The Fairest Stars

Chapter Twenty Six: 'The all cheering sun.'

‘Nothing!’ Isis wrapped her arms around his chest, hugging him tightly.

Kael wasn’t so sure. Using one finger to tilt her chin up, so he could look at her, he raised an eyebrow. ‘I chose this place because it’s pretty and I like it,’ he said. ‘Does it have another meaning for you?’

Isis smiled. ‘My dad used to bring Seb, Freya and I here on Saturdays,’ she said. ‘We’d stay for hours, playing, and eating ridiculous amounts of food for a picnic. It was so happy.’

‘Are you still alright to come here?’ Kael asked, anxiously. ‘If it’s going to be too much-’

‘No, no!’ Isis protested. ‘I’d love to spend the day here.’

‘Good.’ Kael breathed a sigh of relief, and went over to the boot. Pulling out a basket full of food, with a blanket over the top that they could sit on, he locked the car, and, putting one arm around her, strolled down a gravelly path.

They were at a park he’d rarely been to. His parents didn’t really do parks, they preferred dinner parties and more civilised activities. However, he had been once or twice, and had always enjoyed the calmness of certain areas, the green stretches of lawn, the carefully cultivated flower beds and the fountains. It was all rather romantic, he thought. And he’d had a feeling Isis would like it too. Usually boxed in by concrete buildings, he thought she’d relish the opportunity to see all the grass and flowers everywhere; a splash of colour.

Because it was a Saturday, and a sunny one at that, the park was full of people: families with little children running around excitedly, mothers pushing buggies around, with sleeping babies curled up snugly inside. There were couples just like they were themselves, cuddling on a bench, throwing pennies in the fountain. It brought a smile to Kael’s face just as he looked at it. He found himself wondering what it would be like if he came here in the future with Isis, if they were married, with their own little children, racing about all enthusiastic to play games with each other. His smile widened at the thought of it.

Oh dear. He really was getting soppy.

Isis smiled up at him. ‘You look a bit dreamy,’ she commented.

‘Oh, I know I am,’ he told her, with a cheeky grin. ‘You don’t need to tell me that, baby.’

She raised her eyebrows at him. Casually, he kissed her forehead, chuckling against her skin. ‘So,’ he began. ‘What did you do when your dad brought you here, then?’

‘Check that the penny was still there,’ Isis said, eagerly, after thinking for a few moments.

‘The penny?’ Kael looked at her, rather bemused. ‘Which penny?’

‘In the fountain!’ Taking his much larger hand in hers, she tugged him along to the largest fountain in the park. The fountain was huge with a large round base filled with water, a tall, slender statue of a woman, holding herself with a superior air stood in the middle. Water spouted out of her mouth and fingertips, looking rather odd (Kael privately thought it looked rather like the lady was vomiting), but the calming sound of water splashing into pools was rather relaxing.

Isis pointed up at the statue’s mouth, partially open to let the water out. ‘I never had very good aim,’ she said.

‘What do you mean?’ Kael asked.

‘Look.’ She pointed insistently. Kael squinted up, and saw a small copper penny lodged into the mouth of the statue. Resting just above the tube from which the water was spouting, it was wedged in tightly. He gasped. ‘That was you?!’

Isis nodded. ‘Yep,’ she said, proudly. ‘Entirely accidental, I can’t claim it was a good shot.’

‘Accidental?!’ Kael looked at her in disbelief. ‘What on earth were you aiming for, if you weren’t aiming for that?’

‘Well,’ Isis said. ‘I was aiming for the water-’

‘But you threw it upwards?’ Kael interrupted.

‘A wasp was swarming around me,’ she admitted. ‘I squealed and just lobbed the penny.’ She chuckled. ‘And somehow, it just soared straight up there and has been there ever since.’

‘Wow.’ Kael looked at the penny with newfound interest. ‘You must have a pretty strong throw, missy.’

‘Apparently so,’ she commented.

‘What did you used to do now?’ Kael inquired.

Isis smiled. ‘Seb and I used to explore,’ she told him.

‘Shall we explore?’ he asked, thinking it sounded rather kinky. He didn’t mention that to her though, of course. He doubted she’d be very impressed.

She nodded enthusiastically, then looked a little bashful. ‘Is that alright with you?’ she asked, timid all of a sudden.

He winked at her. ‘Definitely, baby.’

Still holding her hand, Isis led him through an archway, ivy snaking around it, then through a low tunnel made out of gently bent trees. The leafy quietness of the cool little place was rather soothing. Turning to the right, Isis ducked beneath a smaller archway, made out of willow, and they found themselves under a tree, the leaves hanging down to sweep the floor, dangling all around them.

Kael set the basket down, and slid his hands around Isis’s waist. ‘I think I like this area,’ he whispered in her ear, leaning down to gently nibble the edge of her ear. ‘It’s rather secluded, no?’

She chuckled up at him. ‘You’re scandalous.’

‘I know,’ he replied. ‘Do you like it?’

She shook her head, widening her eyes innocently at him.

‘Okay,’ he said, letting go of her, and sitting down. ‘Picnic time?’

Isis looked startled. Disappointment wrung her stomach, and she missed the feel of his arms tightly wrapped around her body. However, she wasn’t going to let him know that.

She sat down, and nodded. ‘Yep. I’m starving.’

It had taken the entirety of Kael’s self control to make himself walk away. However, he wasn’t going to let Isis know that.

Pulling the blanket off of the basket, he handed her a panini which, to his shock, he had actually managed to make this morning. The ingredients had all been there, he just needed to put them together but still. For a boy who rarely made anything more advanced than toast, he felt rather proud of himself.

Isis tucked in gratefully, licking her lips after every few mouthfuls. Kael felt exceptionally jealous of the food, touching her mouth, going down inside of her… oh goodness. He really shouldn’t think about things like that when she was so close. Particularly when she was so close, and he’d decided to tease her by not kissing her. Mm. It wasn’t one of his best ideas, it had to be said. But he needed to stop the pervy thoughts about food; what was he, a horny little monster?!

As she finished her food, Isis looked up at Kael. He was looking at her with a rather glazed expression, one which she wasn’t precisely sure, but she thought she mightt recognise. Licking her lips extremely slowly, she asked him if he was alright.

‘Er, yeah, I think so,’ he replied, slightly disconcerted by the way that her eyes were glinting mischievously.

She prowled over to his side. ‘Stil alright?’ she inquired, her tone innocent.

He nodded, unable to speak. She clambered onto his lap, settling herself comfortably between his crossed legs. Reaching up, she fiddled with the collar of his plaid shirt, looking at her fingers, then raising her eyes to meet his. ‘Now?’ she asked, completely innocuously. 

He couldn’t stop himself. Reaching down, his lips met her own with rather more impact than she was expecting, toppling her back onto the blanket, her hair spreading out around her as her arms fastened tightly around his neck, delving into his hair.

When he came up for air, he paused before touching their lips once more. ‘Who’s the scandalous one now, missy?’ he asked, looking her in the eye.

‘Ah,’ she said, flushing. ‘But, the thing is, do you like it?’

He didn’t bother answering with words. Sometimes, he could better express his feelings without speaking…