London looked colder than I remembered.
Not just the weather — though the sky was a dull, heavy grey — but the feeling. The city moved like it didn't care about anyone individually. Black cabs passed. People in long coats walked quickly, heads down, earphones in.
No one lingered.
I twisted my fingers in my lap.
Sam hadn't answered me.
"You're still not going to say anything?" I asked, glancing at him.
His jaw flexed slightly, but he kept his eyes on the road.
Silence.
He was good at that. Weaponized silence.
"You know that's annoying, right?" I muttered.
Nothing.
I sighed and leaned my head against the cold window. My reflection stared back at me — thicker. Sharper. A little older.
I'd changed.
That's what scared me.
Would they notice?
Would they hate it?
We turned onto a familiar street and my stomach flipped.
When the red sign of the Chinese restaurant came into view, I straightened.
No way.
"You remembered?" I asked, unable to stop the small smile forming.
"Stay in the car," Sam said, already stepping out.
My smile fell.
Rude.
I slouched dramatically, crossing my legs and pulling my phone out. TikTok opened automatically. Mindless scrolling. Distract yourself. Don't think about the fact that in less than thirty minutes you'll be standing in front of the people you abandoned.
William's face appeared on my screen.
One of his recent videos.
He looked good.
Not in a brother way. Obviously.
But objectively? He'd grown into himself. Broader shoulders. That lazy half-smile he used when he knew he looked good. Comments flooding the screen calling him "dangerous."
I rolled my eyes.
Annoyingly accurate.
"I wonder how they'll react," I whispered to myself.
What if they look at me like I'm fragile?
I hated that.
The car door opened before I spiraled further.
Sam returned with paper bags, and the smell hit immediately. Sweet, savoury, familiar.
"You still remembered," I said softly.
"Of course," he replied, placing the bags carefully in the backseat. "Yours. William's."
"You didn't get anything?"
He gave me a side glance. "You know I don't eat this."
Right. Clean eating. Gym at 6am. Discipline king.
The drive resumed.
And the closer we got, the more my nerves turned into something else.
Not fear.
Anticipation.
The townhouse stood tall and elegant, like it had never been touched by chaos.
Black door. Brass knocker. Warm light glowing from inside.
Home.
Sam killed the engine.
"You can leave if you want," he said quietly.
I looked at him. "Do you want me to?"
"No."
"Then stop giving me exits."
He studied me for a moment.
"They were angry," he admitted.
My stomach tightened.
"And now?"
"They're… trying not to be."
That was worse.
We walked to the door. Every step felt loud.
Sam rang the bell.
Footsteps approached.
The door opened. William stood there.
And for a second — just a second — his expression slipped.
Shock.
"Sam," he started, you have a new girl haha!" He burst out laughing.
I stood there, awkward. Then his eyes lingered on me. "She's..... my type." He licked his lips, looking at me from head to toe.
"Cut it," Sam growled, annoyed already. "It's Candice."
His expression shifted into something chilling.
Something darker. Harder to name.
"You came back," he said.
I tilted my head slightly. "Obviously."
His eyes scanned me. Not subtly. Not trying to hide where he was looking at.
"You look different."
"Better or worse?"
His jaw tightened faintly. "Different."
That wasn't an answer.
Before I could say anything else, he pulled me into a hug.
And it wasn't soft.
It was firm. Almost rough. Like he was proving I was real.
"You disappeared," he muttered into my hair.
"You survived," I replied quietly.
He leaned back slightly, hands still on my arms.
"You don't get to be calm about that."
I raised an eyebrow. "I'm not calm."
"Could've fooled me."
There it was.
That tension.
Not anger.
Something layered.
From the hallway, Daniel leaned against the wall, arms crossed.
"You going to block the doorway all night?" he drawled.
I looked at him. "Aren't you going to say hi?"
He pushed off the wall slowly, walking toward me.
"You caused drama," he said. "That's not very sister-like."
"Since when do you care about rules?"
He smirked faintly — then pulled me into a quick hug. Quick, but tight enough to mean something.
"Don't do that again," he murmured.
My throat tightened.
"I won't."
Inside felt the same.
Polished floors. Soft lighting. The faint scent of cologne and something woody. Masculine. Familiar.
Sam headed straight for the kitchen with the food.
William shut the door behind us.
"You're staying?" he asked quietly.
"Yes."
"For how long?"
I stepped closer, lowering my voice just slightly. "Why? Miss me that much?"
His eyes darkened.
"Don't start."
"Start what?"
"That."
The air shifted.
I smiled faintly. "Relax. I'm joking."
"Are you?"
Daniel made a noise from behind us. "If you two are done staring, I'm hungry."
We moved to the dining table.
Sam unpacked everything carefully. Honey chicken. Fried rice. Spring rolls.
William sat across from me.
He kept glancing up.
It wasn't obvious.
But I noticed.
"You've been going to the gym?" he asked suddenly.
I paused mid-bite. "Maybe."
Daniel snorted. "She has."
"How do you know?"
"You post workout mirror pics like you're subtle."
I choked slightly. "I do not."
"You do," William said calmly. "You've changed."
There it was again.
Changed.
"Is that a problem?"
He held my gaze a second too long. "No."
The way he said it made my stomach flip in a way I refused to unpack.
Sam cleared his throat. "We were worried."
The word settled heavily over the table.
"I know," I said quietly.
"You left without a word," Daniel added.
"I felt suffocated," I admitted.
Silence.
"I love you," I continued, fingers tightening around my fork. "But sometimes you all act like I'm breakable."
William leaned back slightly. "You are."
"I'm not."
"You are to us."
That shouldn't have made my chest warm.
But it did.
"I'm not running again," I said firmly.
William's eyes searched mine. "Promise?"
"Yes."
He nodded slowly.
"Good."
A small pause.
Then Daniel grinned. "Because if you disappear again, I'm tracking your phone."
I laughed. "That's mildly psychotic."
"Effective though," Sam muttered.
The tension slowly eased.
Plates emptied. Laughter came easier.
At some point, William's foot brushed mine under the table.
Accident.
Probably.
He didn't move it immediately.
Neither did I.
My heart sped up, just slightly.
He glanced at me.
I held his gaze.
Daniel cleared his throat dramatically. "Can we not make this weird?"
I blinked and pulled my foot back instantly. "Nothing happened."
William smirked faintly. "Relax."
"I am relaxed," I snapped.
"You're flushed."
"It's hot in here."
"It's London," Daniel deadpanned. "It's never hot."
I grabbed a napkin and threw it at him.
Laughter filled the room again.
And that tight, anxious knot in my chest finally loosened.
They weren't furious.
They weren't rejecting me.
They were just… protective.
Overbearing.
Annoyingly intense.
Mine.
Later, as we cleared the table, William brushed past me in the kitchen.
"Don't disappear again," he said quietly.
"I won't."
He studied my face for a long moment.
"You're stronger than you think," he added.
I tilted my head. "You don't have to treat me like glass.
He stepped slightly closer — not inappropriate, just close enough to feel it.. I think.
"I don't," he said. "I treat you like something worth protecting."
My breath caught.
Before it could turn into something bigger than it should, Daniel shouted from the living room, "If you two are plotting world domination, include me."
William stepped back instantly.
"Relax," he called out.
I exhaled slowly.
Maybe leaving wasn't betrayal.
Maybe coming back wasn't weakness.
Maybe the nervousness had never been about their anger.
Maybe it was about facing how much they cared.
Outside, rain began tapping softly against the windows.
Inside, warmth settled into my bones.
I wasn't running.
Not anymore.
And this time, when I looked at my brothers — at their sharp edges and softer centres — I didn't feel trapped.
I felt steady.
Home.