Of Flowers and Fire

Chapter 16

Sawyer made french toast and coffee for them the next morning. He stayed in bed until Diego woke up, and, even then, they stayed together for an hour. Kissing and touching. Sawyer was feeling better than the day before, and was grinning and happy, and Diego couldn't get enough of him. Diego wasn't typically a sweet person. He had been, when he was a child, but around age fifteen that stopped. Somehow though, Sawyer made him feel that way. Sweet and childish. Sawyer Hannigan made him feel greedy and selfish. He hated it, but he loved him. It was 8:30 that evening, only a few minutes before closing, when Anita came in. Sawyer's face changed from a lazy, pink smile to a neutral frown.

Anita was also unsmiling and Diego felt out of place. When he tried to leave, Sawyer took his arm and held him at attention. "Hello," Anita said, stopping in front of the desk, "I wanted to talk to you about our father--"

"Your father," Sawyer corrected.

"My father," Anita sighed, "has informed me that he wishes to come see you." Anita's accent was thick and she spoke deliberately so Sawyer could understand her. Sawyer watched her and anxiously rubbed the fabric of Diego's jacket in his hand. Diego watched his hand for a moment before taking it and holding it in his jacket pocket. Sawyer seemed pleased by the action, and squeezed his hand. "He asked me to do what I can to get you to agree," Anita concluded softly.

"What do you think?" Sawyer asked her. If Diego didn't know him as well as he did, he'd have thought that Sawyer was being petulant or sarcastic, but he was being honest, he really wanted her opinion.

"I'm sorry?" She asked fiddling with the hem of her purple blouse.

"Would you also be there?" Sawyer asked, "Would you want me to meet him?"

Anita looked puzzled, her eyes widened and she looked between Diego and Sawyer. "Would you want me to be there?"

"I know you better than I know him," Sawyer said.

She smiled at him softly, and looked pleasantly surprised. "Sawyer, I have known of you since I was a child. When I was young I used to want you to be in Italy with us. I wanted to know my brother and to spend time with him. I wanted to know you." She combed her dark hair with her fingers and glanced away from Sawyer to Diego who was watching her cautiously. "I've always," she began again, looking away from Diego, "considered you family. Even before I met you. Before you knew me, when all you knew was the betrayal of your parents, I thought of you daily," She hesitated before she continued, "I would encourage you to meet with him, if only to get answers. Sawyer, I would very much like to get to know you." She wet her lips and pulled on her skirt, "I would very much like to be your sister."

Sawyer was quiet and he squeezed Diego's hand. Diego squeezed back reassuringly and watched Anita fidget where she stood. "I would like that too," Anita raised her eyes to Sawyer's and Diego was suddenly struck by the similarities between them. They had the same eyes. The same prominent cheekbones, chin and brows. She would be attractive, if Diego was into women, because she looked enough like Sawyer. He wondered how he had missed it before.

Diego squeezed Sawyer's hand again and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "I'm going to take off," he murmured, "give you two some time."

Sawyer looked at him with wet eyes and a soft smile. "Okay," he said, "I'll come see you tomorrow." Diego nodded and started toward his office. He grabbed his things from atop the desk and then went to the front door. He looked over his shoulder at Sawyer who was pulling on the hem of his shirt with one hand and fixing his hair with the other. Anita was standing stock still, hands clasped in front of her. Sawyer looked up and met his eyes, "I love you," he said.