Kiara stared at Fionn, her face expressionless. He stared back, his gaze expecting something, a resolution, a sigh, or maybe a smile. Instead, the woman before him extended her hands towards him, her eyes unreadable.
"Hi, I'm Kiara Miracle." She said innocently. Fionn stared at her, confused. "What's with the formality?" he asked, his heart tightening slightly.
"Because I didn't know you." She replied simply. "Not really, and today... Today is the first time I feel like I actually do." Her voice was calm, but there was an edge to it that made his chest ache.
Kiara was something. She was a force that messed up with the entirety of Fionn's body anatomy. She didn't need a doctor's scalpel, not even an operating room. All it took was her smile, her eyes, her cute face, her soft voice, and then, alas, his sanity was lost. Just her mere presence was enough.
With her words, Fionn didn't know whether he had to feel happy or insulted. They made all they'd been through feel like shadows, untouchable, unreal. Though he didn't mind the rest, since it was total chaos, but that hug. That hug was something he didn't feel like letting go of. It felt like the start of something special.
Sensing the shift in his demeanour, she shook her head gently. "Don't overreact. We never really introduced ourselves. Fionn, we just happened. Chaos first, names later."
At first, he hesitated but took her hand anyway. "Fionn", he said.
"Fionn .... Fionn ... Tracy.. Clarkson. It's a pleasure meeting you, Miss Kiara Miracle," he said hesitantly, his voice breaking. She gave him a soft smile, one that didn't promise anything but at least offered a fresh start. A real one.
"Looking forward to our friendship." She said, but her eyes said otherwise. They begged for more, something deeper, something more than just friendship. Fionn, too, wasn't about to settle for that. He wanted more from the woman before me.
But before he could think of what to reply, her eyes lit up in excitement.
"How possible?" She asked. A question to which Fionn didn't know the answer. A soft chuckle escaped her lips. Covering her mouth with her hands, she tried to suppress it.
"What?" Fionn asked.
"How could I be so stupid, all this long, you're Aunt Deborah's son?" She said in realization.
Her hands moved, her palms finding the shape of his face. She pulled his cupped face towards her own, a smile tagging on her lips.
Fionn didn't flinch, didn't shove her hands away. He only reciprocated her smile with his own.
"Yeah, your aunt Deborah is my mom," he said softly, but she wasn't listening.
She only looked at him passionately.
"From now on, I'll be calling you Tracy."
Nothing more was said as they intimately stared at each other. Her palms were around his face, soaked with sweat, which Fionn enjoyed. She leaned in, pulling his face even closer.
Their lips almost touched, but "Are you two planning to stay in there forever?" Ethan's voice broke the moment.
Kiara let go of Fionn's face, completely embarrassed.
The two got out of the car, avoiding each other's gaze like they'd fought, following closely behind Ethan and Kayla as they got into the cafe.
"Welcome, Mr Clarkson." The guy at the counter addressed Ethan before turning to Fionn. "Welcome, Mr Clarkson," he said.
But Fionn wasn't interested in formalities. "Is Kim in?" He got to the point.
"At the back." He said, gesturing at the door that led to the back.
"Make these lovely ladies comfortable," Fionn said as the two walked through the door, completely ignoring the two women.
As the two men disappeared through the door, Kiara and Kayla made themselves comfortable at a vacant table in the corner. The day had been long, so they had to replenish their empty tummies.
How foolish it had been. Refusing to have lunch at home, claiming they would have something to eat at the mall. Excitement had cost them a great deal. With all the endless movement from one store to another and then finally the commotion, there's no way food would be something to think about.
What hurt Kiara most was that, in the end, the journey was a wasted one. Thanks to Fionn.
"I hate him." She scoffed, her nostrils slightly flared.
The guy from earlier walked to their table with a smile on his face. "Ladies, what would you like to have?" He asked politely.
Kiara sighed, menu in her hands, but so indecisive. The pain in her tummy didn't give her room to think of what to get off the menu.
"Give us everything on the menu," she said thoughtlessly. After all, the menu didn't have much to begin with; it was just chicken cooked in different ways. Kayla didn't say a word; she only nodded in agreement to her sister's order.
He walked back to the kitchen, where he later came up with two platters. Each had a reasonable amount of chips, not so much, not so little, just enough. A medium-sized chicken burger, a portion of vegetable salads, two chicken sausages, two drumsticks, and two sauce cups.
"Well, could I now take your juice orders?" The man asked.
"I'll have a strawberry," Kayla said with a soothing tone.
"My sister here will take the apple flavour. But make sure to make it natural, don't add any sweeteners." Of course, she knew Kiara's taste.
The guy made his way back, leaving the two to eat their food peacefully. He came back a while later with the juice.
Kiara munched down her food like a hungry lion. Of course, she had to.
As they ate, Kiara's phone chimed. She picked it up, and it was a message from Samuel.
Meet me at Club Orion. I have a surprise for you.
Kiara wondered what surprise was needed to meet a person at a club. Sam wasn't a person of surprises after all.
Even so, Kiara sensed it would be fun. "Are you up for some fun?" She asked her sister.
"Hmm." Kayla simply hummed. Kiara didn't know whether it was a yes or no, but decided to take it for a yes.
I'm tagging along with one of my sisters. She texted back.
"Excuse me." She called out the guy who ran to their table meekly.
"Yes, Miss."
"Can I have the bill?" Kiara commanded.
"No worries, it's on the house." He said, waving off.
Kiara extended a credit card towards him. "I won't accept having a free meal; I have to pay for it."
He pushed the card back to her.
"I won't accept the payment, miss. My boss instructed me to make you feel comfortable."
"I don't care what you were told, anyway, by not allowing me to pay, you are making me uncomfortable. I'm paying for the meal." Kiara said firmly.
"Why don't you understand? What is it? I told you the meal is on the house, why do you insist on paying?" He snapped
Fuck, what have I done?
At the man's snapping, Kiara decided not to intervene anymore and left the rest to Kayla. Kayla handled the situation well. She managed to calm the man down.
"Please inform your boss we left," Kiara said as the two girls moved out of the cafe. As they walked to where their car was parked, Kay suddenly stopped in her tracks.
"By the way, where are we going?" She asked.
"To meet a friend of mine at the..." Kiara didn't finish the sentence, knowing well that if Kayla found out where they were going, she would decline.
"At a club?" Sensing her sister's hesitation, Kayla asked like she'd read Kiara's mind.
"Yes." Kiara nodded guiltily. She was never going to reveal the location until they were there.
"I'll pass," Kayla said firmly.
If Kayla weren't tagging along, then Kiara wasn't going either. But when she remembered the surprise from a man not accustomed to throwing any, there's no way she was turning it down.
"Please." Kiara cooed.
"There won't be any noise, no people at all. It's the VIP section." She almost fell to her knees.
Kayla chuckled at her sister's behaviour. "It seems it's important to you." She said, stopping Kiara from falling onto her knees.
"I'll tag along but just for this once."
Kiara stood on her toes to match her sister's height and placed a quick but passionate kiss on her lips, something the sisters always did to express their feelings to each other.