No Hesitation: Book of Gio

Chapter 12: Where We Stand.

Serin and Parish were sitting at the table on their back patio. Serin had her laptop out looking at spaces to stay in and Parish was helping her. Parish hated that Serin wanted to move out but it wasn't her life. If Serin wanted a new sense of Freedom then it was hers to go after. Then Daniel came outside to sit with them.

"Hello, how are my sisters doing?"

"Well, well, isn't Danny boy," Parish said greeting him.

"Hi Daniel," Serin said smiling at him, and then he saw it go away when she started to look down again.

He noticed it.

He looked so much like Francesco it was ridiculous. Serin was the one that welcomed him the most in the fold and spent the most time with him. It kinda wounded him in a way to notice she can't look at him long.

"Serin, is everything okay?" Daniel asked in concern.

"I don't know about everything but today is okay," Serin said truthfully. It was hard to look at him today, all she could see was her father. And all she could remember from her father is when he came and got her and her mother.

"I wanted to thank you," Daniel said, "I never got the chance to really do that."

"For what exactly?" Serin said looking up to look at him.

"For really welcoming me in the fold of things," Daniel said.

"You are our sibling, despite everything you are that and I don't sense any hostility from you so why wouldn't I do that, as long as you don't end up like Francie over there." She nodded to Francesca who was floating in the pool.

"For some reason, I feel like I'd find 'BLM-ACAB' in your Instagram bio," Parish said and smiled.

"How do yo—you know what, I can't even be surprised anymore," Daniel said

"So, are you going to take up any combat training? Or Medical? What are you in school?" Serin asked him.

"I didn't know I was allowed to get any, and I'm in school in general college, I don't really know what I want to do or what I have a passion for."

"Why wouldn't you be able to get any? To be honest, you probably need some, put all those muscles to some good use." Parish said.

"You are unusually fit for you not to have any training," Serin said.

"I just like to go to the gym that's all," Daniel said. "Nothing wrong with that."

"Daniel, I say that you are in love with the gym, " Parish said. "Nothing wrong with that at all."

"I"m the only one whose metabolism just slowed down a good bit, well I don't know about Romona yet." Serin said, "but being chunky has its perks."

Parish's phone started to ring, and she ignored it. If someone really needed her they would call again.

"Not picking up your phone now?" Serin asked.

"If they really need me they'll call me again," Parish said and like clockwork, it rang again. She looked at her phone to see missed calls and texts from their cousin Hansel. She picked up.

"Hans, how are you?"

"Giovanni, I haven't heard or seen from you in weeks, I've literally been calling you every day. You know you can't leave me around these idiots for long." Hansel said over the phone.

"I thought you wanted to focus on your missions," Parish said. "Didn't think you'd miss me."

"I don't know why you always think that shit, it's irritating," Hansel said. "You are the only cousin I actually like, I didn't visit all those times when we were younger because I had to it's because I wanted to. For you to be such a strong figure, that's one of your most noticeable insecurities. Of course, I would miss you."