.oOoOo.

Chapter Nine – In His Arms

.oOoOo.

David curled his fingers tightly around the steering wheel as he rounded into the corner. As the French restaurant’s large sign came into view, he laughed bitterly at the irony of having to go back to the very place where he ran into Isabel a few days earlier.

He parked his aunt’s SUV in front of the restaurant. He climbed out of the car, and, out of the corner of his eyes, he caught a flash of long, auburn hair.

For a time, he watched, fascinated, as Isabel pushed open the restaurant’s glass doors. And, before David knew what he was doing, he heard himself call out her name.

Isabel turned distractedly, the doors opened halfway through. “Oh, hi,” was all she managed to say after registering David’s face. She let go of the door handles and faced him.

David walked towards her.

“A friend of mine told me,” Isabel started. “That you were at Mandy Clark’s house yesterday.”

He nodded. “I was.”

“Care to tell me why?” she asked, arching an eyebrow.

“I couldn’t miss my aunt’s party, of course,” he said matter-of-factly. “Not to mention this afternoon’s wedding.”

“Wait.” She gestured for him to stop talking. “Mandy is your – ”

David nodded again.

Isabel exhaled slowly. “And she’s marrying Chris Daniels?”

He smirked, putting his hands in his pockets. “Last time I checked.”

“And I’m dating his son – her stepson-to-be?”

David’s face broke into a full smile. “Yes, exactly,” he said. “And you’re freaking out.”

“I’m not,” Isabel shrugged.

“Yes, you are,” he offered. “Your voice is shaking.”

She opened her mouth to retort, but instead she turned her back to him and trudged towards the restaurant doors. “I’ll see you later, David,” she called over her shoulder. “I still have a lot to do this morning.”

“Okay,” he replied, swiftly walking past her.

Isabel stopped in her tracks, her eyes wide. “What are you doing?”

David turned. “I’m going inside.”

“Going inside?”

“Yes, to claim an order,” David said slowly. “What, you thought I just came here for the sake of following you?”

Isabel frowned. “No.”

They continued walking, and didn’t say another word until they arrived at the counter.

“Hi,” Isabel said to the waiter. She handed him a small piece of paper. “I’m here to claim the mousse au chocolat.”

The waiter smiled. “This is for Mademoiselle Clark, oui? But she will become Madame Daniels in a few hours, I have heard.”

“Yes, she will,” Isabel smiled back. “And she sends you all her regards.”

“Ah, the pleasure is always ours. We are already happy that we can serve our customers well. But to become part of their love stories?” He clasped his hands together serenely as a conclusion to his statement.

“C’est magnifique,” David mumbled, and the waiter turned to him.

“Exactly, Monsieur.” He looked at David, then at Isabel, then back again at David. “You must be the mademoiselle’s beau.”

Isabel shifted. David shook his head and laughed softly. “No, I’m not,” he said. “I’m here to claim something, too.” He handed the waiter a piece of paper similar to what Isabel gave earlier.

“Oh, yes, forgive the intrusion,” the waiter smiled apologetically.

David shrugged. “Don’t worry about it,” he said, giving Isabel a sideward glance. She was staring hard at the marble countertop.

“I shall go get your orders, oui?” the waiter asked, and, without waiting for an answer, hurried off to the kitchen.

“Well,” David exhaled as the kitchen doors opened and closed. “This place makes you remember French class with Madame What’s-her-name, doesn’t it?” He ruffled his hair as if to think. “Too bad I can’t remember my Advanced French. I could’ve figured out whatever this guy is singing right now. It’s something about dancing – ” He paused to listen to the song.

Isabel turned to him abruptly. “What did you tell Ryan?”

“What?” David choked out. “What would I tell him? You’ve lost me, lady.”

“About us! What did you tell him about us?” Isabel’s eyes were blazing. “You’ve met before,” she hissed. “And I didn’t know anything about it until Ryan told me.” She hammered a fist on his arm. “Why didn’t any of you tell me sooner?”

David winced. “Okay, wait. Number one,” he said sternly. “Why is every woman in this city pummeling me to death?” Isabel stared at him confusedly, but he ignored her. “Number two, I don’t think you should be snapping at me for being the secretive boyfriend – well… in this case, at least. And, number three, even if I did want to tell you, you would have been drunk out of your mind on my aunt’s sofa by then.”

Isabel’s mouth dropped open. “Are you saying this is my fault?”

“No,” he said quietly. This was how they used to argue. Isabel would usually panic, and David would counter it with a little more patience than what he was willing to offer. It always worked. And hopefully, David thought, it still did.

“It’s not your fault,” he added. “We both know that. I’m only trying to tell you that you should talk to Ryan – not to me – about this. I mean, this isn’t supposed to concern me anymore.”

Isabel stared at him. “Do you really believe what you just said?”

David avoided her gaze and concentrated on tracing the edge of the dark marble with his fingers.

Isabel sighed and looked away from him. “Three years hasn’t changed you at all, David,” she said softly. “You still don’t answer my questions.”

His eyebrows furrowed as he watched her. He couldn’t even remember what started this argument in the first place. It was as though three years’ worth of bitterness was dying to burst out of Isabel’s veins, and it was slowly oozing its way out now.

“Okay,” David whispered. It was amazing how they could hear each other amidst the idle chattering and laughing of customers and the male voice serenading through the speakers in perfect French. “Throw one at me.”

“Ah, here you go!” The waiter’s voice jolted David. “One mousse au chocolat for the mademoiselle, and another one for the monsieur.” He placed four white boxes on top of the counter and beamed at them. “It is a coincidence, I must say. The orders come from Mademoiselle Clark and Monsieur Daniels.”

Isabel blinked. “Oh?”

“Interesting,” David mused.

The waiter wagged a chubby index finger at them. “And our head chef has told us that, in honor of the bride and groom, these are – how do you say it? ‘On the house’? Yes, on the house.” He pushed the boxes toward them. “So you take these boxes now and hurry off to that wedding.”

“But there are four of them,” Isabel said.

“Oui. We wanted to give five, but we were almost out of brandy,” the waiter shrugged, smiling.

“I don’t think it was that necessary.” David smiled back. “But thanks, anyway.”

Isabel balanced two boxes on her arms and thanked the waiter. She turned to David. “I’ll see you later,” she said, and headed towards the door.

David hurriedly grabbed the last two boxes and started after her – but the waiter called his attention. “Yes?” he said rather impatiently. He glanced outside and Isabel looking back through the glass doors before walking off.

“Forgive my intrusion,” the waiter said, his eyes disappearing under his smile. “But do you understand what the song is telling you?”

David stared, wondering why it was suddenly so important. “No, I don’t, sir. I’m sorry. Now, if you’ll excuse me – ” He glanced at the doors and sighed. Isabel was long gone.

“Dance with her,” the waiter said.

David said nothing, and the man in front of him continued, “It is what the song has been telling you all this time... ‘dance with her’. Do you understand?”

He listened more carefully.

Dance with her.

Lose yourself.

Dance with her tonight.

Dance with her.

Don’t let her go.

But if you do,

Don’t cry.

For she won’t, she will never,

She won’t let go of you.

“Yeah… I understand now.” David slowly grinned, and he turned towards the doors. “Thanks,” he called before disappearing outside. “For intruding!”

oxoxo

“What took you so long?”

The boxes nearly toppled off his arms. To his right, Isabel was standing by the wall, one raised foot pressed against the bricks, so her boxes were carefully balanced on her thigh.

David blinked several times. “I thought – I thought you were gone.”

She adjusted the boxes in her arms and stood straight. “Chris asked me to order these because he wanted to give them to his wife,” she said, ignoring the confused look on David’s face. “He told me it was the first dessert they ever shared.”

David found himself smirking. “Aunt Mandy wants to give these to him, to remind him of – I quote – ‘the night they shared what destiny cooked up for them’.”

“Oh, please! Spare me.” Isabel rolled her eyes, but her laughter gave her away.

“Let me drive you home,” David said, surprising himself. Yet again.

Isabel shook her head, and her laughter slowly ceased. “I live just a few blocks from here. You don’t have to do that.”

“But – ” Dance with her. “I want to.”

Isabel looked at him more closely. “David... I – I can’t.”

David paused before nodding slowly. “It’s okay,” he said quietly. “I understand.”

Isabel nodded, too . “Good.”

“I, uh, I wanna ask you something,” David said, stepping closer to make way for passersby.

“Let me throw one at you first,” Isabel said, raising her head slightly to see his face better.

David braced himself.

“Will you dance with me?” she asked, a faint blush forming on her cheeks. “Later, I mean. At the reception, with all the cheesy music they’ll be playing.”

David suddenly laughed, and the boxes almost fell again.

Isabel scoffed. “Well, it was worth the try,” she said bitterly. “You don’t have to embarrass me like that. Just say ‘no’.”

“No,” David said in between breaths. Isabel looked momentarily shocked. “I mean, no, I’m not laughing at you!”

“Okay…” She peered at him. “So what did you wanna ask me?”

“Well, uh,” David cleared his throat to regain his composure. His eyes had that mischievous glint in them. “Who’s gonna take the lead?”

Isabel's face burned with disbelief. “You are a chauvinist pig!”

David was having a fit again, and Isabel finally joined him. “I was just wondering which of us should lead the dance,” he said, his voice barely audible beneath their laughter. “Since you asked me.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that!” Isabel exclaimed, taking a hand out from under the boxes she was holding. Her fist landed on David’s shoulder, and, as soon as he twisted away from her, the four boxes started to slide out of their arms…

“You expect me to clean that up, you canoodling preteens?” A bulky man across the street screamed. He brandished his broom at them as he went over to inspect the chocolaty damage. “Of course you do! Useless, ungrateful kids! Brats like you waste good money!”

David sighed as he and Isabel watched the man continued to grumble and start to poke at the mess on the sidewalk. All four boxes lay crushed and neglected on the concrete.

“We’ll have to replace that,” Isabel said, her hands on her hips.

“I have a few coins with me,” David offered innocently. “Sixty or seventy-five cents, I think. Will that be enough?”

Isabel groaned and rolled her eyes. Without another word, she pushed the glass doors open and disappeared inside the restaurant.

oxoxo

“Ryan, please tell me you haven’t taken a bath yet.” Isabel stared at her boyfriend’s fierily-colored hair. “Please…”

“Of course I’ve taken a bath!” he said, adjusting his collar. “But it looks like I’m gonna have to keep this style for a few more days.”

Isabel looked up at him desperately for a moment, and then finally buried her face in her hands. Ryan stopped smoothing his suit and grabbed Isabel’s wrists. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “I’m sorry. I know I told you that it would wash off, but – ”

“No, it’s not that.” Isabel raised her head, and brushed off a few strands of hair away from her face. “I’m just – a little stressed, I think. I haven’t been feeling well lately.”

Ryan watched her fret with her pale pink chiffon dress. “Mandy’s mystery drink got you bad,” he said.

Isabel narrowed her eyes at him. “It wasn’t just that.”

Ryan paused. “I know.”

A series of loud thumping noises made them look. KC groaned as she reached the bottom of the staircase and bared her teeth at the couple.

“Thanks, KC,” Isabel said as her roommate tossed her a large white coat. KC herself was wearing a golden yellow dress underneath a brown fur coat. “And, again, I’m really, really sorry,” Isabel added.

KC pointed a manicured finger at her. “Forget your coat one more time and I’ll – oh, stop looking so miserable, Isabel!” She turned to Ryan. “Next time, buddy, remind yourself to think before you play a prank on her!”

Ryan looked like he was extremely close to tearing his fuchsia hair off his head. He shot an icy glare at her. “Stay out of this, KC, it wasn't a prank - ”

“Just stop.”

Isabel’s quiet voice made them turn to her with concern. Even Isabel herself realized that it wasn’t normal for her not to raise her voice when she was agitated. It was what David usually did when she was starting to lose it; he always tried to calm her down by being calm himself.

Funny, Isabel thought as she watched Ryan and KC apologize to each other. It’s funny how he can be both the problem and the answer.

“Here, let me help you with that,” Ryan said, taking Isabel’s coat. He helped her put it on, and she smiled when he flicked the soft tresses that fell on her face.

“Um... Ryan, why are you looking at me like that?” Isabel asked after a moment.

Ryan blinked. “Like what?”

“Like you want to marry her right here, right now,” KC interrupted, taking Isabel’s hand and leading her to the front doors of the apartment.

Isabel laughed and her eyes danced as she looked at Ryan over her shoulder. He smiled back at her and shrugged easily .

“That’s an idea,” he said.

oxoxo

“They look so beautiful together!” KC gushed as the Chris took Mandy in his arms and gave her another hungry kiss. Mandy gave a whole new meaning to the words blushing bride when her new husband let go of her. The guests laughed and applauded. As the band started to play another fast song, the bride and groom picked up their pace, and pulled several people out of their seats and onto the dance floor.

Rose winced, haughtily putting her weight on one leg. She took another sip of her drink. “You look like you’re about to burst into tears,” she told KC. “If you ask me, they look rather nauseating.”

KC looked up from where she was seated. “Oh, Rose, stop being cynical,” she scoffed. “Go find yourself a guy or something.”

“Hey, Isabel,” Rose said, ignoring KC’s comment. “I heard about you and David. You have a pretty interesting story.”

KC stared at her roommate, who was seated directly across her. Isabel merely poked at her food with a silver fork. “Yes, we probably do,” was all she said.

“What did he tell you about her?” KC asked enthusiastically. “Is he still in love with her? Wait, I know! He still is, isn’t he?”

Rose’s lips curled into a sly smile. She gave a dramatic pause. “Well – ”

“Oh, my God, Greg,” KC urgently said, and practically threw her boyfriend off his seat. “Ryan’s coming this way. You have to distract him, so Rose can tell me her story without him having to jealously breathe down our necks!”

“What?” Greg exclaimed, resisting KC’s forceful pushing. “You’re crazy!”

Ryan arrived, carrying two platters of white-frosted cake. “KC,” he said as he took his seat beside Isabel. “I don’t think that’s the way to convince a guy to dance with you.”

“Yeah, KC,” Greg seethed. “We men are put off by brutality and deceitfulness.”

Ryan looked at KC. “Deceitfulness?” he asked, the corners of his mouth quirking. “What did you do to him now?”

Greg glared at her. “She wanted me to – ”

“Anyway, KC, I wasn’t able to finish my story,” Rose interrupted, then looked down at Greg. “Could I please take this seat? I don’t feel comfortable talking to your girlfriend from this angle.”

Greg turned even redder, but nevertheless obliged. He took the empty seat next to Ryan, who shot him a questioning look. Greg shrugged and stole Ryan’s platter of cake.

“What did Da – ” KC stopped and glanced at Ryan. “What did Damon tell you, Rose?”

“He didn’t tell me anything actually,” Rose said. She paused as Isabel shifted in her seat. She was the only one in the table who remained motionless this whole time. “I talked to his mother, and she told me everything.”

“Everything?”

“Well, not everything… just whatever it was that she knew about him and… and Beauty.”

Greg choked on his cake. Ryan raised an eyebrow. “Beauty?” he asked. “That’s the girl’s name?”

KC was about to tell him to keep quiet, but Rose spoke first. “Yeah, Ryan,” she nodded and smiled, her eyes flickering towards Isabel for a fraction of a second. “That’s her name.”

Ryan shrugged offhandedly, and turned to Isabel. “Aren’t you gonna eat that?” he asked, pointing at her cake.

She shook her head. “Greg can have it,” she said, and suddenly stood up. “Could you guys excuse me for a minute?”

“Okay,” Ryan said. “But come back soon, or you’ll miss laughing at me while I give my speech later.”

Isabel gave a quick smile and nodded curtly. She then turned and walked towards the busy dance floor. A flurry of dresses and flowers blocked her way. The music suddenly ended, and the band switched to a slow song. The dancers’ tempo also mellowed down, and they started to pair off, hands held together, bodies drawing closer and swaying peacefully with the music.

She was able to see where she was going now. She was the only one who wasn’t dancing, the only one without a partner. She looked back at her table and saw that her friends were still talking animatedly. Or at least Rose was. KC was in full attention, while Greg was finishing off the second piece of cake. Ryan was watching Rose closely, as though trying to listen to her story… trying to figure out who “Damon” and “Beauty” were.

Isabel knew that he already knew.

She turned and continued to make her way to the other side of the dance floor, and, just as she was about to call out his name, he looked up from his table. David smiled at her and stood up.

Isabel walked quickly to him, and said without preamble, “Could we go outside for a minute?”

David’s eyes widened. “Okay,” he said carefully. “Why – ”

But Isabel was already making her way towards the exit. She didn’t turn to look if he followed; she knew he was right behind her. When they were outside, Isabel immediately regretted leading him to that place. It was freezing, and all that covered her was a long dress that didn’t even feel like it was there.

“Maybe we should talk inside,” David said behind her. He held the door open just in case she agreed. “You’ll get sick out here.”

“No,” Isabel said stubbornly. “I don’t want to go anywhere else anymore.” She sniffed and breathed deeply.

David took one last look at the interior of the room before letting go of the door. He approached Isabel and watched her cheeks turn pink in the cold. He removed his suit and gave it to her.

“You should’ve brought your coat,” he said as she took the dark suit from him and muttered her thanks.

Isabel folded her arms in front of her and looked out into the dimly-lit street. “I knew you’d be a gentleman about it,” she said, her words coming out as white puffs.

“You took me out here so you can wear my coat?” David asked. Isabel could feel his eyes laughing.

She snorted. “Don’t flatter yourself.” Without meaning to, she turned and smiled at him.

David smiled back, the way he smiled when he first saw her wearing make-up. “Sixth grade,” Isabel mumbled. “It was Christmastime. I was hanging out at your house, and Andie decided I was ready enough for puberty.”

“That was a stupid move,” David said, running his index finger over his nose bridge.

“Why? You told me I looked pretty.”

“You did… but I never told you that was the day I fell – ”

David stopped. Isabel’s smile had suddenly disappeared, and she had looked away. Her features seemed frozen, rigid, as though she was trying to hide something, to keep something inside her from erupting.

“Yes, you – ” She rubbed her hands over her arms. “You never told me that.”

David was silent for a while. Isabel stayed still and watched her breaths condense in the air. Every now and then she would rub her arms and take a deep breath. It was all she could do not to face David. She closed her eyes. Her cheeks were cold. Her entire body was starting to freeze into that spot. The feeling made her wonder how David could stand there without his suit, and not care about the temperature.

“I’m sorry, David,” she finally said, turning around and heading for the door. “I shouldn’t have let you out in the cold like this.”

“Why don’t you just tell me what’s wrong, Belle?” he asked patiently. He hadn’t moved from his spot.

Isabel turned to him, her cheeks flushed, not only from the weather. “I’ll tell you what’s wrong, David,” she said, her voice barely a whisper. She was fighting hard against lashing out at him.

“This is wrong,” she said, pointing to his suit. She quickly removed it and tossed it to him before speaking again. “It was wrong that I asked you to dance with me tonight. It’s wrong that I’m making a big deal out of this… this whole thing, with you and Ryan, and… and me. It’s wrong that I can talk to you and laugh with you as though things are back to the way they were, and then suddenly feel like you’re a different person, different from the one I knew then. And it’s wrong that – ” She paused, trying to keep the tears from spilling out of her eyes. “It’s wrong that I’m about to cry – it’s wrong that I’m crying over all of this… and I don’t understand why…”

Isabel put a hand over her wet cheek. Of all things she was concerned about, it was how her face looked with the makeup and her tears all mixed together. David had seen her in worse scenarios, but the guests hadn’t. They could not possibly allow her to walk across the room without asking her what happened.

David gazed at her. “Belle…”

“It’s fine, it’s fine.” She waved a hand tiredly. “If anything, I should apologize for putting you through this.”

David walked past her and opened the door. “Wait here,” he said. “I’ll go get someone to fix you up.”

Isabel smiled gratefully, and David tossed the suit back to her. “Wear it, okay?”

She nodded. Before he went inside, she called him back.

“I’m sorry about the dance,” she said. “I don’t know what I did, I was – ”

“No problem,” David said, and he smiled at her one more time before disappearing into the room.

oxoxo

“That ought to do it,” Rosalind said, stepping back and admiring her work.

Isabel sighed. “Thanks, Mom.”

Rosalind smiled, her eyes creased at the corners. “That’s what this mom does best.” She put away her makeup kit and closed her purse. Isabel laughed and pulled David’s suit tightly around her.

“Where is David, anyway?”

“I saw him walk off to the other side of the room. He probably wanted to chat with your new friends.”

“Oh.”

Isabel could hear the music, even as it was muffled by the concrete walls. She could even hear the laughter and the clinking of glasses. Her mother had come to her rescue a few minutes after David had gone inside the room, and she hadn’t asked her why Isabel was crying in the first place. She didn’t talk about what happened, or tried to squeeze the story out of Isabel, and instead went on talking about how excited she was for Andie back at Imperial Plains. It was as though Rosalind never caught Isabel in a state of disarray.

“Don’t worry about it too much, Reina Isabel,” Rosalind said. “You’re a smart girl. David’s a smart boy. You’ll both turn out fine.”

Isabel smiled wryly. “You always say that.”

“It’s because that’s what always happens,” Rosalind replied, touching her daughter’s cheek. “That’s how the story always ends. Whether you fight because of something big, or because of something mundane… like… like that time when I cooked pancakes, and both of you fought over the last one. Or that time when you wanted to drive one of the bump cars at the mall, but he wouldn’t let you.”

“He was a chauvinist pig,” Isabel muttered, but Rosalind heard and laughed out loud.

“He didn’t want you to get hurt,” she clarified , and added, “They still have that at the mall, you know. David’s mother told me.”

“I miss Imperial Plains.”

Rosalind tilted her head at Isabel. “Hey... why don’t we spend Christmas there?”

Isabel looked up in surprise. “What – but why? I mean – ”

“Why?” Rosalind repeated. “I want us to be there. Elaine and Anthony would love it if you were there, and Allie would be overjoyed. And David… well… I bet everyone's missed you so much. You were always their ‘extended daughter’. I think it’s about time that we pay them a visit.” She paused, watching her daughter think things over. “So, what do you think?”

Isabel looked back at her mother, at practiced eyes that never seemed to lose their youthful sparkle. She drew the dark suit even closer around her.

“That’s an idea,” she whispered.

oxoxo

Ryan beamed at her when she arrived at their table. “Where were you?” he asked, his voice on the verge of laughter. “You missed my big spiel. Now they’ll never believe that I have a gorgeous girlfriend.”

“She’s not even listening to you,” KC said, eyeing Isabel like a gold-digger would eye a precious artifact. Her mouth formed into a question, but she was never able to utter it, because, to Isabel’s unbelievable relief, Mandy arrived, and right behind her was the groom.

“There you are, all of you!” Mandy breathed. Her face was flushed, and she exuded and fairy-like aura, carefree and childish, fresh-faced and playful. It was as if the control-freak Mandy they knew never existed. “I want to have our picture taken with you. Everyone face the camera now!”

They all turned their heads towards the photographer as he clicked this way and that.

“The two of you look great,” Isabel said when the photographer left for another table.

“This woman right here,” Chris replied, motioning to his wife. “Makes me look great. She makes me great, period.” He then moved to kiss Mandy, who was giggling uncontrollably.

Ryan grimaced. “Yes, we believe you, really. But please save the pre-honeymoon ceremonies until later, Dad.”

“Hey, I like that song!” Mandy exclaimed. A male voice was coming out of the speakers. Isabel listened, wondering where she might have heard that song before. Mandy grabbed her husband’s wrists and led him to the dance floor. “Dance with me,” she told him smilingly, as though it was the first time they ever danced together.

Isabel felt someone touch her arm softly, and she knew whose hand it was.

“Dance with me,” Ryan whispered. She felt his lips form into a smile against her ear.

She held his hand in hers and let him lead her to the center of the room, amongst the colorful and slow swaying of skirts and leather shoes. Ryan held her by the waist, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. She lost herself inside his arms as they danced to the song. Even his hair wasn’t an issue anymore. He was simply Ryan, with those eyes that could turn either blue or green, or be both at the same time. His grip was firm, but, at the same time, he held her gently, as if he was ready to let her go if she wanted to. And she felt protected.

Sanctuary.

Something inside her stirred. Instinctively, without knowing why she did it, Isabel looked up, across the room.

Into David’s eyes.

He was seated at the table farthest from the dance floor. In the dim light, she saw him smile at her. It was the same smile she saw years ago when Andie dragged her in front of him so he could see her painted face. The same smile she saw tonight. In the dim light, he was wonderfully, painfully, excruciatingly handsome, with the dark suit that he previously lent her, with his hair lazily messed up despite being combed back.

The singer ended his song, but started to sing it again from the beginning. This time, Isabel realized, he sang it in English.

Dance with her.

Lose yourself.

Dance with her tonight.

Dance with her.

Don’t let her go.

But if you do,

Don’t cry.

For she won’t, she will never,

She won’t let go of you.