The 18th Floor

Chapter Sixty Seven

Adara spends the afternoon taking a nap on the sofa, insisting that she won't sleep in our bed. As she rests, me and Lucien head out to do a food shop. We've called Simon and my dad to come over for dinner at ours tonight, so my dad can meet Lucien's sister.

"How are you holding up?", I ask Lucien as he pulls out the driveway. He sighs.

"She looks like my mum so much", he says and my hand instinctively goes over to hold his. He holds it back, not letting go even as he changes gear.

"Maybe I was a bit harsh on her this morning. I know she didn't come for malicious reasons but seeing her on my doorstep this morning was not a part of my weekend plans", he admits.

"And what were your weekend plans?", I find myself asking.

He turns over to look at me, "you. Always you." I feel the breath from my lungs evaporate every time he looks at me like that, heating pooling in my centre.

I clear my throat, "at least she can meet my dad. Catch up with Simon. You might find that you miss your sister more than you think."

"I always miss her Cyrene, I just can't bring myself to be around her for too long. Be around any of my family when none of them were there in those final moments."

"I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologise for."

"I wish I could have been there for you", I whisper.

"You're here for me now", he says bringing my hand up to his lips.

-

We prep dinner for the night, Adara helping out after taking a shower. She was busy playing with Atticus when we came back home.

"I can't believe this old mut is still alive", she says.

"Adara", Lucien warns, his body tense.

"Relax baby bro, I'm just joking." Gods help me, he may be the younger brother but he has a level of possessiveness that will make you think otherwise.

"Don't look at him and think he's all tough and muscle Cyrene, he would cry over everything when we were kids", she laughs.

"That's because you cheated in any games we played."

"Incorrect, I just did things that helped me win", she smiles and I feel something similar across my face match hers. "He thought he would be a mechanic; did you know that?", she asks and I turn to find Lucien smiling softly at the memories as he leans against the kitchen island as I set the table.

"He would take apart all his toys and then put them back together again. Then our uncle got him a little speed bike one summer. He rode it for a day before he took it apart. He spent the whole summer putting it back together again", she says looking at him with a love reserved for siblings, and I suddenly feel an ache of emptiness for a sibling in my chest. "He always was a fixer", she whispered softly and I watch as they lock eyes, thinking of the memories they shared together growing up.

I think of a small Lucien. The boy who wanted to fix cars. The boy who had no worries and no idea of the turmoil that life would present to him at such a young age. How he tried to fix and care for everyone he could in life but forgot to care for himself in the process.

"You did well for yourself baby bro", Adara says going back to chopping the salad as Lucien gives her a nod, turning his back on both of us. I know he's fighting the emotions he hates that surface so much, but I give him his space. It's already too much for him that his sister is here, bringing up past memories, memories of their parents. I let them do whatever it is siblings do.