My Brother's Boyfriend ✓

Sixteen

Two days after Christmas something amazing happens.

I hadn't heard from Toby since that call on Christmas day, and I was absolutely terrified that something would happen because this is the longest he's ever gone without contacting me, so it was safe to say I was on high alert.

I'd texted the usual good morning, good night, I love you, I miss you, and are you okay texts, but nothing.

No response.

Radio silence.

Then there's a knock on my door while I'm sitting on the living room couch re-reading my favorite book, and I get up to answer it.

I open the door and I see him. He's standing there, his hands in his pockets, with a huge smile on his stubbly face.

"Toby, what are you doing here?" Is the first thing out of my mouth. I'm so scared that he's here to hurt me, but the smile on his face says otherwise. He looks...happy.

"Visiting you of course," he says and pulls me into a big hug, his large arms wrapping around my smaller frame, completely swallowing me up whole. I'm taken aback, of course, but hug him back nonetheless. I'm so surprised he's here, it doesn't even occur to me that I never told him where I live. All I told him was that I'm from Cheshire.

"I can't believe you're here!" I exclaim, beginning to get excited. I've actually been missing him because he was being so nice to me for a few days, and we haven't spoken for two days, so I just was missing the Toby that I fell in love with.

"I know! I just missed you so much I couldn't wait any longer. I'm staying in a hotel nearby, which means I'll be here for a few days," he tells me and I honestly forget about everything he's done to me so far. I, somehow, forget about the yelling and the accusing and the hitting - instead, I relish in the fact that he came all this way just to see me.

"Come on, let's get out of here," he says after a moment of silence, pressing a tender kiss on my forehead. I feel my cheeks heating up slightly, and I can't believe this is happening. It's almost like he's the guy I fell for in the first place - loving, sweet, and gentle. I love this so much.

"Where do you want to go?" I ask, my voice a bit higher than normal because I'm so caught up in a whirlwind of emotions.

"Where is a good restaurant around here? I want to take my man out to dinner," he says with a big smile on his face and I can't help but reciprocate it, beaming up at my utterly gorgeous boyfriend.

"Um, there's a really good Italian place nearby called Pasta Bella," I offer and his smile widens.

"Sounds perfect, it'll be just like the night I asked you to be mine," he says and presses another kiss onto my lips, this time leaving my cheeks flaming.

I'm swooning.

"Come, my love, let us go," he says all dramatically while holding his arm out for me to take, which I do. I close the front door to my house and he looks down at me, being significantly taller than I am, and beams at me. I can't help but smile right back up at him, and just as brightly.

We walk down the street, arm in arm, and he is cracking jokes left and right. He's being silly and playful and flirty, leaving me falling in love with this man all over again. I'm laughing heartily, I'm smiling a bunch, and I'm blushing even more. What's great is that I'm having so much fun.

He leads us into the restaurant, pulls out my chair for me (like a proper gentleman) and sits across from me, before staring at me with the most adoring eyes I've ever seen. I never thought anyone would look at me like this before - like I put all the stars in the sky. He's looking at me as though I am the sun, moon, and stars all combined, and it's doing something to me.