The sound indicating a video call distracts me from the live stream video of one of my favorite chefs. When I see it’s an unknown number I frown. My dad and Nat are the only ones besides Shae that have this number and since Shae is in class and Nat’s at work, I doubt my dad’s the one calling. He owns an old phone and technology isn’t exactly his forte.

Tapping at the green icon, I accept it and wait for the screen to make sense. When I see my dad’s face, I smile.

“Oh my God. Dad, it’s you,” I shout excitedly.

“Hannah? Can you hear me?”

“Not only I can hear you loud and clear, I can see you, too.”

“Is this thing even on?” I hear him say to someone at his right and I laugh.

“You’re killing me, dad.”

When I hear my sister’s voice, confusion and excitement rush through me.

“Holly?”

“Hey Hannah,” she shouts, joining the video call.

“Hey sis.” Holly smiles and waves at me.

“Holly, it’s so good to see you.” A wave of emotion prevents me from saying more. I miss my sister so much.

“Hannah, I can’t believe you did this. Thank you so much.”

“What are you talking about?” I ask, trying to figure out what she’s referring to.

“Here, let me show you.” She turns the camera to the back lens and moves the phone from side to side so I can see her bedroom. I can see the back of a tall, blonde woman standing in Hannah’s room.

“Cheril, say hi to my sister.” The nurse turns and waves, a huge smile on her face.

“What the hell? What’s going on?”

“You don’t need to pretend you don’t know anything about this,” my dad says, finally realizing he can see and hear both of us. “Dr. McKennon explained how you hired a home nurse for Holly.”

“And you sent us brand new phones,” Holly interjects. “They’re awesome, now we can see each other every day.”

Her excitement is so palpable I don’t dare to say I wasn’t responsible for any of it.

After catching up we end up our video conference and a sudden thought hits me. Pulling Tristan’s contact up, I type him a message.

Me: You wouldn’t happen to have an idea of how my sister ended up with a home nurse, right?

Tristan: Nope.

Me: Or how they are the proud owners of the same kind of iPhone I own.

Tristan: I have no idea what you’re talking about.

Me: How did you even found them?

Tristan: I have my ways. Are you upset?

I smile and can’t help but feel smitten. His kind gesture is too much and he doesn’t have any idea of how much it means to me.

Me: No, it was so nice of you to do this. You didn’t have to.

Tristan: But I wanted to. I’ve told you this already, Hannah. Whatever you need, I can help you with. All you need to do is ask.

Me: I won’t ever forget this, Tristan. You made my dad and sister happy...and me too.

Tristan: That’s all I want, Hannah. To see you happy.

Even if I don’t hear him say those words to me, the way I read them have me feeling butterflies inside. I might’ve hesitated at first but with each gesture, I’m finding it harder to resist Tristan Reynold’s charms.

Me: Let me repay you somehow.

Tristan: Don’t be silly. It was a gift. I know how much you worry about them, now you can see them whenever you want.

Me: I still want to thank you for doing this. Let me cook you dinner, it’s the least I can do.

Tristan: You’ve found my weakness. I can’t say no to a home cooked meal.

Me: Then it’s a date. Does seven work for you?

Tristan: Perfect. I’ll bring some wine. Oh and Hannah?

Me: Yeah?

Tristan: Since this is a date, I expect to at least get to kiss you tonight.

* * *

“This is the best spaghetti I’ve had in a long time,” Tristan says as he takes another spoonful of the pasta.

“I’m glad you like it. It’s one of my favorite dishes but I don’t like cooking it just for me so I don’t do it often.”

“You can cook it as many times as you want and I’ll always be here to eat it.” He winks and that makes my heart go pitter patter.

“I made plenty, I’ll give you some so you can take home,” I offer, trying to hide the way he’s affecting me. Every time is harder to remind myself of the rules Cordelia is so adamant we follow. I have to remember this is just temporary, not forever.

“My stomach will appreciate it, I’ve been feeding it cold pizza more often than I like to admit.”

“Why?”

“Work has been busy and sometimes I get so caught up, I forget to eat. Then I’m too hungry to attempt to cook a proper meal and I always have pizza handy for those occasions.”

Realizing I never got to ask him what he did for a living, I find this is the perfect opportunity to do it.

“What kind of work do you do? I didn’t get to ask you last time we played twenty questions.”

“Information. Anything related to it. I co-own a company with my brothers.”

“That sounds interesting and fun.”

“Trust me, it’s anything but. The only reason why we haven’t killed each other yet is because we each handle different aspects and we rarely butt heads anymore.”

“You make it sound like they’re awful.”

“Well, you met Al already.”

“The guy that was with you at the restaurant? He’s your brother?” I ask, remembering the tall, dark haired chiseled jawed guy he was with then.

“Yeah, the oldest one.”

“How old are you?” I blurt out and he chuckles.

“Thirty five. Why?”

“I just realized I never asked why were you on the Satisfaction Guaranteed site since you aren’t that old.”

“I was looking for something I was missing.”

“What was it?”

Moving toward me, he grabs my hand and slowly starts drawing circles on top of it with his fingers. “You.”

“Me?” He nods and I can see his eyes drop to my lips.

“I want to kiss you, Hannah.”

“Are you asking for my permission?”

He nods. “Only this time.”

“Why?”

“Because after I kiss you for the first time, I won’t be able to stop, even if you ask me to.”

Inching closer, his breath caresses my skin and at this moment I decide to throw caution to the wind. I want to kiss him too.

“Whatever you want, Hannah. All you have to do is ask,” he reminds me.

“Kiss me.”

His mouth clashes against mine, exploring, nipping and tugging. This isn’t the tender first kiss I imagined he’d give me and I’m glad.

When his tongue seeks permission, I open my mouth and welcome it. I moan, unable to hide the pleasure humming through me from just a kiss. I’m on fire and I need more.

As if reading my mind. Tristan grabs me by the waist and pulls me closer to him. My arms instinctively wrap around his neck and my hands roam over the back of his head, caressing the softness of his dark brown hair.

One of his hands climbs up my spine until it grabs my neck and I shamelessly rub my body against his front.

He pulls away, gasping for air. “Fuck, Hannah. I want you so bad right now.”

Trying to clear the dizziness his kiss has me experiencing, I playfully inquire, “Are you asking for permission to take me, too?”

“Fuck no, baby.”

He moves to kiss me again when the rattle of the doorknob startles us. We both jump and I quickly straighten my clothes. Tristan runs a hand through his hair and whispers, “shit.”

“Hannah, I’m home,” Shae announces from the entrance.

Tristan looks at me, desire, frustration and a playful look shining through his eyes. “To be continued?”

I laugh and nod. “You can count on it.”