And just like that, two weeks had passed since Astra moved into the Lennox estate. The boys, true to form, showed up every single day under the pretense of 'admiring her piano'. Though, in reality, she knew it was just a transparent excuse to bother her. And truth be told, it was grating on her nerves. She was used to living alone, all by herself, and the sudden constant presence of these boys was starting to get annoying.
Back in the town, that was how she lived. She had no friends. It was not that no one approached her. It was more like she did not let anyone get close to her. She had kept everyone at arm's length, building walls high enough that eventually, people stopped trying to scale them. Astra was fine with that lonely life. In fact, she preferred it that way.
But here? Peace was apparently not in the vocabulary of her new family and their friends.
Rowan, especially, seemed to have made it his personal mission to hunt her down no matter where she tried to hide. First, he'd discovered her library as her hiding place, then the sunroom, followed by the cabana, and even the conservatory. There was no longer any place she could hide from him.
And when Rowan was not the one pestering her, Ziyan would somehow appear out of nowhere. She'd lost count of how many times she'd slammed her art studio door in his face, only to feel his amusement seeping through the wood.
And let's not forget about Emrys, who had been following her like a lost puppy, constantly begging her to let him play the piano. Unable to take it anymore, she finally said yes after three days. That had been, perhaps, the biggest mistake of her life. Because, it turned out, although Emrys was someone who was born into a family that was in the entertainment industry, he himself had no talent for music and was tone deaf. Those five excruciating minutes of him massacring a simple melody had been the longest five minutes of her life.
The only tolerable person among them was Silas who did not talk much and seemed to understand the concept of personal space.
Today was the day her mother was coming back from her honeymoon. Elena and Atticus could have stayed a little longer but they said they could not take too many off days from work. Though, Astra knew better. Tomorrow was the day schools were officially opening and knowing her mother, Astra was pretty sure, Elena wanted to be by her side when she was starting a new chapter of her life.
Astra was currently sitting in the living room with Calix. The TV was playing some comedy show on it though neither were paying much attention to it. Before Calix were a number of files he was going through. While Astra's focus was more on her phone while she ate the fruits Calix had asked a maid to cut for her.
Calix's presence beside her was surprisingly comfortable. Unlike the emotional chaos that seemed to follow the others, his feelings were always calm. She'd noticed that he spoke only when necessary but his silence was never uncomfortable.
But that peaceful atmosphere shattered as Rowan came barreling down the stairs. Halfway down, he abandoned walking altogether and slid down the banister.
"They're here!" He ran past them, only to skid to a stop and double back, frowning at their relaxed postures. "What are you still doing there? They're back!"
Astra resisted the urge to roll her eyes at his theatrics, but she rose from her seat anyway, Calix following behind. When they arrived at the foyer, Elena and Atticus were already being greeted by Rosetta.
"Welcome home, Master Lennox," Rosetta greeted him with a big smile. But when she turned to Elena, her smile dimmed. "Madam."
Before Elena could respond, Rosetta had already turned back to Atticus, hands outstretched. "Let me help you take off your jacket."
"Nanny Rosetta," Astra called out, making her pause.
Calix tilted his head, looking at Astra. Was it just his imagination or did she sound angry?
"You do not need to bother yourself with these small tasks. He has a wife who can help him, right..." she paused, the unfamiliar word feeling strange on her tongue, "...dad?"
Atticus also froze for a moment. This was the first time she had called him that. Ever since he first officially met Astra a year ago, he had been visiting her occasionally but she would always call him Mr. Lennox which was later changed to directly calling him by his name. Never once did she use the word 'dad' or 'father'.
A soft smile broke through his typically stoic facade.
"Of course," he replied, his eyes meeting Elena who looked equally surprised and happy at the moment.
"Here, let me," Elena walked past Rosetta and helped Atticus take off his jacket. She then handed it to the butler who was standing nearby instead of placing them in Rosetta's outstretched hands which she seemed not to notice.
Finally, she faced Astra and grinned. She crossed the space between them in quick steps and enveloped Astra in a tight hug. "I missed you, little star."
Astra awkwardly patted her back, "I missed you too, Mom."
Elena pulled back just enough to hold Astra at arm's length, her eyes narrowing playfully. "Liar. I know you were over the moon to be left alone."
"Trust me, this time, I really did miss you," Astra replied, casting a pointed glance at Rowan. "And I was not alone, not even for a second."
"Oh?" Elena quirked an eyebrow and turned her head to look when Astra was looking. She seemed to understand what had happened and instead of feeling worried, she smiled.
She stepped away from Astra and faced Rowan.
"And how are my two boys doing?" Her question caused a scowl to appear of Rosetta's face which no one seemed to have noticed except Astra.
"We're doing great," Rowan responded with a face-splitting grin on his face.
Elena gave him a knowing smile. "You've been taking care of Astra, haven't you?"
"Oh, you bet," Rowan replied, glancing at Astra. "She's practically my shadow now."
"More like you're my shadow, one that I can't seem to shake."
Elena chuckled at their exchange. "I'm glad to see you're getting along so well."
"Define 'well,'" Astra muttered, earning a soft laugh from Calix who stood beside her.
Atticus, meanwhile, watched the interaction with quiet satisfaction. It has been a long while since he felt this warmth after coming home.
[It's good to see the family coming together.]