Maybe it's true that unfinished love stories always find a way to continue - with a different person, at a different place and time. But unfinished love stories, like all other stories, must come to an end.

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Chapter One – Reopening the Book

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“Belle?”

Isabel Smith froze. She just heard a voice from the past. It sounded familiar, and she knew to whom it belonged.

No, it just can’t be him, she thought sadly, expectantly… until she realized just how absurd the probabilities were.

Then she felt nothing else but pure indifference. She breathed evenly, trying her best not to sigh.

It just can’t be him...

Despite herself, she turned around, and almost felt her legs give away when she found herself face to face with David Forrester.

…and yet, it is.

He didn’t look too different from when she last saw him. Same black hair, same coffee-colored eyes… but he was, well, older now. And he held himself in a calm, self-assured way. It was as if they just talked a few days ago, and even planned to meet at that place, at that particular time.

But they didn’t talk just a few days ago, or planned anything, for that matter. The last time Isabel Smith saw David Forrester was three years ago.

The last time they talked was three years ago. And upon remembering what happened on that day, Isabel had the sudden urge to rush past him and walk through the restaurant’s glass doors without even looking back. People would stop and turn their heads to look at her, but she wouldn’t care. There was nothing unusual about her. She was just a normal girl who looked like she just bumped into a walking zombie.

Yet, as she fell into David’s deep, meaningful eyes, there was no mistaking it. Those eyes were alive, and he was actually standing there, his face softening upon realizing that it was her. He then broke into a relieved smile. Isabel started to speak.

“David...”

She had no idea where to start. There were too many questions, too many things that she wanted to say to him

“Mademoiselle Smith?” a voice with a light French accent said behind her. A bit startled, she spun around immediately. The restaurant’s head chef was holding out a piece of paper. “Here is your receipt.”

Isabel tried to smile as she took it from him. “Oh… thank you, Jacques. I’ll see you on Sunday, then?”

“Certainly,” Jacques nodded. Then he looked past Isabel and focused his eyes on David.

“May I help you, monsieur?” he asked.

David shifted. “Thanks, but I think I can manage.” His voice was just as relaxed as he seemed.

“Certainly,” the head chef said for the second time before turning and walking towards the kitchen doors.

For about a minute, everything was still. Painfully, unnervingly still.

David then cleared his throat softly. “So, how have you been?” he asked.

Isabel felt like she was the only one in the room who could hear him speak. She turned to face him and held her head up, if only to make herself believe that she wasn’t buckling under this kind pressure. Facing David was never this difficult. But, then again, that was years ago.

“I’m… fine,” Isabel responded rather hesitantly. “And you?”

“I’m great… yeah, I’m great.”

“Good.”

“Right.”

Isabel looked down at her feet. She hated it when things went up to this point, because she never did well with awkward silences. Even worse, she rarely found herself in this kind of situation whenever she was with David. It was David, for crying out loud! They understood each other, even in silence. And they’ve always been comfortable with that.

The silence lingered, and they stood there, taking in the undeniable discomfort that hung in the air.

The circumstances were suddenly too difficult for Isabel to handle. Not when everything was starting to go her way again. Not when she was already close to forgetting how it all hurt. She thought she’d already pushed all those memories away, but it wasn’t that hard to find them all crashing back into her all of a sudden. The living proof of her past was right in front of her, casually asking her how she was.

She rattled her brain to come up with something to do, anything to make the tension go away. Finally, she decided that she had to be polite, even at the very least.

“So, what brings you here?” Isabel asked as she carefully folded the receipt and placed it in her wallet. She hoped that looking busy would distract her from her thoughts. “You’re miles away from your home.”

David’s dark eyes flickered.

“My mom’s got this important family event to get over with, and I had to come along, even if I really didn’t want to,” David started to explain, smiling in a rather embarrassed way. Isabel’s look was still questioning. He ran a hand through his hair and decided to go on.

“Andie didn’t think her coming along was a very good idea – she’s six months pregnant, and she was scared she might – ”

Isabel’s jade eyes shot up in astonishment. “Andie? Your sister Andie?” she asked, unable to suppress a smile from forming on her lips. The news did surprise her, but she was more surprised at her sudden show of interest. Well, if it was worth talking about, then why not talk about it? Besides, Andie was just as special to her, and she missed having a big sister.

“Pregnant?” Isabel repeated. “But how did that happen?” Then she paused, considering her words and feeling a bit foolish. “I mean, of course I know it happens in a certain way, but, how… what? Really?”

She realized she was babbling, so she finally shut her mouth.

David’s eyes brightened as he watched Isabel try to regain her composure. “Yup,” he nodded. “She got married about year ago. Her husband, he’s a lawyer, like Dad.”

“Well…” Isabel began, but couldn’t think of anything to say next. “That’s wonderful, for Andie…”

Then David’s eyebrows shot up. Isabel knew for a fact that his face always lit up in this particular way whenever he was about to do something absolutely spontaneous… or profoundly stupid. The line was thin, actually.

“You wanna have dinner with me?”

Isabel almost forgot to breathe. What did he just say?

“What?” she repeated out loud, but calmly enough to not make her sound like she was going to say “no”. Not that she was going to say “yes” in the first place.

David smiled even wider. “Dinner,” he insisted. “Let’s have dinner tonight.”

It wasn’t a question this time.

“I can’t,” she suddenly found her voice saying. At that, Isabel regained her confidence, and even smiled. “I can’t. I’ve got myself a hot date this evening.”

She stopped herself when she thought she saw the tiniest hint of a shadow cross David’s expectant face.

Nevertheless, David practically shrugged off her answer and gave it another try. “What about coffee?”

He was like an impenetrable fortress! And Isabel knew better than to keep on avoiding his invitations. There was no way out of this. Knowing him, he would definitely go on and on until she finally conceded.

Coffee? Despite herself, Isabel grinned back at him and shook her head. “You know I don’t drink coffee, David.”

“Of course I know that,” he shrugged lazily. Typical of him. Isabel smiled fully, thinking that she might as well give him a chance and see where it went from there.

Besides, she missed the guy.

“Then c’mon, I know a great place.” Isabel shifted and started to walk towards the restaurant doors. Several people craned their necks to watch her. “They serve the best cappuccino there.”

David raised an eyebrow quizzically and followed suit. “Wait,” he called out as he jogged to Isabel’s side. “What do you mean? I thought you didn’t drink coffee? You hated anything that had the slightest trace of caffeine in it.”

Keeping her gaze straight ahead, Isabel replied, “Right.”

“Okay,” David said slowly, as if trying to piece things together. “So now you do drink coffee, and now you don’t hate anything that has the slightest trace of caffeine in it.”

“Right.”

And at that, David fell silent, seemingly content with her simple answer. Isabel was still amazed that she’d almost forgotten how carefree she felt whenever she was with him. Just like this.

They stepped outside onto the sidewalk. The streets were beginning to get crowded. Store owners were already decorating their windows with colorful lights, mistletoes, and everything else that gave the buyer – or the window shopper – that good old Christmas-y feeling.

David pulled his black coat tighter around him, already feeling a bit cold as he imagined what the weather would soon be like. He looked over at Isabel, who seemed pretty comfortable in her own light brown jacket.

They passed by a bakery. Isabel greeted a certain Mrs. George, who was about to enter the store. When they reached the end of the block, Isabel turned left. David hurriedly followed, barely keeping up with the fast-paced crowd.

“We’re here,” Isabel finally said, looking back at David. He fell into a step beside her, and he looked up at the wooden door, where name of the coffeehouse was intricately carved.

“Well, what do you know,” he laughed. “This really is ‘A Great Place’! That’s imaginative.”

Isabel laughed softly to herself. David glanced down at her, and didn’t realize that he wasn’t just glancing until she finally turned to him.

“What?” she asked

David blinked. “Nothing,” he replied, shaking his head and looking back at the sign on the door.

Isabel gave him one last look before she led him inside. She pointed to pair of big yellow couches at the other end of the room. “That would be our spot,” she said, turning to him. “But let’s order first.”

David looked around, amazed. The place was filled with the muffled conversations of customers. He recognized the smell of brewed coffee and warm pastry. Faint lights graced the ceiling and walls, giving the coffeehouse a very relaxed atmosphere.

“Belle, are you sure this isn’t Starbucks? Small-town-version-Starbucks?”

“Nope, this ain’t Starbucks,” a male voice replied.

David turned his attention to the man who stood beaming from behind the counter. Isabel, who seemed to be talking to him, motioned for David to come over.

“It’s a hell of a lot better,” the man winked as David approached.

“This is Mack Donahue, the owner,” Isabel said to David. “My friends and I usually come here to disturb his peace,” she laughed. “But he never minds.”

Mack immediately initiated a friendly handshake between him and David. “So, you’re David, right? Isabel here just told me you were an old friend of hers.” He had a grandfather-like quality to his voice, and had grayish, silvery hair. David liked him right away.

“Nice meeting you, sir,” he said, smiling back at the man. “This is a great place you’ve got.”

And, realizing that he just said the exact name of the place, David laughed again. Mack chuckled along.

“Just call me Mack, son,” he said, whipping out a pad and a pen. “I’m not into the whole ‘mister’ thing. Too formal. And aside from being the owner, and the waiter, I also like to think of myself as the bartender.” He winked at Isabel, who smiled back at him amusedly.

“So, what’ll we be havin’ today, kids? The usual?”

“You read my mind,” Isabel replied, and Mack nodded, knowing he made the right guess.

After giving their thanks, Isabel led David to their seats. “What’s ‘the usual’?” David asked, removing his coat. He sat down on the couch across Isabel’s. Between them was a low wooden table, its black-brown surface glimmering with varnish.

“Cappuccino, chocolate muffin, and two cinnamon sticks,” Isabel recited as she took off her jacket. “That’s what my friends and I usually order.”

David traced the edge of the table with his fingers. “Sounds tasty. So… how often do you come here?” he asked.

Isabel shifted in her seat, and replied, “Sometimes, after class. Or during the weekend.”

David just nodded, and decided to switch to another topic. School. Family. Sports. Pets. The weather. Anything but the so-called hot date.

“…So tell me about this guy you’re going out with tonight.”

Blah. He mentally smacked himself on the forehead.

Isabel could feel herself flushing, but she knew this would have to come up sooner or later. Once more, she reminded herself that this was David, and he, of all people, had to know. Eventually.

“I – he’s…” she stammered a little. “Well, we’ve been going out a lot, actually.”

Again, David nodded. The reaction was almost automatic. He tapped his fingers on the table.

“Uh… boyfriend, you mean?”

“Yeah. He’s my boyfriend.”

“Oh.”

Isabel sighed heavily. Something in the way David was holding himself at that very moment was making her die inside. He hid from everybody else, and sometimes even from Isabel herself. But she was sometimes lucky enough to see through that seemingly unbreakable exterior. It was one of the benefits of knowing a person for so long.

“Thanks, Mack,” David said, sending Isabel back into the present.

“Sure thing,” Mack replied, wearing his usual smile. He turned to Isabel, and his eyebrows furrowed. “You okay, honey? You seem a little distracted.”

Isabel smiled. Or at least she did her best to force herself to do so. “I’m fine.”

The man wasn’t close to being convinced. Neither was David. “Okay then,” Mack said slowly. “I’ll be right behind the counter, wiping mugs, if ever you need me.” And with that, he walked away, greeting his other customers cheerfully.

“I’m sorry,” Isabel slowly said, reaching out for her cup of cappuccino.

David was contentedly chewing on his snack. He swallowed before saying, “About what?”

“This is…” Isabel took a sip before continuing. “This really wasn’t something I planned for.”

David raised his eyebrows. “You mean… running into me?”

She nodded. “Yeah, that, to begin with. And then having a cup of coffee with you.”

“Hmm… then that makes two of us, Belle,” David said, and he tasted his own drink.

“Wow, I see why you like it here. This – ” He held up his cup and smiled. “It’s really… great. Just like the place. Just like Mister Bartender, who, by the way, is apparently stealing glances at us.”

“He’s just curious about you,” she said calmly. David gave her a questioning look. “His granddaughter’s my friend,” she explained. “And her friends are officially his friends, too. So don’t let it bother you too much. He’s just being the protective Super Grandpa that he is. And he’s actually great at it.”

“Well, he forgot to tell us about that alter ego.”

There was a pause, and they both took another sip out of their cups.

“Anyway, David,” Isabel began. She put her cup on the table and cleared her throat. David turned to her. “I’m wondering why you’re here,” she said.

“Like I said, Mom and I had this – ”

“Okay, let me be more specific,” Isabel interrupted, shaking her head. “I understand that part. But… what were you doing at the restaurant?”

Damn! David found himself almost choking on his chocolate muffin. “Damn!”

This time he actually smacked himself on the forehead.

Isabel just looked at him with wide eyes and waited for him to talk.

“I was supposed to run some errands over there this afternoon,” he finally said. “And I absolutely forgot all about them!”

Isabel frowned a little. “What… why?”

David didn’t answer. Because we ran into each other? He figured it wasn’t the most sensible thing to say, but, hey, it was the truth.

“Well… do you want to go back there now?” Isabel asked.

David shook his head and gulped down the last of his cappuccino. “Nah, I can go later,” he said. “Don’t worry about it.”

“But I don’t want to be in the way if it’s something important.”

“No, no, you’re not in the way, Belle,” David shook his head vigorously and leaned forward. Isabel suddenly felt warm, knowing that his dark eyes were on her. She willed herself not to look away, though she felt it was a lot of work.

“My running into you wasn’t exactly in my daily to-do list, either,” David continued.

He took a deep breath. “I – well, I guess if we planned this, things could have gone a lot more smoothly, and we wouldn’t have to be so unsure of what we have to say to each other right now.” He paused briefly. “Don’t you think so?”

David saw that Isabel was biting her lower lip, and he knew that she was thinking hard. Funny how much three years could change, but then you notice that the little things that nobody else notices always stay behind.

“So,” he said. “I guess what I’m trying to say is… I’m sorry, Belle. For – for everything.”

Huh, Isabel thought. This is exactly what I’ve been waiting for all this time. An apology, all summed up into one word: “everything”. Honestly.

“Honestly, David,” Isabel sighed. “I remember believing that you could do better than that.” She looked down resignedly. “I guess I shouldn’t have expected that much.”

She could have given him an icy glare, or an even icier tone – heck, she could have even emptied a bucket of ice over his head – but then she was too burned out. She already spent almost a whole year wasting away, wondering if they would ever get to talk again. Even as friends.

David just nodded weakly. “Yes, I know… I know.” He gave a little laugh. “I should have been prepared… made a speech or something. But I’m not making the mistake of thinking that I can make everything better with just this one apology.”

He searched her face, and waited until Isabel’s eyes met his.

“But, let me give you this, for starters… I’m sorry, Belle.”

Isabel sighed again. She had known things between her and David would never be the same again, but at that moment, she suddenly realized that things wouldn’t only be different, but they would also, more importantly, be difficult.

“David – ” she stopped, suddenly feeling her words catching in her throat.

“That’s okay,” he said, nodding reassuringly. “I don’t expect you to say anything just yet.”

Isabel smoothed down her pants with her palms. “Okay,” she nodded slowly. “Well, um, I think I’d better get going.”

“Yeah, me, too,” David said, standing up and taking his coat. “My aunt will have a nagging fit if I get back home without any ‘developments’.” He put his coat on and Isabel reached inside her bag to get her wallet.

“Hey! Whoa, wait.” David held up a hand to stop her. “I invited you, so I should do the paying.” Then he smirked and patted himself on the chest. “Like the true gentleman that I am.”

“Whatever you say,” she shook her head incredulously. Some things never change. She stood up. “But, thanks, really.”

“No problem.”

She put on her jacket and watched as David reached into his pockets to fish for his wallet.

Later, he paid, and they said their goodbyes to Mack.

“I’ll see you again soon, kids!” the owner called out as the two stepped out onto the streets.

Isabel sank her hands into the pockets of her jacket. The weather was starting to get quite cold. David looked around, and then he turned to Isabel. He smiled at her warmly, and gestured towards the right.

“So, I’m going this way?”

She looked up at him. “Yeah…” They were about to part ways again. Could she handle that?

She nervously moved her hand to place a lock of brown hair behind her ears. “Hey,” she said, tilting her head like she used to when she wanted to tease him. “You sure you won’t get lost out here, Twerp?”

“Nah,” David said, not trying to hide his wince. “I’m a big boy,” he added, patting his flat stomach.

“And, honestly – ” He almost stumbled as he sidestepped closer to Isabel to allow a busy group of middle-aged women to pass. “Are the streets here really that crowded?”

He turned, finding himself face to face with Isabel. And, without a word, she reached out, taking his hand and squeezing it lightly.

Her smile was small, fragile… and sad.

David didn’t squeeze her hand back. Instead, he pulled at it...

And he drew her close into a tight embrace.

Isabel couldn’t bring herself to resist at all. She hugged him back, taking in the familiar scent of him, and remembering how she felt so protected in his arms.

Sanctuary.

Yes, that was it. David was her sanctuary.

It was as if the entire world could crumble around her, but she would always be safe and at peace, knowing that she had David with her.

At that point, she realized that she needed him, because she was terrified. She was terrified because... simply because it always made her so happy to be this close to David, but she knew that this was the closest she could ever get to him.

She felt him hold on to her as best as he could, as if she was about to dissolve into thin air. His voice, muffled by her hair, was barely above a whisper… hoarse and helpless. Despite the constant babble of passersby, Isabel distinctly heard what David said.

“I missed you, Belle.”

And for a moment there, everything felt the same as before. Their embrace, her thoughts, his gentle voice echoing in her ears… for a moment there, they were sixteen again.

But that was the thing about moments: they always pass.

Isabel gently pulled away, looking down at her feet. How could something so beautiful and wrong be so damagingly perfect?

She found her mind wandering into the past. Practically everybody they knew told them they were “simply fantastic” together. A wave of sadness and guilt washed over her, and she was so overwhelmed, she could only sigh.

David still had his arms around her. Before he let her go, Isabel felt him give her long auburn hair a soft, playful tug. He smiled down at her, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

“This new hairdo of yours reminds me of a mermaid’s tendrils,” he said, and his smile widened. “Like what you always said you wanted. Well, you don’t look so bad.” Then he tilted his head sideways, and gazed at her reassuringly.

“Just don’t… look so sad anymore, okay? You’re killing me.”

He let go of her and dropped his arms down to his sides. As an afterthought, he said, “I’d really like to see you again sometime soon.”

Isabel nodded, trying to look more cheerful. “Sure,” she said, adjusting the bag on her shoulder. “Just look me up. My cell phone’s busted right now, so I’d still have to save up to buy for a new one. And… thanks, by the way, about the hair thing.”

“Okay, I’ll look you up,” he nodded, and almost staggered when Isabel reached out to touch his cheek. And, as he looked into her emerald eyes, it dawned on him: three years. They’ve been apart for three years.

How much could they have changed – grown up – since then? Although he was always open to change, the bigger part of him was afraid of that mere truth.

No, wait. He wasn’t afraid of change itself. He was afraid of going through it without her.

He blinked at the sudden realization.

“You told me a while ago – ” Isabel said, shaking him out of his reverie. She felt the comfortable warmth of his cheek against her palm, and she cleared her throat.

“You told me a while ago that you didn’t have a plan… on how to go about talking to me and all. But, the thing is, David, you had a plan.”

He opened his mouth to speak, but she went on before he could interrupt her.

“Somehow, I knew you had one,” she said, taking a step back and putting her hands into her pockets. “And, maybe – just maybe – if you carried out that plan years ago, before I even left, things wouldn’t be so… we wouldn’t be like this right now. I don’t know.”

She shrugged tiredly. “Just maybe.”

This time it was David who sighed.

“The restaurant closes in fifteen minutes,” Isabel spoke, her voice growing stronger with each word. “I suggest you get there before it’s too late.”

David nodded, kicking a pebble off the sidewalk. “Yeah, I know what you mean.”

“Hey, Dave?”

His head snapped up. She only called him by that name whenever she had something gravely important to say. The first time was when… well, it was before they first kissed. The second time was on the day before she left.

So today was the third time.

“Yeah?” he asked.

“I – I’m glad I ran into you,” she said, a small smile forming on her lips. “Let me give you that, for starters.”

And, with a small wave of her hand, she turned on her heels, and walked away.