Belonging - an adopted by Hamilton sequel

22nd of May, 2021: Introducing

[A/N: Here's part two of the last chapter, as it had ended up being 10.000 words otherwise. Enjoy!]

22nd of May, 2021

The next morning, Dom was stood in the kitchen all dressed up in a suit and an apron, busy making the brunch he had promised. I had slept better this night, but I knew I had to keep myself busy in order to manage my thoughts. I had just put the last plate down on the table, as the doorbell rang. Dom turned the heat down on the stove, took off his apron and hurried to meet them by the door. I stayed in the kitchen area, not really knowing what to do next. I took a seat on the barstool by the kitchen island.
"Hi guys-"
"Dom!", I could hear his little sister Flo exclaim. She sounded much older than the last time I'd seen her, but she still sounded as excited as she always did. He hugged her. "Our hotel room is amazing-"
"I bet it is", Dom replied, as he tried not to laugh at the remark. "Hi Mom-", he told his Mom, Agnés, and they hugged too while exchanging a few words in French. She called him Nicky, like she always used to do. That much hadn't changed.
"And Dad", he continued, and his Dad, David, chuckled just like Dom did, before they hugged as well.
"It smells lovely! Don't tell me you wore that suit cooking, you're gonna smell of brunch all day-", his Mom remarked, switching to her flawed English. Dom just laughed it off. Their chatter felt utterly familiar, even though it had been years since I last was part of it.
"I guess I like smelling like pancakes", he pointed out, sounding carefree.
"You did make pancakes!", Flo said, her happy voice ringing through the apartment. You could hear from miles away how much she adored Dom.
"Well, of course, it's your favourite", Dom told her, and I could hear how his smile was stretching from ear to ear. "Come on, we're in the kitchen-"
"We? Is Isaac joining us?", his Dad asked, a little confused. A knot tied within me. He hadn't told them about me beforehand. We had joked that it would be a fun surprise, but I just assumed that he had told them when he invited them to come.
Dom walked into the kitchen, scratching his head.
"No, he's with his family at a restaurant, um-", he said, smiling a little at me. Flo was right behind him. She was a very expressive person, and her reaction didn't disappoint. Her eyes grew large, and glimmered with excitement.
"Rue!", she shrieked. "Rue's here!", she continued to exclaim, turning her head around to get the attention of her parents that were just coming into the kitchen.
"Hi", I suddenly said, not really knowing how to handle the situation. Flo walked, almost ran, up to me and put her arms around me. She was almost as tall as me now. And her hair was just touching her shoulders.
"Well, this is a surprise", Agnés said, and as I looked at her, I could see that she was smiling. She was just as radiant as always, wearing her colorful glasses and striking contrasting outfits.
"I knew it", Flo said, as she let go of me. "I knew there was something up with you!", she continued to say, as her look turned to Dom. He cracked a laugh, shrugging his shoulders, as he began plating the different parts of the brunch.
"Well, sit down at the table, everything is finished-", Dom butted in, sounding very much like a host.
"I'm gonna check out the place first!", Flo announced and instantly walked off, and Agnés followed her with a slight worry on her face. I grabbed the basket with the bagels we'd got on our way home yesterday, as David walked past me. I was reaching for the plate of pancakes too, and he noticed me struggle to carry more than I could chew.
"Oh, I can take those", he suggested, and he grabbed the plate. I looked up at him, nodding. He and Dom had the same eyes. "It's good to see you again, Rue", he added, giving me a small smile. We started walking towards the table in the living room area. "How have you been?"
I placed down the basket, next to where he placed the pancakes.
"Ups and downs. But I'm doing better", I told him, opting for the truth. He nodded. "You?"
"Same. The pandemic's been rough", he said, looking tired.
"I can only agree", I replied, turning my head around to see whether Dom needed another hand.
"Sit down, I'll be there in a sec!", Dom exclaimed from the kitchen as he noticed my wondering gaze. I rolled my eyes at him, but eventually took a seat.
"Flo, come now, we're about to eat", Agnés said from the corridor, as she was standing in the doorway to Dom's room. I could hear Flo sighing from inside the room.
"I just wanted to have a look!", she annoyingly remarked.
"You can have a look later", Dom pointed out, as he walked into the room, his arms full. Flo took the seat next to mine, trying to seem unbothered by the feast that Dom had prepared. She looked at me, a little hesitant.
"Did you make your dress?", she asked me, suddenly more quiet and a little shy than earlier. I looked down at my dress, suddenly aware of it. It was a wrap dress with long sleeves, in a deep blue linen that I'd fallen in love with when I'd visited the fabric store for the first time in over a year back in March. It was just about midi length, and tied together in the front, and there were bows around my wrists, too. My arms were covered, which was the most important thing.
"I did, actually", I said, blushing a little.
"It's really pretty", she told me. The comment made me smile. I knew it was hard getting a thirteen-year-old's approval, but I had just got it.
"I love your suit", I told her, because I did. She wore a muted light blue suit, perfectly tailored. She shone from the comment, but didn't want to seem to be affected by it.
"Yeah, I guess it's cool. I didn't want to wear a dress", she replied and shrugged her shoulders. Her comment made me smile, as it made it clear that she had found her way in the world. Dom put down the last plate of food.
"There we go. Bon appetit!"