A Time to Love

Chapter 5

    'So, do you often take care of your brothers?' Zander asked as he sat across the table from Sarah the following day.

 She had called him almost as soon as he got home yesterday to arrange a date and he had suggested his favourite restaurant in the centre of their hometown of Greenwich. 'The Thaiway Man' was, as the name suggested a Thai restaurant ran by a husband and wife, Zander had become a bit of an ambassador for the place with his frequent visits.

'Not really. I'm just helping my mum out while...' she broke off as she felt her voice shaking, a wave of emotion shower over her when she tried to complete the sentence.

'Sorry' she cried and ran from the table.

Sarah raced into the toilet cubicle and slammed the door behind her, pulling the seat down and throwing her hands over her face she sobbed for the first time since the crash. Only the soft knock from the entrance door and Zander's soothing voice, convinced her that she would be better off on the outside,

'Sarah, I've ordered for you.' She didn't respond and there was a minute of silence before the concern in his voice piped up.

'Are you alright in there?'

'Yeah, I'm fine. Just coming.'

Zander was leaning against the wall outside the toilet, drumming his fingers on the brickwork and whistling joyfully. His head turned and his smile when he saw Sarah coming towards him could have knocked her dead.

'What's wrong?' he asked, bringing his hand up to her eyes and pushing his thumbs in either direction as he wiped away her tears.

The sensation in Sarah's stomach tightened at the touch of Zander's skin against hers.

'It's nothing. We should get back to our table before they bring the food over'

She put one foot in front of the other and her legs moved but her body wasn't following. Something was tightly gripping her wrist, stopping her from going any further and when she turned, she saw the source was Zander's hand and the force was pulling them together.

'It's obviously something. I've done many things to a woman before but making her cry wasn't one of them.'

Sarah could feel the heat on her face as her pale skin was replaced by a crimson hue as she blushed by what Zander was implying. She quietly hoped he would make her do all the things he was claiming to have done to the many unspecified number of women.

'I might be able to help with whatever it is' he encouraged and released the hold his hand had over her.

'I doubt it. Unless you can bring my dad out of a medically induced coma.'

Nothing else needed to be said, Zander made sure of that when he pulled Sarah towards him and held her there until his shirt was soaked by her tears. Tears that no one else but him could hear her cry.

'I'm so sorry Sarah. I can take you home if you'd rather not be here'

He pushed her body away and brushed his hands through her blonde hair as he pushed it behind her ears.

'No' she decided, lifting his hand off her face and holding it in hers.

'You've already ordered, besides, it'll keep my mind off everything'

***

'Well Rosie, my sister, got home from the hospital this afternoon but it's not looking good for dad.'