Teach Me | H.S

Chapter 4

*Isabella's POV*

As I lay on the sofa I flipped the piece of paper over and over in my hand, catching brief glimpses of the words written on it as I did so.

My mind had been racing since Olivia had handed me the note. What did he mean he would see me tomorrow? Was he planning on coming back to the Cafe or was he meaning that he would stalk me on my way to work and he would see me but I might not necessarily see him. And the two kisses at the end, what was that about? He had barely spoken 3 words to me and now I was getting kisses at the end of random notes (I don't think I can go as far as calling them love letters) and not just one kiss, TWO KISSES!

I huffed and threw the paper on the small coffee table next to the sofa. I rolled off the sofa and padded across the wooden floor to the kitchen. I grabbed the cold metal handle of the fridge and swung the door open, letting my anger show as it hit the wall violently. After scanning the relatively barren contents I reluctantly grabbed a packet of ham as well as some cheese and the last bread roll which had been left over from my lunch yesterday.

I lazily buttered the roll and threw slices of ham and cheese on the bottom slice of bread before sealing it with the top slice. The bread tasted dry and the ham and cheese did little to mask the stale taste but it was the best I could do with the limited ingredients I was presented with.

After I had finished my final mouthful a knock at the door shattered my peaceful evening. In some ways the sudden visitor was very unexpected, usually my friends and family would text me before they visited and this lead me to think that either this visitor didn't have my number or they didn’t want me to know they were coming and only one person sprang to mind....

I stole a quick glance at the note siting on the living room table before going to answer the door. I was relived upon revealing that the person behind the door meant me no harm, other than perhaps a bone crushing hug.

"SURPRISE!" My Mum yelled and as expected engulfed me into her arms without any warning or chance of escape so instead of standing limp in her arms I wrapped my arms around her ever growing stomach. We stood for at least 5 minutes before I was released and able to breathe again.

"Oh my darling how I missed you! I'm sorry that I didn't let you know I was coming but it was a rather spur of the moment thing! So how are you sweetie?" She rambled all in one breath. I giggled at her over excited greeting before answering her.

"I'm good, tired and worked off my feet but still good! The real question however is how are you doing? Your stomach is enormous!" I laughed while looking at her baby bump which was very evident under her tight black top.

My mum was very young when she had me, only around 20 years old. She had fallen to the charms of a boy she knew from a young age and after being convinced she was in love with him, she gave away her virginity to someone who can only be describes as a complete asshole. He left her as soon as he found out she was pregnant and we have never heard from him since, but to be honest we didn't need him anyway, we managed just fine on our own. Now at 39 years old she had finally settled down and decided that she wanted another child.

"I'm wonderful dear, but I'm not here so we can talk about me! I'm here so we can talk about you!" She exclaimed before allowing herself in and making her way towards the sofa. I helped her to sit down while she used her free hand to steady herself on the armrest of the chair. Once she was comfortable she patted the spot beside her and beckoned me to sit down.

"So my dear, how is work, not had to deal with any snotty customers have you?" She laughed, knowing very well that stressed Londoners are moody Londoners. I smiled along with her but I couldn't bring myself to laugh, my mind drifted to the curly haired stranger who had consumed my thoughts only moments ago. Should I tell my mum about him? But what would I say? "Well actually mum this strange boy has been showing up at work for the past two days and I don't know who he is and I haven't really spoken to him other than taking his order but I think he might be a stalker because he gave me this weird note with two kisses, TWO KISSES MUM I MEAN WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN?!" Decided to not say anything to prevent her from thinking that I had gone completely insane. So I stuck with the conventional:

"Work has been good"

 "Are you okay sweetie, you seem like your mind is on other things. Is there anything you would like to tell me?" She pressed, looking deep into my eyes. I had never been very good at lying, especially  to my Mum, she knew me better than anyone and could see right through me when I was being untruthful (the fact that I always scratched the back of my neck when I was lying didn't help either). But instead of telling her my crazy stalker story I decided to sit subtly on my hands and tell her something a little different but still not exactly a lie:

"I’m fine Mum honestly, just tired like I said, no need to worry" I said and added a fake giggle at the end, to try and fully convince her that there was nothing wrong.

"Oh good! Anyway, I best be heading off, that husband of mine will be wondering where I have gotten too," she laughed while hauling herself off the sofa and wobbling to the front door, "can't go long without checking up on me that one!"

I smiled at the sound of happiness in her voice, something that only appeared after she met Paul (her new husband) and returns every time she talks about him, it was a lovely sight to see. As she walked to the front door I couldn't help but envy her figure. She had beautifully thin legs which seemed to go on forever and a waist line (which, when she wasn't carrying a baby) would have even the most beautiful models eyeing her with pure jealousy. Her dark, almost black hair cascaded down her black in beautiful ringlets and shaped her face to perfection. I had often wondered why I couldn't be so lucky as to inherit her beauty but you can't change what you are given. I was relatively small with dull curly hair, stumpy legs and a stomach which was anything but flat. Basically the complete opposite of my Mum.

I sighed quietly and pushed my personal loathing to the side as I went to the front door to help my Mum who had dropped her handbag and was trying to squat in a very unattractive manner in an attempt to reach it. I swiped the bag off the floor and handed it to her while she laughed at herself.

"If I'm honest, I can't wait to get this bloody baby out of me!" She laughed and made a grab for the door handle. I laughed along with her.

"Not long left now Mum. Do you want a hand down to your car?"

"No thanks sweetie, I'm sure I will be fine, after all I made it all the way up here didn't I. Promise you will visit soon?" she asked with the slightest trace of hope detectable in her voice.

"Of course! I will try and come over this weekend if I can but I will let you know." I said.

"Oh good, I will look forward to that."

I gave her a fleeting kiss on the cheek before I watched her make her way down the corridor, just to make sure she didn't stumble and hurt herself. Once seeing her safely into the elevator I closed the door and decided that the best place for me now was my bed, my own personal haven. As I made my way back through the living room and over to the short corridor which led to my bedroom I threw the note a final disgusted glare before entering my room and throwing myself on the bed, where I quickly slipped from the real world and into my own subconscious.  

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Hey lovelies!

So I'm back and so is chapter 4. 

I'm sorry that not much happened in this chapter but I feel it is quite important as it introduces you to Izzy's background and her insecurities. 

So I hope you like it and I will try to update really soon!

Keep voting and commenting! Means loads!

- Steph xx <3