ENEMIES FIRST, LOVERS LATER! liam dunbar

CHAPTER FIVE, isaac's return

"Lele, wake up." A familiar voice rouses her from her peaceful slumber, a gentle hand shaking her. She groaned in protest, not wanting to wake up. She was having a great sleep and was feeling rested for the first time in days. She buried her head under the pillow, trying to ignore the voice. "C'mon, Lele, wake up. I'd figured you'd be more excited to see your brother." The voice continued, sounding amused.

"What?" Leora jolts awake, her eyes wide and alert. She scrambled to sit up, her heart pounding and her mind racing. What was her brother doing here? She immediately regrets sitting up fast, her head spinning and her vision blurry. She groans in pain, clutching her head. "Ow." She mumbled. The sudden brightness in the room didn't help either, and she instinctively shut her eyes, wincing at the light.

"Hey, easy. You should take it slow." A soft voice says, a hand guiding her to lie down again. "I didn't mean to startle you."

Leora squints, trying to focus on the voice and figure. As her vision clears, she recognizes her brother standing beside her. She blinks, gaping at seeing her older brother, Isaac, standing by her bed. "Isaac?" She manages to croak out, her voice hoarse and dry. "What are you doing here?"

Isaac chuckles, shaking his head. "Nice to see you too, Lele." He replies, handing her a glass of water that was on the bedside table. "Melissa called me last night, explained to me what happened. Got on the first flight to California from France."

Leora accepts the glass gratefully, sipping the water and letting the cool liquid soothe her parched throat. "I didn't mean it like that," She says after drinking half the glass. "I'm glad you're here, really. It's just..." She trails off, trying to gather her thoughts. "It's a lot to take in."

Isaac nods in understanding, his expression softening. "Yeah, I can imagine. It's been a crazy few days, huh?" He sighed, his tone sympathetic.

"Yeah." Leora mutters, her gaze downcast. She feels a lump in her throat, the emotions she's been holding back threatening to overwhelm her. She takes a deep breath, swallowing hard and blinking back the tears. "I really missed you." She admitted quietly, her voice trembling slightly.

Isaac's expression softens, his heart aching at his little sister's confession. He could see the pain and weariness in her eyes, the burden of the past few days weighing heavily on her shoulders. He sits on the edge of the bed, reaching out to grab the glass and set it on the bedside table. "I really missed you too, Lele. So much." He murmured, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into a hug.

Leora melts into his embrace, feeling the tears start to fall as she clung to him. She buries her face in his chest, the familiar scent of him bringing comfort and reassurance. She had missed her older brother so much. She understood why he didn't come back with her and Chris, but it still stung. But it didn't matter right now. What mattered was that he was here, and she could finally let go of the emotions she had been holding back for so long. "You're finally here." She mumbled, her voice muffled against his chest.

Isaac hugs her tighter, resting his chin on top of her head and rubbing her back soothingly. "Yeah, I'm here." He replied softly, his voice full of warmth and affection. He could feel her trembling, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed silently. He didn't say anything, just letting her cry and releasing all the pent-up emotions she had kept bottled up. He shifted to lean against the wall and sit more on the bed, stretching his legs out and letting her cry into his chest. He didn't mind, but his heart was breaking at hearing her muffled cries.

Melissa had explained to him what he missed out on the last few days and how she pushed herself so much with her powers that it was taking a toll on her body. That was the reason why he came. For his little sister. He had felt guilty and sad that he wasn't there for her before and he was going to be there for her now.