| edited

theo

He was surprised that his room looked like he never left it and he was beginning to doubt the fact that he was in a different country for years. Everything was as he left it - the sock he left under his desk because he could never be bothered to pick it up and the little birthday card Flora made him one year sitting proudly where it always was on his windowsill.

However, it was clear someone had been cleaning his room because there was not a single spec of dust in sight.

With jet lag weighing down on his body, Theo fell unconscious as soon as his head hit the puffy white pillow and the strong scent of the same laundry detergent he grew up with consumed his air, admittedly bringing a slight smile.

He slept the rest of the day away but still felt incredibly exhausted when he woke up to the deafening shriek of his sister. "Mum! I can't find my white skinny jeans!"

And with that, he was reminded of how much he hated mornings.

Theo heard his mother scold her from outside his room, "darling, you don't have to shout because you'll wake your brother up. And you asked Elisa to put them in the wash, remember. I'm sure you'll find them in the dryer."

Footsteps followed so he assumed they had finally left but after a few minutes, he heard the sound of shoes running up the stairs, before Kate's mumbled voice spoke through the door saying, "the grump's been asleep since yesterday. Ugly f*cker needs his beauty sleep."

Deciding he wasn't going to get more sleep, he put some pants on and swung open the door, making his sister jump in surprise. "Thanks for letting me sleep," he said with heavy sarcasm dripping from his voice but then he took notice of what she was wearing and immediately, he shook his head. "No. No. No. No. No. You are not wearing that."

She cocked her hip and looked down at her stripy bandeau stop and ripped high waisted skinny jeans. "And what is the problem?" Kate asked, raising her obviously drawn eyebrow at him, daring him to say something mean.

"You're literally going to school in a bra." He deadpanned, before giving her an incredulous look when her expression didn't change. "How do you see no problem with this?" He practically yelled, getting angry at the thought of immature teenage boys ogling his little sister and even more angry at the fact that she thought it was normal. Maybe it was ok for other girls but it sure wasn't for his kid sister, who in his mind was growing up way too quickly.

She rolled her eyes, irritating him further. "Don't be so old grandpa. I'm 18. I'm literally an adult!"

"Not to me you're not. At least put a coat over it or something." He ignored her little insult and folded his arms, telling her he wasn't going to let it go.

"Fine." She disappeared into her room, stomping her feet childishly as she went, and came back with half a jean jacket. HALF a jean jacket. "Happy?"

He gritted his teeth at her mocking smile. Giving up, he accepted that he wasn't going to win and just walked away to brush his teeth, wondering how he got so old so quickly, even at just twenty two.

While he got ready for the day ahead, the painful rumble of his stomach made him realise he hadn't eaten since yesterday afternoon so he jogged to the kitchen where a maid he had never seen before was making pancakes for a clearly impatient Kate.

"Good morning, sir. What would you like for breakfast?" the maid asked, looking slightly intimidated by his large stature.

"Just pancakes for me, thanks." He poured himself some tea and sat on the kitchen stool next to Kate. Looking at the dirty plates in the sink, he guessed that both parents were already at work.

He ate his breakfast in silence, noting to himself that his tasted pancake recipe a lot better but decided it would be best to keep that opinion to himself. Kate ate hers with a scowl that seemed to be permanently plastered on her face ever since he came back. What had happened to my bubbly little sister?

Somehow, he could sense that she was dying to say something to him, probably still seething over their conversation from earlier. Eventually, she cracked and spat, "I'm not a slut."

His confusion was evident before he narrowed his eyes at the accusation as he said, "I never said you were. Do tell me who I need to have words with if they have called you a slut." His words had a protective edge in them.

"I just don't get what the big deal is. I mean, Flora wears stuff like this all the time," she muttered, tapping her phone screen absentmindedly as if she never said anything at all.

Her unexpected words were announced at the same time he was drinking so he barely stopped himself from covering the table with orange juice. Spluttering, he eventually said, "no she doesn't." His sweet girl wouldn't wear that stuff. Flora was the kind to wear oversized sweaters or flowy dresses in fear of being confined in her clothes.

Kate just smirked and shrugged at him. "Maybe not in front of you."

She was playing with him. It was obvious and he knew Flora better than anyone did, five years hasn't changed that. But the thought of her dressing up for someone else, wasn't a thought that settled well in his stomach.

"Oops. Got to go. Don't want to be late." She said in a sing-song voice, knowing that her words had gotten to him.

Theo glared at the back of Kate as she practically skipped out of her door with her designer bag swung over her shoulder.

But when he realised that this was the perfect opportunity to see his princess, he yelled, "wait!" When she stopped and turned around with a raised eyebrow, he asked, "I'm driving you to school."

He walked past her while she tried to compose herself with the shock of the announcement leaving her mouth gaping open. "W-why?"

"Can't I be a nice big brother for once?" He said with a smirk and opened the door, feeling the warm air caress the skin exposed from his t-shirt.

"Never bothered to be before." She muttered and pushed past him to get in the car. "We have to drive Flora too 'cause she doesn't like taking the bus by herself."

He nearly rolled his eyes at the fact that his sister thought she could tell him something about his Flora that he didn't already know. Jogging a few short steps to next door, he knocked thrice and waited patiently with his hands behind his back.

The black painted door opened to reveal Flora's monster of a mother in her tightly pulled back hair and layers of poorly applied makeup to hide her ageing face. She scowled when she saw him but as always, put on a tight lipped smile. "Oh hello, Theo. Welcome back."

"Thank you," He forced himself to say. He never liked the woman. She looked down at people like they were a piece of dirt and only those with a high status and wealth would be deemed worthy enough to have her bend over backwards to please them. Her false personality deceived his parents into thinking she was a wonderful and kind woman, and only because of her desperate friendship with them, did she tolerate Theo with fake friendliness.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" She asked, already inching the door closed. Her stiletto blood red nails tapped the wood annoyingly as she talked.

"I'm driving Flora to school." He stated, smiling through gritted teeth as he left her with no room to discuss the statement.

Her nose flared but again, an ugly smile appeared on her face and she said, "you are? Well, she'll be out soon."

"I'll wait here then." Five minutes lasted a lifetime while he was left to stand awkwardly in front of Mrs. Stone. He had to resist the temptation to fill the dreadful silence with small talk. Theo wished that one of Flora's, usually endearing, habits wasn't her always being late or barely on time.

Eventually, he heard the pitter patter of footsteps on their polished hardwood floors and saw the sway of Flora's dress behind her mother. "Flora, Theo is here to drive you to school." Mrs Stone said without turning around to face her daughter. She flashed him a smile but it left as soon as it came.

His mouth twitched when he heard her little intake of breath and then saw her try to squeeze past her mother's tall frame. "O-ok. Bye mother."

"Goodbye, darling. Have a wonderful day at school." She said, slamming the door as soon as she finished her rehearsed farewell.

Theo smiled genuinely for the first time that morning as he watched Flora fidget on her feet nervously in her knee length daisy print dress, looking like the epiphany of angelic . "Thank you for driving me. You don't have to though. I can just take the bus." She said quietly with the sweet smile that he adored.

Lightly grazing her pink cheek with his finger, he teased, "don't be silly, Princess. With your habit of being late, I'm surprised you ever make the bus on time."

She blushed a perfect hue of red and fidgeted some more, before pointing to his car. "Kate's waiting for us. Let's go."

Deciding not to tease her more, he grabbed her dainty hand and led her to his car and then opened the back door for her like a gentleman. Meanwhile, Kate had occupied the front seat and had made herself comfortable with her dirty feet on the leather seats. Not wanting to start a fight in front of Flora, he didn't say anything and swallowed his irritation.

"Seatbelts on." He called out, looking in the rear-view mirror to see Flora's mouth turn into a little 'o' as she scrambled to get the seatbelt on in time, before relaxing once she heard the click. He chuckled lightly to himself when he saw her wiggling her bottom into the leather seats as if to get comfortable and stroking the interior of his car in awe. At least someone cared about the car.

Throughout the car ride, nobody spoke and had to endure Kate's terrible music choice but when Theo finally had enough of that, they were left with the quiet hum of the car. Finally, they reached the school and as soon as he parked, Kate jumped out saying, "I'll meet you in class, Flo. Don't want to get another late mark 'cause of this slow-driving grandpa."

"Hey! You should be grateful I drove your ungrateful arse," he said, grinding his teeth in vexation.

She flipped him off without turning around and walked swiftly inside the building. Theo turned to look at Flora, wondering how on Earth she was best friends with someone like his sister. When she didn't leave for class, he cocked his head in question.

"I forgot to be mad at you yesterday." she said with her eyebrows scrunched as if she was mad at herself for doing such a thing.

Amused, he stepped closer, which caused her to step back so she was against the car. "And why would you be angry at me? Hmm? After I so graciously took time out of my very busy morning to be your chauffeur?" He said, looking into her eyes while she tried ridiculously hard to avoid his.

"B-because you left." She said sadly.

Oh. He forgot about that.

He pulled her to his chest and wrapped his arms around her, his chin resting lightly on her head. Trying to make his voice softer than it has ever been before, he said, "but I didn't want to leave and I'm back now. I won't leave again. I promise."

She sniffled, sending a piercing pain through him, and nodded in his chest. She didn't make any attempt to let go so unfortunately, he had to be the responsible one and separate himself from her. "You're going to be late so get to class and we'll talk about this later. I'll make it up to you, ok?"

Flora nodded again but he knew she was still bothered by his departure five years ago and it would probably take more than a conversation to make up for it. Luckily, he had all the time in the world to make everything better.

"Oh! I got you this," he reached into the glove department of his car and retrieved some breakfast bars, "I know you sometimes skip breakfast." Finally, his Flora's face lit up as she took them all and stuffed them in her pockets. "Do you have money for dinner?" God knows how many times she's come home with an empty stomach after her parents have forgotten to give her dinner money.

When she nodded again, he repeated the question, frustrated with not hearing her melodic voice. "Yeah." Flora eventually said.

"Good. Now get to class, princess." He said.

She started to turn around, hesitating as if she was thinking about something, and then suddenly, jumped up to kiss his cheek. It was only a light brush of contact but it still made his cheek warm up at the sign of affection.

"Thank you," she squeaked and ran off before he could reply.

~~~

After driving the girls to college, he decided it was time to start looking for a job like he had planned to do. When he got to the town centre, the streets were quiet and partially empty. It was early in the morning so most people were in school or work and if they had neither, they'd be lying in bed sleeping their troubles away.

He handed his CV to a plethora of shops and the ones that had a vacancy all turned away at the sight of him and his display of tattoos after recognising it was the same Theo Knight that had fights in the streets and vandalised public property. No matter what it said on his CV, they valued the rumours more.

It felt like he had wasted his day just to be rejected repeatedly by close-minded people and he was ashamed to admit it was feeling a little deflated by it.

Seeing that it was early afternoon, Theo thought a break would be best. He walked into a small café with a beautiful display of cakes in the window and a welcoming, homely vibe. There were only a couple of people in the café, leaving it nearly empty so he didn't have to wait in line.

A greying elderly lady greeted him with a smile while he ordered a coffee. He thought she'd look down at him in disdain when he saw her eyeing the art on his arms, uncovered by his short sleeve top. But, he was surprised when her friendly expression didn't falter, if anything it increased further.

He grumbled a thanks when she passed him his coffee and walked to a table towards the back of the room away from everyone else.

Surprisingly, his mood got better in the time he spent there. Staring at the CVs in his hand, he knew that they were good and if he was someone else, they wouldn't hesitate to hire him. But he wasn't someone else and in his opinion, it was their loss.

A loud sound of plates smashing onto the ground made his head whip to the source. A lanky guy, near his age probably, was looking distraught as he bent to pick up the shards of porcelain only to be stopped by the old woman smiling kindly at him, comforting him while he apologised profusely.

He didn't know whether he was more surprised at the kindness of the woman or the fact that she had hired the guy in the first place. The guy had a messy mop of blonde hair covering part of his sickly pale white skin and dirty unkempt clothes hidden under a small pink apron.

It was a long shot but he thought, if anyone would hire him, the old lady with a grandmotherly vibe would be his best chance at a job.

Gathering his courage, he walked over to her as she was wiping down the counter while cautiously watching over the weak looking guy while he swept up the mess. "Are you hiring?" He was aware that maybe he should've asked in a less threatening tone but it was too late.

"Do you want a job?" she asked with that old person wobble in her voice.

He nodded and handed her one of his CVs. "I've got experience in making desserts and serving. I've also got quali-"

"You're hired."

His eyebrows raised in surprise but he couldn't help but be a little suspicious. "That simple?"

"Of course. Can you start tomorrow?" She asked, her eyes crinkling in amusement of his reaction.

"Yes, absolutely. Thank you." Gratitude was evident in his voice and his expression but he didn't try to hide it. This woman was risking her reputation by hiring him, whether she knew it or not.

"Great. I'll get Tommy to call you with the details. The number on the CV right?"

He nodded and assumed that Tommy was the person who was eyeing him with curiosity and unexpectedly, awe. Creepy. "Thank you, Miss..." he trailed off, realising he didn't know her name.

The lady shook his hand warmly and replied, "just call me Jane, Theo."

"How do you know my name?" His eyebrows furrowed in suspicion. The situation was a little too easy considering the morning he had and he didn't want his parent's to have bribed anyone with the copious amounts of money they had.

"Your parents were very excited about your arrival home and I'm a very nosy shop keeper." She said simply but after seeing the look on Theo's face, she added, "no, they have nothing to do with my decision to hire you. I can tell you're a very proud man."

He just shrugged, not disagreeing with her.

"I just believe in second chances," she smiled and he responded with one of his own.

Theo waved goodbye at the woman and left, feeling elated with himself. He hopped into his car and drove to the college to pick up his princess and his sister. Now holding the news of his new employment, his excitement to see Flora had doubled because he knew she'd be thrilled for him.

Once he parked in front of the main building and realised he was just on time, Theo tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as he watched the main doors eagerly. The first few people walking out made him quickly leave his seat and stand in front of his car in hopes of seeing her tiny figure more clearly.

Soon after, there was a swarm of students rushing out of the building. He kept his eyes focused on the doors in fear of missing her in the throngs of people, despite wanted to turn away to glare at the many that were staring and whispering at him like he was some sort of spectacle.

He noticed a group of girls giggling near him, inching closer and closer to the point he was wanting to move his car. Sighing, he just crossed his arms, wondering where his little beauty was.

Then, he heard the most beautiful giggle and behind a tall group of people loitering down the front steps of the college, stood Flora in all her glory. Only, he realised she wasn't alone and it wasn't his sister who made laugh.

No, it was a boy. He was around 6ft, a little lanky but still had girls staring from across the parking lot, and had hair that belonged in a shampoo advert.

Theo's muscles tensed and his jaw locked as red clouded his vision. He contemplated whether or not it was a good idea to show Flora his true monster just a day after reuniting. Should he punch the guy for doing nothing but talk to his girl? Should he let the guy go on his merry way, leading to him possibly dying alone and sad as Flora falls in love with said mystery guy?

Unfortunately, he was too late as a small body collided with him. Flora's scent surrounded him and he happily breathed it in while smirking at the confused boy she left behind. "You're here." She said breathlessly, like she couldn't believe it herself.

"Of course I am." He said softly but then his mood dampened when he smelt that boys stinking cologne on her. Pulling away, he gestured to get in the car.

"Bye Gray. See you tomorrow!" She yelled sweetly. Too sweetly. Why does she have to be so sweet?

Theo grumbled childishly to himself about how Gray was supposed to be ugly. When they settled in, he started up the car and sped out of the parking lot, completely contradicting the way he drove previously. Though in his angry state, he still managed to remind her to put her seat belt on before they left.

Flora let out a little gasp and then sulked in her seat, "I forgot again. I was supposed to be mad." She let out a large sigh and looked at her lap in disappointment.

Normally, he'd comfort her or he'd laugh at her strange antics but he was too angry and honestly, a little hurt. If she had a boyfriend... he couldn't even comprehend the thought.

"Kate went to cheerleading practice by the way."

Oh that's right. He forgot his sister. Well, he wasn't going to be getting any 'brother of the year awards' anyway.

"Are you ok?" His princess asked softly. Only when she put her hand on his, did he notice the tight grip he had on the steering wheel.

"Fine," he said through gritted teeth.

He saw her roll her eyes and surprisingly, it didn't add to his temper as he found her every action more adorable than he was supposed to. "Everyone knows that when a woman says she's fine, she's not fine." She said matter-of-factly.

He narrowed his eyes at the space in front of him and growled out, "did you just call me a woman?"

Cautiously taking her hand off his, she asked more than stated, "no?"

Great. Now, not only does the girl he loves have a boyfriend, but she also thinks he's a woman.

When he didn't hear anything for a while, he looked to his side and saw her bottom lip jutted out as she crossed her arms, sulking from his angry state.

She could pout all she wanted but he wasn't forgetting the angelic little giggle she made at something the Gray fellow said while he stared at her with hearts in his eyes. It was obvious to everyone that the guy had a crush on his girl. Heck, he might even be in love with her!

But it didn't matter because Theo was going to show Flora who she belonged to and the name wasn't a f*cking colour.

~~~

Thank you for reading!

Ok. I know this was kind of a boring chapter and I waffled a bit. (3800+ words worth) I realise this.
Just bare with me cause now introductions are out of the way, the book will get better. Hopefully.

Anyway, thank you for over 10K! That's ridiculous and I'm so happy about it x

WORD COUNT: 3981

Much love <3

~~~