Accidentally in Love [Brett Hand x OC]

1

Theodora Ridley, 6 years of age, stood leaning against the doorway to her father's office, eyes wide with curiosity.

She watched as her older sister, whom she looked up to, show their father her new invention. Theodora squealed in excitement as sparks flew from the piece of metal they worked on, causing the other two to turn to her.

"C'mon, kiddo, stop bothering us for a sec." Her dad's gruff voice spoke, only looking in her direction for a split second before turning back to the project. "I gotta tell your sister everything that's wrong with this piece of junk."

"Theo, why don't you go help mom with dinner or something?" Her sister, Reagan spoke sympathetically, her voice wavering. Theodora looked at her with pleading eyes, she wanted so badly to be granted access to the scientific world that her father basically ruled.

But she never was, and so Theodora stopped trying, unlike her sister. Throughout their childhoods, Reagan constantly tried to impress their dad with inventions and science experiments, despite being shut down and ignored by him.

Their mother wasn't much better, never finding the time for either of her girls. Theodora began to resent her parents early in her childhood, and as she grew older she began to resent her sister, too.

As Theodora tried to lead a normal life, Reagan continued to fight for their father's approval. She was jealous that Reagan was smart, which was at least something their father valued.

The girls' differences only seemed to accumulate as they got older, when Reagan was 13 she graduated from MIT, top of her class, whereas when Theodora was 13, she was smoking cigarettes behind the gym.

Even though the two sisters couldn't stand each other, Theodora, at 25, still found her way to Reagan's doorstep one afternoon, not sure where else to go.

Reagan answered to door to face her little sister. Theodora certainly took after their father, looks wise. Her light brown hair tumbled down her shoulders in waves, and her tan skin seemed to glow in the sunlight. Reagan, and everyone else for that matter, thought that Theodora was the pretty one of the two. She seemed to hit the genetic jackpot while Reagan was stuck with shitty eye bags, bad posture and an underbite.

"Hi." Theodora spoke in a small voice, her hands tight around the cardboard box she held.

"Theo..." Reagan trailed off, shocked to see the girl, who she hadn't seen in a while.

"I'm sorry I had nowhere else to go," Theodora felt her throat tighten, "I didn't know what to do, I b-broke up with Brad."

Reagan stood and stared at Theodora in shock as she began to cry, her shoulders shaking. Fighting the urge to roll her eyes, Reagan opened the door wider, inviting Theodora in.

"It's alright, it's alright." Reagan soothed, as if some kind of big sister instinct kicked in. But that instinct disappeared as quick as it came as soon as Theodora started rambling about her problems.

"He's such a dick, I can't believe he would cheat on me," Theodora bawled as Reagan led her inside and sat her down on the couch. "I mean, on me, of all people!"

"Yeah, can't believe that." Reagan responded sarcastically. She forgot how shallow Theodora could be.

"A-and mom wasn't returning my calls, cause he kicked me out and I needed a place to stay," Theodora turned her teary eyes on her sister, "Which is when I remembered about you."

"Well damn."

"No, no I didn't mean it like that." Theodora said quickly, laughing between her cries, "I haven't forgotten about my big sister, you know. As much as I want to."

"Oh Theo, how I've missed your biting comments." Reagan sighed.

"So Reag, can I maybe stay here? Even just for a little while?" Theodora turned her puppy-dog eyes on her sister.

Reagan furrowed her brows, contemplating this. "You're unemployed, aren't you?"

Theodora nodded, her voice wobbling again, "It was so much easier when Brad would just buy me stuff!"

"Ugh!" Reagan groaned, Theodora was making this so hard to say yes to, "I don't want you trashing my place up and moping around. You'll have to get a job."

"But I don't want to work!"

"So spoiled." Reagan muttered under her breath, "Alright, how about this. You can stay here, but only if you work at Cognito Inc. I'll get you a job there as my lab assistant and you won't even have to do much, trust me, it's easy money."

Theodora sniffled, furrowing her brows as she thought, "Get a job there? But I'm not nearly as smart as you guys."

"Oh cmon, Theo, yes you are!" Reagan exclaimed, "I never saw you study in your entire life and you still managed to scrape an A!"

"Aww, Reagan!" Theodora teared up again at her sister's kindness.

"Shut up." Reagan pointed a warning finger at her sister, but Theodora continued to smile earnestly, "No, seriously, fuck you."

"Thank you, man." Theodora attempted to embrace her sister but was immediately pushed back by her.

"First rule of my house, no hugging under any circumstance."