You Belong To Me
Chapter
Sixteen
(At the hotel... On the day that never ends.)
Belle stepped out of the bathroom with a trail of hot steam following her. She
rubbed her wet hair with the towel one last time and plopped on to the bed next
to Mimi. Mimi had dozed off while waiting for Belle to finish showering and
dressing, but awoke when she heard the bathroom door.
"Sorry to wake you, Meems."
Mimi sat up and waved her hand. "That's okay... It's just... so late."
Belle grabbed her hairbrush off of the nightstand and nodded in agreement.
"I know... Listen, if you guys don't want to come back to the hospital with
me, I totally understand. I just need to be there when he wakes up."
"No, we want to be there too. You know, Brady has always been like a big
brother to me..."
Belle began brushing her long blonde tangles and replied. "I know, and I
know that you mean a lot to him too. We'll probably be sleeping in the waiting
room for hours anyway. Not really comfortable... but it'll have to do."
"No big deal, really. Can't be any worse than sleeping on cold island
ground. So, uhm, how do you think Chloe is REALLY doing?"
Belle sighed sadly and laid her brush in her lap. "Truthfully? She's doing
a lot worse than she's letting on. But what else would you expect? Brady is the
love of her life, the thought of losing him is unimaginable. I don't even know
how she'd be able to go on living without him. Those two are... meant to be
together forever."
Mimi nodded and wrinkled her eyebrows together. "And what about you?"
"Me? Brady's my brother... How do you think I feel?"
"Not about that. I meant, about you... and Shawn. Together."
Belle shook her head and went back to brushing her hair. "There is no 'me
and Shawn', Mimi. It doesn't work that way. It's not that simple."
Mimi stared at her in confusion. "Then what way does it work? Cause I'm
really confused. You and Shawn are meant to be together, just like Brady and
Chloe are. Sounds pretty simple to me."
"Well, it's not. Things are different. I'm not the same person I used to
be, and I don't know if Shawn is in love with the Belle from 2002 or the Belle
that I am now. And vice versa... People change, Mimi, maybe we've changed too
much to be together now."
Mimi rolled her eyes and leaned back on her elbows. "Whatever, Belle.
You're being ridiculous, if you ask me. Shawn loved you in the 3rd grade, and he
still loved you in the 12th grade, and he loves you now. The other stuff... it's
not important. If you really love someone, you never stop, even if they have
changed."
"But we don't know each other like we used to. It feels different
now."
"Of course it feels different. I mean, five years IS a long time. But it's
not like you're some sort of crazy axe murderer now. You're not a complete
opposite of what you used to be. Some things, minor things, have changed, but
deep down you're still the same Belle you've always been. The same Belle that
he's always loved."
Belle sighed and shook her head. "Well, you make it sound so romantic and
simple, but it's not."
Mimi stood and crossed her arms in frustration. "No, it is simple. You're
just... well, I hate to say it because you are my best friend... You're acting
like an idiot."
"MIMI!?!"
"Belle, really. Truthfully. You can lie to Shawn, and you can even make
yourself believe it, but I know the look in your eyes and I know the truth. You
still love him, and you belong together."
Belle bowed her head sadly, not wanting to look Mimi in the eyes. Mimi was one
of a very small group who could read her thoughts just by looking at her.
"Mimi... I don't know... I do love Shawn, but I'm afraid that we'll just
hurt each other again. And, I couldn't handle it if I hurt him again. It would
destroy me."
Mimi walked around the bed and put a reassuring arm around her shoulder.
"Then you won't. If it’s gonna hurt you that much to cause him pain, then
I know that you won't ever do anything to hurt him."
"But, I already have, Mimi. I hurt him five years ago, and he hurt me. And
this morning? I totally ignored him when he wanted to talk about the 'us'
situation."
"Well, first off... five years ago is way in the past. You were both 18
then. We all thought we knew everything back then, but we didn't. We were kids,
and we made some mistakes. Heck, we're still growing up, and we're still going
to screw up sometimes. But, as long as you are HONEST with him and communicate
about your problems this time, it won't happen again."
Belle sighed and rested her head on Mimi's shoulder. "When did you become
qualified to give romantic advice so well?"
Mimi chuckled and squeezed Belle tightly. "Hey, I took a couple of
Psychology classes, you know. Plus, I watch a LOT of soap operas."
Belle laughed out loud and lifted her head to look Mimi in the eyes. "We've
wasted so much time, Shawn and I..."
Mimi shook her head in disagreement. "It wasn't a waste of time. You both
grew up, matured, and you learned a whole lot about yourselves in the process. I
don't call that a waste of time. We've all grown up, and I think we're finally
getting to the point in our lives where we can handle a mature and loving
relationship. Brady and Chloe are kind of like our mature relationship river
guides, leading us into those dark and scary waters ahead."
Belle grinned and nodded. "Well, they've always been a little bit more
mature than the rest of us, so I guess it makes sense."
"Yeah... Just a little bit though. Listen, Belle... the only reason I'm on
your case about this is for your own good. I can't sit around and just allow you
to let a good thing… no, the best thing in the world… slip through your
fingers. Don't let him go again, please. You’re the one that told us not to
give up on Brady and Chloe, listen to your advice. Don’t give up on Shawn and
yourself so easily."
Belle smiled and hugged Mimi once more. "Thanks, Mimi... I guess I was just
afraid that maybe we only shared our feelings because we were in this
potentially dangerous situation. Y'know, love out of trauma kind of thing."
Mimi backed out of the hug and raised one eyebrow at her. "And what does
that matter? You think I'm going to let Phillip back out of what he said just
because our lives in danger. No way. It doesn't matter when or where or what
made him say it, it only matters that he said it and meant it."
"I guess you're right."
"Of course I am. For once... I mean, it only took me 23 years to get there,
but I knew it would happen eventually."
Belle smiled widely at her friend and nodded. "So, then I should talk to
Shawn... After we know that Brady is going to be okay."
"Of course. I mean, Brady is the first thing on all of our minds right now.
But don't let this Shawn stuff fester for too long, okay?"
"I won't. I promise."
Mimi grinned at her with pride, as the phone on the table rang loudly. Mimi
lunged for it grabbing it before Belle could. Belle stood and went to the mirror
to finish getting ready as she listened to Mimi chat on the phone.
"Hey... Phillip... Yeah, we're almost ready. You know how slow Belle moves,
I'm just waiting on her. We got some pajamas and a robe to bring to Chloe too.
Anything has to be better than those butt-baring hospital gowns... Uh-huh...
Yep... Okay... Bye."
Mimi hung up the phone and stood from the bed. "Alright, hurry up... The
guys are going to meet us in the lobby in 10 minutes."
Belle groaned as she threw her damp hair up into a ponytail. "Hey, I
would've been ready by now if you hadn't been lecturing me."
Mimi waved a hand at her and went to work loading the things for Chloe into an
empty overnight bag. "Yeah, blame me if you want... But, you've always been
the last one ready."
Belle frowned at her reflection in the mirror thoughtfully. "Hmm. Maybe
you're right, maybe I haven't changed as much as I thought." She added
another thought in her head, one she did not speak out loud.