She Was The Challenge He'd Been Waiting For.

Isabella was happy. Really happy in a way she hadn't been in months. Matt looked at her in this adoring way and he kissed her gently as if he was afraid she would break. He held her hand, and was content with just that. He listened to what she had to say and actually held a conversation.

Being with him just felt so much different than being with Alex. Still, a part of her was so confused with everything. She really liked Matt and being around him was some of the most fun she'd had in so long, but still, Alex had really caused her to be conflicted. She couldn't help it that her mind drifted off to him from time to time.

Especially when Matt brought her to the beach off of South Broadway, where she'd spent so much time with Alex. She could really remember laying on the sand, talking about something completely stupid and random, but with Alex, it was okay. It kind of hurt to be reminded of it, but she didn't want to let Matt think she was unappreciative.

"I wasn't sure coming to the beach was such a good idea." He admitted, shyly.

Isabella shrugged, remaining silent.

"Bells, are you... happy being with me? You seem a little distant."

"Just thinking." She spoke quietly.

Matt didn't understand why just a day before she seemed like a totally different person. Right now, she seemed so emotionless. He figured that if he were to be with Isabella, he'd have to get used to that. He'd done a bit of research on her condition, and while it had scared him the slightest bit, he was determined. He really liked her despite her Asperger's and was willing to get through it.

"Alex used to take me here." She admitted quietly.

"Oh. I'm sorry, Iz, I-"

The small girl shrugged,, turning to face him. "It doesn't matter."

The older boy couldn't help but be slightly disappointed. He was hoping to choose a place and be romantic... He had this whole plan, but the beach was not where she wanted to be. Still, he knew Isabella would never tell him that exactly. He worried that he couldn't get through to her as he so desperately wanted to.

"The stars look gorgeous tonight. You can really see them from here..." Isabella finally spoke, totally ignoring that he was about to speak. She didn't even notice that he was, and got so lost in the stars that he had no chance.

He'd figured out early on that she had no idea about little things that most people understand when it comes to human relationships. She got so interested in the stars and the conversation had shifted into her just relaying information she knew about them. It was like a mini lecture, and while Matt didn't really care, he knew that she did, so he listened intently.

Isabella stopped speaking and looked at Matt's expression. She didn't understand him at the moment, and didn't know how to ask. She tried to remember the session she'd had with her mother that involved the cards with facial expressions on them. She'd recognized sad, and she'd recognized happy, but this one didn't seem familiar. He didn't look sad.

"Matt?" Her voice was soft.

He didn't respond, just held her closer. Isabella liked being close to him; he made her feel something she hadn't known, and wasn't totally sure of, but she thought it was safe. She hadn't felt that way before, but something about him made her comfortable.

Sometimes when people spoke, Isabella had a hard time following, but Matt seemed to understand that and make it easier for her. Her mother had explained that body language matters just as much as words do, but Isabella never totally understood that. Why should she have to watch someone speak? She didn't understand that very well, nor did she understand tone, but Matt always seemed happy and patient with her.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked calmly.

"Its a full moon out tonight..." She began, not even bothering to look at him. "Before people had calendars, they could just use the moon as guidance. A full moon is a lunar phase that occurs when the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. The time interval between similar lunar phases—the synodic month—is on average about 29.53 days. Therefore, in those lunar calendars in which each month begins on the new moon, the full moon falls on either the 14th or 15th of the lunar month. Because lunar months have a whole number of days, lunar months may be either 29 or 30 days long."

Matt just stared at the girl, not knowing what to say or do.

Matt glanced over at Isabella carefully, watching as she stared out the window as he drove.

He always wonder what's going on in her head. He tried to understand her, but, in her own way, she was far too complex. Matt wondered if she was trapped in her own little world or if the world felt like too much to her sometimes.

All he knew was that she looked incredibly conflicted as she sat in his passenger's seat. She was staring at her lap, but her eyes were full of a sadness. He didn't see Isabella upset very often and tried to think if he'd done anything that she could have taken the wrong way. He hadn't been sarcastic, had he? Had she not understood something he said?

"What is it?"

She shrugged, staring down at her lap.

"Bells,"

"I just... I think of Travis sometimes." She spoke quietly. "He's the only one who was there for me. He's the only one who loved me and treated me like I was normal, and I know I'm not, I just... I miss him so much."

He didn't know what brought on thoughts of her dead brother, but he was afraid of upsetting her, so he kept quiet. He took a hand off of the wheel and offered it to her. She squeezed it once before moving her hands back to her lap.

"Would you rather just go home and watch 'Cinderella'?" He asked softly, knowing that her favorite Disney movie might cheer her up.

Isabella nodded.

If there was one thing about Alex she missed it was that he was able to handle talking about Travis. He really was the only one who could deal with talking about it because he'd experienced it too. She didn't understand that people didn't like talking about unpleasant things.

She didn't acknowledge that bringing him up ended conversations. Sometimes, when she brought him up, her mother would give her a look that she didn't really understand, but made her fall silent. People never seemed to understand her, and only Travis had been able to. Now who did she have?

The older boy was a little sad that Isabella wasn't being very receptive to the evening he had planned, but he hadn't taken her condition that much into account. He hadn't wanted to upset her, and he didn't want to treat her as if she were different even if she was.

He had a feeling that if they'd stayed at the beach, she would have cried. He didn't like to see girls cry, especially not Isabella. She was kind of like a child in that way, and he just wanted to hold her. He couldn't help but feel guilty for thinking of her in such way, but he didn't know if he could see her differently.

Isabella was silent the entire ride and kept her gaze out the window. Matt wanted to know what was going on in her head desperately. But he kept quiet in fear of upsetting her. Instead, as soon as he parked in her driveway and turned off the car, he got out, rounding the car to help her with her seatbelt and out of the car.

Matt daringly leaned in and kissed her cheek causing the girl to smile widely.

Now they were watching 'Pocahontas.' It was another one of Isabella's favorites and she announced so, proclaiming that she'd seen it a million times. Matt watched her more than he watched the movie. She was so vibrant as she sang along to the songs, and quoted several scenes.

She pointed out her favorite parts, particularly the scene where Pocahontas sings "Color of the Wind." Matt wasn't so sure that Isabella realized that Pocahontas wasn't actually singing and that it was actually Vanessa Williams. He just thought she was so cute, and it was so entertaining.

He'd never really seen someone so captivated by a cartoon. He thought it was so sweet how she was so saddened when John Smith was captured by Pocahontas' tribe, and cried at the end of the movie when John Smith left to go back to England without Pocahontas. He held her as she impersonated the actors, and kissed her forehead when she cried.

"Bells, its just a movie." He spoke calmly.

"No, Pocahontas was real." She nodded. "Its a true story."

"Its based on a true story." He smiled. "Did your mom ever teach you about what actually happened?"

Isabella thought for a minute before shaking her head.

"John Smith came back to be with Pocahontas as soon as he was better," Matt lied. "It was a typical happily ever after, and they were together for the rest of their lives, just as in love as they were when they met."

"I'm glad." She sighed dreamily. "I think the movie should have ended that way."

Matt decided that lying was better than telling her the truth because it would break her heart. Especially if he'd mentioned that their was a sequel that portrayed what actually happened. Pocahontas ended up falling in love with another Englishman named John Rolfe.

"It should have." He agreed.

Isabella smiled widely, looking up at him. "Hey Matt?"

"Yeah, Iz?"

"Why haven't you kissed me yet?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, when people like each other, they kiss, right? You haven't kissed me."

"I didn't know if you wanted to."

Isabella smiled widely. "I do."

He chuckled softly before pressing his lips to hers gently.

Isabella smiled into the kiss, acknowledging how much different kissing him felt than kissing Alex. She was convinced that she liked kissing Matt more. He was more gentle and slow with her. But soon enough, they were making out and even though the idea had kind of grossed her out before, with Matt it was nice.

But soon enough, Isabella was searching for the hem of his shirt and tugging it upwards. Matt pulled away, staring at her for a second, moving her hands away. She turned from him with a blush on her cheeks from embarrassment.

"Iz, what was that?"

"Kissing... whenever Alex and I kissed, somehow, we ended up in less clothing."

Matt smiled softly. "Kissing doesn't have to be like that, Iz."

"Oh."

"I mean, its too early for that. I don't want you to think that I'm like him."

She didn't say anything, just looked away from him, seemingly finding her ceiling very interesting.