You came as a surprise to James, you really did. He still remembered the way he met your mother, Molly. A pregnant woman calling over a taxi —his taxi—, and him driving at the most speed allowed just to get her in time to the hospital so she could give birth to her son, your brother, Mikey.

He helped her through the partum once Molly spat, quite biterly too, that there wasn't a husband or a father. It had been an unplanned pregnancy blossomed from an unplanned affair. What he didn't expect, though, was when opening the door to Molly's appartment to help her get inside with her baby boy in her arms, being met by a teenager anxiously pacing around the living room.

He guessed he might've looked almost comical when he first heard you speak, eyebrows up to his hairline, a blurted mess of jumbled words in spanish and a badly pronounced english —due to stress.

He became Mikey's babysitter, in a way yours too since he was always hanging around, but it didn't take long for him to catch onto the frowns and side-eyes you sent his way. It was clear you were very protective of both your mother and your baby brother, often not letting him feed him and doing so yourself because you didn't trust him.

All men that had came into Molly's, your mother, life had hurt her. And he could see the way you were damn desperate in taking as much weight off her shoulders as you could. You were a sweet girl, even if you insulted him in Spanish sometimes.

Today was Friday night, the usual day he came to babysit. And, as usual, he found you on the couch with your baby brother craddled in your arms —you were Mikey's favourite. He hummed, walking over to the couch with one of his usual charming smiles. Mikey giggled at the sight of him, as to what James' ruffled the 1-year-old's hair.

"so.. what's the plan for tonight, little miss?" he asked you, his voice tainted with a playful edge. His arms resting on the back of the couch, blue eyes crinkling with his smile as he tilted his head slightly.