Defeated (D.J.S)

Smiles and scares

3rd person

"Isabel?"

"Daniel." Isabel whispers, her voice faltering slightly.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" He asks quietly after a few moments of silence. After observing the young woman for a few moments, he gets up quickly to try and fix his hair and his room at the same time. Key word; try.

In reality he was making both worse, but Isabel wasn't going to say anything about it.

"Hello to you too." Isabel scoffed with a slight edge in her voice. Daniel stopped trying to clean for a second as he cocked his head at Isabel.

She was never rude unless she was extremely nervous. Daniel knew this was one of her ways of coping.

"Sorry. It's good to see you. Really good... I just... You really shouldn't be here." Daniel spoke. His voice was as unsteady as Isabel's was.

At that moment Isabel knew something was very wrong. It was like he was two different people. His real persona being taken over by another, which had no right to be there.

Isabel sighed, and slowly walked over to Daniel as he paid little attention to her. His mind being overtaken by all the thoughts of why she was actually there, but also how his room had gotten to be a complete mess.

Isabel gently grabbed his arm as he went to pick up a piece of paper from the ground. He stopped what he was doing and froze where he was, just looking at her small hand that was now on his forearm.

"Daniel, please." Isabel practically begged. He could hear the pain in her voice and swallowed hard. He never meant to hurt her. He never meant for any of this to happen for that matter.

He stood and turned to face her, looking her in the eyes as he towered over her. The height difference showing, as she looked up into his eyes and practically melted.

He could see the confusion and hurt in her eyes, while she could see the sadness and sorrow in his.

There was a moment. Where they both realized that they were still madly in love with each other. And in that moment all they could do was stare at one another, and take in each other's presence.

Although neither of them said anything, Isabel had the sudden urge to close the small gap between them, and Daniel felt the same. But none of them acted on that urge.

"Can we talk?" Isabel whispers as she searches his eyes for an answer of some sort. But all she finds is a wall that he has put up. And she doesn't quite know why he put one up yet.

"What's there to talk about?" He mutters, pulling away from Isabel and walking back to his desk to organize the mess of papers.

"Stop it." Isabel says seriously, rubbing a hand across her face tiredly.

"Stop what?" He snaps at her.

"Quit the bullshit Daniel! I know there is something very wrong with everything that has happened these past few months. I know that there is a reason for the note you left. I know there is a reason for you not staying to talk to me in Florida. And I know damn well that there is a reason for you giving up on 'us'." Isabel shouted, gesturing between the two of them, as the tears she had tried to hold in were now streaming down her face.

Daniel was taken aback by her sudden outburst. She had never yelled at him. Or cursed at him for that matter. Maybe when they were playing around, but she never in a serious way.

Out of habit he went up to the girl who had silent tears running down her face, and opened his arms as he was about to hug her.

But as much as the broken girl wanted to fall into his open arms, she felt like she just couldn't. She didn't want to get hurt again. At least that's what she told herself. Even though she knew that was not at all the real reason.