As soon as Alex and I walk through my front door, Bruno welcomes us back with his adorable loud barks and his adrenalized breathing. Alex crouches down, and Bruno starts wagging his tail excitedly while she pets him, and I smile.

"I couldn't have asked for a better night, Alex." I say, crouching down to pet Bruno.

"I was just about to say the same." She says and her smile is bright.

Bruno runs away from us, and leaps onto the couch and starts playing with something. I stand up and hold my hand out for Alex to take, and she rises up before pulling her dress down. The look on her face is seductive, and I just want to love her and cherish her in every way that a woman should be loved and cherished.

"Tonight was great, and I really like what I learned about you." I say.

"Me too." She replies.

I take her hand, and we both walk upstairs to my bedroom. As soon as I close the door behind us, all of my self control leaves my body as I pin her against the wall. A surprised gasp leaves her mouth, and I caress her soft skin underneath her jaw before I dip my head to her neck. I place tender kisses all over her neck, and her moans vibrate her throat against my lips. Her breathing hitches as I do this, and I playfully bite her neck.

"Rian." She moans breathily.

I kiss her lips again, and our lips are entwined together. It's like I can feel her heartbeat against my lips when we kiss, and I can feel her hands shaking against my waist, so I stop automatically.

"I'm sorry," I say breathlessly. "I should've-, are you nervous?" I ask while carefully grabbing her hands.

"A little." She mumbles, and regret swims through my body.

"Damn, Alex. I'm sorry, you need to tell me when to stop! I don't want to make you uncomfortable in any way." I say, afraid that I made Alex feel uneasy.

"Rian," She says, but I continue rambling.

"That was one of the lessons my parents taught me; to always respect a woman's boundaries. I probably just went outside of your comfort zone and I-, I'm sorry."

Alex comes up and kisses me, and I feel a surge of reassurance course throughout me.

"Rian, it's okay. I love that you're always worried about how I feel. I just need some more time before we can-, well...y'know." She says awkwardly, and I let out a light chuckle.

"Thank you, Alex. I always kind of freak out when it seems like you don't really want me to do something, and my parents voices ring in my head." I explain.

She kisses me again, and she just nods understandingly.

"It's okay." She says and kisses me.

We both change into our pajamas, and I watch Alex sleep peacefully in my arms. I slowly stroke her arm as my other hand plays with her hair.

I've only known this girl for about a month, and she started out as just any other patient, but now she's totally taken over me.

~~~

It's Saturday afternoon, and I'm packing my bag with clothes and other necessities I'll need when I'm at my parents estate in Sacramento. Alex watches me pack, and Bruno is constantly following me in and out of my closet. Once I've finally gotten everything I need, I turn around and see Alex staring at me in melancholy.

"I'll miss you," She says softly. "How long will you be in Sacramento?"

"About five or six days. I'll miss you, too." I say, and I kiss her gently.

"That's such a long time." She says, and she playfully pouts at me.

"I know, I know, I'll be back before you know it." I say soothingly.

I kiss her forehead, and she lets out a calm sigh. She tilts her head upward, and I smile before kissing her warm lips.

"I'll think of you the whole time that you're gone," She says in coquettish tone. "You better do the same."

She playfully smacks my arm, and we both laugh together before we kiss again.

"I will, don't you worry. You're always on my mind." I say, slightly being sardonic.

I pick up Bruno, and I leave kisses all over him and rub him playfully before saying goodbye to him and Alex.

"Text me when you get there." She says.

"Definitely." I say.

I walk out of the front door, and I throw my bag in the trunk of my car before starting my drive to Sacramento. Memories flash through my head as I drive through, and I smile to myself while I drive. After a while, I pull up to the iron gate, and it opens for me. I step out of the car and grab my bag from the trunk and gape up.

This is my childhood.

The massive mansion towers over me, and the sound of the fountain calms me. Willow trees surround the premises, and the wind blows the leaves. The marble statues stand tall near the large columns with the rest of the marble mansion, and I step up the stairs and ring the doorbell.

The door opens, and my mother is in front of me. An astounded look covers her face, and she pulls me into her arms, and I crouch down to hug her little body. A happy shriek comes from her as well, and she rubs my back while we hug.

"Rian! Oh, it's so good to see you baby! You look wonderful, how're you?" She asks while pulling me inside.

"I'm doing great Mom, it's nice to see you too. How about you?" I ask.

"It's uhh-, still pretty alarming. I'm trying to hang in there, and your father keeps insisting that he's fine, but he just says that so we don't worry." She says while rubbing her temples in distress.

I hug her again, and I rub her back to soothe her.

"It'll be okay." I say reassuringly.

I follow her, and as I'm walking through the house, not one part of it has changed. All of the furniture is the same from when I was last here, and the atmosphere still feels the same.

Suddenly, I feel someone hug me tightly from behind, and I turn around. Vanessa, my baby sister, is the one who's hugging me. I hug her back, and she smiles against my chest.

"Rian! You look great!" She exclaims happily.

"Hey Nessa, how're you?" I ask while looking at her face.

Vanessa just graduated high school, and her nineteenth birthday was the day after the graduation. Vanessa and I have always been close since we were little, and I'm naturally protective of her because she's my baby sister. I often stood up for her when our older brother, Brendan, would tease her, or get her in trouble with our parents.

"I've filled out a few college applications, and so far, so good!" She says happily.

"I'm proud of you V, and even if you're not accepted, just keep trying. I kept trying, and now look where I am." I say, motivating her.

"Thanks Rian! Have you seen Dad?" She asks, her voice and facial appearance slowly turning solemn.

"No, I just got here." I affirm.

"Follow me, he's upstairs. I think he'll undoubtedly be happy to see you." She says.

I walk around a large column and follow Vanessa as she runs up the grand staircase. I lightly glide my hand along the cool, curved iron railing.

"Dad, someone's here to see you!" Vanessa calls out, and her voice echoes throughout the hallway.

I see him turn from a corner, and his eyes widen in surprise. He starts laughing, and walking towards me with open arms. I warmly embrace my father, and he pats my back roughly.

"Rian, my boy! You look great!" He exclaims.

"Everyone's been telling me that." I say and we all laugh together.

"Rian, your good looks haven't faded at all, just like your father." My mothers voice says from the bottom of the staircase.

"Dude!" Brendan calls out.

We both hug each other, slapping each other's backs. Brendan is our older brother, and no matter how many times he pissed me off when we were younger, he still looked over me and loved me like brothers do.

"How ya doin' man?" He asks, looking surprised to see me.

"Pretty good, pretty good." I say, and I think about Alex almost instantly.

"How's the doctor life?" He asks humorously, and I let out a sigh.

"Exceptionally busy, but it's worth it." I say.

I walk down the hall, and I place my bag in my old room. I smile as I look around at everything that still hangs on the walls, and it's pictures of my siblings and I.

I walk back downstairs, and into the living room and sit down with everyone else.

"Join hands so we can say the prayer for your father." Our mother says, and we all form a circle and connect ourselves.

Vanessa's eyes are already teary, and I rub her shoulder for comfort, and she weakly nods before joining hands with me again. After us repeating after our mother, we all say Amen in unison.

"Just hang in there, Momma." Brendan says while softly rubbing her back.

Our mother starts crying, and we all hug her together, and her sobs are muffled by Brendan's shirt. The sound of my mother crying forces tears out of my eyes as well as Vanessa's, while Brendan has his jaw clenched, and his eyes are gloomy.

"I'm sorry, I just don't want to see this cancer make his life and health deteriorate over time, it'll tear me apart." Mom says, and she wipes her tears from underneath her exhausted, aged eyes.

"When does the cancer treatment start?" Vanessa asks through a sniffle.

"I believe it starts next week, on Thursday." Mom says, and she lets out a discouraged sigh.

"Hey, Mom. It'll be okay, don't lose hope." I say, trying to lighten the mood.

"I hope so. I really hope that you're right, Rian." She says.

"I wish I specialized in this so I could take care of him, but I can't." I say, and I clasp my hands together.

My back pocket vibrates, and I take my phone out and I smile instantly at the screen.

Alex: are you there?

Rian: yep. I got here about 10 minutes ago.

Alex: how's your dad?

Rian: he's happy to see me, and doesn't really seem upset or anything like that which is peculiar 🤔

Alex: maybe he just doesn't want you guys to be worried

Rian: my mother told me that, and it's not working. We're all really grief stricken by this, especially my mom. We just did a prayer for him.

Alex: I'm so sorry babe 😔, just remain as positive as you can

A smirk tugs at my lip, and my face heats up because she called me babe.

Rian: thanks babe 😊

"What's got you so happy?" Brendan says teasingly.

"Nothing, Brendan." I say a little too quickly, and I turn my phone off.

"I know that look when I see it, Rian. Tell us, I mean, we are family." He says, trying to force it out of me.

"My girlfriend." I shyly admit.

Vanessa's eyes light up and so do my mothers, and Brendan has a smirk on his face.

"When did this happen?" My mother asks, suddenly in a very joyful mood.

"Not too long ago, we've only known each other for about a month and some days now." I say.

"What's her name?" Vanessa asks, resting her elbow on her thigh and placing her chin in her hand.

"Alexandrianna, but most of the time she goes by Alex." I say, smiling at the thought of her.

"How old is she?" Brendan asks.

"She's a year younger than V," I say, and shock covers their faces.

"She's eighteen?" Vanessa asks, raising her eyebrows.

"Yes, she is." I say, and Vanessa lowers her eyebrows.

"Why haven't we met her yet?" My mother asks, sounding very intrigued.

"Like I said, it's a little too soon. I've only known her for about a month."

"Buffoonery! It's never too soon for you to introduce us to your lovely girlfriend." My mother insists.

"Please tell me that you're treating her right, Rian." Dad says sternly.

"Of course I am! I would never disobey your lessons, and Alex is worthy of all of the praise that I give her. My admiration for that girl... it's just... too indescribable." I say, and I sigh happily.

"I think Cupid hit Rian in the ass with the biggest arrow, ever." Brendan says, and Vanessa nudges his side.

"At least he actually respects his girl, and actually listened to what our parents have to say. I know you'd probably feel the same if you actually found a girl that would put up with your dumb ass." Vanessa spits.

"Ooh, lil sis, you wound me." Brendan says sarcastically.

"Rian actually deserves someone who makes him happy, unlike you, who just uses girls for sex and then just leaves them. You're such a big headed piece of sh-" Vanessa continues.

"Enough quarreling! We did not have you guys come together for you to do this. For your fathers sake, could you please just get along?" My mother implores.

"Fine." Vanessa mutters and crosses her arms.

"Now, apologize. The both of you." Mom says, and I smile at how she still has to speak to them like they're kindergarteners.

"I'm sorry." Vanessa says quickly and rolls her eyes.

"No, you have to actually mean it." Brendan says, and I try to suppress my laughter.

"I'm sorry." She repeats, and Brendan returns the apology.

"All right, now, you two can go do whatever. Your father and I are going to talk to Rian." Mom says, and I raise my eyebrows.

"Me? Why? What did I do?" I ask, and my mom shakes her head.

"We're going to talk about this girl...?" She trails off.

"Alexandrianna is her name." I say.

"Does she treat you well?" My father asks while staring at me attentively.

"Yes, without a doubt." I say confidently.

"You don't push her past her limits, do you son?" My father asks.

"Well, when we had our first kiss, I made the move. It took her by surprise, but after that was when we decided to start dating." I admit, not wanting to see that look of disappointment in their eyes.

"Have you done anything similar since then?" My mom asks before sipping her tea.

"After our first date, which was a couple of weeks ago. I, again, made the first move and it kind of escalated from there. I stopped when I could feel her hands shaking. Don't worry, I always ask her if she thinks that I'm doing something wrong, though. Consent is the most important thing, especially with what she's been through." I admit, tasting bile in my throat when I think of that guy who was before me.

"Austin? Who's Austin?"

"Savannah mentioned the little bastard. You don't know the whole story, and I'm not sure if I want to tell you that. You know about my mom, but not Austin. Austin is just, something else."

The conversation rings in my head, and I feel my stomach twist at Savannah's statement.

"Why the pregnancy test? You haven't been banged since that Austin motherfucker who I hated."

"What do you mean?" My mother asks, setting her tea cup down.

"She told me that she hasn't dated anyone since her sophomore year, and it's because of a guy who used her. So because of that, I definitely wouldn't take advantage of her. That's totally the opposite of what I'd do."

"So...when can we meet the lady?" My dad asks, smiling at me.

"I honestly don't know, we've only known each other for a month."

"How about the celebration party when you get your degree?" My mother suggests, and I nod my head.

"Sure Mom, you'll meet her then. I know that you'll like her, too."

"Or whenever she graduates, because you don't know when you'll get your degree." My father says, and my mom nods.

"Definitely." I nod in agreement.

After that conversation, I go back upstairs into my old room, and I let everything soak in.

My father has cancer.

I need to spend as much time with him as I possibly can.

I want him to meet Alex before it's his time.