfortable silence. She felt surprisingly comfortable with her new friend, considering that they’d really only known one another for a day. The conversations that they’d had throughout the day, and what Dylan had shared with her about everything he’d learned while living in Thailand, had confirmed with her that her first impression of him at the airport had been correct. He really was one of the good guys—someone she could trust in her new home away from home.

  The sudden thought shocked her a little. Could Chiang Mai end up becoming a home for her too, just as it had for Dylan and so many of his nomadic friends? It was different for Isabella, though. She had Thomas back home. She couldn’t imagine liking a place so much that she’d ever want to be away from him for anything other than a very temporary time period.

  “What are you thinking about, Bella?”

  Isabella nearly jumped at the sound of Dylan’s voice—she’d been so caught up in her thoughts.

  “Whoa. Sorry. I guess you really were somewhere else just then. I didn’t mean to startle you—or to pry.” He smiled at her.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. Yeah, I guess I’m just feeling a little out of it. Must be having some jet lag after all. I’m sure a short nap will help.”

  “For sure. It’s good to kind of ease into the time change here. Well, some people would argue differently, but I always give myself a good week before I’m back to my normal writing schedule. I’m sure you’ll figure out what works for you too.”

  Isabella nodded and they were silent for a few minutes more.

  “I really enjoyed meeting your friends today. They seem like a great group of people, all of whom were super interesting to me. I feel like I could learn a lot about my own business goals, just hanging around a crowd like that. It’s quite energizing, isn’t it?”

  “It is for sure. It’s one reason that I stay here. You can’t beat the built-in community and I find everything here seems to lend itself to inspiration for me. I bet you’ll find that too.”

  “I hope so. I think I could use some inspiration when it comes to getting back to my writing. I’ve really slacked off this past month or so.”

  “Oh, and my friends really liked you too, by the way. I could tell.”

  They’d reached Isabella’s apartment building and she followed him over to where his motorbike was parked.

  “Dylan, I can’t thank you enough for showing me around today—for taking time out of your schedule to spend it with me. The entire day was perfect, and I’m so glad that I ran into you at the airport yesterday. I’d say that you’ve earned your stripes as best Chiang Mai tour guide to newcomers.” Isabella laughed and when Dylan reached out to take her hand, she was so shocked by his touch that she just stood there, an awkward—but, if she was being honest with herself, an as-equally-excited—feeling overwhelming her.

  “You don’t need to thank me. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed spending the day with you. You’re entirely pleasant to be around and I’d love the chance to get to know you better.” He leaned back a little, his face relaxed and his smile confident as he looked her in the eye and leaned forward to give her a kiss.

  Isabella instinctively turned her face and backed away a little so that his lips barely grazed her cheek. Her heart pounding, she pulled her hand out of his and took yet another step back. “I’m sorry. Dylan, I—”

  “No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been so bold. Please forgive me, Bella. It’s just that you looked so beautiful standing there—you’ve looked so beautiful all day really—and all day I’ve been thinking of kissing you.”

  Isabella’s heart was still pounding fast. She didn’t know quite how to react, but she did admire the way that Dylan was handling her rejection to his attempt to kiss her. He was apologetic but not embarrassed. Something about his confidence was certainly attractive.

  “I—I’m sorry. I’m not quite sure what to say, really.” Tell him about Thomas! Now is definitely the time to tell him. But she wasn’t going to tell Dylan about Thomas—not yet, anyway. For some reason, she just couldn’t bring herself to do it, and as he stood there still smiling at her, she felt a rush of guilt and panic all at once. What was wrong with her?

  “Really, don’t worry. It’s too soon and you hardly know me. It was a mistake, and please don’t feel awkward about it. I hope that we can just continue on, getting to know one another. I hope I’ve not spoiled that by trying to rush anything.”

  Isabella’s heart had finally slowed to a normal level and she was feeling slightly more relaxed, if not a bit amused at the expression on Dylan’s face now. “What? You look like you have something else that you want to say—and no, you’ve not spoiled anything. Of course, I still want to get to know you—as friends, I mean.” There, that was something honest. But Isabella knew it was a cop-out.

  “Well, I was just going to say—in my defense—that it’s something I’ve learned while being here, something I’ve learned about myself, I mean—to seize the moment, so to speak. And that moment back then had me wanting to feel your lips on mine. I dunno, I guess it’s possible that it could be just me, but I thought I was feeling some mutual attraction vibes.”

  He winked at her and she knew that he was teasing her just a bit.

  She liked it. She liked how he flirted with her. It hit her li
ke a huge toppling wave moving over her body. She needed to get inside her apartment to clear her head.

  Dylan moved to retrieve his helmet from the locked storage of his motorbike and Isabella was grateful that his movement signified the end to what had become an awkward conversation for her. She took a deep breath in while she waited for him as he got himself organized for his ride home.

  “So, are we good? Can I still pick you up for the party tomorrow? At seven o’clock? Please tell me that I’ve not ruined everything.” He laughed and Isabella felt her body relax a bit.

  Before she could even think about it, she took a few steps toward him and leaned in to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. “We’re cool. And yes, seven sounds perfect. I’ll see you then.”

  “I’ll watch you until you get in the lobby.” He grinned at her. “Go on.”

  Isabella took the few steps across the parking lot, opened the door, and turned around just as she was stepping inside.

  “See you, lovely Bella. Sweet dreams.”

  She waved to Dylan, then turned around to make her way into the open elevator.

  As soon as the doors closed, she burst into tears.

  Chapter 15

  Isabella sat on the sofa taking deep breaths as she tried to get control over her tears. The day had been both wonderful and terribly confusing for her. She had no idea why she hadn’t yet told Dylan about Thomas, and she knew that this was what was bothering her the most.

  She reached for her phone to check her messages, cringing when she realized that she’d missed one from Thomas that he’d sent hours ago.

  Hi, Babe. Just getting in and wiped out but hoping you are around to chat.

  Isabella couldn’t believe that she’d missed him. She felt like crying all over again as she realized that it was now six o’clock in the morning his time. Thomas was sure to be sleeping but would it be so terrible if she woke him up? It was Saturday.

  She opened her video app, brought up his profile, and punched the send button before she could second-guess herself. Only then did she stop to think that she probably should have splashed some water on her face or at least taken the time to check that her mascara wasn’t smudged under her eyes. She let the app attempt connecting several times before she gave up. Where was he?

  She felt a moment of panic, but then talked herself right out of it. Of course he was sleeping at six o’clock on a Saturday morning—probably with the volume off on his phone, but quite possibly he just didn’t hear it. She knew how soundly he slept, especially when he was very tired.

  She sighed and pulled up his text to reply to it.

  So sorry I missed you. Tried to call, but I’m sure you are sleeping. Please let’s connect soon. I love you. xo

  Isabella looked at the time again and then checked her world clock app. She’d send a note to Jemma to see if she’d be able to talk in the next hour or so. It was almost five o’clock in the morning in Guatemala, and Isabella knew her friend to be an early riser. It had been awhile since they’d talked on video and Isabella could really use a chat with her best friend.

  She sent off the e-mail and then decided to take a quick shower. She wanted to try to stay awake until a normal bedtime, despite how tired she was suddenly feeling.

  Isabella heard her phone just as she was stepping out of the shower. She threw on the robe that was hanging on the bathroom wall and grabbed her towel to dry her face as she hurried out to the living room to scoop up her phone.

  Jemma.

  She grinned as she clicked on the button to begin the video chat. “Jem!”

  “Hey, Bella. I just got your e-mail.” She laughed and Isabella saw her glance behind her to where Isabella guessed that Rafael must be sitting. “Are you decent?”

  Isabella laughed too. “Yeah, sorry. I just got out of the shower, but all good. Hey, Raf.”

  Jemma moved her screen so that Isabella could see Rafael in the monitor. He looked up from where he was sitting at the table drinking his coffee. “Hi, Bella, how’s it going?”

  “Oh, pretty good, thanks. You two are up early around there.”

  Jemma’s face showed back on her screen. “Oh, yeah. You know me, and Raf heads to his shop around eight, so we like to have a few hours in the morning together before the day gets crazy.”

  “I won’t keep you too long.” Isabella winked.

  “Oh, don’t be silly. I’ve been dying to talk to you. I’m going to move into the bedroom actually—so Rafael can enjoy his coffee in peace.”

  Isabella waited until she heard a door close and Jemma’s face appeared once again in the screen.

  “So, tell me everything. How are you liking Thailand? Are you happy to be there?”

  “Oh, yes. So far I’m loving Chiang Mai. It’s so different here than Europe, Jem. I think you’d really like it. Oh, I wish you could come visit for a while. How’s everything there? How’s everything with you and Rafael?”

  Jemma and Rafael had officially been together since he’d surprised her in coming to Tuscany with Douglas over last Christmas. For about nine months now they’d been a couple, and so far Isabella had only heard the best things about her friend’s time living in Guatemala.

  Jemma laughed as Isabella fired off her questions. “Oh, everything is wonderful here. Rafael is still the greatest, busy as ever with the business, though, so we don’t have tons of time together other than the occasional Sunday when he doesn’t go into work. But that’s fine. I’ve met some people here—other artists mainly, which has been really cool. I’m so glad to hear that you’re liking it there. You know I can’t wait to see you, but I think it’s going to be a while. Well, you are always welcome to come here. You know that. I’m planning to head to the orphanage for a few weeks while Tori goes to the States to take care of some things. Bella, you really should come to the orphanage sometime.” Jemma stopped talking for a moment and then laughed. “Wow. Sorry for talking your ear off there. Now, it’s your turn. Tell me all about Thailand, and how are things with you and Thomas since you’ve left?”

  Isabella felt a knot in her stomach at the mention of Thomas’s name. How much should she tell Jemma?

  “Bella? I can see your face, you know.” Jemma laughed. “What’s going on? Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m okay. Well, something kinda weird just happened. But in general, things are fine.”

  “Well, you can talk to me about anything. You know that, right?”

  Isabella felt some relief as she went on to talk then to her best friend about so many things that had been on her mind lately—the weirdness she’d been feeling in New York, her first impressions of Thailand, and finally, the odd situation that she’d just found herself in with Dylan. She stopped talking and grabbed a tissue from her purse to dab at her eyes while she waited for Jemma’s assessment of everything.

  “So what exactly has you so upset? Is it that your feelings for Thomas are changing?”

  “No. Not at all. I love Thomas, Jemma. I don’t want anything to change between us, but—”

  “But?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. I guess I’m afraid that things will change—that he’ll make a different decision about me while I’m gone. If I’m being honest, I’m shocked that I did leave, now that I’m sitting here expressing this all to you.”

  “Well, it seems to me like you made a good decision for yourself. Not that it’s about being away from him, but you and I both know that it’s hard to make things work if your heart is somewhere else. And it seems to me that your heart—your gut, or whatever you want to call it—was telling you that your time for traveling wasn’t over. I don’t think that can be a bad thing, Bella. We’re so young, right?”

  “I know. You’re right. Do you feel settled? There with Rafael, I mean? Are you content with your decision to move there with him, Jem?”

  Jemma took her time to answer as she seemed to be thinking about the question. “I am content, I’d say. But it’s not like I don’t also think about traveling again, especially
when I’m hearing about your adventures.” She laughed. “But I’ve done more travel than you have, also—with my mom and Chase when I was younger—so maybe it’s not as big of a deal for me at this point, you know.”

  “Yeah, that makes sense.”

  “But Bella—I think the bigger question is how you’re feeling about this guy? Dylan, is it? You know I love Thomas and the thought of you two being together, but you’re young—we’re young. No one would fault you for not wanting to be serious with one person at this point in your life. I know, I’d never hold that against you. Do you feel like that’s something you need to maybe think about?”

  Isabella sighed. She knew the answer before Jemma had even asked the question. Thomas was everything to her, the man she was meant to be with. Any feelings that she might be having about anyone else would only ever pale in comparison to the man she’d known for almost her entire life.

  “No, I think it’s easy to get caught up in the moment—that it would be with Dylan—just because he seems to have a way of making me feel so wanted or something. And I guess it’s just kinda weird being here, so far away from Thomas. In the back of my head, there’s a little voice telling me that he’s going to meet someone else, that things are going to change between us and that I might need to prepare myself for that. But that’s not anything I’d ever want to happen.”

  “Well, then it seems to me that you just need to clue Dylan in on the fact that you have a boyfriend—you know, like you said.” Jemma smiled at her. “You know what you’re doing, Bella. Use this time for yourself. I think if you do that, you can’t go wrong, and I have the feeling that it will only make your relationship with Thomas that much stronger, actually.”

  “Really? You think so?”

  Jemma nodded. “I do. You second-guess yourself too much sometimes, you know.”

  “Yes, and you know me so well. How am I ever living without you in my life every day?” Isabella laughed in the camera at her friend’s silly expression.