Chapter Five - The crush

Cael’s POV

I awoke from sleep because my phone began to buzz. I groaned and dragged it off the nightstand and squinted at the screen.

Missed calls. A ton of them. From mom.

My chest tightened. What now?

I pulled myself upright, dragged my hand over my face, and quickly dials her back. She answered on the first ring.

"Cael Marcellus!" Her voice harrowed and cut through my half-awake state. "Where are you?"

"I just woke up," I muttered, swinging my legs off the bed. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" she repeated, pitch rising. "You were supposed to be at the airport already! Your sister is landing, and you-"

I froze halfway to the bathroom. "Wait, what? Selene? Why would I pick her up in the middle of a semester?"

She let out a long, frustrated sigh. "Oh for heaven's sake, Cael. If you weren't so wrapped up in your world, you would know she graduated last month! I've told you that three times. And this weekend is my wedding, so she figured this is the best time to come home, but obviously you missed all of that!"

Graduated. Weekend wedding. Both blows like hammer blows, and right away my stomach twisted. Damnit.

"Mom-" I started but she cut me off.

"No, don't 'Mom' me. Do you know how ridiculous it is that even your own sister couldn't brag about you in college? She said every time she told people she was your sister, they asked for proof, and she didn't even have your number to show them! Do you know how embarrassing that is for a girl? For me?"

Guilt slid over me like ice water. She wasn't wrong. I had kept my distance for so long, burying myself in my career, that Selene and I were practically strangers.

"Okay," I said quietly; still heading for the shower. "You're right. I should have been around more. What time does her flight land?"

"In fifteen minutes; if it hasn't already."

"Shit." I had hung up before she could start again.

I took the fastest shower of my life, yanked on a black t-shirt, jeans, and sunglasses, and bolted from the house. It was nothing by red lights and honking horns as I wove traffic like a madman. About the time I pulled into the airport, my nerves were shot.

I paced the arrivals gate for what felt like forever before her flight finally showed as landed. People streamed out, dragging suitcases and greeting loved ones. And then I saw her.

Selene.

She looked... older. Not in a bad way - just grown. Auburn hair neatly tied back, with golden-brown eyes scanning the crowd; suitcase rolling behind her, there was a pause in her step when she spotted me.

"Cael?" she asked, voice unsure.

I gave her a sheepish smile and held out a small bouquet of flowers and a chocolate bar I picked up at the airport shop. "Welcome home sis."

That made her smile, tension cracked, and she dropped her suitcase to embrace me.

"You actually came," she said against my shoulder.

"Of course I did," I lied, hugging her back.

We pulled apart, and I handed her the gifts. "Peace offering. Since I've been... well, a pretty lousy brother."

She laughed, tearing open with an effort the wrapper of the chocolate. "You can say that again. You know how weird it felt in college to tell people my brother was the Cael Marcellus, and when they go like, 'Really, prove it,' I panicked because I couldn't even prove it? I didn't even have your number until Mom gave it to me recently. I almost stopped telling people because I felt stupid."

The words stung more than I expected. I forced a smile. "Yeah. I'm sorry for that. I've been so consumed with work that I forgot... you. Us. I don't want to keep being that kind of brother."

"Huh," Selene said. "You mean the famous Cael Marcellus is actually going to act like a brother?"

"Yes," I firmly said. "From now on."

Her smile softened. "Then I will gladly accept."

We drove back to my place. I showed her the guest room I had prepared. The wardrobe was already stocked with clothes - designer labels of the kind that I never wore but knew she'd like. Her eyes widened.

"You did all this?"

I shrugged. "Well, technically, I had help. But yeah. It's yours."

She squealed and threw her arms around me. For the first time in years, I felt like maybe I hadn't done terrible.

That night, we visited Mom's house for dinner. She was glowing and full of energy bickering with Selene and rambling about the wedding while slinking in jabs at me for always being absent. Selene soaked it all in, laughing and catching up.

I tried to keep cool, flashing smiles where necessary, even while my scenes weren't quite all there. Every time Mom mentioned a wedding, though, my chest tightened: Victor. Lucian. And the secret I was carrying felt heavier with every passing second.

Dinner ended, and Mom rushed to give us both tight hugs, reminding the both of us about the wedding preparations all over again. Selene promised to help, and so did I, mine sounding half-hearted even to my own ears.

In the car again, the blurred city lights, Selene leaning her head against the window. Drove on in comfortable silence for a while until she suddenly broke it.

"Let us play a game of get to know each other...but with a twist... you get to know me because I know everything about you...thanks to mother and Wikipedia." Selene quipped.

A twinge of guilt pulled at my chest but I did not let it show. "Well...I'm going to love to do this but the artist in me prefers to let things flow naturally, so with time I'll know you inside and outside."

"You know that's right," she said lightly, "but there's one thing you should probably know about me right now."

I glanced at her. "What's that?"

She smiled. "I have a crush on Lucian."