Pacifier

// Isabelle \\

"Ughh, do I have to?" i whined sitting with my chin in my hands, looking up at Van with my best puppy dog eyes.
Johnny always said I had a way of simmering and simpering which made me impossible to ignore.

"Yes," said Van tapping his foot a little impatiently as he stood waiting for me to give up my little fight and put my shoes on. "Come on Isabelle, school.."

"But I don't wanna go," i pouted up at him, arms crossed as I huffed out a dramatic sigh and etched a frustrated smirk onto his face.

"Izzy you've got nothing to he worried about, you're perfectly safe going into school to..."

"Not from double chemistry I'm not," I moaned, resting my head in my hands, adamant I wasn't going in. "I can't go in, I'm sick..."

"I'm sick," cut in Bondy stopping to place my flatcap on my head, "sick of you whinging, come on Isabelle put your shoes on, you're gonna make yourself late," I saw him shoot Van an apologetic smile just before he left out the back door, off on whatever business he had that morning.

"Good," I mumbled to myself, arms still crossed over my chest, bottom lip stuck out.

"Isabelle," hummed Van. He let the silence drag out when I didnt respond, punishing me with the quiet i had enstilled by refusing to look at him or say another word. "Isabelle Bond turn around now," he said his tone a little lower.

Suddenly I realised just how quiet ut had become. The bar was empty, still and silent. When I turned around it was just Van and his stern set jaw, his dark eyes fixed on me.
Suddenly I felt very small again.

"Don't argue with me Izzy, you've got to go to school today..."

"I know, i know.. Its part if the strategy," i rolled my eyes, tutted a little as i slipped from the bar stool, my little socked feet padding across the floor to the place I'd kicked my shoes off the night before.

"Watch that attitude of yours darlin, its going to get you into trouble one of these days," he said, almost a warning tone, almost something else. I felt a little butterfly chaotic in my tummy as I licked my lips, tried to remember what Megan had told me the night before. About taking advantage of myself.

"Trouble with who?" i asked, stopping to surprise him when I turned around, arms still crossed, head cocked to one side. A little frown creasing my brows.
And yet if I'd done as Megan had told me I could, wound him up, formed a little lump in his throat, he didn't show it. Simply taking out a cigarette, lighting up indoors, looking me up and down once before turning on his heal, not bothering to wait for me.

"Me," he said just as the front door closed and I was left darting to catch up with him and take his hand, scurrying as usual to keep up with his long steps.

"Van..." i squeaked after a minute or two.

"What?"

"You're... You're going too fast,"

"You made us late," he shrugged his shoulders and I missed the smile he shot me over his shoulders before he stopped halfway down the street, turned to look at me and blinked back a little surprise. For a moment I felt self concious, but Megan had told me never to squirm away from the male gaze and the way Van was looking at me now, his eyes trailing my silhouette, I was certain that this was the right moment to stand straight, look him in the eyes with a brighter smile and say,

"What?"

"You look different..." he said as if he was still trying to work out what exactly it was that had changed.

I rolled my eyes, took a strand of hair which had come loose from my plaits and wound it round my finger.

"Now you're making us late..."