Lost on You [Lewis Capaldi]

Chapter 25 - lunch with the parents

When her mother opened the door, her smile faltered as she took them both in.

"You're late," she said flatly, her lips pressed into a thin line.

"The traffic was awful," Keira lied. There was no way she would tell her the real reason they were a few minutes late. The reason that involved an unusually long and steamy shower.

Her mother looked to Lewis and he nodded in agreement. To his credit, he didn't shrink away from her cold glare like most people usually did when they met her.

"I see," her mother said, although still not sounding quite convinced.

An uneasy silence passed between them. It lasted long enough to make Keira wish she could crawl away and hide in a hole for the rest of the day.

Thank god for her younger sister, Lilia, who suddenly appeared in the doorway, a bright smile spread across her face.

"Keira!" she squealed, running towards her and into her arms.

Lilia squeezed her so tight in a hug that it was hard to breathe, but Keira just laughed, brushing her hand through her sister's hair. They both shared the same long blonde curls, but Lilia's were slightly lighter with streaks of gold.

"I've missed you so much," she said as her sister pulled away, looking up at her.

Although she was nine-years-old, she was still so small for her age, only coming up to Keira's waist.

"Me too," Lilia chirped, but after the initial excitement about seeing her older sister again, she slowly turned to Lewis and gasped.

"H- hello," she said quietly, fidgeting nervously with her hands as she looked at him. Keira could tell she was clearly star-struck.

"Hey," Lewis replied with a warm smile, holding his hand up for a high-five. "So I'm guessing you're the cooler sister, right?"

Lilia giggled whilst giving him a high-five. "Keira is probably cooler than me."

Lewis scrunched up his face, his eyebrows pinching together. "Nah, nah. After all, wasn't it you that came up with the awesome name for her hamster?"

Her little sister nodded proudly. "You've met Hammie?"

"Of course," he grinned and Keira couldn't explain the amount of happiness she was experiencing just by watching them interact. He seemed to be so good with children and she could tell Lilia already loved him.

Her mother silently watched from the doorway before clearing her throat. "You should all come inside before the food goes cold," she muttered and turned to Keira. "Your father is waiting for you in the dining room."

Her mother and sister went in first whilst Keira made Lewis hang behind for a moment, still standing on the doorstep.

"Is this okay?" she asked quietly, aware of how standoffish her mother was being.

"It's great," he replied, gazing at her. "Stop worrying about me."

Lewis smiled, leaning down to kiss her on the cheek.

"Okay," she nodded, watching the ground beneath her feet. "Sorry."

He gently placed his fingers beneath her chin, tilting it up so she would meet his eye. "There's nothing to apologise for. I enjoy being here. I like seeing where mini Keira would have grown up."

"You'll have to show me where mini Lewis grew up at some point," Keira smiled, pushing onto her toes and kissing him. Just the soft brush of his lips against hers was enough to melt her fears.