The next day started cold and cloudy.
Phillip, who was comfortably tucked under his blankets didn't feel like moving from his bed but the enticing smell of coffee and bacon wafting upstairs had him rolling out of his bed, groaning at the feel of his feet hitting the cold, linoleum floor.
Walking to his bathroom he took a quick shower and shaved before dressing in comfortable clothes and going downstairs.
On his kitchen, wearing a too big apron was little Sang. She was working busily from one side to the other, doing a great many tasks at the same time. Cooking the bacon, grilling the cheese, heating the water, preparing the table, making some orange juice... he never understood how some people could do that. He needed to do a thing at a time or his bacon would end up burned, his juice spilled on the floor and his forgotten kettle completely dry and about to burn.
He'd thought she hadn't noticed his presence as he hadn't made a single noise, but she suddenly turned around with a mug in her hand and a smiled in her face that lit up the space. She reminded him of his little granddaughter, Lilly, who was all smiles and sunshine.
"Good morning, Dr. Roberts." She said while handing him the mug of hot coffee.
"Good morning, little one." He answered with a cheer that was uncommon for him in the mornings. He'd thought that once she met her boys again they would make her move in with one of them immediately, which had made him feel a little sad, but when he'd come home from work that afternoon, after talking with Kota, he'd found her in his kitchen, much like she was now, preparing dinner while humming softly.
Sitting at his place on the table when he realized there was nothing left for him to do to help with breakfast, he waited until she sat down and served herself before putting the food in his own plate. His wife had trained him well, after all.
"So, how was your sleep?" He asked this knowing that she had nightmares rather regularly. He'd tried to convince her to take sleeping pills, but the stubborn girl refused to take "unnecessary" medicine.
Taking a sip of her juice before answering she said in a quiet and hesitant voice, "I had another nightmare. But it was okay. I am used to them by now."
She hadn't looked up from her plate even once while saying this and he knew there was at least one lie in that sentence. He would bet it was the "it's okay" part. How could anyone be okay with having nightmares?
Frowning at his coffee, he put his mug down so he could focus on her. He paused for a little before saying, "Little one, maybe a therapist would be able to help you with that."
"I'm fine. Besides I don't like talking with strangers about my own problems. Don't worry Doc. I will fix myself soon enough." She said stubbornly, picking at her breakfast.
Sighing I repeated the same thing I had told her the day before, while they dinned. "At least tell the boys. I know you didn't have any nightmares when you stayed with Kota. They would love to help you, sweetie."
Once again her answer was just a mumbled "We will see." before she started playing with her food.
Like I said, stubborn...
I understood her need for independency. She'd always had only herself to depend upon, and had done a better job of it than many parents would, but those boys were dying to help her. Hell, I was dying to help her. I could never stand seeing a child hurting and this one, who I had failed before, pulled at my heart strings like no other. He wondered if some day she would let him baby her like a proper father should.
Sighing he decided to change the subject. "Well, then, did you enjoy your time with them yesterday?"
She blushed and ducked her head, her hair hiding a little of her face. Interesting... of course it served to remind him that she wasn't really a child anymore, but a young lady who had a group of young men wrapped around her little finger. Grinning like a fool, he said in a teasing tone of voice. "I see..."
She blushed even more, her ears becoming red too, and finally managed to squeak an "It was fine!" before stuffing her mouth with toast.
Chucking a little he asked "How many have you met?"
Raising her head, with her cheeks still a little red, she looked at him and answered "I've met Victor, Gabriel, Kota, Luke, Silas, North, Sean and Owen. Except for Nathan I think it was almost all of their family."
Watching her curiously I asked. "Did they tell you that North and Silas were part of their family now?"
Cocking her head to the side in confusion she asked "They aren't? North and Silas seemed very close to each other, and Luke seemed to care deeply for his brother. I assumed they were part of their academy family."
Nodding my head at her deduction I said. "They are, but they are knew additions. Before you arrived neither of them were on "speaking terms" with the other boys. And by that I mean they didn't talk with them at all."
She looked shocked. "What do you mean by "at all"? North was being quite talkative in our ride home from the shopping, and Silas wasn't too quiet either." She asked, her food forgotten. Trying not to frown at her bad eating habits I said. "That's all because of you, sweetie. Your presence has managed to drawn those two out of their bubble. Before your arrival they had completely isolated themselves from the rest of us."
He mouth opened and closed several times without a single word coming out before she lowered her eyes and frowned thoughtfully. I had no idea what was going through that mind of hers.
Finishing my coffee I started to remove things from the table so we could clean up and get on with our day. Standing by the sink, I washed the dishes while she dried them, I commented. "You know, there was no reason why you should have come back here so soon yesterday. You could have stayed with the boys if you were enjoying yourself. I bet they wanted you to."
Keeping her head down she told me "They did, and I was enjoying myself. Really, I was. But suddenly..." she quieted, at a loss for words.
"It was overwhelming?" I asked her, keeping my voice gentle.
Sighing in what sounded like relief she said. "Yes. I loved spending time with them, but it was too much. They are too much."
"Too much what, little one?" I swear, if those boys were pushing her for a relationship so soon I would take them all for a little they wouldn't soon forget.
"Too much caring." She said sadly, making my heart twist in pain. "I love that they care so much, but I don't know what to do, how to react, how to feel."
Turning to her I put my hands on her shoulder to get her attention. "You don't control what you feel, little one. Whatever it is that they are making you feel it is completely uncontrollable, but never wrong. There is nothing wrong with having emotions. As for your actions, just do what you feel is natural. Your instincts will always guide you correctly." Beeping her nose I smiled at her when she blinked at me. "besides, with those boys you can do no wrong. I promise." I said and winked at her, going back to my office so I could finish the most boring part of my job, reports.
......
Sang finished washing the dishes and went out the back door heading toward the woods.
The air was a little cold and her old clothes didn't protect her from the climate.
She spent the next two hours walking and exploring the woods. She had played there as a child but didn't remember most of the trails anymore and she wanted to get acquainted with the area once again.
She was walking back to Dr. Roberts home when she heard the sound of footsteps running toward her. Suddenly scared she hid behind a tree and waited, she didn't want to meet a stranger in such a secluded spot. The figure of a boy appeared down the trail and ran past her hiding spot.
He was as tall as Kota, but much more muscular. His hair was a mix of red and brown, leaning more on the red side and he was dressed in a red shirt and shorts, with running shoes.
The earbuds of his iPod in his ear kept him from listening to the sounds around them and Sang felt safe to come out from behind her tree to follow him.
Seeing the direction in which he was running she concluded that the boy could only be Nathan. My, he sure had grown and become quite handsome...
Watching as he went inside his house she paused by the gate at his property and saw that the other boys were all there, save for Owen and Sean. Considering her options for a minute she decided it was best for her to go back home. North and Silas were there and she didn't want to intrude in their bonding time with the rest of the family.
She was about to turn away when she was discovered by none other than Luke, who seemed to be helping his brother to grill some steaks.
"Hey! Cupcake! We were just talking about you! Come and join us!" he was exclaiming while waving his arms madly, smiling big.
His words brought my presence to the attention of the others and they all turned their eyes on me. Feeling like a deer in headlights I raised my hand in a tiny wave and said an awkward "Hey guys!"
They all smiled at me, even North. Since they actually looked happy to see me I decided it wouldn't hurt to stay a little. Walking over to the pool I took a deep breath. The scent of chlorine was something I thought I would miss from hell. As unpleasant as my years there had been their pool area had been fantastic.
"We were thinking of calling you, sweetie, when we realized that none of us have your number." Kota told me when I approached the poolside chair he was sitting on. Victor and Silas were both lounging in the reclining chairs, while North and Luke seemed to be in charge of the food and Gabriel was sitting in a bench with a sketchbook and a pencil in his hands.
When I approached him to see what he was drawing he blushed and hid the sketchbook from my sight. Shrugging to hide my hurt feelings I turned back to Kota and told them "I don't have a phone yet, guys. When I buy one I will give you my number."
This made them all perk up. Victor stood up from where he was sitting and started walking toward the house. "You need a phone. I will get you one." He said, making my jaw drop.
"Wait! There is no need, Victor! I will buy one as soon as I get a job." I tried to explain, going after him. He just smiled at me, his fire eyes lighting up to a happy roar, but kept going toward the house.
"Get a sturdy one." North said, from his place by the grill.
"A sturdy phone on the way." Victor agreed.
"Really Victor, there is no need..." I began only to be interrupted by Luke who grabbed me by the waist from behind. His arms went around my middle, hugging me with my back to his chest; he lips touched the top of my head in a light kiss making a warm sensation spread through my body, pushing the cold away.
"Buy one in pink." Gabriel demanded. Kota and Silas didn't make any comment, choosing to only observe the scene with smiles on their faces.
"Boys..." I began squirming to get out of Luke's embrace. I was pretty comfortable in his arms but I had to stop Victor from spending his money on me. It wasn't right; I was nothing for them.
"Make it the latest model." Luke added.
Victor spun on him "Of course I will buy her the latest model! I'd buy only the best for Princess!" he said, clearly offended his eyes narrowed on Luke in annoyance.
"Hummm, maybe a cheaper one, guys. I don't need..." I tried again but when Victor turned his eyes on me with a smile on his face, looking strangely happy I relented.
"Okay, one sturdy, pink, and very pricey cell phone." He recited in a very cheery, Luke-alike voice. "Do I need to glue sequins to it and include an antenna array?" he asked.
Sighing in defeat I said "No need for the antenna Victor, but I'd really like the sequins" and winked at them causing them all to laugh.
Chuckling, Victor turned in the direction of the house before shouting over his shoulder "I should start calling you Princess Trouble! Gabriel's nickname really suits you!"
I smiled at him but didn't respond, the feel of Luke's arms around me was distracting, especially now that he'd started running his hands up and down my arms.
"Hey, Gabe! Sang is cold, can you grab something for her to wear?" he asked Gabriel who was back to drawing on his sketchbook madly. This made the boys all turn their attention to me again, this time with worry.
Gabriel's head shot up and he locked his eyes on me, frowning softly. He closed his sketchbook and stood up from his bench, mumbling as if annoyed.
"There is no need, Meanie. You can keep drawing if you want." I said, assuming he was irritated at being interrupted.
His bright-blue eyes returned to me, an expression on his face that said I was crazy. "Don't be ridiculous, Trouble! If you are cold you need a coat" He paused, frowning. "Thought I am not sure there is anything in Nathan's closet that will fit you." Looking at me from head to toe he added. "Of course, the clothes you are wearing now don't fit you either..." he mumbled, annoyed.
I blushed, feeling a little self-conscious amid all these well-dressed boys. Their style of clothing were all very different but their clothes were new and high quality. Mine was old and tattered.
"Stop picking on her, Gabe. Her clothes are just fine for now, she only needs a coat." Kota told him, seeing my discomfort.
"No matter what Aggele mou is wearing she is always beautiful." Silas added, his deep, dark eyes fixed intensely on me making me blush even more than before.
"I don't want to be a bother." I said, raising my fingers to my lips. Luke had let go of me while I talked with Gabriel to go and help North with the food.
"Stop fishing for compliments, Trouble. Your clothes are horrible but it doesn't make you any less beautiful." Gabriel said while smirking at me, his hands on his hips. "Now, come on, let's see if we can find something half decent on Nathan's closet." He added before turning around and heading toward the house, clearly expecting me to follow.
Looking at the others I saw that they were all busy with something and paying attention to us anymore. I followed Gabriel until we arrived in a very organized room, with karate movies and jujitsu poses posters along the walls. The closet in the room was walk-in and was completely filled with workout equipment, clothes, boxes and other things.
Walking into the closet Gabriel started fussing with the clothes but didn't seem to find anything to satisfy him. Coming out of the closed he said, "Wait here, Trouble, I think I have something in the other room that might suit you better." Before heading to the bedroom door and disappearing down the hallway.
I sat in the bed to wait for his return wondering where Nathan was. After watching him run inside his home, all sweaty, I hadn't seen him anymore.
A noise by the door made me look up, expecting to see Gabriel, but instead I am met with Nathan... a very naked and startled Nathan...Oh my god!
Blushing like a tomato I squeaked and jumped in the bed, falling to the floor half in my side and half in my back, hitting my head hard. The sound of rushed footsteps and shouting reached me before everything went dark.
AN: this is shorter than my last chapter but I thought you guys would prefer a short update than no update... so here it is.
The next one should come out by Wednesday, hopefully.
I hope you enjoy this... ^^