Chasing Sin

41

"Excuse me?"

I step toward him, putting my hands on the sides of his arms, pulling him toward me so I can explain. "I think we should go to San Francisco to visit your aunt. It's only a couple hours out of our way, and you've been wanting to get back in touch with her for a little while now."

"Haven, I—"

"I really don't want to overstep or force you to do anything you're uncomfortable with," I explain, realizing how forceful my suggestion came out. "I was just thinking it's the perfect opportunity to see your family... if you want to, of course."

Sin looks at me carefully, letting me cling to him excitedly as he processes my request.

"You want to come with me to San Francisco? To meet my aunt?" he asks, his eyes clouded with uncertainty.

I know how big of a deal this would be to him, and I suddenly feel stupid for inserting myself in the situation. However, I still think it's a great opportunity to visit her in person if he wants to reconnect.

"Well, I mean, I could just go as moral support. I totally understand if you just want to see her by yourself," I assure him. "Like I said, I really don't want to overstep. But I was just thinking that you've been making comments about your father and your aunt, and how much you wish you knew about him. If this isn't something you want, then that's completely fine. We're just so close to San Francisco, I thought it would be an easy way to see your aunt in person, if you wanted."

He continues sharing my gaze, looking over my face with that same expression of uncertainty. Finally, he nods.

"Okay."

My eyebrows raise in surprise. "Okay? Really?"

"Let's go to San Francisco," he agrees, and I break into a huge, beaming smile. He adds, "You're right. There is a lot I still want to know, and it's better to talk in person, I think."

I lean forward to embrace him, happy that my suggestion wasn't pushing boundaries or too pushy for Sin.

"Are you sure?" I ask when I pull away. "Because it was just an idea. I don't want to pressure you into—"

"I'm sure," he assures me. "Don't worry about me, Ave. I think it'll be good."

"It will be," I agree, snaking my arms behind his neck and feeling content in his arms.

A couple hours later, we're nearing San Francisco, and Sin finally calls Bella.

He doesn't seem nervous, or at least shows no signs of nerves, but he's put off the phone call until now, which indicates he's a bit unsure of what's to come.

He takes a deep breath while the phone rings, and I watch his expression change when the line connects.

The phone is not on speaker, but I can still hear the other voice quite clearly.

When Bella picks up, Sin says, "Hey, Bella. It's Sin Black."

"Sin? Yes, oh wow! It's been so long. How are you?" a pleasant female voice asks.

"I'm good, thanks. How are you?" Sin asks, his voice perfectly calm and even, despite the anxiety radiating off of him.

"I'm great, hun. How have you been? You're in, what, your senior year of school now, right? Gosh, you're getting so old. I was actually just thinking about calling you a few days ago," Bella rambles, clearly surprised at Sin's call.

"Yeah, I know it's been a while," he admits. "I, um, was actually calling because I'm headed to San Francisco right now. I was wondering if we could come and visit."