The perfect timing

After Wyatt had left me I strolled towards the others and plumped down onto the couch, earning curious glances, some discreetly and some more noticeable.

“What did he want to talk about?” Kitty asked me curiously after not even a minute had passed by and Eric nudged her playfully for her bluntness.

“Never heard that curiosity killed the cat?” he questioned her, and she replied with sticking her tongue out.

At the words “cat” Ares barked once, and I smiled at him, while ruffling through his fur. I was, after all, a dog type of girl and not a cat one.

“I don’t like cats either,” I told the little puppy, and he started to waggle his tail, like he understood every word I was saying.

“You don’t?” Reece asked me with an odd smile on his face.

I shrugged, it was no secret that I always had bad experiences with cats. I remember one that bit me, another one that scratched my face and even one that peed onto my lap. No good memories if you asked me.

“Nope, cats and I don’t match,” I answered and shivered at the memories, especially at the last one.

“That is probably why you and Reece match, he is after all kind of dog, with his powers you know,” Kitty then casually told me and Eric had to snort at her comment. Smirking she gave him a high five, and I glanced towards Reece to see his reaction.

For a moment he seemed speechless and couldn’t comprehend what his sister just said about him and then a mischievous smile appeared on his face. Oh no, he was up to something. Without even noticing I slide a bit away from them and at the corner of my eyes I saw Eric doing the same thing.

The next thing we heard was Kitty begging Reece to stop tickling her and trying to get out of her brothers arms.

“What did you just say Cassandra? You are comparing your favorite brother with a smelling and barking animal?” he asked her with an evil smile and not even once stopping to attack her.

At his words Ares barked, and it sounded like he wasn’t pleased to be called as “smelling and barking”. I took him onto my lap and cradled his ear, while whispering into his other ear, “He didn’t mean it like that.”

“Yep, you are the exception Ares,” Reece called out, and I shook my head with a grin.

“None of you want to help me?” Kitty managed to ask us while laughing and Eric and I just looked for a moment at each other and answered, “No.”

“You guys suck,” she called out and Eric blew a kiss towards her.

This got on for a while, until Kitty apologized a million time and even had to tell Reece, what an amazing brother he was. Sometimes it felt like he was the younger one of them.

“But what I also meant to say was, before you started to torture me,” the girl said after making sure that Reece noticed the daggers she was shooting at him.

“I think you are a cute couple and the four of us should go out someday together. I mean I’m sixteen now,” she added with a grin and the atmosphere changed into an awkward one as Reece and I locked eyes.

Both of us had forgotten about Reece telling them we were on a date a few days ago.

“I think we have to leave now.” And without any warning Reece pulled me onto my feet and began to drag me out of the room.

“It gets late and we still want to make it to the hospital before guest hours are over,” he said to me, but still load enough so his sister and Eric could hear him clearly. In other words he wanted to distract Kitty to talk about us being a couple and I didn’t mind at all. I just played along.

“Yes, you are right, we have to go now.” Relived that I was playing along he waved at his sister and walked with long strides out of the room.

“Hey wait, Celia you didn’t tell me what Wyatt wanted,” she called out before we left and I just screamed back that I would tell her later.

“That was close,” Reece sighed in relief and I nodded. It burned on my tongue to tell him that it was actually all his fault that she thought we were a couple in the first place. But I kept my mouth shot, because he just forgave me about yesterday and I didn’t need to start a fight again, even if there could be entertaining sometimes with Reece.

So after that we made our way to the hospital with Reece driving and me texting my aunt that I would head to Nancy again before I came home. After a few seconds I got her reply where she told me that she was taking a night shift again and that she would see me in the hospital before I went home.

The door to Nancy’s room was closed, and I slowly opened it to let Reece and me in. Nothing had changed since the last time I came and I immediately walked next to her and carefully placed her hand into mine. Reece followed me and surprisingly took a hold of her other hand.

As he noticed me starring at him, he gave me a little shrug and a small smile. I could not not smile at his gesture and then we stayed in silence for a bit. We just listened to the monitor that was next to Nancy’s bed and was going on in a steady motion.

“Tell me something about her,” Reece told me after a while of silence and I didn’t have to think long about my answer. I told him about all the times where I went to Nancy when I was little and how much fun we always had. The good memories when we were laughing and some bad ones, like when I burned myself one time when we were baking some cookies.

“She sounds like a lovely woman,” Reece commented after another story of mine and suddenly a deep sadness overcame me. I wanted her so badly to return to herself and visit her at her bakery where she loved to be. She always liked to have people around and make them happy with her cooking skills.

“She is.”

Then there was a knock on the door and my aunt’s head popped slightly out of it. At the sight in front of her a smile formed onto her lips.

“Hey dear,” she said now letting herself fully in and closing the door after her.

“And hello Reece, good to see you,” she greeted him and he grinned at her with one of his boyish smiles.

“Hello Lily,” he greeted her back.

“It’s really nice of you to accompany Celia to the hospital and visit Nancy as well.

“No problem at all. I will also drive her home, because it is already too dark outside,” he added, without even ask me for permission.

Lily smiled at his proposition. She never liked it when I would walk alone outside in the night because in her opinion there were too many bad people. Back then I thought she was overreacting, but now I was sure that her words were truer than she would have thought.

So I didn’t complain and just listened to their conversation, still holding Nancy’s hand. I hoped she would feel the warmth of my hand and that we were there for her.

“That is really nice of you, thank you Reece. But it would be better if you could take her to my friend Jessica’s house. Jessica was Aiden’s mother.

“Why is that?” I asked her in confusion and she bit her lip nervously. What was going on now?

Before she went on to tell us what had happened, she pulled herself a chair next to us and sat down quietly.

“Someone broke into our neighbors flat and I don’t want you to stay alone at home, when something like that just happened today.”

“Oh my god. Is everybody alright?” I immediately asked her and she nodded.

“Yes, it was kind of odd, because the thief’s didn’t take anything. They just destroyed some things and then left.

At her words I immediately looked at his and to my surprise he was already looking at me. We probably had the same thing in mind. Which thief would just leave without some goods? Except if it wasn’t a normal thief and a more devious super human. But the question was still why?

“I hope that is okay with you to stay at Aiden’s house?” my aunt then asked me, but she already knew that this wasn’t a problem at all.

“Of course it isn’t.”

She then looked at Reece and he confirmed that he would drive me to their house.

“You just have to call them and ask for their permission, though I’m sure that it will be fine to stay at their house for tonight.”

After that my aunt had to leave to take care of other patients and Reece and I made our way towards his car. I thought he was more silent after that though I could just imagine things and he didn’t want to interrupt me at calling Aiden. At the end being quiet was unnecessary because neither Aiden nor his mother respond to my calls.

“They don’t answer my calls,” I sighed frustrated after I had tried to call them a million times.

“Maybe, they are already asleep,” Reece suggested.

His next words surprised me more than himself. “You could still come over to my place.”

“What?” I asked him flabbergasted, and he didn’t meet my eye.

“Well, it’s the only solution I have for the moment and you could stay with Kitty,” he quickly answered and I could swear I saw him blushing.

“Are you sure?” I questioned, and he huffed out a laugh.

“It is just a night Celia, you don’t have to move in you know.” Now I was the one blushing. What was I thinking it was just to have a place to sleep for tonight and here I was over thinking things. Reece just was nice enough to invite me and here I was questioning his suggestion.

“Okay sure,” I agreed, and he nodded, before we got into his car.

About 15 minutes later I found myself again in front of the Matthews mansion. It was as breathtaking as it had been the first time I visited and I found myself staring in awe.

“By the way,” Reece said breaking me out of my daydreaming. “Kitty is really excited for tonight. I texted her earlier that you would come over and she can not wait to spent time with you.”

First, I smiled at that, it would be fun to spend the night with her. But then Reece added, “She will probably ask you many things, including our relationship. My smiled faltered at his words and he couldn’t stop grinning at me.

“Was that your plan after all? Me staying here, so I could clarify our so called relationship?” I made air quotes at the word relationship and Reece had the nerve to just shrug.

“Maybe.” He was after all unbelievable. But I couldn’t say anything more because Kitty appeared out of nowhere as we walked through his doorway and the next thing I knew was her dragging me upstairs. This would be an interesting and really long night.

“Have fun,” Reece called out, before we disappeared and it wasn’t impossible for me to not hear his laughter afterwards.