A Lily Among Thorns

𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝚃𝙴𝙽

✞ C E L A I L a C R O I X ✞

"Kassima, it's not like that, I promise," Celai says as they walk to her car.

"Tell me the truth or I won't let you go with him," Kassima demands.

"I'm twenty-three, I don't need your permission," she says, laughing at how ridiculous her mother sounds.

"I'll lock the door and let you sleep outside."

"Did you forget I have my own key?"

"I'll get Brian to change the locks."

Celai rolls her eyes playfully, knowing her mother isn't going to give up until she confesses. "Fine. Do I think Julian's attractive? Yes. Do I like being around him? Possibly. But do I have a 'thing' for him? Not at all," she lies. "I've been trying to focus on work and I'll be a fool to allow some man distract me."

Kassima rolls her eyes. "Yeah, right. You're smiling too hard."

"You told me to tell you the truth and I did. Not my problem that you don't believe me," Celai shrugs. She opens the car door. "I have to go," she says, grabbing her materials for the consultation.

"What time will you be home?" Kassima asks as she gets in the driver's seat.

"I'm not sure."

"Well, tell Pastor to be careful with the snow out here."

"Alright, bye," she says, closing the car door.

She shuffles inside and meets up with Julian, who's texting away on his phone. "Ready?" she asks, which makes him turn around suddenly.

He stands up from his chair and slides his phone in his pocket. "Yeah. How does this work?" he asks her.

Celai begins walking to the front of the church, sketchbook in hand, and Julian follows. "You tell me what you want changed, I sketch it up and calculate the price, and then I work my butt off to achieve what I drew."

"Oh..." he says.

She sits down in the front row to get a full view of the church. "Is that a problem?"

"Nah, it's just I don't know what I want done," he says sitting beside her.

Celai chuckles shortly. "What about Pastor Edmonds? He approved of this consultation, he must have some input on the church's design."

Julian shrugs. "He doesn't know either. He left it the way it was for over a decade."

"Then, Julian, how am I supposed to know?" Celai asks, letting her hand drop down on her sketchbook.

He laughs nervously. "I don't know, I thought you could work some magic."

She huffs. "Okay. What don't you like about the church?"

"I like everything about it, it's just old looking."

"No, go to the back and look at it from different angles before you say that," she demands with a point of her finger.