Worth The Risk

25

A/n: I was initially leaning towards careers in music but I'm already doing that in my other stories so what careers should I give Normani and Dinah? 🤔
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'Hey guys can you keep it down? Gina is finally asleep,' I held my finger to my lips.

I was babysitting all the younger Hansens on Valentine's day because Funaki was working late, Dinah was out and I had convinced Milika and Gordon to go out because I would have been home alone anyway since all my friends seemed to have dates.

'Please can we stay up for another hour?' Hoi gave me the Hansen puppy dog eyes and I caved only because I knew they wouldn't last.

Twenty minutes later they proved me right when Hoi went up to brush his teeth first then Vaka followed. I found them in bed in their pajamas completely knocked out so I turned the light off and went back downstairs to where Kamila was watching tv with Seth, Lola and Marley.

'And then there were two.'

'Mani can I tell you something?'

I nodded, 'of course, what's on your mind?'

'But first, do you like Sam?'

'Some times I do. It's complicated but we grew up together so I guess he's just one of those annoying old friends. Do you like Sam? It matters more if you don't.'

'I don't really like him. I mean don't get me wrong, he is really cute but I feel like he doesn't actually like us and when Dinah's with him she kind of changes. It's like we're not there anymore.'

'Have you told her that?'

Kamila shook her head, 'if she won't listen to our mom, she's not going to listen to anyone else.'

Before I could respond, Kamila stood up and said it was time for bed. She wished Seth and I a goodnight before heading upstairs, leaving me staring at her little brother in confusion. All the other times that I'd had to babysit anyone's child, bed time was literally a fight.

I picked Seth up and took him upstairs. Once he was asleep, I went downstairs and sat down at the piano in the Hansen's living room. It had been a while since I touched an instrument and I knew exactly why. I knew why everything in my life felt so out of sync and wrong. Lately all roads led back to her.

My fingers moved on their own as I began a song that expresses my feelings better than words could. While I may have fooled the world and her into thinking that I was moving on and finding myself, I couldn't lie to my instruments. They knew that the reason I didn't sit in the cafeteria anymore was so that I wouldn't be tempted to look for her as soon as I walked into the room. I was free, I had broken out of the cocoon, only to break my wings as I learned to fly. I left one prison for another, all because I didn't run from her when I should have.

I shook my head and stopped playing. After saving the recording, I started playing a different song. I didn't hear the door open or notice that I had an audience until I heard applause. Of course it would be Dinah and Sam that walked in.

I sent a text to Milika telling her that Dinah was home and that I was going to head home. The three dots appeared and disappeared several times before she finally thanked me for babysitting and said I was welcome to stay if I wanted to since I was going to be alone for a while.

'Hey, I just texted your mom to let her know you're home so I'm going to head out. Sam.'

'Mani.'

'That was a beautiful song,' Dinah said as I got my things. 'Are they all asleep?'

'Yeah,' I answered, still surprised that they didn't give me a hard time. 'And thank you. Anyway goodnight.'

She looked like she was about to say something until she thought better of it. 'Goodnight Mani.'