Side Story 2-7

Side Story 2-7
Levi

Being in a relationship involves a lot more than I thought it did. It isn't just telling someone you like them and want to be with them. Oh no, it's a lot more than that.
You have to be ready to listen, to offer advice. You have to be ready to cuddle, even if you've had a long day. You have to be ready to make time to go on dates, even if your calendar is full.

You have to be ready to offer all of who you are freely and abundantly. That's what being in a relationship entails, at least for me.
I'm new to this, so all of this is a learning curve for me. But I can't say I'm adverse to the changes I've seen in myself.

I'm more cognizant of my surroundings and the people around me. I'm more empathetic, like I can actually relate to the stories I hear. I can give sympathy when it's needed and be a solid shoulder to cry on when that's necessary, too. I didn't realize how much being a Playboy was stunting my emotional growth.

Not until I stopped being one, and took a long, hard look at my life. Now I have feelings, and I'm not afraid to show them.
I chuckle to myself as I walk through my office. I think Linda has turned me into an emotional idiot. I'm so far gone for her, I can see nothing past her silhouette.

Not that I think it's a bad thing, though. It feels so good to have feelings, to be able to tell and acknowledge how I'm feeling, let alone someone else.
Two years have flown by before I knew it. I couldn't be happier than I am at this moment in time. If I could go back, I would do it all again.

I'm standing in Roxy's office, going over the details for our court appearance tomorrow, when I receive a call from Chase.
"Hey, Chase, my man, what's up?"
"Hey, can you, Roxanne, and Tim meet me at Liam's house in half an hour?" he asks me.

"Liam's house? Why there?" I ask curiously.
"I'll tell you when you get there," he replies.
I say, "This had better be good," before I disconnect the line.

I look at Roxanne, who's looking at me curiously. "Chase wants me, you, and Tim to meet him at Liam's house in half an hour."
"Why?" she asks as if she couldn't hear what I was saying to know that I don't know!
She shakes her head, "Okay, let's grab Tim and go."

I nod and turn, walking out of her office. We head to Tim's office and knock on the door before pushing it open.
Tim sits at his desk, looking at us quizzically as we walk in.
"Chase wants us to meet him at Liam's house in half an hour."

"What for?" Tim asks.
I shrug, "We won't know until we get there. Let's go."

We walk out of Tim's office, out of the building, and to my car. We get inside, and I drive off toward Liam's house.
When we arrive, we all get out of the car and walk to the door. I unlock the door and let us in. We all walk straight to the kitchen.

We see Chase standing in the kitchen by the island. Roxanne, Tim, and I were all looking at him with identical questions on our faces.
Chase starts talking about how the Blessed Mother helped him move on, and he invited us here to meet him. I see red, I'm ready to punch the shit out of his face.

That is, until I notice him gesturing behind us. I turn so quickly so I can see who it is that lured him away from my baby brother. Fated mates, my ass!
I think all of that until I turn around to see who it is, only to find our little brother Liam standing there.

Roxanne, Tim, and I all let out gasps at the sight of him standing before us. It's been two years. Two years since we last laid eyes on him, since we last talked to him, since we last hugged him.
Roxanne breaks from the daze first and rushes over to wrap her arms around Liam.

Tim and I soon follow. I wrap my arms around everyone. It feels so good to have all of my siblings back in one place. To be able to know and see for myself that they are safe.
We end up staying for dinner. Chatting a little about what Liam's been up to in his absence.

After we finish eating, I stand up and say, "Okay, I'm sure y'all are ready for us to get out of your hair. So, we'll leave you lovebirds to it!"
We all clean up our mess, hug Liam, and walk out the door. We get in my car, and I drive us back to our office so they can retrieve their cars.

I rush to Linda's house, because we haven't moved in together yet. That's in the cards, though. I plan on asking her very soon.
I open up the door with the key she gave me and rush inside. She's sitting on the couch reading a book when I run in.

I run over and scoop her up off the couch, swinging her around in my arms. She squeals and wraps her arms around my neck.
"What? What is it, Levi? What are you so happy about?"

I lay a wet kiss smack on her lips before I pull back and yell, "Liam's home!"
She gives me a wide-eyed look, "Really?! That's awesome! I know you guys are happy and excited that he's back!"

I bounce on the balls of my feet a little, "You have no idea! I've been so worried about him these past two years, it's been so hard not knowing if he's doing alright, or if he was even alive!"
"I'm really happy he decided to come home."

She smiles widely at me, then presses a soft kiss to my lips, "I just know you're ecstatic, I'm happy for you guys, that you have your little brother back. I pray that his healing journey was a successful one."
I return her smile, pressing my lips to hers in a deeper kiss. I'll use any excuse I can find to be able to put my mouth on her.
"Thank you, baby. That's all I ever wanted for him. To heal, to return to himself."

She nods, "That's all anyone would want for their family."
I smile again, "Yeah, you should've seen him. He looked so happy and healthy. I don't know what I would've done if he looked gaunt and miserable. That would've made me feel some type of way. That I was out here living my best life, but my brother has been miserable the whole time." I shake my head, "I'm just happy that's not the case."

Linda smiles so prettily at me and says, "I'm happy that isn't the case as well."
I pull her close and kiss from her jaw to her shoulder. "Mm," she hums, trembling against me.

I kiss up her neck until I get to her mouth, where I press my lips to hers in a heated kiss. There's no gentleness in this kiss, only fiery lust and want.
She responds in kind, wrapping her arms around my neck and pushing her fingers into the hair at the base of my neck.

I groan as she rubs her breasts against my chest. I will never be able to get enough of the feel of her against me.
I pick Linda up and carry her upstairs. When I get to her room, I kick the door open and walk inside, tossing her on the bed.