The Fairest Stars

Chapter Twenty Five: 'I am in love.'

‘I have to thank you, actually,’ Ellen said, looking rather charmed. ‘All those lifts you’ve given Freya and Isis have been a great help.’

‘Don’t mention it,’ Kael replied, feeling a bit uncomfortable. He hated being thanked for things, despite the pleasant feeling it gave his ego. ‘I like it.’

Ellen grinned. ‘Mmm, I did gather that. You’re in love with my daughter, aren’t you, Kael?’

‘Mum!’ Isis gave her mother a light shove, quickly covering her eyes with her hands. ‘Please don’t say that!’

Kael chuckled, about to answer yes, when someone new came into the room. Ah. That had to be Seb.

He was tall, with the same slight frame as Isis, the same freckles, a tuft of messy blonde hair on his head. However, his eyes were brown, and his features were a little different from Isis’s. He was looking at Kael warily.

‘Hi,’ Kael began, with a friendly grin, holding out his hand for Seb to shake. ‘You must be Seb?’

‘Yeah.’ Seb shook his hand firmly. ‘You’re Kael?’

Kael nodded, glancing at Isis, who looked a little uncomfortable. He smiled at her, reassuringly.

‘So.’ Seb moved to stand closer to Isis. ‘You’re dating my sister?’

Isis nudged him. ‘Don’t make this embarrassing, please, Seb?’

Kael chuckled. ‘No, no, I quite understand that you feel protective about her,’ he said. ‘I often feel the same myself.’

‘Oh for goodness sake,’ Isis said, with a rueful smile. ‘I’m seventeen, not six!’

Kael thought she looked rather pleased all the same. Until Seb said: ‘you’ll always be a baby sister to me.’ Then she looked as if she felt like crawling into a hole.

‘Right, I think Kael and I need to go and practise our lines,’ she babbled, taking him by the hand, and pulling him along with her. ‘See you later.’

‘Nice to meet you, Kael!’ called Ellen.

‘Nice to meet you too,’ he replied, meaning it. It was good to meet the woman who was responsible for bringing Isis into the world.

‘Where are we going?’ he inquired, as Isis towed him out of the room.

She paused. ‘I hadn’t thought of that.’ She looked around her, as if trying to get some inspiration.

‘Your bed?’  Isis gave him a look. His eyes widened. ‘Not like that, you dirty minded girl!’

‘My bed’s back in the lounge, remember?’ she said, giving him a swat. ‘I didn’t think of it like that!’