When My Love Blooms ⚔︎ Prince William Fanfiction

Chapter Six

Chapter Six

"Hello!" Catherine exclaimed, her voice bright as she stepped into the front hallway of her family's house, the familiar scent of home wrapping around her like a comforting embrace.

"Here we are!" Pippa called out from the sitting room, her voice laced with excitement.

Catherine's heart skipped a beat. It had been far too long since she'd seen her family all together in one place. She quickly made her way to the sitting room, eager to reconnect after the weeks of being away. As she walked in, her eyes immediately found her sister, Pippa, who was standing by the couch, waving energetically.

"Ooh! Pippa!" Catherine said as she closed the distance between them, her voice full of warmth as she enveloped her younger sister in a tight hug.

"Oh, it's so good to see you!" Pippa exclaimed, her voice muffled as she squeezed Catherine back.

The room buzzed with activity as Catherine greeted her parents and brother, each exchange filled with love and laughter. Her mother, Carole, looked up with a nostalgic smile.

"Finally, all our children under one roof," Carole said, her voice heavy with sentiment.

"They're growing up so fast, aren't they?" Michael added, nodding thoughtfully as he glanced over at Catherine, her grown-up demeanor not lost on him.

"Yesterday they were babies," Carole sighed, shaking her head with an affectionate smile as she looked at her children.

Catherine sank into the couch with a sigh, taking in the familiar faces that filled the room. She was grateful for this simple moment of reunion, even if the weight of university life still lingered in her mind.

"So, have you been invited to Buckingham Palace for tea?" Pippa asked, her tone playful and teasing.

Catherine laughed, rolling her eyes. "Ha-ha. Very funny," she replied, shaking her head at her sister's usual antics.

Pippa raised an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued. "Rachel Kasen's sister goes to St. Andrews, and she says she sees you with him all the time," she said, leaning in closer.

"Really?" James asked, surprised. He had never fully processed the fact that his sister had begun hanging out with someone of such a high profile.

"We're just friends," Catherine said quickly, her eyes darting away from her brother's questioning look. "And also, did she tell you that I've also been seen with the Spanish princess, Florencia, all the time?" she added, offering a subtle change of subject.

"Wait, the Spanish princess?" James repeated, his tone incredulous.

"Is it the same guy? William? Does Trevor know about this?" Pippa pressed, her voice teasing as she looked at Catherine with a mix of curiosity and amusement.

"Don't tease your sister. She just got home," Michael interjected, raising his hand to silence Pippa's barrage of questions.

"You wouldn't even know Wills was a prince or anything if you met him," Catherine said with a casual shrug, trying to deflect the conversation from becoming too intense.

"Wills?" Carole asked, her brows furrowing slightly.

"You call him Wills now?" Pippa asked with a teasing tone.

"Yes, because that's his name," Catherine answered, trying to suppress a smile. She could never quite get used to calling him by anything other than his full title, but Wills had a certain ease to it, a sense of familiarity that felt right.

"And he has a girlfriend," Catherine added, her voice dropping slightly.

"And who is his girlfriend?" James asked, his curiosity palpable.