Sister's Return (Rebooted, closed)

[JadeKnight]

John was a 27 year well to do computer programmer. He had done well for himself, landing a pretty good job, buying a house for himself, and good health overall. He tried his best to keep in shape, working out on a regular basis. He didn't consider himself a gymbro, but he was lean with a decent amount of muscle tone. He was still single as well, but had been a few short, but good term relationships.

Despite the good things that had happened to him, he couldn't help but feel a hole in his heart that had been aching for a while. The hole in his heart was due to him missing his younger sister. She had been a large, close part of his life until about five years ago, when she had gotten married. He wasn't sure of the exact reason of she had been forced to go no contact by her husband Nick, but at least the rest of the family had been able to stay in contact with her. Despite that, he was barely able to get anything about what was going on between them. What he could gleam about their life was mostly broken and strange rumors that he couldn't really understand. He wasn't sure, but he just couldn't get any straight facts. There had been rumors that Nick had decided against children after marriage, that he had cheated on her, or even beat her. He couldn't really understand.

However, he recently decided to take a gamble on something. He had decided to random book a eight day cruise for him and her to go on a few months before, even if it was a longshot. He really didn't think anything would come of it, since such tactics had failed before in the past. He did tell his parents about it, who did say they would pass things along.

It was just after dinner and he was sitting on his couch. He had his laptop on the coffee table, open to a coding project on screen. Taking a break from work, he leaned back for a moment to watch a movie he had put on a background noise. A couple of minutes later there was a ding from his messenger and a message popped up.

"She accepted."

He blinked for a moment and sat up. He wasn't really expecting that to come through, but it made him smile. His smile did falter a little as he had gotten such confirmation a couple of times before, but something always seemed to come up for it to be canceled last minute. He glanced at the calendar for a moment, the cruise a couple of days away. He didn't have his hopes high just yet, still planning on the trip even if she didn't come.

 

[Poprockz]

Hannah hadn't expected to be standing in a cruise port with a matching large suitcase, carry-on, and backpack. A lot of things that had happened lately had been unexpected, admittedly. Not that she hadn't wanted to take a vacation with her older brother. Quite the opposite, actually. There were a few times previously where she had gotten the green light from her husband to go, only for him to change his mind at the last minute.

It was always so disappointing, knowing that she let him down. Sometimes she had wondered if her husband did it just to give them both a small glimmer of hope so that it would sting more when he denied them. Their marriage hadn't started out that way, but over time her husband became a more cruel person. At this point it was as though the man she married didn't exist anymore and in his place was a tyrant who didn't want her, but didn't want anyone else to have her either.

This time was different though.

This time she wasn't asking for permission to go. A note had been left on the table regarding where she was going, who she was going with, and when she would be back. Frankly, she was terrified about how angry he would be when she got back, but it wasn't as though he had any right to be. Five years... It had been practically five years since she had been able to see her brother. Hannah was 25 now, and she didn't know whether he would recognize her anymore.

Well, she didn't look too different; her short, sandy hair had grown very long, but other than that she looked the same. She had always maintained an exercise routine to keep healthy (and later to keep her figure at her husband's behest), but she had been a bit of a late bloomer in regards to more womanly changes. Only after her brother had left had her curves become as prominent as they were now.

Most of her life before her marriage she had been like her brother's shadow- always a step or two behind him. That all changed when John went to school for programming. She had met Nick on a blind date set up from one of her friends, being that the guy had a good reputation. A year and a half later, they married when she was 20. It was only then that the mask started slipping and her slow descent into hell began.

Was this a mistake? Maybe she should go home before her husband came back and saw the note. The woman shifted on her feet nervously and looked in the direction of the taxis before looking towards the entrance. Regardless of her nerves, she wanted to see him. Even if it was for a few moments, she wanted to hug him again and tell him how much she missed him.

 

[JadeKnight]

Despite not having heard much more in the way of confirmation, John went through with the planned cruise. He arrived at the port check-in with his large suitcase and a backpack as well. He had decided that if she hadn't come by the time boarding was closing, he could just get a refund of the ticket. He had arrived earlier than Hannah, so he decided to wait just inside the lobby area for a little bit to see if she was really coming. He was pretty sure that he would be able to spot her, even if she hadn't told him what she would be wearing.

Nearly half an hour had passed by the time Hannah had arrived, John hadn't noticed her right away. He had gotten engrossed in watching the clock, getting a little nervous as it counted down to only half an hour till boarding. Luckily there was only a handful of couples in line, so he wouldn't have a problem checking in on time. He shook himself out of the stupor with a shake of his head, making a look around for Hannah once more. There was no sign of her in the lobby yet, so he decided to check outside. He pushed the door open, looking around at the sparse number of people. He blinked for a moment as he though he saw a familiar looking blonde near the taxi stand, yelling out.

"Hannah?!?"

It probably wasn't the best move, plus a little embarrassing. He also hadn't a chance to check on their room through the website. He hoped it wouldn't be anything too bad, since it had been marked for two people. He had just made sure it had a nice view of the ocean.

 

[Poprockz]

Currently she was wearing a form-fitting red dress and heels. Nowadays she had very few casual outfits as her husband preferred for her to always look her best even if it was to drift listlessly around their house while he was at work.

At the sound of her name being called, her head immediately snapped to look in his direction. It was him. Her big brother John was right there not 15 feet away from her.

He looked healthier than he used to, more muscled, maybe? He had always been very handsome, but these days he must be a real ladykiller. In any case, he was otherwise just as she remembered him. A rush of emotion went through her, mostly comprised of that warm feeling of familiarity.

“Hey!” She abandoned her bags in favor of scurrying over and throwing her arms around him in a big hug. It didn’t occur to her that it might make him uncomfortable- the action had been made entirely on impulse. It felt good though, hugging him. It had been far too long since they had shared a good, long hug.

“You had no idea how much I’ve missed you!” Hannah sighed, breathing in his familiar scent. It was strange how such a simple thing could bring her such joy.

 

[JadeKnight]

If he wasn't sure it had been her, the hug all but confirmed it. He smiled, wrapping his arms around her waist. He hadn't expected such changes in her, but it was a pleasent surprise. It was also stirring up a few hidden things he had thought he had gotten over. He passed those feelings aside as the hug was held for a few moments longer before letting go.

"I was a bit worried that you weren't going to show up again. I've missed you very much."

They were still quite close after the hug, their bodies pressing together. He did blush a little, taking a little step back. He took a glance at her abandoned luggage for a moment before smiling back at her.

"Please tell me you are really coming. There's not really any time left for boarding."

He stepped aside, holding the door open wider for her to come in.