Don't Mention His name

Arthur panicked; he held Helena's hand. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say it that way," he apologized gently.

Nothing was more important to Arthur than taking care of Helena's welfare. It became more apparent to him that Helena had an issue with Israel, and he would love to help her. He couldn't bear seeing Helena in pain in front of him. That's not the kind of boyfriend he is and will never be.

Helena was puzzled about how Arthur knew about Israel. Although he had seen the photo, he was with Israel; she never mentioned his name. She was struggling internally with how to react but was upset about the situation. And it doesn't feel right to her that Arthur is painting Israel as a bad person.

"Don't mention his name. We should talk about us if you're really into this," she said.

"Of course I am. I apologize, but how is it wrong to mention his name?" Arthur was worried.

"How do you know Israel? I never mention his name to you." Helena looked at him, her eyes wide. Her lips trembled as if she were about to say something, but instead, she just nodded, "I don't know. It just feels like it's wrong. That's all."

"Baby, calm down," he said, caressing Helena's arm and kissing her forehead.

Helena's eyes were wide, her face red, and a little tear formed. Her eyes looked like they were about to burst. Arthur knows how to touch her. Her heart beat faster. It had been a long time since she had felt that way; it was with Israel. When he left Helena, it was like a part of herself had died.

Arthur's hand was under Helena's chin, and he slowly pulled her closer. Her eyes were wide, and her breath came out in little puffs. A small moan escaped her lips as he pressed a kiss against her mouth to calm her down.

Helena let herself be held and let her body be pulled into his. Her hands were on his shoulders, and he leaned in to whisper in her ear, "I'm sorry."

Helena was silent. She was still holding back tears, not wanting to let go until she couldn't. Tears were running down her face.

Arthur stroked back Helena's hair and held her close. He let her cry until she was done, then he slowly pulled away and looked into her eyes.

"That's enough; I'm here now. I don't want to see you crying. Hush," he whispered, his voice gentle and soothing.

He hugged her and rocked her back and forth until she stopped shaking, then held her until she calmed down.

"I remember meeting Israel at one event we attended. My dad introduced him to me as one of his business associates. He said Israel's parents are prominent businessmen who occasionally meet at the same event. At that time, only Israel attended on behalf of his parents," Arthur confessed.

"Baby, it looks to me that you are still in pain. Why did you break up with Israel?" Arthur asked when Helena calmed down a bit. He let her sit on the bed beside him.

"We didn't. Israel committed suicide," Helena was sobbing again. Arthur held her in his arms immediately.

There was nothing Arthur could do instead of caressing Helena's back to help her calm down. Helena's answer was different from what he expected. It was the worst, and he thought nobody should ever be in Helena's situation. He hissed at her like a baby and let Helena lean on his chest to let her know she could depend on him.

"I'm sorry to have opened up about this baby. I have never heard of Israel since the first time we met. No news about him, not that I know."

"His parents can manipulate the news easily. Something they loved to brag about when I was still with Israel," Helena wiped her tears.

"Baby, I didn't mean to scratch your wounds. Losing someone is hard, especially by the way Israel left you. I've meant to ask you about him since the day I recognized the man beside you in the photo, but I didn't have the chance. We were not on good terms then, so approaching you about your personal life wasn't a good idea."

Helena was silent all along, sobbing as she leaned into Arthur's chest. Arthur continuously stroked Helena's back to help her calm. "Know that you can count on me anytime. I am here. From now on, you're not alone. Besides your best friend Gabby, you can lean on me anytime. I'll listen to you when you need someone to talk to."

Helena nodded in agreement.

"I can help you heal the wounds of your past," he began, and she felt a spark of hope.

Tears streamed down her face as she remembered the day her best friend Gabby had told her about Israel's death. She had broken down in an uncontrollable wave of grief, sobbing until her body had gone limp and passed out.

She shook her head to let her horrible memories disappear. "Let's not talk about him anymore, please," she whispered, her voice strained with emotion.

"Alright, if that's what you want now," he kisses Helena on the forehead.

Helena hugged Arthur even tighter; he hugged her back as he sat her on his lap. Arthur felt a sense of pride knowing Helena felt comfortable and safe in his arms. He combed his fingers on her hair and gave her kisses on them.

"Would you like to stay in bed while I make breakfast?" He asked. "I can bring your breakfast here," he added.

Helena shook his head. "I wouldn't feel any better by hiding in this room. I want to help you make breakfast."

"That's even better," Arthur completely wiped Helena's tears and cleaned her face using his hands. "It breaks my heart seeing you cry, and to think that I did this to you is making me hate myself.

"Don't be. It's not your fault, okay? Let's just forget about this for now."

Arthur lightly pinched Helena's nose, trying to lure a smile out of her. "What do you feel like having for breakfast?" He asked with a twinkle in his eye.

"I want soup because it's too cold right now." She rubbed her hands together as a chill ran down her spine.

Arthur chuckled and said, "We'll have soup then. I can also help you warm up if you'd like." He winked mischievously at her, but Helena hit him in his midsection playfully before he could talk more. He screamed in slight pain, and she laughed at the sight of him clutching his stomach in mock agony.

"Alright, I'll get you a thick coat," He said with a grin as he reached into the closet to grab two coats - one thick brown coat for himself and one little blue coat for Helena. Taking her hand in his own, they walked out of the room hand in hand.