Deprived Love - Chapter 15: Chapter 15

Third person's pov
Bella used to be a sunshine girl, she still is. But people often think that the person who always seems happy is actually happy, but most of them just pretend.
Extroverts often get wronged, only few people can figure out the sadness behind them.
As the stars, they always shine and look beautiful, dreamy always but they are burning too. They are burning by their own heat, but they don't let others know.
That's how Bella used to be, she pretended to be happy always. She talked to everyone, she was nice to everyone. But deep down she wanted someone to know her darkness too, she was always on the giving side, she wanted to be on the receiving end just once.
But expecting from others only gives us pain, first we need to love ourselves then maybe people will love us too.
But a part of her felt nice when Twelve year old Chris came into her life. She felt like she was there on the receiving end.
Chris was shy to others but he was talkative with Bella, which made her feel special.
She used to hate it when her parents went to meetings leaving her alone. But when they left her with Chris, the time didn't feel too hard to pass. In fact she waited, when the next meeting will happen and Bella can meet the hazel eyed.
“His hazel eyes.” The first thing that caught Bella's eyes. His eyes were magical.
But unlike Chris, Bella didn't know if it was love or not. But Bella knew it was… it was something magical… pure…. Innocent.
If caring for someone, thinking when we will get to meet the person next, looking forward to it, all the emptiness, loneliness just disappears by just looking into someone's eyes defined as love then…. Of course… Maybe Bella's younger self was in love with Chris's younger self.
Chris was important to Bella, but Chris was just unaware of the fact.
Years ago, Bella's father seemed to notice the bond between the two innocent kids. Bella was threatened by her father to not talk to Chris.
Bella hated mafia shits with all her heart, and his father threatened that he will never allow Bella to do as she wished and send her to mafia training if she'll hangout with Chris. He even threatened that he'll kidnap Chris and torture him in the torture room if she will talk to him.
Bella hated the screams that came from the torture room and hearing Chris's screams, she will never be able to forgive herself. She wanted Chris's hazel eyes to always shine like they did.
She ignored her first ever best friend. Years later she used to just stare at the constellation of stars as it reminded her of his eyes, and wonder what must be Chris doing.
But the day she was kidnapped, the person she saw was not the Chris she remembered. He was not the one she used to think of when the sky was at its best beauty. He rather looked like a dark, scary night with thunders, which will burn whatever comes in its way.
And she was hurt wondering what must've happened with him that changed him so much.
But
Chris in front of her at the present looks like his twelve year old self, maybe a broken version as his eyes still aren't shining like they used to but there is a glint in it.
“You living here is enough for me to want to visit here often, something else just doesn't matter. If you are here, it will be heaven for me and if you are not there even heaven will seem hell to me.”
Those words just took Bella off guard. She was definitely not expecting this. Chris's eyes held honestly like he meant each and every word he was uttering.
Butterflies danced violently in her tummy, and her heart hammered against her rib cages.
She cleared her throat.
“You want to have coffee?” The words were out of her mouth without thinking.
Maybe because somewhere deep inside she knew that Chris loved her coffee. From the first day. Maybe… just maybe… she wanted to see Chris happy.
Chris's gaze softened and he nodded.
“You can sit here, I'll go and make it.”
Bella left to the kitchen and Chris sat cross legged on the couch.
She prepared the coffee carefully and made one for herself but with milk. She can't have black coffee like Chris.
She took the two cups and got back to the hall.
Chris was glancing at her childhood photos that were kept near the couch on a marbled shelf.
“We should've clicked some pictures together back then.” Chris said grinning still looking at the photo.
Bella kept coffee cups on the table.
“Oh, I have one of us.”
Chris turned to look at Bella.
“Really?”
Bella nodded. She took an album from the nearside shelf and flipped some pages.
A smile crept to her face, she looked at Chris and showed her the photo.
It was the photo when their parents signed their agreement. Both couples were shaking hands. But behind them was a glass door and outside it, was the garden.
In the garden Bella and Chris were chuckling by looking at a baby rabbit.
Bella was wearing a pink dress and her blonde hair was short. She had a bow-hairband. She was staring at the rabbit And Chris was sitting beside Bella and he was staring at Bella.
It was a candid picture of them which was captured unintentionally but yet it was a precious memory of their childhood.
Chris let out a chuckle and took the album in his eyes.
Bella stared at Chris. He looked good while smiling. His hazel eyes turned to a crescent when he smiled.
“I can't believe you have this.”
“When my parents were showing the agreement photos to me, I saw us. I was so happy that I stole it from their file.” Bella said with a proud smile.
“Why did you steal it?”
“Because it reminded me of you. It was the only thing I had of you.”
“Why? you hated me.”
“I never hated you, Chris. Not at all when we were kids. I had my own reasons for ignoring you. I thought I hated you when you kidnapped me, but now when I think of it, I really never hated you.”
Chris smiled.
“Can I have this?”
“Keep it. Now come have the coffee.”
“Yeah.” Chris smiled, he sat on the couch. He took a sip of the coffee.
“I love your coffee. I think I'll never have enough of it.”
Bella chuckled.
“When I used to study overnight, it really helped me.”
“Bella, think about what I said. Please stay away from him.”
Chris's eyes held honesty and Bella needed nothing more to convince her.
“Okay.” Chris grinned.
“I met her today. Mission butterfly has started.” A man let out a dark chuckle. He was sitting in a chair in a dark room.
Only source of light was the monitor in front of him. Which had various pictures of Bella out of the university, sitting in the classroom, out of her apartment and many more.