the secret lies in the heart

caught

arabella was looking at houses back in Texas when she heard someone approaching her. she glanced up to see that it was her brother, Sam. She quickly looked away and tried to look as if she wasn't doing anything wrong. She was caught though, and Sam's face expressed a mixture of annoyance and concern. "What are you doing?" he asked, his tone firm but not overly angry.

arabella was caught off guard by her brother's sudden question , and her face flushed in embarrassment. She didn't know what to say, so she just kept quiet. Sam continued to stare at her for a moment, his anger giving way to concern. He knew they had drifted apart over the years, but he was still worried about her. "Why are you looking at houses back in Texas?" he asked, taking a step closer to her.

arabella chose to lie, although it wasn't a very convincing lie. "No reason," she said unconvincingly. Sam rolled his eyes in response. "Cut the crap, why are you looking at houses back in Texas?" he pressed as he moved even closer to her.

arabella could feel her anxiety levels rise as Sam kept coming closer. Her lies were not becoming any more convincing, and she knew she had to come up with something better. "I'm just... looking," she said, scrambling for an answer. "Just looking?" Sam asked, skeptical but still not overly angry.

Sam's tone conveyed a bit more seriousness now. "You can't go back, not yet. You know that," he said, trying to sound firm, but his concern for her still came through.

arabella felt her heart sink as she heard his words. She knew that he was right. She wasn't ready to go back yet, not when she was trying to rebuild her life after everything she had lost. But the thought of never being able to go back to the home she had once known filled her with a deep sense of dread. She had to stay strong, and she had to keep her emotions in check. She couldn't go back...yet.

"But when?" arabella couldn't help herself from asking after a moment of silence. She knew she was being a bit pushy, but she desperately needed the reassurance. "Soon," Sam said, "just not yet." He didn't elaborate further, and his tone was a bit softer when he said that, as if he was trying to comfort her.

arabella could feel herself getting overwhelmed by the conversation, and she just wanted to end it now. She could tell that Sam was starting to notice that she was getting uncomfortable, and she wished that he would just let her be. "Can we end this conversation now?" she asked quietly.

Sam didn't reply right away, and he just stared at her for a moment. He could see the discomfort on her face, and he knew he was pushing her too far. "Alright," he said finally, "we can end this conversation now. But just remember what I told you." With that, he slowly turned away, leaving arabella to her thoughts once more.

A/N
My writings going all funny and I'm so annoyed. (It went back to normal when i published it 🙄) Anywayyyy lyl