May Exclusive - "Hum" - Part 2

Hampton Inn and Suites East Mesa

Bella is back. Bella is a handful. Bella is something else.

“Hugs!”    

“Sure, let me just-“

“Hugs, Charlie!”

Silverado parked behind the hotel, checked into a 4thfloor room, Charlie hugs Bella.

“Mmm. There.”

“You rescued me,” Bella says, her voice tickling Charlie’s neck. “You’re like a knight in shiny armor.” She giggles, squeezing her boyfriend. “Can we go swim now?”

“Soon, we should talk first, we should make a-“

Bella breaks away, runs to the window, and looks down. She gasps with delight. “I can see it, Charlie! It’s right there.” She turns and beams at him. “Can we go swim?”

And the last thing Charlie wants to do is patronize his girlfriend. To treat her in anything like how the creep has behaved.

But he sits down on the bed anyway, pats the space beside him. “Come here,” he says firmly. Which feels weird to do, but also won’t work. He’s never been able to tell Bella what to do.

Bella trots over to the bed and sits down, hands neatly folded in her lap.

Charlie nods. Well, okay then. “Good,” he says. He doesn’t say Good girl. He doesn’t pat her on the head. Even though there’s something in Bella’s expression that suggests she wouldn’t have a problem with that. Maybe, she’s even expecting it.

Wanting it.

No. The creep infantilized her, diminished her. If Charlie continues the pattern, they’ll get nowhere.

It’s like in the elevator, a woman and her young daughter sharing the ride. The little girl pointed at Bella’s dress. “Look, Mommy!” Because what pre-schooler wouldn’t delight in it? The pinkness, the bright flowers. And how about the Squishmallow that Bella is holding by its fuzzy tail? Really, what’s not to like? What’s not to consider hopelessly childish?

Charlie cringed, embarrassed for Bella. But when the girl’s mother chooses diplomacy and says, “It’s adorable,” Bella grins with delight. If Charlie hadn’t been holding her hand, he’s pretty sure Bella would have spun around for effect.

So now, Charlie takes the plush and puts it in the closet.

“Hey-uh,” says Bella, twisting her lips.

Charlie shakes his head. “Trust me.”

“Banks is afraid of the dark.”

Charlie chooses not to debate the point. He takes out his phone and opens Spotify. Is it the one song that’s enough to bring Bella’s mind back? Or is it the band in general? The genre? Charlie isn’t sure he can handle non-stop goth metal, but maybe they don’t have a choice.

He tries an Evanescence radio playlist, and the first song is the same one that seemed to work its magic before.

How can you see into my eyes like open doors
Leading you down into my core where I've become so numb

He takes Bella’s hand. “Better?”

Bella frowns. “Yeah.” She blushes. “Sorry.”

Charlie squeezes her hand. “Not your fault. None of it.”

“I got a little weird, back in the elevator.” She hangs her head.

“Not your fault.” Charlie strokes Bella’s neck, easier to find with her shorter hair.

The next song is a different band.

I remembered black skies
The lightning all around me
I remembered each flash
As time began to blur

Charlie says, “I think it’s the music that keeps you clear.”

Bella laughs. “Linkin Park?”

“Stuff like that.”

“Haven’t listened to this in forever.” She sighs.

“Was it…did the guy…do you think he used music, somehow, to…you know…”

Bella laughs again, but this time the sound is bitter. “To make me call him Daddy, you mean?”

Charlie coughs. “Yeah,” he says softly.

“I don’t know,” she says. “It’s so foggy.” She unclips the bow from her hair and tosses it to the floor. “I feel so stupid.”

“Not your fault,” says Charlie once more. He kisses her cheek.

“So, what do we do now?” Bella asks.

“We can stay here a couple nights, and if you’re back to normal, then we can take care of the guy.”

Bella pales. “I don’t wanna see him.”

“You won’t,” Charlie says. “You’ll be safe.”

Bella grabs his arm. “I don’t know how he did it, Charlie, I swear. She shakes her head, tears filling her eyes. “I didn’t want it, I promise, I-“

“Hey,” Charlie says. “I know you didn’t.” And he knows that he will go back to the creep’s house. He will put the monster in the ground.

He strokes Bella’s back. “We’re going to keep everything very…grown-up. Better leave your stuffy alone, okay?”

Bella sniffs. “You think that’s what’s making me go all weird?”

“Don’t know. But no more toys, and you need a change of outfit, too.”

Bella wipes her eyes and looks down at herself. “I’m on board with that.”

“There’s a Target near here,” says Charlie. “We’ll get you new clothes, hell, get you a swimsuit. We’ll hang by the pool. Sound good?”

Bella nods. “Yeah. Thanks.” She stands up and taps the side of her head. “But what about all the kids stuff at Target?” She shakes her head. “What about the kids stuff everywhere? I don’t wanna start slipping again, Charlie, I can’t bear it.”

Charlie smiles. “Been thinking about that.” He taps his phone and the music stops. He retrieves white earbuds from his pocket and holds them out to Bella.

She nods and grins, puts them in her ear. She looks down for a few seconds, nodding gently.

“Breaking Benjamin. Cool.”

Charlie is reassured by the tinny but present sounds leaking from the earbuds. He’s even more reassured by the expression on Bella’s face.

“You’re so smart,” she says, and grins at him.

Charlie takes the praise, and then he kisses his girlfriend. “Let’s go to Target.”

Bella chooses a sleeveless sundress that is neither pink, nor decorated with flowers. She also gets a blue one-piece swimsuit and some underwear. At her suggestion, Charlie adds a pair of swim trunks to the cart.

He watches Bella carefully as they pass the toy department, and his trepidation builds as they come face to face with a shelf of Squishmallows.

But Bella doesn’t bat an eye at the sight of Banks’ buddies. She doesn’t whine and beg for Shep, the brown spotted bull, or Danika, the blue crinkle dolphin.

It’s Charlie she squeezes, not the stuffies.

“Paramore,” she says, pointing to her ears. “Working like a charm.”

Once they’ve paid, Bella immediately gets changed in the restroom and comes out beaming.

“Better?”

“Hundred per cent.” She holds the childish dress. “Toss it?”

Charlie takes it from her. “It’s evidence, I guess, better keep it.”

Bella nods, and then she frowns. “Can we get lunch? I’m starving.”

“Of course. What are you hungry for?”

Bella laughs. “Pretty sure I’ve been eating crackers and string cheese forever. I’d love a burger.”

Charlie starts pushing the cart. “Burger, it is.”

They go through the In-N-Out drive-thru and bring back Double-Doubles, fries, and shakes to the hotel. They lie on the bed and eat more than is good for them.

Bella groans, licking grease from her fingers. “Can’t finish it. I’m gonna burst!”

Charlie laughs, taking a bite from her sandwich. “Sure you wanna swim? It’s baking out there.”

“It’s Mesa,” Bella says with a shrug. “When isn’t it crazy hot?” She slides off the bed and goes to the window. “Come on, let’s go down. There’s plenty of shade, and there’s no one else there.” She comes back to the bed and kisses Charlie. “We’ll have it to ourselves.”

Charlie returns the kiss with enthusiasm. “We could go down later on,” he says softly. “Give it a chance to cool down.” He strokes her hair. “I missed you,” he says.

An hour or so ago, perhaps Bella would have agreed. Perhaps she would have agreed to anything, still under the creep’s spell.

But the playlist has returned her spirit. “Pool. You promised. Besides, I’ve been kept prisoner. I don’t wanna be stuck in a room, you know?”

“Gotcha.”

So, they get changed into their swimsuits and go downstairs. And really, it wasn’t such a reckless decision. Just a swimming pool. And yet it changes everything.

To be continued...