Bella and the Bulldogs: Catching Feelings

Chapter One: A Moment Too Long

Bella's POV

It was yet another humid summer day. Most of my friends were away on their holidays while I wasted the summer in the small town of Silverado, where nothing ever happens. Troy was overseas visiting his father, Sawyer road-tripped around Argentina, Sophie enjoyed the beaches of Palma de Mallorca, and Pepper was on her dream trip to Paris. As for Zach, he moved away to New York, which meant we were now in a long-distance relationship. So yeah, it wasn't exactly the best summer of my life.

I lay in bed, toying with a football. I already rewatched every episode of Baha Beach, and now I had nothing to do. If only we had football practices over the vacation. I could use some distraction from thinking about how much I missed Zach. Why does this keep happening to me? Each time I think I found the right guy, things get complicated. I couldn't help but wonder whether our love was strong enough to survive the distance. What if one day he suddenly realizes he no longer loves me?

All of a sudden, my cell phone rang, jolting me out of my troubled thoughts. It was Newt, one of my close friends and teammates. "Hey," I answered.

"Hey, Bella," said the voice at the other end. "What's up?"

"Nothing much. I'm dying of boredom. What's up with you?"

"Same here," he replied. "Anyway, I was wondering if you'd like to hang out tonight? We could go to the movies or something. I, I mean, unless you have something planned?"

"I have nothing planned. I'd love to hang out with you."

"Great!" he chirped. "I'll pick you up at seven."

* * *

At around seven, the doorbell rang, and I went to answer the door. As expected, Newt appeared on the doorstep, wearing a grey hoodie under a denim jacket, light blue jeans, and sneakers. "Hey." A shy smile curled his lips.

"Hey, Newt," I greeted back.

"You look beautiful in that dress," he complimented me. "I, uh, mean..." he stuttered, his cheeks growing pink.

"Thank you," I said with a giggle. "You don't look so bad yourself."

"Shall we?" He offered me his arm, and I took it as I stepped out of the house.

"We shall."

* * *

"How did you like the movie?" Newt asked as we strolled around the lantern-lit park.

"I loved it," I replied. "My favorite part was when Louisa confessed her feelings for Will."

"Yeah, mine too," he said. "I hope someday I'll have someone who'll love me the way she loved him."

"What about Asha?" I asked, confused. "Aren't you happy with her?"

Letting out a sigh, he sat down on a nearby park bench. "We're not together anymore," he replied after a long silence.

"Sorry to ask, but why did you break up?" I inquired cautiously, seating myself beside him. "You seemed so happy together."

"She said we should see other people," he responded quietly, pain in his voice. Another silence ensued. "I guess we were never right for each other."

"I'm sorry, Newt," I laid my hand over his. "I'm sure one day you'll find the love you deserve."

For a long moment, our gazes locked, his soft blue eyes staring into mine with affection. He never looked at me like that before. There was something different about him that night.

"Bella, I..." he began when he was suddenly interrupted by the beeping of my phone.

"I should probably head home," I said after looking down at my phone. "It's late. My mom is starting to get worried."

"Okay, I'll walk you home."

* * *

"Thank you for walking me home," I said when we arrived at the gate of my house yard. "And thanks for lending me your jacket."

"No need to thank me, it's my pleasure." He smiled warmly at me, and I reciprocated the gesture.

I pulled him into a friendly embrace, and he hugged back tightly, yet gently, stroking my honey blonde hair. We stayed embraced for a moment too long, it seemed. As we parted, I wished him goodnight, then walked through the wrought iron gate into the moonlit yard.