First Loves (Random Updates)

Chapter 10

Sean and Kota walked into the mansion that following Monday and sighed heavily as they sat at the dining room table. "How was it?" Marc asked as he sat some coffee cups in front of them.

"Weird," they said at the same time.

"How so?" Owen asked intrigued.

"Well, like for instance, she said he has a room at her place but really it looked more like a guest room," Kota pointed out. "And really what boyfriend would be perfectly okay having a separate room from their girlfriend after being away for so long?"

"Well, you two were there, maybe he was just trying to be respectful," Silas tried to reason.

"Really?" Luke chuckled.

"Not everyone is a horn bag like you," Gabe chuckled.

"Oh come on," Luke sighed, "are you seriously telling me that if you were gone from Cupcake for months on end and then finally got to see you, you would keep your hands to yourself even if her daughter and ex husbands were in the house?"

"Yes," Victor, Axel, Owen, Marc, and Silas said at once.

"But Fae was with us," Nathan pointed out.

"Still, some people are not okay with the risk of being caught," Axel pointed out. "This guy may be very vanilla and not want to be disrespectful for fear of causing problems with us and Doll."

"They didn't even hold hands or kiss," Sean pointed out, "or cuddle!"

"Now that is a little odd," Owen said sipping his tea. "She is okay with a little PDA."

"Well now that everyone is here, I can discuss what I have figured out from the night before she left our house," Axel said sitting down at the table.

"What?" North and Raven asked.

"She has said many times that we have not listened to her, correct?" Axel asked.

"Yeah, but we have," Brandon glared.

"No, we haven't," Axel shook his head.

"Yes, we have," Brandon sat his cup down. "Everything she requested we did."

"Just listen," Axel held his hands up. "Something this guy said really stuck with me. He said that Celeste said she appreciated how he didn't just hear her but listen to what she said. There is a difference between hearing and listening."

"So you are saying all those times we just heard and didn't actually listen to what she was asking from us?" Victor asked.

"I think so," Axel shrugged. "I mean she did say repeatedly that we weren't listening to her."

"So, what exactly is the difference between hearing and listening?" Nathan asked. "They sound exactly the same thing to me."

"Hearing is when you hear what someone says without thinking about it, you hear what they are saying subconsciously," Lilly said as she came into the house with her husbands Liam, Jack, Henry, and Harry following behind her. "Listening is when you choose to hear what they say. Why? What is going on?"

Axel sighed then told Lilly about everything while Liam made Lilly a plate of breakfast. "So now you have finally realized where you messed up in the marriage?" Henry asked.

"So, what did she really mean then?" Marc asked.

"Exactly what she asked of you," Lilly pointed her fork at the men. "Celeste has never given a double meaning in talking to you. You just interpreted it differently because men's brains are wired differently then women's. That's why communication is so important in relationships."

"It took us years to understand one another," Jack admitted. "It was hard at first but maybe now you can work on repairing your relationship."

"Not while this asshole is in the picture," North grumbled.

"Do you think it's serious?" Lilly asked curiously.

"Fae already knows about him," Owen said emotionlessly. "She knew about him before we did."

"And that bothers you," Lilly admitted. "Why?"

"We know nothing about him," Corey glared.

"Yes, you do," Harry pointed out. "You know his name and his profession, and you know that Celeste trusts him enough to have her daughter around him. You know how private and protective that woman is about Fae. Do you seriously think she would have just some random stranger in her personal life must less staying in her house around that little girl?"

"We still should have known about him before Fae did," Owen glared. "We are her fathers."

"Okay, I do agree with you there," Lilly admitted, "but maybe Celeste didn't feel comfortable talking to you about him until she knew there was something there. Come on, she knew the moment you found out about someone in her life you would investigate him, wouldn't you?" A few of them muttered under their breaths making her grin. "Exactly, and maybe she feels like this isn't a serious relationship, so she didn't feel the need to inform you. You did say he travels all the time, correct?" They nodded, "and how did she explain the relationship to you when you met him?"

Kota thought for a moment, "Well, he did say that they were just taking it day by day. With him being on the road constantly it wasn't fair for them to put a label on it. He said they were just enjoying being together while he is here."

"I think all of you and Celeste need to sit down and really communicate," Lilly said as Liam picked up her now empty plate. "We will get Fae after school, we need time with her anyway it's been way too long, and you need to apologize for not realizing what she was trying to say to you then really and I mean really communicate. It will do all of you some good."

"Good luck getting her to agree to that," Brandon shook his head. "Every time we have asked her to explain what she means she just says she refuses to repeat herself."

"And she shouldn't," Lilly agreed, "but now that you have realized your mistake and admit it to her, that will show her you are trying and this will at least give you a chance. Showing her you are learning will help her see you are willing to try. Just give it a chance, she will too."