After Hours

41. In the Storm

The loud commotion of disorderly footsteps came bounding into the quiet room, upsetting the peace with absolute chaos.

Kaya sprinted into the dingy office with momentum, adorned in a pink frilly dress that was torn up in several places. Her short mousy brown hair was down her back in a tangle and her fingers squeezed onto princess hairbrush clasping it firmly in her left hand. The pout that remained perpetually on her lips deepened the moment she discovered her uncle behind the oak desk. He was entirely engrossed in typing on the large computer when his attention was stolen by the five-year-old.

"Zio!"

His eyes studied the state of her before he rose a brow.

"What's the matter now?" Silver uttered tiredly, disregarding the endless amount of emails he was in the midsts of answering to focus on her. Turning his chair so that it was fully facing the young child, he watched her stumble on her own feet as she attempted to run to him. He could see tears filling up in her big honey brown eyes and the firm hold onto the tiny pink hairbrush with dear hands. She didn't waste any time shoving her face into his leg, and out poured the crocodile tears.

The deadpan expression on his face didn't falter as he felt her wrap her arms around his leg. He didn't even frown, not until he listened to the justification behind the tears.

"C-Cairo ruined my hair!" The tremble racked through her as she blubbered.

"Again?"

Before she could start wailing louder, he sighed and reached down to pick her up. He placed her onto his knee with ease but since she was so small, she was able to balance on his knee sideways perfectly. Dangling her little legs over his thighs.

Passing over the hairbrush, she puckered out her lips waiting patiently. The tears had evaporated like he predicted, he took the brush and started to comb through her hair in timely gentle strokes.

"Can you do it like mamma?" Kaya asked, staring down at her swinging feet. She was aimlessly kicking them back and forth whilst her hands played with the frills of her dress.

She struggled to keep still.

He already guessed that she would ask for the same hairstyle, after all, it was her current favourite. Parting her hair in the middle so that it was separated into two sections, he started to braid her hair with steady fingers.

"Do you want to tell me what happened or will I have to go and get your brother?"

She glared at her feet and jerked her head. "I hate Cairo!"

"Hm." Silver chuckled lowly, listening to every word she had to say. "That's a strong word to use bambolina."

There was a brief stillness to the air.

"I don't hate him, he's mean to me. Sometimes I don't want to be his sister." She amended, feeling guilty for using the word 'hate'.

Nobody could get her out of the princess dress, she was going through a phase where she refused to wear regular clothes hence her dramatic tears over the ruined braids in her hair. She wanted to have the same braids as one of her favourite princesses.

"I know the feeling, your mother makes me want to push her off a cliff sometimes." He muttered bitterly thinking back to a specific time, though his snide comment wasn't as quiet as he intended it to be.

A sudden gasp left Kaya's mouth, she turned around a little to jab her finger into his stomach making him grunt. "Is mamma okay?"

He bit his lip to stop the amusement and nodded. "Sì, mamma is fine. Nothing happened princess, I was kidding."

"I don't like that joke."

Of course, she didn't, he thought to himself.

Dividing the section of hair he had pulled into three parts, he started to weave the strands as cleanly as he could. It wasn't long before he finished one section, securing with one of the many hair ties scattered across his desk. So he could do the other side, he picked her up and flipped her around.

She giggled at the gesture, squeezing her eyes shut as he started on the next braid. She thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of his fingers in her hair.

Silver looked down at his completed attempt, he had learnt how to do hair after growing up with only sisters. They had coerced him to be their personal hairdresser from early on; as a result, he had learnt several different hairstyles. It wasn't the manliest thing to know, but he didn't mind.

"Bellissima... There is a pretty princess sitting in my lap." The presence in his voice was enough to set the young girl off.

"Really?" She beamed in excitement, snapping her head to look at him. "I need my tiara! I need to show Cai!"

Hurling her arms around his neck, a sweet kiss planted onto his right cheek. He could only smile and plopped her back down onto the ground, watching as she ran out of the room.

The deafening silence made a return.

He realised in that moment that the hard exterior he had with everyone disappeared around the five year old. There was a soft spot in his heart for children, he was good with kids especially ones that were shy and often forgotten about. It reminded him of his own personality as a young child, it was hard for anyone to believe, but there was once a time where Silvester Rivera was the shy sensitive boy in school.

He hadn't blossomed into the cold, empty version of himself until his junior year of high school. That was when he had come to terms with the death of his late parents, he recognised that his emotions got in the way of functioning properly. Therefore, he shut them off.

He didn't know what he had been thinking but seeing Rainy cry had brought his old self back. He felt vulnerable like he needed to tell her before she left.

Silver had fucked up.

He had said it at the wrong time.

There was no denying that being alone with his thoughts made his mind race with endless possibilities of 'what if's'. Everything that he had been deeply afraid of happening - happened. He didn't know how to fix the situation when he was scared of showing anyone the real him.

But he couldn't keep using his past as his excuse to hide how he truly felt, he would be going against the morals and beliefs he taught the kids every time they came to him with dilemmas. He didn't want to be hypocrite nor a coward any longer.

It was time for Silver to grow up and face his problems head-on.

He knew exactly what to do to make it right this time.