Cecilia - Six #3
“Are you saving anyone else from poor French communication today or is it just me?” I asked finally, trying to sound casual, but my voice came out softer than expected.
Theo tilted his head and that knowing look filled his eyes, “Only you.”
I swallowed the words ringing in my ears.
Only you.
My breath hitched just slightly, and I tried to cover it by adjusting the bag in my hand. “Well... you did say you’d be here another ten days, so there’s still a chance someone else could need rescuing.”
He stepped forward, “It’s true and given that I haven’t got long left here, I’d really like to catch up again. Properly.”
I nodded, but the word lodged in my throat. My heart fluttered in a way that felt dangerous. I forced a smile, the one I use when I’m trying to seem lighter than I feel. “As friends, right?”
That damn word. That word was beginning to bug me so much more than usual and yet I couldn’t seem to stop reassuring myself that that’s all Theo was – a friend.
As much as we had always gotten along and I had fancied him back then…who was I kidding? A part of me still fancied him now – he was extremely handsome and I wasn’t blind, but that wasn’t what this trip was about. I wasn’t ready for anything other than looking after my own wellbeing.
Theo tilted his head as if trying to read what I wasn’t saying. “Of course,” he said gently. “Friends.”
From the right-hand side of the market, I caught the sound of small footsteps and the distinct giggle of a child.
Even before I saw them clearly, I knew it was Nate.
The resemblance was undeniable—the same sharp jawline as Theo, the same easy confidence in the way he moved, though perhaps a little more grounded.
Where Theo had a thoughtful intensity, Nate wore his warmth on the surface.
But still, they were clearly cut from the same cloth.
In his arms, balancing on his right hip was a little girl, presumably his daughter, Rae.
Her curly chestnut hair was pulled into two uneven pigtails, and she wore a sunflower-yellow dress that brushed her knees, the hem partially scrunched underneath Nate’s forearm.
Clutched in her little fist were a few scrunched-up daisy stems, their heads slightly wilted from being loved too hard.
Nate and Rae drew closer to Theo and I, causing us to shift around and make room for the pair of them. The movement brought Theo instinctively closer to me, our arms brushing lightly. The touch, though brief, sent a ripple through me I wasn’t prepared for.
“Hey, Uncle Theo!” Rae grinned, waving her daisy hand at him and Nate nodded in greeting, his eyes coming to me in a steady smile.
“Hey there, Rae Rae,” he smiled at her and she beamed back at him radiating cuteness.
Rae squinted at me with curious eyes, then leaned as close as she could to Theo and whisper-shouted, “Uncle Theo, who’s the pretty lady standing next to you?”
Theo looked at me, his eyes on me. “That’s Cecilia,” he said simply.
The name on his lips sent a warmth through my chest, heavier and sweeter than I expected. It was the first time I’d heard him say it like that—my full name. With him, it had always been Celia. But now, it lingered in the air like melted chocolate, soft and slow and entirely new.
Rae wriggled a little in Nate’s arms, then reached her daisy-stuffed hand towards Theo.
“For Celia,” she whispered, pushing one forward and I looked at her as I heard Theo’s nickname for me roll of her tongue.
I suspected it was because my name has one too many Ce’s for her, but it made me smile all the same.
Theo looked down at her hand, then at me, a crooked smile playing on his lips as he gently took the daisy and stepped close. Without a word, he brushed a loose strand of hair from my face and tucked the flower just behind my ear. My breath caught slightly, but I didn’t move. I didn’t dare.
“Ah,” Nate said, amused as he stepped forward, shifting Rae to his other side. I tore my eyes from Theo’s, my ear burning from the suddenly very heavy flower. "So, you're the famous Cecilia. I'm Nate, the more handsome Finch brother."
I laughed, extending a hand. "Nice to meet you."
“Likewise,” he said, then looked between the two of us with raised brows. “We’re heading to a beach party tomorrow evening. Juan les Pins beach. You should come.”
Theo gave his brother a side glance that was almost too quick to catch—something unreadable, a flicker of discomfort maybe—but it vanished just as quickly behind another easy smile.
“I’d love to, I’ll bring my friend Siena with me too,” I replied.
“Good. The more the merrier,” Nate said with a nod.
"It’ll be fun. And Rae insists on seeing the ‘pretty lady’ again.
” Rae herself was beaming at me with big, beautiful eyes and eyelashes that stretched for miles, but suddenly her eyes went as wide as saucers at something that had caught her attention behind me.
She began to tug on her dad’s sleeve and looked up at him with pleading eyes, “Ice cream, daddy, please.” His eyes melted under her longing look and he gave her a small nod, a tap on her nose and a whispered, “Okay baby,” back.
Just then, a blur of movement caught my eye and Siena appeared at my side like a whirlwind, cheeks flushed and hands full of bags. “Oh, sorry! Am I interrupting something?”
“No, not at all,” I said, stepping slightly aside.
She gave Theo and Nate a quick once-over, then offered them both a dazzling smile. “Siena. And you are?” she said looking up at Nate.
“Nathaniel.”
She made an agreeing sound, as if she was trialling out the sound of his name mentally and then turned to Theo. “Nice to see you again.”
Theo stepped back, smiling. “We’ll see you tomorrow then?”
“Maybe,” I said, and I meant it .
I gave a quick goodbye to Nate and Rae, grabbed absentmindedly for Siena’s arm and pulled her in the opposite direction they were heading.
“What’s happening tomorrow?” Siena asked, intrigue evident across her features and in her voice.
“A party.”
“What?!” I could hear the excitement in her voice. “Tell me everything I missed!”
“I will,” I agreed and clutched the paper bag against my chest, my heart still beating a little faster than normal at the exchange.
I looked over my shoulder, hoping for one more second of his attention and as I glanced back, his eyes were still on me, unwavering and warm.