In The End

US

"Hey." Axel casually entered the kitchen causing me and Mom to pause our conversation as we sat at the breakfast bar finishing our coffee. Axel took a jug of juice from the fridge and shook his head as he moved to get a glass from the cupboard. "I'm gonna head on over to the airport and pick the folks up." He added after a long sip from the tall glass.

The door next to him burst open and a red-faced Isabelle bustled through it. "Right, that's it. The house is spotless. The flowers are out and I've cleaned the front door and steps." She panted, throwing several cloths into the laundry room.

Axel shook his head. "Isabelle, you go to too much trouble, it's just my family, not the King and Queen of England."

Me, Mom and Isabelle all burst out laughing causing Axel to eye each of us as he finished his juice and Isabelle promptly snatched the glass from him to clean and put away.

"I'll be back soon," Axel announced stepping towards me then abruptly stopping and nodding towards my Mother before darting out of the back door.

"He's a strange guy." My Mom shook her head as she sipped her drink, as I quickly looked away I caught Isabelle smirking to herself at the sink.

After finishing our breakfast and helping Isabelle re-tidy the kitchen, me and mom retreated to the guesthouse to hide out until we were summoned by the Blackthorns' arrival.

A few hours quickly passed before the sound of gravel crunching under tyres disturbed me from my work and I felt a fresh wave of anxiety flood my chest.

"Ooh, sounds like the Royals have arrived. "My Mom sprung to her feet to sneak a peek out of the window and I couldn't resist the urge to join her, discarding the items on my lap to one side as I jumped up and darted to her side. First out of the car was Axel, he went straight to the back of the motor and stretched out before popping the trunk. The front passenger door opened next and a guy as tall as Axel stepped out. His salt and pepper hair was slicked back, a lot like how Sullivan had his, adding to their air of superiority. The man's navy polo shirt was tucked neatly into his beige slacks and he brushed his hair back again, before moving to open the passenger door behind him. My mom nearly fell over me as she stretched to get a better look, our nosy gazes were quickly met by a perfectly set, deep mahogany, choppy bob, as the owner effortlessly exited the vehicle with the assistance of the authoritative gentleman. Moving away from the door we finally got a better look at who were presumably his parents. His mother matched her husband's tailored vibe with a crisp white T-shirt underneath a short black blazer and loose black trousers completely covering her shoes.

"Jesus, she's like a tiny doll." My Mom muttered keeping her eyes firmly on them all.

She wasn't wrong, the woman was no more than 5ft and looked like a delicate doll next to her 6ft 3 husband whose frame was easily twice the size of hers. The door on the other side opened and the girl I saw Axel with at the gallery emerged. She had her mother's delicate features but her father's height. Her long hair cascaded down her back like a river of loose curls, and like her mother, she wore a blazer and T-shirt combo but had opted for skinny jeans and black stiletto-heeled boots.

"Aren't they just the most attractive family you've ever seen." My Mom half laughed and instantly began fiddling with her hair as she moved away from the window. "Maybe we should have hid out in a hotel after all." She laughed again and I couldn't help but roll my eyes at her obvious nervous energy.

My mother never acknowledged just how naturally pretty she was, she always made a point of letting others know about their physical attributes and qualities, but never her own. Her naturally glossy hair, even with its odd greying strand, along with the fine lines around her eyes whenever she fully smiled were the only reference to her age but she looked just as put together in her target jeans and sweater as Mrs Blackthorn did in her Versace blazer and bright pink YSL lipstick.