Husband With Benefits
Chapter 398: Nora’s Wish

Chapter 398: Nora’s Wish

"I can’t believe what he has to put up with. Nora darling, I suddenly feel bad for your husband."

Nora grinned mischievously, a glint of amusement in her eyes, and licked the ice cream spoon as she finished narrating her entire saga of the attempted fight to Isabella.

Nora raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a playful smirk. "Uh huh. He is the one responsible for spoiling me no end. He can only blame himself for my audaciousness."

Isabella giggled at that. Well, technically what Nora said was right. Demetri seemed to love Nora eccentricities, even encouraging them. However, her smile disappeared when Nora continued, "I think I have to fight you as well. You’ve been hiding things, and we can’t have secrets between besties," she commented, wagging her spoon at Isabella in mock seriousness.

Isabella chuckled, feigning innocence. "Oh, please! I’m an open book, just with a few missing pages."

Isabella rolled her eyes, taking a dramatic pause. "Missing pages? More like a whole hidden Chapter! Spill the tea, Nora! You are with the second most notorious Frost Brother. Don’t think I haven’t noticed how he has disappeared from the party scene. And you’ve been glowing like a firefly. So, are you going to confess or do you need me to use under handed means and blackmail you?"

Nora stared intently at Isabella, trying to judge Isabella’s reaction. While Ian had already made his intentions clear, Isabella’s silence had been worrying her. Why was Isabella hiding things from her? Isabella shuffled in her seat and looked down," I didn’t mean to hide it from you. It’s nothing, Nora. We’re just messing around..."

"Uh huh. Bella baby, if you were messing around, you’d have been announcing your affair through the roof. You’re hiding it. That means it might mean more." Nora pointed out softly, looking at her best friend. Just like Isabella knew her well, she knew her best friend too. If it had been a passing fancy mediocre relationship or fling, Isabella would not have stopped talking about it. But she had yet to speak a word about Ian, which meant that she was keeping him close. Things important to Isabella were never spoken about.

Isabella grimaced,"You know me too well, darling. Ian Frost really is something, huh?"

Nora shrugged," Well, all Frosts are something, aren’t they?"

Isabella nodded," Hmm. They are. And that is why I’m not thinking much. I refuse to allow myself to think of the future, Nora baby. Ian... he’s too good. He surprises me at every turn. He seems to know everything about me and tends to surprise me at every turn. He’ll bring me hot chocolate when I’m least expecting it. And did you know he invited me to a date the other night but instead of taking me out, he put on a series of the K drama that I’d been meaning to binge watch. And then, when I was busy enjoying it, he held me in his arms and slept through the entire series! I never expected that...He remembers the littlest things even those I might have mentioned in passing and don’t remember myself."

Nora leaned back, a sly smile playing on her lips. "Well, well, well, it seems like someone’s got herself a Frost wrapped around her finger.

Isabella blushed, her cheeks turning a shade of pink that perfectly matched her strawberry ice cream. "It’s not like that, Nora. I mean, sure, he’s been doing sweet things, but, like I said we are just enjoying the present at the moment. I’m not sure where it is headed though and I am not looking for a direction, to be honest."

Nora leaned in, her expression turning serious as she held Isabella’s hand. "Bella baby, listen to me. A Frost doesn’t invest time and effort in a relationship unless he’s really fallen. They are not known for half-measures. So, if Ian is doing all these sweet things, it’s because he’s serious about you. Don’t delude yourself and open be prepared to open yourself to possibilities."

Isabella looked down, a mix of emotions swirling within her. "I want to believe that, Nora. But, my father... he’s been pestering me for helping my brother over his gambling problem. I fear that if things get too serious, I might become a burden to Ian. I don’t want that, Nora."

Nora sighed and gently called out," Bella baby, you know of my troubles past. Do you think I should not have relied on Demetri for his help? Or that I was a burden to him."

"Of course not! That would have been foolish." Isabella promptly answered, indignant that Nora would think something like this.

"Then do you think that Demetri would ignore my problems just because I don’t want him to interfere? Its just a matter of time that Ian will interfere in this problem, Isabella. I suggest you make up your mind soon."

Isabella widened her eyes as she heard Nora’s words," What do you mean?"

"Do you really think that Ian is someone who would sit back and let you handle things alone with your brother and father? The only reason he has probably not interfered might be out of respect for you. However, Bella baby, open your eyes and look at Ian carefully. Don’t deny ’your forever something’ for the two of you just because of the past."

Isabella slowly finished her ice cream, deep in thought. Yes. She’d probably been seeing it only from a single angle whereas Nora had laid out things in the bare. Could it be that that Ian was really as invested as her. She thought of all the little things he had been doing and how they’d been spending each spare minute with each other. Maybe it was time to consider a more serious relationship with Ian instead of taking it a day at a time as she’d been doing.

Isabella made a mental note to have a heart-to-heart conversation with Ian. Maybe they could be something more...Now that Nora had planted the seed of a ’forever’ in her mind, Isabella knew things had changed for her.

This content is taken from (f)reewe(b)novel.𝗰𝗼𝐦