Thirty-eight

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"I'm so tired." Jayden rests face down on the table, his computer beside him.

"I know." I reach over and run a hand through his hair. "We're almost done."

It's our last study session before Jayden has to hand in his term paper. Things have been going well. Ever since I started tutoring him, his grades have increased, and if he gets anything above a C- on this paper, he'll be off academic probation.

We've worked on it for a few weeks now. Jayden took my idea and delved into the German occupation of Denmark during World War II. Specifically, how the Danish government cooperated with Germany until they refused to reinstate the death penalty in 1943, and the German occupiers also took over the government.

It's been really interesting to watch Jayden discover things about a part of his heritage. Through working on this paper, he's learned a lot of Danish history, and I see a glimmer of interest now and then when he reads something new.

He'll deny it, though.

Over his dead body, will he ever admit to liking history. I find it kind of adorable.

We've stuck to our Wednesday plans, but today is Saturday. We had to work through the weekend since the paper is due on Monday.

I'd reviewed his work before our session Wednesday when I gave him my notes. So today, we went over his improvements, and I'm impressed. He's come a long way.

Now he's dog-tired too. Morning practice, then straight to the hotel for tutoring. I just dipped home quickly after being with Max to take a shower. There's something inherently wrong about showing up to your workplace when you're not scheduled to work.

But this is where we've held every one of our study sessions, and I believe that environment is an important factor. Why mess with success?

Plus, if we'd done it at either of our places, there's no guarantee we would have studied much.

"Jay," I say quietly, watching as he rolls his head to the side so he can look at me with bleary eyes.

"Yeah?"

"I did some digging..." I bite the inside of my lip. "I looked up your grandfather."

For the last month, I've been searching for Jayden's relatives. It turned out to be easy enough to find his grandfather. There weren't many Bjรธrn Sennels born in the years after the war.

Jayden lifts his head, brows furrowing. "You did?"

I nod, fighting the apprehension. I'm a bit afraid that I overstepped. Jayden never seemed much interested in his father's side of the family, seeing how they essentially disowned him after he married Jayden's mother.

"And?" he asks in a tight voice, one hand fisted on the table, the other digging into the wood with his fingernails.

"As assumed your grandfather is dead. He died five years ago. I haven't looked too much into your immediate family still in Romania since I wasn't sure if you wanted to reconnect with them, but it turned out that when your grandfather moved to Romania, his family stayed in Denmark."

I hold my breath, waiting as Jayden takes in this information. I hope I wasn't too insensitive when revealing his grandfather's death, but it doesn't seem to bother him. He's still just frowning at the table.

"Um. His parents died a long time ago, but he had a sister. It took me a while to track her down since she changed her last name after getting married. Goes by Hansen now," I say, hoping I'm pronouncing that right. Jayden lifts his gaze slowly.

"She's still alive?"

"Yeah. She's in her late eighties, but she has kids. And those kids have kids."

A bit of wonder spreads in Jayden's expression. "My father's cousins?"

I send him a small smile. "Yes. Your father's cousins. Quite a few of them, too. Anyways, I have their names, and I found at least one on Facebook. It's your call what to do about it, but I just wanted to give you the chance... You know, if you ever wanted to get to know them."

For the past twelve years since his mother's death, Jayden's family has consisted of one person; Ollie.

Now I just told him he has a dozen relatives out there somewhere. It must be a lot to take in.

But a guy like Jayden... He deserves to know he's not alone in the world.

Jayden is staring at me, unblinking, and I fiddle with my fingers. "I'm sorry if I overstepped. You can just ignore it if you want. I won't tell you their-"

Before I get any further, Jayden rises out of his seat, rounds the table, and picks me up in a big hug. "Thank you, Fie," he mumbles into my hair.

The tension seeps out of me, and I melt into Jayden, wrapping my arms around him too. "Anytime," I say, and the pang in my chest tells me just how much I mean that.

Anything he needs.

๐ŸŠโ€โ™‚๏ธ

"Are you ready?" Jayden looks over at me from the driver's side of his truck, his lips quirked, with a knowing look in his eyes like he can see just how close I am to jumping out and running off.

My eyes fall on the house in front of us, a cute little blue house that Jayden told me he helped paint last summer.

We've been sitting here for ten minutes, and I feel no less nauseous.

He's just a child, Sophie.

We came here straight after the study session. Jayden always spends a few hours here on Saturdays between practices.

I turn back to Jayden, forcing a smile onto my face. "Let's do it."

He grasps my hand as we walk through the picket fence and approach the house. I don't know if it's to comfort or restrain me, but I cling to it either way.

Jayden is introducing me to his baby brother, and I think there's a genuine chance I might vomit.

With a quick kiss on my cheek, Jayden knocks. I barely even have time to collect myself before the door is opened by a plump woman greeting us with a big smile.

"Jay!" she says, her dark gaze turning to me, taking me in, landing on our grasped hands. A small smile plays on her lips. She extends a hand. "Hola, I'm Antonella."

I shake her hand. "Hi, I'm Sophie."

"Oh, trust me, I know," she says as she ushers us inside the house. "I've heard a lot about you."

She smirks at Jayden, who scowls in return. There's something so comfortable in their teasing that it makes my heart hurt a little bit.

The space is small and quaint, but every inch of the wall in the hall is covered in pictures and drawings and whatnot. Jayden is in quite a few of the pictures, some down to when he must have been a teenager. And in every photo, there's a little boy next to Jayden, growing taller from picture to picture until he's all lanky and boyish charm in the most recent one.

Jayden and his younger brother are standing beside a pool, Jayden in swimwear and an easy grin on his face. Several banners with the Olympic rings in the background tell me this was taken in Paris last summer.

And from the anticipation in Jayden's eyes, it was probably taken before the final.

Antonella steps around us, bringing me back to the present. "I'll make lunch, and you guys can go to Ollie's room." She turns to a door at the end of the hall. "Hijo, Jayden's here," she yells before turning around and heading in the other direction.

Jayden places a hand on the small of my back, leading me down the hall. "Don't worry, it'll be fine," he says under his breath, and I try to relax my shoulders.

Jayden knocks on the door, waiting until we hear a voice granting us entrance. Jayden walks in first, his large frame filling most of the doorway and obstructing the room from my view.

Also, subsequently obstructing me from the view of anyone inside the room.

"JJ." His brother's voice is slightly high-pitched, and I'm guessing it hasn't dropped yet.

"Hi, man," Jayden says, moving further into the room, and I get my first view of it.

It's small, with a window turning towards the garden and a bed taking up much of the floor space. But it wouldn't have felt too crowded if it weren't for all of the books.

Every available surface is littered with hardbacks, paperbacks, comic books; you name it.

I already like this kid.

"Ol, I would like you to meet Sophie," Jayden says, taking a step to the side so I can see his brother sitting on the bed.

He already looks a bit changed from the picture I just saw, maybe a few inches taller, his hair shorter. Also, the cast on his left arm. He shares a lot of similarities to Jayden. The same brown hair. The same blue eyes. And I'm guessing he'll be pretty tall one day. They must have gotten those things from their mom.

But if you look close enough, they've each inherited a few things from their respective fathers. Jayden's skin is a few shades darker. Only so much that you could explain it with a tan if it weren't December in Michigan. And their noses are different too.

But anyone looking at them could tell that they are brothers.

"Hello, Ollie. I'm Sophie," I say, still standing in the doorway. I'm afraid the room will feel too cramped if I come inside too, and also, the slightly hostile look on Ollie's face keeps me rooted to the spot.

His eyes are narrowed slightly, and he watches me with a sullen look, not answering my greeting.

Surprisingly, it's the clear mistrust shining from Ollie that finally makes me relax. I can do unfriendly.

It's not exactly the first time anyone has looked at me like that, and I would probably be a little suspicious meeting the significant other of my sibling too. Jen is the closest I have to a sister, and just look at how I've treated Davis.

Jayden shuffles on the spot, casting a pleading look at Ollie, but his eyes are turned down to the book in his lap.

I lean against the doorframe, crossing my arms. "What are you reading?"

Ollie's brows furrow, his eyes staying on the page. "Philosopher's stone," he mumbles in a low voice.

I nod, not surprised that he answered. A bookworm takes any chance to discuss books, and by the look of it, Ollie is just as much of a bookworm as I am.

"You got the British version, huh?"

His head swipes to the side, and he looks a little mad that he betrayed any interest, yet he can't help himself from asking, "you know the Harry Potter books?"

I grin, casting a sly look at Jayden. "I think it's only your brother who's missed those completely. They were quite big when we were growing up."

Ollie snickers. "JJ hates books."

I smile conspiratorially. "I know."

He lowers the book to his lap. "You've read Harry Potter?"

I take a small step inside the room, spotting a desk chair in the corner. I keep standing, though. "Yeah, a couple of times. I have all of them at home. I even got a copy of Sorcerer's Stone."

A slow smile begins to spread on Ollie's face.

Jayden takes a seat on the bed too. "Fie has tons of books. Even more than you," he says, ruffling his brother's hair.

Ollie stiffens a bit, his eyes cutting to me and back to his brother, his brows furrowing again. I'm not sure what did it, but the hostility is back. I doubt it was the mention of my extensive book collection, though.

Jayden doesn't notice.

"Which one is your favorite?" I ask Ollie, nodding to the book in his lap. I'm guessing this isn't the first time he's read the series by the battered look of the copy of Philosopher's Stone.

He refastens his eyes on the book, fiddling with the corner of the page. He likes to put in dog ears, it seems. Blasphemy. But we don't need to get into that discussion right now.

He waits a few beats, stubbornly ignoring the desire to answer me. "Prisoner of Azkaban," he finally mumbles.

I can't help the grin tugging at my lips. The kid's got taste.

I slowly ease into a sitting position on the desk chair. "That's my favorite too. Well, it's tied with Order of the Phoenix."

He frowns, staring intently at the book. But he slips up, his eyes darting to me for a second before they fly back. I saw the curiosity shining in them, though.

"Do you read a lot of fantasy?" I ask, my gaze searching the piles of books, recognizing many of the titles.

Finally, it's too much, and Ollie throws the book aside, facing me fully. "Yeah. Have you ever heard of the Percy Jackson series?"

There's a challenge in his voice, and he looks at me with a slightly raised eyebrow. I control my urge to smile, instead nodding seriously. "I have. Have you ever heard of the Heroes of Olympus books?"

His eyebrows shoot up, glee entering his expression. "Yeah, I love those!"

He hurries to the windowsill retrieving one of said books, coming over to show me the copy. I catch Jayden's eye shortly, and there's a look of wonder in his expression that makes my stomach knot.

With Ollie's back turned to me, I send Jayden a short wink, and then I turn my attention back towards his younger brother while we discuss every YA fantasy book under the sun.

๐ŸŠโ€โ™‚๏ธ

After lunch, Ollie gets a puzzle from his room and takes it to the living room, sitting down on the floor to do it. Jayden sits down beside him, and Ollie's eyes flicker up to mine. With a slightly shy smile, he asks if I want to help them with it.

It's a 2000-piece puzzle, so I assume we'll all have plenty to do, and a warm feeling tucks in my stomach at Ollie's invitation, so I plop down with them, helping to find the edge pieces first.

While we work, Jayden asks Ollie how school's going, which classes he's doing well in, and how much he misses the skateboard.

Ollie tells me about his injury, exaggerating the excitement of it all a little by the sound of it but explaining that he'll be in a cast until after Christmas.

"Usually, he could do this puzzle by himself, but he needs our help with that thing on his arms," Jayden says, nodding to the cast, which has been covered in colored markers, people writing well wishes on it. I see Jayden's messy scrawl around the wrist.

Ollie elbows his brother's side with his good arm, an offended look on his face. "I don't need your help; I'm just being polite."

I look down at the piece in my hand to hide the smile on my face as they bicker.

I excuse myself to the bathroom when we've laid all the edges. As I return, I pause in the archway, leaning against the wall, watching the two of them.

Jayden is wholly absorbed in the task, excitedly exclaiming every time he finds a piece that fits. Ollie works concentratedly too, but not without poking fun at his big brother from time to time.

I don't think I've ever seen Jayden this much at ease. Not even at the sectional meet last weekend. He'd been in his element then, but this... this is his home.

Even if he's never lived in this house, sitting with his younger brother laying a puzzle and laughing, this is where he feels most at home. My chest grows and constricts at the same time. It's an odd emotion.

"They're like two peas in a pot."

I almost jump in surprise as Antonella speaks from behind me. She walks to my side, watching the two brothers work too. Neither of them has noticed us lingering there.

Antonella is like half my height, but she exudes so much motherly warmth, especially when she looks at Ollie.

"They seem quite different," I admit.

Jayden is a jock, basically. A kind-hearted, energy-filled, slightly stupid but very lovable jock. Ollie is quieter, a bit more reserved. I pick him to be the kind of kid who's a part of several clubs at school but who likes to come home and read alone in his room at night too.

"They are." Antonella nods. "And yet they are inseparable. You can't tear them apart..." She turns her eyes to me, and I hear the meaning behind her words. Her voice drops so that Ollie won't hear. "Jayden tell you?"

"Yeah. When do you leave?"

"I have to move at the end of January." Her eyes turn sad, and she sneaks a glance at the boy on the floor. "I wish I could take him with me... But I couldn't do that to either of them."

My heart hurts with sympathy for this woman I only just met. Doing the most motherly thing she could and putting her kid's needs before her own.

"We have to tell him soon," she says, worry covering her face. "But Jayden's been pushing it, and well, I haven't really wanted to do it either."

I'm not sure what to say. I've never been in this position. "I'm sorry."

She smiles sadly. "It's okay, cariรฑo." She pats my hand, her eyes boring into mine. "They're going to need someone when I'm gone. Especially Jayden. I think it will be hardest on him if Ollie ends with someone else."

I swallow, my eyes flickering to the two brothers. Jayden lifts his head at that moment, smiling warmly at me, and that familiar flip in my chest appears again. I turn to Antonella, frowning slightly. "I don't know what I can do."

But she shakes her head. "I think you do. You know, Jayden has never brought a girl here, not even that girlfriend he had when he graduated high school. You're special."

So much freaking flipping, but also a deeply buried sense of dread. What if I can't be what they need?


A/N:ย 
Ollie and Sophie are kind of cute ๐Ÿฅบ

What do you think will happen next? โžก๏ธ

Exciting news! I just finished writing the last chapter. I really want to complete this book before the wattys entry closes August 19th. Which means that for the next week and a half I'll be editing and uploading the rest of the book ๐Ÿ“š

There are 53 chapters in total, so 15 to go. You have the best and worst yet to come... ๐Ÿ‘€

Thank you for all the love on this book so far. It means the world to me ๐Ÿฅฐ

- Hanna ๐Ÿ’™


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