Between the Lines | ✓

Cliche 12: Opportunities in Misfortune

"Alright, let me guess," I said, rubbing my chin thoughtfully as I studied Tillie, who was grinning eagerly and rocking back and forth in her seat. Quickly glancing at Elias who stood behind her with our cups of tea in his hands, he smiled and silently mouthed 'five'. 

"Guess, guess!" Tillie urged, sitting up straighter in her chair in a bid to look taller.

"Well, you're pretty tall and very, very smart. I think you're... eight years old," I said, Tillie laughing loudly as she shook her head, turning to Elias to tug his sleeve as he set our mugs down.

"Nooo! I'm not eight!" Tillie giggled, Elias chuckling. "Eli, Alex thinks I'm eight!"

"Aw, I was wrong? I was so sure you were at least eight! Let me guess again," I said, Tillie and Elias smiling at me with similarly lopsided grins. I paused for a moment, playing up my thought process, and then clicked my fingers. "I think I was pretty close... so you have to be seven!"

"No! I'm five! Five!" Tillie said, holding up her hand and shaking her fingers. 

"Well, more like five-and-a-half, right Tillie?" Elias said, his sister nodding frantically.

"Oh, yeah. Now that you tell me, you're definitely five-and-a-half," I agreed, Elias's eyes pinching into endearing half crescents as he smiled.

As Tillie gripped my arm and begged me to try some of her mum's cookies, her shyness long gone, there was the light clunk of footsteps coming from down the hall, followed by a mellow voice.

"Eli? You're home?" the soft female voice spoke, its owner soon appeared in the dining room wearing a white T-shirt and faded light wash overalls, rolled up at the ankles. The woman had the same warm complexion as Elias and Tillie, shortly buzzed hair adorned with a pale blue scarf and seashell earrings dangling from her ears. Her eyes were warm and expressive, and showed surprise when she saw me sitting there. "Oh! We have a guest?"

"Yeah," Elias said, opening his mouth to speak, but Tillie beat him to it.

"Mummy! This is Alex, Eli's friend. He thought I was eight years old and said that I'm a princess!"

I choked on the morsel of cookie that had been resting in my mouth as Tillie spoke, Elias covering up his amused laugh with a sip of his tea. I kicked him under the table, the boy just looking at me with mirth. 

"Mm. Yeah, mum, this is Xander, a friend from school. He gave me a lift home," Elias said, the woman letting out an 'ah' in understanding, smiling as she entered the room. "Xander, this is my mum, obviously."

"Oh! It's very nice to meet you," I said, getting up from my chair, the woman laughing as she shook my hand. 

"Good manners," she said, smiling as she pat my back. "It's lovely to meet you too, Xander. Obviously, I'm Eli and Tillie's mum. You can call me Annika, Nika, whatever you want - just not Mrs Fourie, it makes me feel old. Oh, and Tillie called you Alex a moment ago, right? Did you have a name you prefer?"

"Uh... Well, most people call me Xander," I said, shrugging a little. "But I think I actually prefer Alex. I'm fine with either, though."

"Alex sounds more like a prince though! He has to be called Alex, because Alex is a prince!" Tillie chimed in, making me laugh as Elias covered his face, though his smile could still be seen.

"Alex it is then. I guess the princess has decided on behalf of all of us," Annika said, patting my shoulder again. "Well, I'll leave you boys to it. Help yourself to the cookies, there are plenty more where they came from. Tillie, come help me make dinner and let the big boys play amongst themselves." Tillie pouted, latching onto my sleeve, which made my heart melt a little.