Destined

Chapter 16

So we went home. The doctor gave his discharge papers and he didn't seem to look happy that we were going home. I also didn't know what to feel now that he was going to live with us. He looked so pensive in the car. I knew something was brewing in his mind. Was he not happy with this arrangement. Well, who would be happy when a dead man's wish was for you to play bodyguard to his girlfriend? I bet anyone wouldn't want to jump into that kind of offer. Wait. It wasn't an offer. It was Tim's last wish which appeared to be a command.

I parked the car and went out to help him get on his feet. Even if he didn't say it, he kind of felt wobbly and dizzy still and that's the reason why the doctor decided to give him a handful of pain killers. He got out of the car and all I could do was to shut the door quickly so that I could catch him when he decides that gravity wasn't working on him. Immediately placing my hand around his waist and grabbing an arm and placed it around my shoulders for support, I heard him groan.

"I'm not some doddering old guy that's going to fall down any second from now," he hissed.

"I know but I'm just making sure, alright?"

He tried to pry my hands away and decided to stand on his own. He walked towards the stairs leading to the foyer slowly and I knew that he was having a hard time. I should have forced him to take the wheel chair with us. I made him walk before me so that I could just stay behind him close in case he does fall. Getting up the stairs was hard but he was able to make it through. Good thing, Maggie was already there at the foyer waiting for us.

"Brandon," I heard Maggie say. "Are you okay now? How are you feeling boy?"

What I saw shocked me. He wrapped Maggie in a tight embrace. It was as if they already knew each other in the past. It was weird standing there watching these two people hugging without knowing how they came about to know each other.

"Oh Maggie. It's great to see you. I'm a little dizzy but I'll be fine. How have you been? You didn't seem to age."

They laughed and exchanged old jokes. I never saw Maggie laughing before. She was this mother figure that always appeared to be calm. I never thought she had this deep-belly-kind of laugh. It was really surprising and then when she finally noticed me from her teary eyes, she then straightened out and cleared her throat. Brandon looked at my shocked face and rolled his eyes. He wrapped his arm around Maggie's shoulders and then headed deeper into the house.

I followed suit and told Maggie that she can lead him to his room at the far end of the house. She led him and before he could follow her, he went up to me. His eyes bored into mine and I could hear my heart pounding so hard against my chest.

I've never been this close to any guy since Tim died. There was some surge of intimacy when we came together before but now with Brandon, it was different. He got this air of strength - something that Tim didn't have. He somehow managed to bring me chills up and down my spine. And as he got nearer, I got a closer look at him.

His shoulders broad, his hair was a bit darker and he looked rugged at the edges. His beard made him appear like an alpha; someone who wouldn't clearly follow orders. His lips were full and his skin was tanned. Through his seemingly fitting shirt, I could see the contours of his chest and abs and those sinewy legs that made me think of things that I should be thinking about.

"Calleigh?"

"Yeah." His voice brought me out of the trance as he came near me. "Maggie will show you to your room."

"I know that... it's just that I think that me moving in with you will make you feel uncomfortable."

And you just hit the jackpot, sir! Great! How do I get rid of you? Oh boy. My mind is on a roll. Then I got to thinking about telling him how I really felt about this arrangement. I was set up by a dead guy who is still trying to control my life even if he's in the underworld. But then again, I thought, he also didn't want to be here. He was just keeping his end of the promise that he made to Tim. We were both on the same page actually.