Strings of Fate

105- Live and like “Your leave? | know. You have two weeks of leave saved up and a few sick days. We don’t usually let people take annual leave without notice though... which is why | applied for your leave three weeks ago. It starts today by the way.” She says cheerfully.

“You are an angel Amber. | swear you keep the whole place running.” | compliment her. | can practically feel her delight through the phone. | remember she complained toonce that people are always mad when she doesn’t predict something and they get caught by surprise, but don’t appreciate it when she does. So since then, I've been making more of an effort to acknowledge her special contributions at work.

“I know.” She says proudly. She pauses a moment before asking.

“Ryann, is everything okay with you? I haven't seen much, | only really can see the parts of your life that directly affect me, so basically your work related stuff. But you've been a bit off lately. You had that twhen you were all depressed, then you got happy again and started bringing a bodyguard to work. | know you're involved with the Shifters somehow because I've seen them around and again, the bodyguard. But this sudden toff... | booked your leave for two weeks, but | can’t actually see when you will be coming back. Or even if you're coming back to work at all.” she concludes.

“I'm coming back.” | assure her.

“I had a few... relationship issues, which have mostly been resolved now. But now I also seem to have a...

stalker? | don’t know. Someone leftthreatening notes and vandalised my house. So I'm just taking sprecautions for a while is all.” I explain, trying to keep it as casual as | can while telling someone my life is being threatened. Amber sucks in a deep breath.

“That's awful! | hope you're alright, and tell that Shifter of yours to keep you safe. If there's anything | can do to help, please letknow.” She offers.

“Thanks Amber, | will. And thanks again for booking my leave.” We wrap up the phone call and | turn to Bellamy.

| know he was listening but I still tell him.

1/4 105- Live and like “Two weeks, then I'm going back to work.” I insist. He nods.

“I can work with that.” He seems pleased, although still a little anxious. I'm starting to think that until this whole issue is resolved, he is just going to be constantly a little on edge. My stomach growls and Bellamy frowns, displeased.

“You said you needed to eat. You're hungry. | should have fed you already.” He sounds guilty again. | scoff a little and smile.

“It's not your job to make sure | eat, and even if it was, I've only been up a few minutes. Relax. I'll go eat now, | should probably change first since I'm not going to work.” I think aloud. Bellamy shakes his head.

“You change, I'll get you food.” He starts to guideto the door with a hand on my back, hurryingalon | head back upstairs and quickly change into more comfortable clothes then head back down. Bellamy is in the kitchen. | can smell toast and he is just cracking an t at the egg into a frying pan. I sit and quietly watch as he makesbreakfast and then | sit counter and eat. He makes himself food and somehow manages to finish it before | finish mine. | guess | don’t eat nearly as fast as him. | wonder if there's any orange juice left... | make my way to the fridge to get myself a drink. Bellamy is wandering through the kitchen. cleaning and putting things away.

“Thanks for this. You really don’t need to feedall the time.” | remind him again..

“I want to. | need you to be happy here. Since the circumstances that pushed you here weren't ideal | can at least try and make it good for you being here.” | stop walking, causing Bellamy to almost walk intowhich then makestrip. Bellamy catchesby the hips to steady me. | turn back to face him and he releasesbriefly before allowing his hands to fall back to my hips. He tilts his head and raises an eyebrow in a clear question of why | stopped.

so suddenly.

“Why would you think | don’t like being here?” | ask. | am totally confused. | have been visiting regularly for weeks now, | spend half my free there these days. Why is he so worried? Bellamy shrugs uncomfortably.

“You've just never seemed that comfortable here. Not compared to how you are at your place. You dress more carefully, all put together rather than wandering around in pyjamas and stuff 2/4 105- Live and like like you do at home. You always sit on the couch properly instead of lounging. You peek around doors to check if you're welcbefore entering. You wait until someone else is getting food rather than just getting yourself something.” He pauses a second, taking a breath before continuing.

“You never leave anything here, not even by accident. | bet if | went over the whole place. right now, | wouldn't find a single one of your possessions outside of that bag you packed.” He points out. That can’t be right... can it? Damn... it probably is. But it’s not like he leaves a lot of stuff at my place... does he? | mean there are the things he asked to leave there. Plus he does bring a lot of food and snack items for himself. He also tends to forget hoodies, sunglasses, stuff like that behind a lot. Even Megan gavewine glasses to keep there so she would be able to drink more comfortably. | suppose | can see his point. But | had no idea | wasn’t doing that... or that it meant anything.

“l... I hadn't noticed.” | confess.

“My place is really the first proper h| ever had, I've never tried... getting comfortable.... somewhere else. It didn’t occur tothat | was even acting differently here. It wasn’t on purpose. | do like it here. I love it actually, it’s nice, there are people around so it isn’t quiet all the tlike my place. | never really have to eat alone, which | suppose is part of why | never help myself to anything. But mostly | just didn’t want to... annoy anyone.” | know Bellamy invitedto stay here, but it’s not like this is forever. | don’t want to screw anything up. Bellamy pullsinto a hug.

“You wouldn't annoy us. You saw how excited my sister is to have you here. | might be hiding it a little better but | can guarantee | am far more pleased about it than she is. We LIKE having you around. If- well... you never seemed particularly interested when i've brought it up in the past. But | have to admit I'm kind of hoping... that if you like it here you might want to stay. When this is all over and we catch whoever is harassing you. | want you to be comfortable enough here that you make this your hand don’t move back to your place. | don’t want to make you uncomfortable or anything and | will totally understand if want to go back. But while | have you here, for however long that might be, | want to show you how good it could be here. | know I'm stressed out and grumpy and you don’t have as much freedom as you would like right now, but the way | see it, that means it can only get better, right?” you do 3/4 105- Live and like Chapter Comments Amy McPhail Oh my heart. Bellamy is just such a sweetheart sometimes! Melissa D maybe his confession will ease her tension