"Are you sure she's coming?" I ask for possibly the hundredth time and I hear my girlfriend sigh as we walk hand in hand towards the diner I'm supposed to meet Aaliyah at
"She's coming, in fact she's probably already there, we're so late, I have never seen you so unable to choose an outfit before"
"Well I want to make a good impression, you know, i've never really cared what impression I have given before but with her, I want her to think that I could make a good brother, that I could be someone she wants in her life forever and not just leave like everyone else does"
We move quickly against the flow of people, everyone seeming to be going in the opposite direction to us
"Would you stop worrying? You are going to be the best big brother anyone ever had"
She squeezes my hand in reassurance and I feel that familiar tightening in my chest that only happens when i'm with Taylor
"Hey Mami!" Yells some guy from the other side of the street and as I look over I see him making an obscene gesture at Taylor, she rolls her eyes and keeps walking but I feel a familiar surge as I drop her hand and start moving towards him
"What did you say to her?!" I feel her grab at my arm and demand I ignore him but it's too late because he's walking towards me now, a look on his face that says he won't be backing down, which suits me fine because I don't back down either
"What's your problem tough guy?"
"You are my problem, no one treats her like that"
"Travis ignore him, it doesn't matter"
"Of course it matters, you're out with me and he thinks he can do that shit to you"
"I'm just letting her know she can have a real man any time she gets sick of the little boy she's with now"
My hand is tangled in his shirt as my fist is pulled back just ready to pound his face when Taylor grabs my arm
"We're supposed to be meeting Aaliyah, don't do this Travis please, don't be this guy right now"
"Listen to your girl tough guy, before you get hurt"
I tighten my grip on him and then push him from us and he stumbles backwards landing hard on his ass
"That's right, my girl asshole" I grab Taylors hand and then head back across the road, confident he was all talk and wont be following after us
"I'm proud of you"
"I still want to go back there and hurt him"
"I know but you're walking away, you're putting Aaliyah first. See? best big brother ever"
*******************************************
"Aaliyah, this is Travis, Travis, this is your sister, Aaliyah"
I hear Taylors voice somewhere off to the left of me but it seems so far in the distance that I can't really make sense of what she's saying.
The eyes looking up at me are the same eyes that have stared back at me from the mirror for the whole of my life and they are gazing into me as though she's reading my soul, seeing every good or terrible thing I ever did and judging me for it.
My heart is hammering in my ears and my throat is so dry I'm struggling to breathe. The bright lights of the diner and the noises of plates and forks colliding causing my senses to suddenly be overloaded and I begin to panic
"Hi Travis"
Her voice is soft and she smiles up at me as I feel Taylor guiding me down into a seat but I still can't breathe, still can't speak
"Are you okay?" Taylor whispers against my ear and I shake my head and both girls laugh
Both girls... My girls
"We have the same eyes" I suddenly blurt out and Aaliyah nods enthusiastically
"And the same colour hair, I wish I had your hair though, mine's so curly and uncontrollable"
"It's beautiful" I reply and feel my cheeks begin to burn as Taylors hand lands on my thigh, an act of moral support i'm so thankful for in this very, very uncomfortable moment
"Well I think you guys look very alike. How was the journey?"
"It was okay, my dad drove me and he wouldn't shut up about his older brother, how competitive they were and all the trouble they got into growing up"
"Everything we didn't have the chance to do" My voice is bitter, for the life we could have had, should have had together
"Hopefully we're getting that chance now, right? All thanks to Taylor" She smiles at me and I smile back, still transfixed by the likeness of our faces "So, how've you been?"
I look to Taylor and she grimaces slightly but protective big brother mode kicks in as i smile at my sister and tell her i've been fine. She doesn't need to know my history right now, doesn't need to hear the horror my... our father is "How about you? tell me about your life"
Aaliyah begins to tell me about her family and although my reaction is tinged with jealousy, I'm overwhelmingly relieved that she was sparred the nightmare my life had been up until this point but I can't help but wonder what would have happened if my mom had decided to take us both that night and then my eyes lock on the blond beside me, if my mother had taken me to Tampa there's no way I would have met my guardian angel and no matter how much pain or humiliation or neglect i had gone through, everything was worth it when i had her with me
"So when do you go home?"
"Trying to get rid of me already?!"
"No! God no, not at all"
Aaliyah looks at me in a way to let me know she is joking and I realise then how much I need her in my life, for all of my life
"Logan says you guys are welcome in Tampa any time, in fact he wanted me to invite you both to breakfast tomorrow so he could meet Trav, that's if you want to and if you are available"
"We'll be there" Taylor answers for me and I nod in agreement
"No matter what you want or need, from here on in, I'll be there, I promise you that"
Aaliyah nods and smiles and I can't help but smile back
"Can I have a hug?" she suddenly asks and I smile bigger as we both stand up and I take my little sister in my arms, suddenly reminded of the times I would hold her as my mom and dad screamed and shouted, how I would hide her in the laundry basket and cover it with clothes when my dad was on a drunken rampage to make sure it was me he got his hands on and not her, never her
"You guys look so sweet" Taylor looks up at us and I see tears shining in her eyes and I struggle to think of a way I could ever thank her for what she's given me
"I love you already" Aaliyah says against my chest
"I've always loved you" I reply, remembering the first day my mother brought her home, the black hair peeping out from under the blanket and the unique smell of baby that seemed to cleanse our home, if only for a short period of time "Im so happy to have you back Aaliyah"
"I'm so happy to be back"
*1 or 2 more chapters to go
