Chapter 195 - The Hank Siblings

"Are you still mad at me?" Sonia asked Bryan after Matt left them saying he needed to check on someone.

"Would I be talking to you if I was mad?" Bryan asked as he poured some cereals into a bowl and added milk to it.

"Maybe not. I can't shake off the feeling that you're just talking to me but you're still upset with me," Sonia told Bryan who was now raising a spoonful of cereals into his mouth.

His hand stopped midway, "I'm sure it's just your conscience pricking you for treating me so unfairly," Bryan said dryly as he started eating.

"All this drama simply because I refused to share the shower with you?" Sonia asked with a shake of her head. 

"Really? Why are you still bringing that up?" Bryan asked, trying not to sound irritated over the way Sonia was going on and on about it. 

"I'm still bringing it up because of the way you're acting," Sonia pointed out and Bryan shook his head. 

"Seriously, Sonia? I'm not going to continue having this discussion with you. Goodnight," he said as he placed his bowl of cereals on his thigh and held it with one hand, before using the other hand to turn his wheelchair around and move it away from the dining.

"Okay, wait! Don't leave," Sonia called back, not wanting them to escalate things more than was necessary. She didn't want them to quarrel over something as minor as this, "I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry. I will drop the topic," Sonia promised as she followed him, and stood in front of his wheelchair blocking his path.

Bryan said nothing as he munched on the cereals he was eating while looking at her with a blank expression.

"Come on, I said I'm sorry," Sonia pleaded, going to sit on his thighs and taking the bowl of cereal from him.

"I've heard you."

"Why don't we give your brother a call right now," Sonia suggested, as she wanted them to talk about something that didn't relate to the both of them. 

"Okay," Bryan said as he reached into the pocket of the combat short he was wearing and took out his phone so that they could give Tom a call.

Meanwhile, Tom sat outside his apartment as he waited for Lucy to return. He stood up when he sighted the flashlight of a car coming from the distance, and sighed when it moved closer and he realized it wasn't Lucy's car. The same thing happened about three more times before Lucy finally arrived. 

"What took you so long? I was worried about you," Tom complained as he stood by the driver's door while she parked the car, and then he opened the door and held it out for her to get out of the car. 

"You missed me, huh?" Lucy asked with a wide smile as she embraced him. She had to admit that it felt good to have someone waiting for her this way. She couldn't count the number of times Tom had called her, urging her to be on her way. She couldn't tell if it was just because he was missing her or maybe it was because she was hanging out with Anita and it made him uncomfortable. Whichever it was, it just felt good having him whine on the phone.

"Of course, I did. You said you were going to spend just an hour with her, but you spent over two hours with her," Tom complained as he hugged her back. 

"Sorry. I lost track of time until your call came in, and then I couldn't leave immediately as there was a music performance I was enjoying," Lucy explained apologetically as she pulled away from him. 

"It's fine as long as you are home now," Tom murmured as he looked into her face with a small smile that tugged at her heart.

"I should freshen up. I will meet you at your place in twenty minutes," Lucy said as she glanced at her wristwatch.

"How am I sure you won't lose track of time again?" Tom asked dryly, and she giggled.

"If I do you can just come over to remind me. I'm famished though, so don't worry I won't lose track of time. I've been chewing on antacids for the last couple of minutes because of a minor ulcer pain I'm feeling, so I really need to eat. I skipped breakfast and lunch," Lucy reminded him, making Tom suddenly feel guilty.

"I'm sorry, I will make an arrangement for breakfast and lunch to be delivered to the office whenever I'm unable to get it myself," he said apologetically.

"You had better," Lucy threatened with a happy smile, and before any of them could say anything else Tom's cellphone began to ring with a call from Bryan.

"It's Bryan," he informed Lucy.

"Don't let him know we made up already," Lucy rushed to say before Tom could receive the call.

"Why? What should I say then?" He asked with a slight frown.

"Well, you could just say I'm still being mean to you. I resumed work at the office but I'm not talking to you yet," Lucy said with a shrug as she took off her glasses to rub her eyes. 

"And what about Sonia? Are you going to tell her the same thing?" Tom asked, looking at her curiously.

"Let me worry about that. Just don't let your brother know we made up yet," Lucy said as she walked away while giving him the privacy he needed to receive the call.

"Hey!" Tom greeted Bryan in a weary tone once he received the call.

"Are you okay?" Bryan asked in concern.

"I don't know. Maybe," Tom said, not knowing what he was supposed to say.

"You sound like you're tired or depressed. Is it Lucy? Is she giving you a hard time?" Bryan asked as he exchanged a glance with Sonia who was seated on the couch next to him with his bowl of cereal between them. Instead of one spoon, there were two spoons in the bowl as they ate together.

"Maybe I'm feeling both tired and depressed. Lucy really did a good job of frustrating me all through the day," Tom said, at least that wasn't a lie. Lucy had really frustrated him initially until he found a way to play along. 

"She did? What did she do?" Bryan asked, echoing the question on Sonia's mind. 

"She completely ignored me today. She acted like I don't exist," Tom explained.

"But she was at the office, right? That must mean she isn't very mad," Bryan thought rationally.

"I don't think so. It feels more like she decided to forget all about me and what we shared. You know indifference is the opposite of love, not hatred, right? She treated me like I was nothing other than her boss," Tom lied, and Sonia's brows furrowed together in a frown. 

"Wow! I don't know what to say about that. No lady has ever treated me that way," Bryan murmured. 

"Really, Bryan? That's really so helpful," Tom muttered.

"I'm sorry. Anyway, Sonia is here. Maybe it would help if you speak with her. I'm sure she can talk to Lucy on your behalf," Bryan suggested as he passed the phone to Sonia.

"Hello, Mr. Hank!" Sonia greeted politely.

"Tom is fine. Just Tom," he pleaded. 

"Alright," Sonia said, and remained silent as she waited for him to say something else. 

"How have you been? I hope you're both taking good care of each other?" Tom asked, not wanting to lie to Lucy's friend too.

"Sure, we have. I'm sorry about your situation with Lucy. I know it must not be easy on you, but I'm also sure you understand why she is acting that way," Sonia said, and Tom sighed.

"Yeah. I just wish she would also understand I didn't mean to hurt her or deceive her," Tom said sadly.

"She will eventually realize that. Just be patient with her. I will try my best to talk to her too," Sonia promised.

"I will really appreciate that. Thanks," Tom said and then Sonia returned the phone to Bryan.

"Everything will be alright bro. Don't worry, I'm sure if she's truly yours she will find her way back to you," Bryan said hopefully.

"Oh, no! Please don't ever say something like that to me. The last time you gave me that advice, we were kids. I let that bird go and it never came back," Tom said with a groan and Bryan laughed out loud at the memory. 

Tom cleared his throat when something else occurred to him, "By the way, please do not tell Jade about what's going on between me and Lucy. I mean don't let her know Lucy knows the truth now," Tom pleaded, reasoning that if Jade hears about it, she was likely going to also tell Harry about it, and Lucy didn't want Harry to know about it yet. 

"Why not?" Bryan asked curiously.

"Well, she has a lot of drama going on in her life at the moment and I really don't want to add mine to it," Tom said before going on to explain the threat Jade had received at her apartment and how he had sent Harry to watch over her.

"You mean she is living with Harry, right now?" Bryan asked with a scowl, not liking the idea that his little sister was living with a man who wasn't her boyfriend. 

"Yes. Do you have a problem with it? Would you rather travel down there to protect her?" Tom asked when he heard the displeasure in Bryan's tone.

"Well, maybe not. But you do know that anything could happen between them, right?" Bryan asked thoughtfully.

"Do you have a problem with something happening between them? They are both responsible adults who are single. You should pray something happens between them, at least that way Jade would stop living such a solitary life thinking about that jerk," Tom said, and Bryan sighed.

"I will just give her a call now. Goodnight," Bryan said as he hung up. 

"Who is Harry?" Sonia asked curiously.

"He is Tom's best friend and right-hand man," Bryan answered as he scrolled through his phone for Jade's number.

"Tom doesn't seem to have a problem with his best friend getting involved with your sister," Sonia observed.

"That's possibly because Harry is a good guy, exactly like Tom," Bryan explained.

"Perfect."

Sonia's lips curved in a smile as she got another idea for her story. At this rate, her novel was going to be a trilogy. The title was going to be something about the Hank siblings. They all seemed to be having a lot of interesting stuff going on with them at the same time.. All she was going to do was work towards a happy ending for her and Lucy, and then she would plan the perfect Christmas story for Harry and Jade.