𝐁𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟖

(At the end of the day)

Kenzo, with Kamila by his side, strolls down the bustling San Francisco street, his arms around her shoulder "You'll love them," he assures her, "Layla's a bit shy at first, but Malia's a force of nature."

"I can tell," Kamila chuckled. Kenzo grinned, "Just wait till you meet them." they finally were at his small but big house. Layla's bus hadn't dropped her off yet, and Malia and Chloe were taking short errands as usually whatever teenage girls do after school.

"So this is your house?" Kamila looked at the home. It looked very nice, to be only a 26-year-old man raising his two sisters, who are 17 and 14. "Yeah, it's not much," Kenzo said modestly, "but it's home. Come on in." He led Kamila inside, the house was neat and well-kept, with framed photos of Kenzo, Layla, and Malia adorning the walls. "Make yourself comfortable."

Kamila laid her jacket down on the soft couch. She looked at the nice house; the things that caught her eyes the most, though, were photos of Kenzo and his sisters when they were little kids and birthdays; one photo was a photo of Kenzo, who looked 12-13, and Malia, who looked 3-4, and the baby who was Layla. The three looked like they were having a cute little photo shoot, with Kenzo holding Layla and his other hand hugging Malia, who looked like she was kissing Layla on the forehead.

"Aww, this photo is adorable." She pointed at the photo. Kenzo chuckled, "Yeah, that was Layla's first birthday. Malia insisted on kissing her forehead." Kenzo recalled fondly, "She was always so protective of Layla, even as a kid. I swear, sometimes I think she's the older sibling." "Is she still like that now, you know close to Layla?" Kamila asked curiously.

"Oh." Kenzo nodded, "She's still super protective of Layla. She's not as bad as when they were kids, but she still keeps a close eye on her. Layla, on the other hand, looks up to Malia more than me sometimes." "Aww," Kamila giving him a reassuring smile. "Hey, you are good brother, and they both look up to you, okay? I mean, you gave up everything to raise them; I'm pretty sure they look up to you, too."

Kenzo's expression softened at Kamila's words, "Thank you," he said sincerely. "I try my best for them. They mean the world to me." Just then, the sound of a car door closingstopping outside caught their attention. "That must be one of them."

It was Malia. She walked in with Starbucks in her hand; she and Chloe went to Starbucks before dropping off Malia. Malia walked in, her arms loaded with Starbucks cups. She stopped short when she saw Kamila, her eyes widening slightly. "Uh... hi," she said, her voice cool. She looked at Kenzo, then back at Kamila, before speaking.

"Um, Kenzo, can I talk to you for a moment," Malia said, trying not to look awkward. Kenzo nodded at Malia, "Sure, let's go to my room." He turned to Kamila, "I'll be right back, make yourself at home." Kamila nodded, watching as Kenzo and Malia disappeared into what she assumed was his bedroom.

"Um, Kenzo, I know I'm still mad at you from yesterday, but why is Kamila Murphy, the top model in everyone's magazines, in a living room?" Kenzo let out a heavy sigh, sitting down on the bed couch. "Because I like her, okay? And she's different from what the tabloids say. She genuinely wants to help us." Kenzo looked at Malia, his expression serious. "She's not just some model, Malia."

"Listen I get you've been single for like a year now, dating left and right but Kamila, every time you date someone famous you in up heartbroken you know right, you know your ex Blake Carter, an actress then there is Sophie, Madison should I keep counting and don't get me started with Hayley the worst of them all," Her arms crossed.

Kenzo rubbed his temples, trying to calm his frustration. "Malia, stop bringing up my past relationships. It's not relevant to this situation." He stood up and paced around the room. "Kamila is different, and I'm not going to let you scare her off just because you're jealous."