the bet | sean and kaycee

04

"meet cheuk and miya lew, our new friends." laura said with a smile. there were loud cheers and everyone applauded for new comers, to welcome them. both cheuk and miya smiled nervously at this.

"merry christmas everyone." cheuk said, with a big smile on his face.

***

party was moving ahead nicely.
kaycee's parents were sitting with the lews, taking to them. kaycee was sitting on another table, listening to her 10 year old cousin, hailey, who was telling her about one of her school projects, in which kaycee had helped her.

kaycee was listening to her half-heartedly, as her mind was lost in thoughts about lews or say, one lew in particular.

'sean lew is not here. strange, must be with one of his many girlfriends.
but why am I thinking about this? may be party is making my mind, go fuzzy'
kaycee thought, feeling a bit baffled with her thoughts.

kaycee felt someone shaking her. She pulled herself out of her wonderings, to find tracy, shaking her.

"oh sorry, what were you saying?" kaycee asked, trying to sound rueful.

"you weren't listening to me." Hailey said in complaining.

kaycee smiled apologetically at her.
"sorry little cousin. So tell me what you were saying." she said kindly.

"we can talk later. aunt laura has been calling at you for last 5 minutes." hailey said, pointing towards, where laura was sitting.

kaycee saw her mom gesturing her to come to their table. she excused herslef from hailey and made her way towards her mom. she felt anxious about meeting the lews. she wasn't sure what they would think of her.

"yeah mom." kaycee said as she reached near the table. laura took kaycee's hand and pulled her to an empty seat next to hers.

"cheuk, miya. meet kaycee, our only daughter." laura said proudly.

"hello kaycee dear. merry christmas." miya said who was sitting across to kaycee, with a warm smile on her face.

"hello mr. and mrs. lew. merry christmas to both of you as well." kaycee answered politely.

"it's really nice meeting you kaycee." cheuk said genially.

"likewise, mr. lew." kaycee replied courteously.

"we have heard a lot about you, from brad and laura. it's really nice to, finally have a face to all conversations we had about you. you are very good in academics, i heard." miya mentioned.

kaycee felt a bit uncomfortable witht the praise. she wasn't very good at handling the appreciation.

"err...thanks mrs. lew. but they are my parents and are bound to praise their only daughter." kaycee mumbled "i am not good."

"you know kaycee; you should not let others demean you. you are so good as you think of yourself." cheuk said nicely.

"i'll try mr. lew." kaycee replied smiling a bit.

"where's sean?" brad asked seeing that her daughter was getting a bit uncomfortable. kaycee was just like her father when it came to handling the admiration from others.

"he'll join us shortly. he was with his friends. i just hope he gets here on time." miya said.

just then cheuk's phone started to ring. he excused himself from the table and went a bit away from the table to talk. after speaking, he join the group back.

"it was sean." he said at miya's questioning glance. then cheuk looked at brad and laura.

"brad, sean is at nearby square, but don't know how to come here. i will just go and bring him here." he said.