The Stars

We kept staring at each other without losing eye contact and I felt a blush rising to my cheeks but we were cut short as Kate came and knocked on the side window. 'Stella hi, would you mind joining us for dinner today Jayden's dad went on a business trip and it would be only both of us,' I looked at Kate and then at Jayden as he nodded and back at her 'Thank you Kate but I have to make dinner for my brother and sister, I'm so sorry,' 'Oh no you can bring them too its totally fine,' I smiled at her slightly concerned and said 'Okay then I'll come by in a few minutes,' and I got down as Kate rushed up the stairs and I turned back to Jayden 'Thanks for the utterly surprising ride see you at dinner,' I waved and left. I opened the door to see the shock of my life a dog was running around the table chased by my indecent brother and Emma sitting in the floor laughing her guts out 'What the hell is happening here Leo and where is MJ?' I said dropping my stuff down and carried Emma and made her sit down on the baby chair 'She thought her house caught on fire and went to check it out and never came back,' Leo said finally sitting down on the ground after catching the puppy. 'What do you mean,' I asked and rushed to the window and it was true there seemed to be smoke still coming out of her house 'Leo,' 'What?' 'Did you,' 'Stella if I wanted to burn the house it would be in ashes by now,' 'True, but the dog where did it come from,' I said after considering the fact Leo told me 'It's a gift from Tessa,' Emma said stuttering 'Ah what,' 'Yeah when she was bring us home and you know that shelter for animals near our school it was closing down so Tessa bought the last few dogs that was there and gave us one as my birthday gift,' Leo said snuggling with the dog 'So why did you accept it,' I yelled back annoyed at the fact that not only I have to take care of Emma and another bigger baby I need to now take care of a dog 'Why can't I Tessa took six dogs home,' 'Yeah cuz she has a butler and two maids, I really don't care who gave the dog but you are going to give it back if you want to live under this roof,' I yelled exhausted 'But,' 'No buts Leo go and get ready we are having dinner at the Elroy's place,' and without another word he carried the dog and went to get ready as he knew I really had it. I never was someone who had really bad temper with my siblings so when I did even Leo knew not to mess with me.

I got out to the road locking the door and walked towards the house carrying Emma. The front door was opened and when I knocked on it she said to come in. Leo ran in as I followed and dropped Emma down and went to the kitchen to help out Kate 'Thank you for the dinner Kate,' 'Oh not a big issue darling and I can see both of them to be trouble makers,' she said looking at them as Leo was looking and touching almost anything and Emma was toddling around beside him 'It's actually quite nice, my husband has been going for business trips quite recently and even if he is home he is packed up with work and Jayden is another joy killer he is in his room since he comes home and I don't see him at all unless the time we eat so its really quiet around here,' 'So that's why you asked him to throw a party,' I asked knowing the answer 'You really do get me,' we laughed and after a while Jayden came down the stairs and Leo had a total breakdown as he idolized Jayden for some stupid reason 'Jayden Elroy your THE Jayden Elroy,' he asked Jayden 'Didn't I tell you just now we were coming to their house,' I asked confused 'Shut up Stella,' I looked at Kate taken back and she mouthed 'Kids sorry,' and then Leo kept praising him asking questions all the way to dinner time as I helped Kate prepare the food. We all sat around the marble table 'Dig in,' Kate said to us but none of us could as to my surprised Emma asked 'Aren't we saying grace Stella,' and that both Kate and Jayden looked at me, I was really happy that at least one of them remembered it's because after my mom left me when I young I started to pray to God as He was the only person I could depend on so gradually I taught both my siblings to pray. 'No, it's just that we normally say grace before dinner it's totally fine though,' I said looking at Kate slightly shy 'Oh no dear that's fine, well even we used to but you know we all rarely eat at the same time, well hold hands,' Kate replied and said a small thanksgiving prayer while Jayden looked astonished.

We had what you can say a quite dinner except for Leo bannering questions about football at Jayden or Emma making fusses about the food or Leo keep on complaining about me but for some reason unlike normal people Kate was actually very interested in what they had to say so leaving Leo and Emma to Kate I got out of there to their garden. It was beautiful, It was peaceful most of all and you could see the stars though our houses were not so apart from mine you couldn't see so many stars, never so many, ever. I sat down on the corridor steps as Jayden came out with a cup of hot chocolate for me and himself and sat next to me. 'Tell me I am wrong I just dropped you at your house for like what, ten minutes and you look more haggard than in weeks,' 'Well they've got a puppy,' I said reaching for my cup. 'That's not so bad,' 'Well it's not so bad until your one who is cleaning up its shit and taking it for rabbis shots,' 'You really know how to ruin a good moment don't you,' 'What the hell is that supposed to mean,' I asked looking straight at him. He looked at me and then tilted his head and said 'Ask,' 'What,' and he raised his eye brow knowing that I had a question hidden in the back of my head which I guess I was not very good at hiding 'All right its just that why did you look so taken back when Emma mentioned grace,' 'Mmm well I never thought you were you know that type,' 'What do mean,' I asked getting annoyed 'It's just I never thought you considered God,' 'Why you don't,' 'Not exactly,' he said as he broke our eye contact and looked at the stars just above us. 'Sure we are Catholic's but those are just label's that put you into a category so that you don't end up destroying the law and messing up your damn hell life, well my mom is the only one who still has faith she used to force me and dad to go to church and all but eventually she stopped pushing us as well as herself,' 'So what about faith and hope,' 'There just things that disappoint you because if you keeping looking and ends up with nothing you end up crushed, what's the point,' now he turned back to me seriously 'But.... what keeps you going if not hope,' 'You,' I smiled at him and nodded 'I'm serious,' 'Me too,' 'All right great pick up line but oh come on you met me just a few days ago,' 'Love keeps me going Stella,' 'But if what if it's gone then isn't it hope that keeps you going for love,' 'If loves gone then I'm gone too,' as he said it I felt my heart ache with pain that came so suddenly and his deep blue ocean eyes pulled me into seeing the hope for love that he never admitted. I wanted that feeling to last for days, months or years but my brain was rejecting my heart because was I really ready to gamble and so I pulled away quickly as I could and got up and stared at the sky and said 'Do you come out here often,' 'No not at all actually,' 'Well you should, do you know how I would die to see so many stars in the sky every single day, treasure it,' 'Well you could come and look at the stars every day from my house,' Jayden said getting up and heading into the house with me as I smirked and whispered to myself 'I really wish I could'.