Lie ate her breakfast alone in the kitchen with her laptop on the counter in front of her, her grandfather already giving her the mother of all headaches. King Fitzgerald is a centennial man who had made it his life's mission to play Cupid for his children and grandchildren.
She had a tall pile of pancakes on a plate, a variety of fruits in a huge bowl, one box of orange juice, and a box of fresh milk beside her laptop.
"Honey, you're at that age where you should be doing your job and giving your grandma little great grandchildren to bounce on her knees," the huge Irish man told his granddaughter, hands waving around as if doing his best to make Callie believe his words.
Bullshit. Soft spoken Alice Addams-Fitzgerald wouldn't have meddled with her children's and grandchildren's lives like King did on a very regular basis. "Pop, Momma still has like… 6 babies to bounce on her lap," she reasoned out before sipping her coffee, eyes on the screen of her laptop where King's face was. Sometimes, she regreted teaching him how to video call coz now he's got a way to bombard his spawns without leaving his castle in Ireland. "Besides, I'm your youngest grandchild. I haven't even enjoyed my time with you and Momma yet."
"Well they don't always come to visit us, do they? You don't visit us either, do you? Do you?" King Fitzgerald is another huge man with a huge and voracious voice and attitude. He's a meddlesome fool who thinks he could just toss his offspring to the best set of gene pool he chooses.
Lie rolled her eyes heavenwards. Should she toss Gannie under the bus to pay her back for the shit she started a couple of weeks before?
"Don't roll your eyes at me, young lady. I can still whoop your ass, don't forget that," came the empty threat that he always threw at his children which only made Lie laugh.
"You can whoop my ass if you manage to catch me."
"Disrespectful. I will really whoop your ass and your dad's too. I swear to God above!"
Alice's laughter could be heard in the background which made Lie grin at her grandfather.
"Whoop dad's ass first then I will offer my ass to you right after."
His laughter boomed so loudly that his voice bounced through the walls of the kitchen.
"Wow, that's loud," Nat mumbled from the entrance of the kitchen. Her beautiful copper hair was a mess and her eyes bleary from sleep. She was clad in her Spongebob pyjamas.
"Hey, baby girl. Sorry, that's my grandpa laughing his heart out," she explained to the child. "Come and join me for breakfast."
"Who's that beaut? Show me her, you evil spawn of mine! I want to see!" As loud as King Fitzgerald was, he was a sucker for kids and no one knew why. He loved them to bits and pieces whether they were of his blood or not. He just enjoyed their energy.
Lie chuckled and shook her head. "Be nice, Pop. She��s innocent." She pulled Nat closer to the laptop. "Nat, this is my grandpa, King. Pop, this is Nat Criss. She's the sister of one of our tenants here."
"Good morning, sir," Nat greeted with a sweet smile. She even gave a slight bow to the man that she technically doesn't know yet.
"Good day to you, lass. Wow, you really are a beaut. And respectful too, unlike someone I know! Now, tell me, my beautiful gal, do you know any secrets about that stubborn wench beside you?" the old man goaded the tween as he leaned forward, almost pushing his face against the screen.
Lie just shook her head and went to the fridge to get herself a bottle of water. She drank her fill and let the two talk their hearts out to each other.
"None that I know of." Lie gave a sigh of relief to that answer. "She and my brothers are fuck buddies though."
Water sprayed out of Lie's nose and mouth as she coughed in shock. King's voice exploded once more but Lie interrupted it by slamming the laptop shut. Fire raged in her throat and nostrils but an even bigger one was raging in her belly. She looked at Nat who was looking at her innocently while patting and rubbing Callie's back.
"Are you alright?" Nat asked as if she hadn't just dropped a bomb bigger and more powerful than that of Nagasaki and Hiroshima combined.
"What did you say?"
"Are you alright?" Nat's brows furrowed and her forehead creased as she repeated her question.
"No, before that. What did you say to my grandfather?" she wiped water off of her arms and chest with a paper towel. She knew that the kid was perceptive but she didn't expect her to be THAT perceptive. "About me and your brother."
"That you two are sex friends?"
Lie rubbed her face with her palms. It was still a damn shock. She was sure that they didn't give off such a vibe to the girl. Damien even slept in his own room last night. And they only shared a kiss in her room before he went back. But it seems that they have failed. "Okay, listen to me, Nat," she faced the girl and smiled.
"Relax. I'm 12, not 4. I understand that there are relationships that are purely physical and there are those who have love brewing inside. It's all fine. You don't have to hide anything from me." She picked a strawberry from Lie's plate and popped it into her mouth. "Besides, as long as you're both enjoying it, I'm good. Don't hurt anyone though."
Lie could not say anything and just watched Natasha sit down on one of the chairs by the counter and pile four pancakes onto her plate.
"Do you have syrup?"
Lie opened an overhead cupboard and took a jug of syrup for the girl. "Does Damien know that you know?"
"I don't think so. He thinks he's so good at hiding secrets but he's not. Everything is obvious with his actions." Nat drowned her pancakes and made Lie's teeth rot by the second. "As I said, it's okay. You both look like you enjoy each other so…" the shrug that she gave was so nonchalant that Lie almost thought they were talking about her assignment instead of the sex life of her brother. "I need a job."
The sudden change of topic threw Lie off guard once more. This kid was different from her brother. "What for?" she asked and sat down across from Nat. she piled three pancakes on her plate and ate it like that. It seemed that Nat was having enough syrup for both of them.
"Well, Damien is getting another job to support me even though I told him not to. I don't want to steal time from you and him. I'm really capable and I just need to be enrolled then I'll look for a job. Do you know any shops that might take me as a part timer?"
"It's illegal to hire minors, Nat. you know that."
The girl simply shrugged. "I'll just look for those who are willing then."
"How are you with clothes and fashion?"
The girl looked at Lie and chuckled. "Better than you."
Lie nodded. "Fine, you're hired. You will be my fashion manager." It was something she had just pulled out of her ass but at least it would keep the girl out of trouble for a while.
"You just invented that, didn't you?" Nat's lips curved up on just the left side. "How much will you pay me?"
"How about your stay here would be free and you won't worry about food plus a bit of allowance?"
"Isn't that too much?" she shoved pancakes and syrup into her mouth like it was the most normal thing to do. It made Lie's stomach churn and her teeth to deteriorate further.
"Let's just say that I'm offering you a deal because I'm… enjoying your brother." Lie poured milk into a glass and slid it towards Natasha. "It's not so bad, is it?"
"When will I start then?" Nat asked before drinking.
Lie looked at her wrist watch and calculated her time. "We can start today. I don't have any classes. We can even go and enrol you once Damien is out of his class. What do you think?"
Nat gave her a shit-eating grin before nodding then running out of the kitchen, leaving Lie to deal with the mess.
"So is this your usual attire? Shorts and t-shirt?" Nat asked while watching Lie spray a bit of perfume on her skin.
Lie looked at her reflection and smiled. "Well, not always. Before Damien and I got into our relationship, I always wore sleeveless shirts that showed off my upper arm and the flesh of what could be called my breasts," she explained as she wore her socks.
"Sleeveless shirts would look awesome on you. With your body shape, you should be showing off your neck and chest, girl. These kinds of t-shirt only make you look bigger than you really are."
It made sense. It totally made sense but how can she tell the kid that the reason she wasn't wearing her sleeveless shirts anymore is because of all the marks Damien had left on her skin? Her chest is always filled with bite marks or kiss marks. Her thighs were the same too. It was her inner thighs who were most marked. He liked opening her up just to kiss and bite her inner thighs. Sometimes, he would tease her endlessly by licking, kissing, and biting her inner thighs until she was so wet and needy she lost her mind.
But of course, she cannot say that to a pre-teen girl so she smiled at Nat instead. "You'll have to help me with fashion. Something that will drive your brother crazy."
Nat chuckled at that as they walked out of Lie's room. "Well… Are you prepared to stop him from breaking bones?"
The question made Lie blink. "Why would Damien break bones?"
"He's pretty possessive and jealous, you know?"
"But I'm not his girlfriend." It was the truth. She was not Damien's girlfriend. She didn't want to hurt him in any way. Besides, would Damien actually be jealous for her?
Nat didn't reply but the smile she had didn't escape Lie's eyes. It confused her though. Obviously, the kid knew something that she didn't.
The drive to the mall was full of different topics from school works to food to dresses and shoes.
"You would look great in an off-shoulder dress," Nat told Lie while she was rummaging through dresses in a boutique. "With you height, you should wear wedges. It'll add to your confidence too."
Lie just sat on the soft leather chair and listened to the girl speak. She has never enjoyed shopping before but with Nat telling her and helping her know what would look great on her, it was starting to seem fun. "How about colors?"
"We'll start with something dark for now like black, dark blue, and the like. You can't wear things with bold designs. Just wear something simple." She pulled out three dresses and piled them on the saleslady's arm. "How about you start trying them out while I look for some more?"
Lie nodded and entered the fitting room. From then on, it was a storm of colors and clothes for her. She couldn't keep up. At every rejected dress, more came. With every dress that was accepted, she was pushed to try some more. They visited a couple of boutiques and with every boutique they came out with bags and boxes. Her feet were screaming in protest when Nat decided that she was hungry. They called Damien so he could meet them at a restaurant in the mall.
"You two went crazy," he said as he sat down beside Nat and across from Lie, his eyes on the pile of boxes and bags that were on the floor, table, and the chairs. "Did you buy the whole mall or something?"
Lie chuckled and shook her head. "Thank God, we didn't. I didn't realize how huge this mall was until today."
Nat busied herself with the menu.
"Are you alright?" Damien asked and transferred to the seat beside Lie to play with her hair.
"My feet hurt," she mumbled and leaned her head against his shoulder with a sigh. "I feel like I ran around the mall in high heels instead of rubber shoes."
He laid his hand on her thigh and gently rubbed it for her. "I'll give you a foot rub when we get home, alright?"
Lie nodded and looked up at him with a smile. "You're wonderful. You sure you don't have a girlfriend?"
He smiled and pulled her closer by her waist. "I'm sure I'm not taken."
"I'm ready to order," Nat informed them with a smile.
Their lunch was filled with stories about Lie's and Nat's adventures for the day.