His Hope

Part 8: Home

8

Since the meeting had gone by much faster than they intended they decided to use their free time exploring the city. Xavier wanted to get Louisa's mind off everything that went down in the meeting and her face lit up brighter than the fucking sun when he asked if she would be their tour guide. Right then he knew no matter what she asked of him, he would never have the heart to tell her no. She pulled him down the same street they had walked the day before. None of the others wanted to go back to the hotel just yet and we're happy to come along.

As she described the buildings, the shop owners, the culture of each individual spot, he started to see everything in a new light. His friends and himself had been in and out of some of these places yesterday and he hadn't given them a second thought. They stopped off by the cafe where Xavier and Louisa had first met. She showed the others around the place, but Xavier couldn't take his eyes off her. He watched her closely, as she explained the history of the small shop and boasted over the owner. Old John, hearing the young girl's voice from his office, came out of the back and she happily introduced everybody to him.

"Johnny, these are my new friends." She said grinning as she reached across the counter to give him a side hug just as she always did. John hugged her back, ruffling her hair when she pulled away.

"Nice to meet you." John spoke to the group of men with his young friend. He eyed them warily, considering that Louisa didn't seem bothered and he trusted her to make good decisions.

"You as well, Louisa here has spoken highly of you." Xavier acknowledged as stretched a handout for the older man to shake.

"I've known Lou since she was just a pup, haven't I?" He sent a small smile her way too which Louisa grinned. He shook the man's hand, making sure his grip was firm.

"Absolutely! Taught me everything I know." She giggled and John winked at her. Old John was like family, he looked after her mother and her siblings as best he could throughout her whole life, and she knew she could never repay him for all he had done. Xavier met her stare when her eyes drifted to his own and he could see how much she cared for him in that one look.

"Well, what can I get you, folks, today?" John addressed the whole group.

"Oh, nothing today, Louisa was just showing us around." Sebastian answered for everyone.

"Well alright, it was lovely to meet all of you and always good to see you honey." John smiled, waving goodbye as they all said their goodbyes before making their way out of the shop.

"Where do you live Louisa?" James asked curiously, he watched and listened just as closely as the others while she showed them around her hometown. It was small but quaint and he could tell she was happy here, their own town, whilst secluded was more city like.

Louisa realized very quickly that James wasn't being rude, he was just direct, like Eloise. "My house is right outside of town. A fifteen-minute walk at most." She said her cheeks turning warm, she honestly hadn't thought about showing them her home.

"Do you mind if we see it?" Xavier asked her gently, he felt her go all tense in his arms and worried that it was too much for one day. He didn't want to be rude, since they we're basically inviting themselves over, and he would understand if she said no. He thought back to his cold empty room and wondered if hers had that homey feeling he had grown up knowing in his parents' house.

"No... I just don't get very many visitors, you caught me off guard." She blushed even harder as she spoke the first words that came to mind. She left out the part that she had just met them and as comfortable as they made her feel she had learned never to trust people so soon. She knew she should be more cautious of Xavier, but she had a feeling deep in her gut that he would never do anything to hurt her. She felt more whole with him in just two days, then she had with anybody in her entire life and recognized that was weird. However, it was there right at the surface, screaming at her and she couldn't ignore it even if she wanted to.