Clutching Hope

Chapter 6

Unedited

Setting my laptop aside, I walked to the door and pulled it open, to find Sion on the other side.

My heart leaped, my breath hitched and an excitement rushed through me. I felt giddy and bubbly. I'd missed him.

"I thought you were coming back tommorow?"

He smiled, eyes warm as he dropped his head and brushed his lips on ny forehead. Oh, were on forehead kisses stage?

"I was done by afternoon yesterday, so I came back late ast night. I wanted to suprise you, even though you're closer to the airport than me." He said.

I batted my eyelashes, with a goofy smile on my face and placed a hand on my chest, feigning an over the top relieved sigh.

He shook his head. " I don't know how people think you're quiet, when you're so silly."

"Not everyone gets to see me being silly."

His brows shot up as if this was news to him before he pulled me into a hug. I'd quickly grown to love Sion's hugs. I inhaled his natural smell mixed in with his perfume. Today, that mingled with a frangrant whiff of roasted nuts and I think barbeque ribs, some of my favourite street foods, yay.

He moved his other hand from behind his back and revealed a gift bag. Huge gift bag, but didn't give it to me.

Since the house warming he'd refused to let me dodge his attempts to spend time together. So he suggested we go to dinner. The coming Wednesday couldn't have come sooner, I mean, I'd somehow led on I was free-ish. I'd loved our outing. His company added to my peace of mind, the conversation flowed, not to mention the similarities I was didcovering we shared. A plus in my books.

A few dates in and he'd insisted he get a proper invite to my place since well, I somehow managed to fly under the radar and never had a housewarming.

"You do a housewarming when you have a house not a shoebox apartment," I'd defended.

"Not really. You're just avoiding having one. Some people live in shanties and that's a treasured home, they have plenty of guests over and parties." He'd rebutted.

Damn him and his valid point.

My family had been over and even his but I just wasn't into the whole, strangers in my sanctuary kind of thing. I'd worry they were going to bring their friends I didn't even know along and then I'd worry they'd break something, someone would have shoes on inside, they might make dents on the walls and the landlord would be in my ass about it, or they'd touch my stuff and leave it sticky or ruined. Nope. I preferred my solitude.

But this man had managed to weasel his jeans, hoodie and Nike runners clad and carrying a bag of favourite streets food snack way in. I mean he and Brian had once passed by but Sion had never actually stayed at my place for more than five minutes. I had been thankful of that. It was tiny too. I wasn't working at a place that had money like his. Plus he'd just got back from South Africa then and I hadn't wanted to look thirsty.

I bet if he heard my reasons he'd be there calling me a chicken again.

"Are you sure you hanging around me too much isn't going to get inbetween you and my brother. I'm not trying to start a fight where you'll have to choose." I asked. Taking a step back from the embrace.

I'd missed him while he was away earlier during the week for a trip to Tanzania.

"Brian has his own girlfriend to be worried about and not my love life."

"But I'm his sister."

"I know. And he knows that. He's known for a while."

"Oh?"