delicate [1] | TAYLOR SWIFT

11

"I thought you'd have been done by now," Kaia mentioned in her normal voice, leaning down to kiss her father's cheek.

"I fell asleep watching the telly last night and spent all morning helping your mum around the house," he explained, finally looking up. "Oh! You've brought a friend! How lovely!"

Taylor smiled politely at Kaia's dad, holding out her hand to shake. "Hi! It's so nice to meet you, sir. I'm Taylor!"

"Oh, it's a pleasure!" He responded, taking Taylor's hand in both of his and giving them a warm shake and a pat on the back. "Call me Georges."

"Where's my child?" Kaia asked, looking around the house in search of her cat that hadn't yet made her presence known.

George chuckled, returning to his puzzle, which was nearly done. "Probably in the kitchen with your mum."

Kaia smiled at Taylor and motioned for her to follow along, padding quietly toward the room that smelled heavily of spices and garlic. She poked her head inside, watching as her mother sat at the small table dicing some vegetables and occasionally feeding a small piece of cucumber to Katara who never said no.

"Bonjour, mama," Kaia said softly, careful not to spook her.

"Ah, parfait! Tu va m'aider avec les warak enab wal mehshi, oui?" Nour asked, using both her French and Arabic, without turning around, still focused on her salad-making.
[Ah, perfect! You'll help me with the stuffed vine leaves and zucchini, yes?]

"Bien sûr," Kaia smiled, walking over to her mum to kiss her cheek. "Tu te sens mieux aujourd'hui?"
[Of course, are you feeling better today?]

"Yes, yes, can you add that squeezed lemon to the food, please?" Nour responded, solely focused on her cooking which made Kaia roll her eyes but she still walked over to the sink to wash her hands and help out.

"Taylor's here too, by the way, in case you cared," Kaia chuckled.

Only then did her mother turn around and shoot her best smile at the blonde who was standing awkwardly in the doorway. "Hi!" Taylor waved limply and Kaia stifled a laugh, busying herself with the task her mother had given her.

But before Nour could say anything, Layla walked in through the backdoor from the garden, carrying a bunch of gardenias in her hands from their mum's tree.

"Holy fucking shit, you're Taylor Swift," Layla exclaimed, her blue eyes going wide in shock.

Taylor grinned brightly, nodding her head. "Yes, I am! It's nice to meet you again!"

"Oh, my god! You remember!" Layla gasped, walking over to the singer and gaping up at her. "That was a long time ago."

Taylor let out a soft laugh and pulled Kaia's older sister in for a hug. "You did a fantastic last-minute job. I did say I was eternally grateful, right?"

"I think those were your exact words, yeah," Layla breathed out, still in disbelief as she greeted the singer with a quick hug in return.

"Mama, did you forget to tell her that I was bringing Taylor over?" Kaia chuckled, stealing a piece of tomato from the salad bowl and popping it in her mouth.

"Possibly," Nour drawled out with a little amused smile. "Food needs a little longer so, why don't you go sit outside? The weather's nice today."

"Are we eating in the garden?" Kaia asked, walking over to the cabinet with the plates.

"Yes. So, you've finally decided to help out for once?" Nour teased Kaia, who blushed in embarrassment, knowing she rarely ever did lend a hand when she was younger. "If I had known I'd need to get cancer all those years ago for you to learn how to set a table..."