Chapter 4 Day off

It had been a while since Alana had been happy with a break like she was at that moment. Last time, she wasn't at all excited to stay home alone or go out somewhere, so she made sure to pass her time off to Leandro, who probably enjoyed it a lot more than she would have been able to. He was suspicious, of course, after all it was one of the few times she let anyone see how down she was, but she managed to avoid unnecessary questions about her problems that concerned only her and that she hated to share.

Talking triggered memories that remained very well kept and she was not willing to relive that every time she was down, unable to put a smile on her face.

She couldn't always keep herself upbeat and cheerful, the Alana everyone knew. But this time she was beyond happy and cheerful. So, determined and with a perfect plan for her day, she managed to convince her cousin Emily and Leandro.

And at the beginning of the day, she entered the restaurant, excited and with Nadia by her side. It was not difficult to locate Leandro and Thomas.

- Alana, be careful with him. - Leandro asked, letting Thomas run to hug her, as well as to look at little Nadia, who was only a year older than him.

- I know how to look after children. - said Alana. She would have been offended if it hadn't been for her best friend speaking up. He understood her concerns, even though he really knew how to deal with children.

Leandro sighed, not wanting to offend her.

- 'I know, but you have no idea how long it took me to convince William of that.

Alana laughed, taking Thomas's hand.

- 'Say goodbye to your uncle, Thomas. - Alana said.

- Bring him in before the end of the day. William will pick him up.

Alana nodded.

- I'll try.

- Alana!

- It's all right! He'll be here before your brother gets here. I promise.

Leandro tried not to worry and just gave Alana and Nadia a kiss on the cheek, who already adored him, even if she never got to see him properly.

He watched the three of them walk away before returning to duty.

Alana, Thomas, and Nadia, had a fun day filled with silliness, sweets, and games until they forgot the time. It was perfect for the children and the adult of the house.

It was all so peaceful and light that time seemed to pass more quickly, soon to be interrupted by the arrival of Emily, who had gone to pick up Nadia.

It was only then that Alana realized the time and knew she would end up being late to take Thomas as well.

- 'Emy, I completely forgot the time. - said Alana, apologizing, even though she knew she didn't care about that detail.

- It's okay, Lana, don't worry about it. - said Emily smiling as she received Nadia's hug.

- Mom, I made a new friend. - Nadia said, smiling happily.

Emily then noticed Thomas, who stood next to Alana, shy and curious, watching the two interact.

- Oh, is that Leandro's nephew? - Emily asked, smiling at the boy. Thomas smiled back, liking his new friend's mother.

- Yes, that's Thomas. - said Alana, realizing that she had never met him. She was so close to everyone, it was hard to remember that some of them hadn't met. Sometimes she thought about the possibility of bringing everyone together, but she knew it was complicated, everyone had their days full of lives, in a way, totally different from each other.

- Hi Thomas, I'm Nadia's mom. - she introduced herself, crouching down to be at Thomas' height. He seemed to forget his shyness with her and Alana was surprised by that.

- Hi. Does Nadia have to leave yet? - he asked.

Emily smiled.

- 'She has to go, but I can bring her to play with you when you get back here. What do you think?

He nodded happily.

- 'Emy, I have to take Thomas back to Leandro.

- Of course, we'll be right there. Do you want a ride?

Alana thought about it and ended up saying no.

- 'Don't worry about me. Tell Thiago I'm still waiting for him to pay me what he owes me.

Emily laughed, remembering their bet.

- I will. Good night.

Emily and Nadia said their goodbyes and soon Alana left with Thomas too. She knew Leandro would go crazy if she took too long or her brother arrived before them.

She was right, since William arrived earlier than expected and was nervous, waiting for his son to arrive with a woman still unknown to him and it didn't matter that she was his brother's best friend.

- Relax, William. She can take care of him. - Leandro said, starting to get irritated by the mistrust.

- She's late. - said William, looking at his watch once again.

- Brother, Alana still had to return Nadia. Calm down or I'll get you out of here.

William sighed, nodding, though worried. He didn't want to imagine that something could have happened. He was hardly ever away from Thomas for long.

- 'Did you bring her wine, at least? - Leandro asked, taking advantage of the fact that it was almost closing time and the restaurant was empty, to sit down opposite his brother.

- 'Yes, and yours too.

Leandro laughed, while William glared at him.

- Dad! - said Thomas, running in front of Alana, going to hug his father and telling him everything he did that day. Meanwhile, Leandro walked up to Alana, relieved that they hadn't taken so long.

- Sorry, I lost track of time. - said Alana trying to smile at her friend, who just hugged her.

- It's okay. He was really happy with the day he had with you. - said Leandro and they both looked at Thomas, who kept talking to William. His father could only smile, happy for his son.

It was hard to see him so excited about anything he had done and William was relieved that it had happened.

- But you were nervous, weren't you? - Alana asked, also looking, making Leandro laugh.

- You know me. Come on, I'll finally be able to introduce you to my dear brother.

Alana smiled and followed him to William and Thomas.