Despite feeling unwell and completely out of it, Sora managed to convinced me to get out of bed and watch him swim at his meet for his practical exam. Liam and Martha had made a big breakfast for the both of us and I assumed that Sora had already informed them of what had happened last night. I was thankful that they didn't say anything.
As Sora drove us to the Aquatic centre where the pool was used for practical purposes and owned by many private academies. He parked his car amongst others before we both got out and rushed inside, in search for the gym room.
"Okay," Sora said, turning around to face me when he saw his swim team filing inside the room that was not far from us. I met his brown eyes with a smile that I've mustered up. "Find a place on the bench and enjoy yourself. I won't be long, okay?"
I bit my lip and nodded. "Good luck, Sora."
He smiled in return and kissed my forehead before picking up his gym bag from the ground then turned away from me. As I watched him open the door, he hesitated to step inside before he glanced over at me with a smirk.
"I'll always come back to you, Luce," he said with a sincere look on his face before walking into the room filled with coo's from his team.
I couldn't help but slightly blush, butterflies erupting in my stomach as I frowned at it. The last time I felt this way was when I had a crush on Evans-oh no.
Swallowing my saliva, I turned around and seated myself at a bench that wasn't at the back nor at the front but perfectly in the middle. As I sat, I watched numerous people began to file in and wish their sons luck before finding themselves a seat, some silently praying to the Lords above and some eager for the swim meet to start.
Liam and Martha had arrived not long after, taking a seat beside me after both greeting me with a hug. They had asked if I wanted to eat anything but I had only shaken my head before glancing around, wondering if Michael was going to show up.
Martha must've known because she chuckled. "Michael won't be arriving today but he has already wished Sora luck. He has to finish some things up at college."
I nodded in understanding.
Liam cleared his throat, glancing behind me before his eyes widened in shock. A smile danced on his lips as he nudged Martha, causing her to scowl at him before looking in the direction that he had been already looking in.
They both stood up and laughed before simultaneously shouting, "Julian!"
I frowned in confusion before turning around, almost doubling forward when a handsome man, around his late twenties, arrived in a navy blue suit with his raven black hair combed to the back. His hazel eyes, much like Sora's, smiled at the sight of the two elderly.
"Grandma, grandpa," his thick Australian accent coming into play as it suddenly clicked inside my head. Sora's brother. "Ah, who's this sweet-looking girl?" His gaze followed me after greeting his grandparents with a kiss on the cheek before settling into the empty seat beside me.
"Don't even think about it," Martha said jokingly. "Sora already called dibs."
I frowned at Martha, crinkling my nose. I wasn't an object that someone could call "dibs" on.
"Right, you must be Lucinda," Julian said with a smirk that reminded me of his brother's. "I'm Julian, you can call me Juls for short."
I forced a smile on my lips and shook his large hand before clearing my throat. "Nice to meet you."
"Are you just passing by on your business trip?" Liam asked Juls, curiosity sitting in his eyes.
Juls nodded with a faint smile. "Yes, I am to be in Paris for a business meeting then back to Sydney. I stopped by because I heard my baby brother has his finals today."
Martha raised her hand. "Guilty."
"I decided to stop by and show my brother some love," Juls finished with a chuckle. "I haven't seen the bloke since our parents shipped him off."
"Ladies and gentlemen!" the speaker announced, cutting our conversation short as the announcer brought the crowd to his attention. "Welcome to Ocean View Academy's sports examinations."
The examination flew by unbelievably quickly as teams of five came out one by one, and when it was Sora's turn, he beat the clock twelve seconds early, setting a new record time. I watched the judges, nodding with impressed faces clear as day before discussing it with one another.
As Sora heaved himself out of the water, I couldn't help but allowed my eyes to run over his upper naked half of the body. His carved abs painted with water and glowed in the light as he picked up his towel, flexing his muscled biceps as his hazel eyes scanned the crowd.
His eyes met mine for a split second before moving to the pair of eyes beside me, a smirk dancing on his lips as he waved in Juls direction.
"A handsome bloke, don't you think?" Juls asked quietly beside me, slightly making me feel uncomfortable as he shuffled his feet to his left, away from mine.
I shrugged. "Well, he thinks he's quite handsome. I guess that's all that matters, right?"
Juls shook his head in amusement at my response. "Ah, there's that smart mouth Sora told me about."
I raised an eyebrow in confusion. "He told you about me?"
Juls snickered. "We're much closer than you think, even when we live so far from each other."
As everyone filed out of the aquatic centre fifteen minutes later, Liam and Martha excuses themselves to grab a snack while Juls and I waited for Sora outside the centre.
As each swim team member walked out of the centre to meet their parents, dressed in the academy's uniformed jacket, Sora walked out alone, hands in his pockets. A wide smile danced on his lips when his eyes laid on his brother as they both walked towards on another and hugged.
"You've done so well, mate!" Juls exclaimed with a proud smile. "You could literally make it to the olympics."
Sora only shook his head at his brother before glancing at me with a smile, stepping towards me with open arms. I frowned at him in confusion but he only made a look on his face to let me know that I was going to get a hug from him whether I liked it or not.
Sora pulled me into a hug but this time, I didn't fight him and it must've surprised him because he hugged me even tighter than he has ever done before. The warm feeling that settled in my pits of my stomach, making me feel secure in the arms of a male who had been there for me since the day he arrived. He had every opportunity to run but there he was, awaiting in every corner. He slightly pulled away, causing me to blink back to reality and observed my features as if to find any negative feelings I had towards his action.
"Strange," he mumbled under his breath and I couldn't help but chuckled at his words, causing his eyes to slightly widen. "Dare I say it again, strange."
Juls approached us with a bemused look on his face but before he could talk, Martha and Liam made an appearance with a handful of snacks. They both congratulated Sora with proud grins and for a moment, I wondered how it felt to have your family be so proud of you but that moment immediately passed when Juls draped an arm around my shoulders.
"You know, he doesn't chase girls but I'm surprised he's chasing you," Juls whispered quietly as we both watched Sora converse with his grandparents. "So, do pray tell, why are you running from him when you're so clearly in love with him?"
I raised my head at Juls who was already looking down on me, as my heart's rate sightly picked up when I realised that what Juls had just said, may be right after all.
a/n: I hope you enjoyed this chapter and feel free to follow my instagram for updates and weird stuff!! xhttps://www.instagram.com/rosesariella/