Page 4 of Kian's Devotio
It broke his heart and he wished he could protect her from the pain.
That was until someone caught wind of his crush on her. Now it was his turn to be teased mercilessly. Let them taunt. Let them tease.
Karalee wasn’t something to be embarrassed over, and it bothered him the most that they tried to make him feel badly that he felt the way he did about her.
He never gave into their teasing and would defend her every single chance he got.
Except, the kids still teased her and said that he was only defending her because she was having sex with him. Just like her mom did all over town.
He didn’t know how someone jumped to that, as they were so young, but they did.
Thought since Karalee’s mom would spread her legs to get what she wanted, that Karalee did the same.
That Karalee was only there to spend time with the family and got what she wanted because she spent the time on her back to pay for their generosity.
Kian had snapped right then, good and done with their taunts, their teasing and the slanderous words they said about her and ended up in a fist fight with a few boys.
Reid had been walking by when it started and jumped into the fray and when the fight was broken up, Reid had a bloody nose that ended up being broken, and Kian had a split lip along with a black eye.
But the other boys were much worse. Their injuries had been enough that Kian and Reid had almost been expelled from school, but after explaining what happened and why they got in a fight in the first place, the other boys had been sent home with a warning to never speak like that again, along with a suspension of three days and the two brothers had been suspended from school for a week.
After that fight though? No one said a word about Karalee from then on out.
When Ailith had come to the school after hearing about the fight, she was pissed.
She signed them out of school and handed Reid an ice pack for his nose and him a bag of peas when they got home.
She turned to them with fire in her eyes and her Scottish accent came out thick, “What were ye thinkin? Boys, I aught to kick yer arses fer fighting.”
Kian looked at Reid and Reid nodded. Kian told his mom what was being said about Karalee and why he did what he had so he could stop it.
Ailith’s anger had deflated with each sentence that fell from his mouth and when he was done, she looked between the two of them and hugged him, and then Reid.
“If someone has somethin to say, ye need to tell me or yer father. Don’t go around fightin.”
Reid nodded and Kian bit his lip and then slowly nodded. Ailith told Reid to go upstairs and then she pulled out a chair at the kitchen table and pointed at it.
He sat and she did too. She pulled his hand to hers and held it, “My boy, what ye did was nothin’ sort of noble and kind. And I love ye for it. Ye just have to be careful. I know how ye feel 'bout her now and I don’t want ye to rush her into anything. She is still much too young. As are ye. Promise me ye will wait fer her to grow up. To become the woman she is supposed to. Please my love. I need this promise from ye.”
Kian felt his eyebrows go down, “But if I love her why is that such a bad thing?”
Ailith sighed, “It isn’t darlin’. I promise. I just want her to grow up and let her experience life a little before ye swoop in and carry her off. Alright? She needs to live her life as Karalee. Not as Karalee and Kian. Ye also need to grow up. To see what is out there in the world. There is a lot you don’t know, and ye can’t just assume ye do.”
He went to say more and she held up her hand, “I know ye believe she is meant for ye, and I am not disputing that fact,” She said quickly, and then she went on, “I am not saying that ye need to go date if ye do not want to, but ye need to get through high school first and respect that she needs to grow up a little first, as do ye, before ye can make such a life altering decision. Alright? Get done with school, let her do so also, and then we will talk about re-opening this discussion. Alright?”
He felt his shoulders sag, and then he nodded, “Alright ma. I'll let her be. I won’t tell her how I feel, but my feelings won’t change in the next few years. I have known since I was 7 that she was something special to me.”
Ailith gave him a soft smile and kissed him on the cheek, “I know baby. Just get through school, let her as well as I said, and then figure out yer futures. Whether they be together or apart. Alright?”
Kian felt his heart jump when she said that but nodded. Knowing she was right about them both needing to grow up more before starting to plan their lives together.
And so, even though he knew she was his and meant to be for him alone, he hid his feelings for her and when she tried to talk to him or anything, he was short and rude to her.
She always looked taken aback when he did so, answering her questions in clipped tones and in one-word answers, and it was all he could do to not take her in his arms and fix it.
He had to clench his hands in his lap every single day, so he didn’t get up the urge to touch her.
So, as they went through high school and the rest of their junior high, he would steer clear of her. Trying his best to listen to his mom’s advice and give her the time she needed.
