A Lily Among Thorns

𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝚂𝙸𝚇

✞ C E L A I L a C R O I X ✞

Hot water pelts Celai's skin as she steps into the shower. Today is her first day back to work, and saying she's excited is an understatement. God has blessed her with an interior decorating business which Celai planned on having become a real agency; right now, she's only freelance and did everything through her social media accounts.

Though she didn't have to start working until ten that morning, she's wide awake at 6:30, already halfway ready to leave. She compromised with Kassima and promised her she'd take it easy with working at first, so she postponed her only jobs to a later date, and her only job today was to set up a nursery for soon-to-be-parents. But Celai has learned to appreciate everything, no matter how small, because it's all a gift from God.

Celai smiles to herself about her future plans before washing herself clean, stepping out the shower, and drying herself off. She throws on some of her older clothes, clothes she wouldn't mind getting dirty while she's working, and then makes her way downstairs.

She catches Brian putting on his boots on the couch. He smiles when he sees her. Celai can tell he's happy to see her back from the hospital. "What are you doing up so early?" he asks.

"Just wanted to see how it felt to be a Senior Master Sergeant for a day," she says as she walks in the kitchen.

"You can always just join the AirForce to find out," Brian responds.

She laughs. "Now you know that's not for me."

He gets up and goes over to her. "I promise if I would've been in your life earlier, it would've been."

"That sort of sounds like a threat," she jokes.

He gives her a soft chuckle and kisses her forehead. "Be safe. I'll see you this afternoon."

Celai watches him leave and begins to make breakfast for her and her mother. By the time Kassima comes out ready for work, Celai has a plate of bacon and eggs for both of them.

"I was wondering when you were gonna start making us breakfast again," Kassima says as she joins Celai at the bar. She begins eating, while Celai is almost finished. It's not long after when Kassima's phone begins ringing from her and Brian's room.

She nods her head toward the sound of her phone. "That's probably Brian. Can you go see what he forgot this time?"

Celai gets up from her seat and goes to grab her mother's phone from her room. However, when she picks it up, she sees a name she doesn't expect.

Pastor is calling, her phone reads.

She raises an eyebrow, wondering why Pastor Edmonds is calling Kassima and more importantly, why he has her number. Curiosity gets the best of her and she answers the phone.

"Hello?" she says.

"Oh, Celai?" a familiar voice says back.

"Julian?"

"What's up?"

Celai, confused as ever, questions him. "Did you need something... from Kassima?"

"Nah. I was actually calling to see if I could talk to you," he states.

"Oh," she says flatly.