The Space Between Us | L.S

Celebration

Girlfriend? 

I almost choked on my saliva. 

Sophie stared at Louis for a few more moments. The two siblings having an inner-dialogue that I was clearly not intended to understand. Before the tension became to thick, Sophie turned to me a small smile molding over her lips as she said, "nice to meet you Wendy. I've heard so much about you."

"The twins are helping Gerry pick up gran from her home." Sophie exclaims to anyone listening as she begins cutting into her freshly-made casserole that is thick in cheese. Louis gives an 'hmm' in reply and pushes the chair I was sitting in closer to the large kitchen table. He didn't sit down himself, instead his hands stayed glued to my seat, his stomach leaning in to rest of the back of my chair. He was doing this to make me more comfortable, which I appreciated. 

"The twins came in early too?" Louis asked.

"Lucy came in yesterday and Sam got in this morning."

"Sam goes to Dublin City University." Louis leaned in whispering, "And Lucy took my route. No uni gang." 

"She should be, she's too smart to be as dumb as you." Sophie smirked, looking at Louis over her shoulder. 

"Do you go to school Wendy?" Oscar asked as he flopped down on the chair next to me. His feet swinging back and forth with force, one of his white sneakers untied. I nodded at his question and before I could say my school, he asked, "are you smart?" 

I let out a hearty laugh, forgetting how blunt and direct children are. 

"Smartest person I know." Louis replied for me which made my give out a snort. 

"He doesn't know too many people." This earned a small smirk from Sophie which made me at least a bit happy that she seemed to be warming up to me. 

"Are you smarter than Taylor Cresswald?" Oscar asked, his fingers flipping through worksheets in a bright yellow folder. He caught my eye, before clarifying "she's the smartest kid in our class."

I let out a laugh, "I don't think so. Not that smart,"

Louis bent his body to a angle before whispering from the side of his mouth, "smarter."

Oscar blew air into his mouth, blowing his cheeks out before whispering a gruff "hell."

"Language!" Sophie scolded.

Oscar tossed down the papers he was holding in a huff, and turned to his mom, "Mum, Taylor gets 90's on all of her quizzes. Even the ones for mathematics." He looked at Sophie as if she should have already known this. 

"Well, Taylor is a smart girl and she would have found another word to say." As Sophie and Oscar bickered back and forth, another presence joined the room. The room instantly went static, and I turned my head to see a man. He stands at the same height as Louis but carries himself straight and upright, whereas Louis goes through the world lazily. He has dark brown hair that matches the groomed beard making a home across the lower half of his face. He meets my gaze not with the shyness of his father but with a blunt refusal to avert his gaze first. His caramel brown eyes would otherwise be classed as warm and friendly, but he looked less than pleased. 

"Louis, may I speak to you." 

"You text him Soph?" Louis looked over his shoulder scoffing at his sister before placing a hand at the back of my neck. "I'll be right back," he whispered into my ear. Before making his way to the living room. Through the open gap where the kitchen island and stove met, I watched as he greeted a tall man, and two young women.

"How do you spell constitution?" Oscar asked looking down a cream piece of paper. Most likely his homework.

"Uh- c-o-n-s-t-i-t-u-t-i-o-n." I spelled out phonetically.

"Intelligence." He sounded out, before looking up at me with a glimmer of astonishment in his eyes. I spelled it out with a slight laugh before my eyes trailed back to the small group in the other room. Louis' back was to me, but him and the man were now leaning towards each other — anger ghosting over the man's eyes. The man was blocking my view from one of the woman, but the other one who has dark brunette hair and a blunt fringe had her arms crossed looking between the two men.

"Sorry, he's hyper active." Sophie said behind me, making me jump a bit

"No don't apologize. All the children in my family are IPad drones so this is refreshing." My eyes slightly casting to the left to look at the small group herded in the next room. 

"Don't mind them." I tried to sputter out an excuse of why I was eavesdropping but she just shrugged in knowing.

"Who is that?" I asked nodding my head to gesture to the man.

"Our ex step-dad, well step-dad I guess. He's the twins father." Ah, and those must be the twins.

"Do you know what they're..." I trailed off, feeling intrusive.

"Don't take it personally," She offered me a soft smile "This is usually a private, family thing." As my eyes widened she finished her sentence, "I mean, not that we don't want you here. Lou just didn't say anything. A surprise is all." She gave me a genuine smile as she looked down at me, but even though I was thankful for the kindness, anxiety was slowly trickling up the back of my neck. 

"He didn't mention he was bringing me?"

That fucker. I looked back at the men who were now even closer, my ears perked at their hushed whispers. "What's so private about it?" I inquired

She lightly threw the dish towel she was holding down on the counter, before looking at me in amazement. "He didn't tell you?" Before I could answer she shook her head in disbelief. "Tomorrow is the fifth anniversary of my mum's death, we do a celebration type thing to honor her."