Kissing Cousins

Chapter Two- The Blue Room of Peace

A/N: Thanks for reading!


She wasn't what he had expected. At all. It was better that way, Ewan supposed, but it was still a shocker. He had expected some snippy little girl, salad-eating skinny and with fashionable clothes. A girl who thought she was pretty, but in actuality was nothing more than a carbon copy of wannabe models with big noses.

But that wasn't her. It was kind of disturbing how pretty she was, her being a relation and all. Anyway, that girl Kate wasn't skinny, but she wasn't fat either. And she wore plain jeans without labels, with an oversized band shirt. Her dark hair had been plaited loosely, with strands flying about an oval face with the most bewitching pair of gray eyes he had ever seen.

It almost made it difficult to be mad at her, Kate being so... likable. Even though Laine had been piss mad that Ewan had the audacity to break a date with her. It was kind of annoying actually. He would have thought that Laine could be a bit more understanding, under the circumstances and all. It wasn't like Ewan wanted to stay home with some stranger instead of taking Laine out to dinner and a movie, maybe stealing a few kisses in the dark. Maybe he should have told her that.

Ewan sighed. You don't have any reason to be nice to her, he told himself. She's invading your home, making you miss dates with the hottest girl in school... Except it was hard to be mean to someone who had looked so lost in that moment, so alone. He'd say sorry, he decided.


*

Sophie Westley was so... well, nice. Totally different from that jerk of a son. Although there was definitely a strong physical resemblance from mother to son, Kate was considerably awed by the difference in bedside manners. Her mother's cousin Sophie immediately embraced Kate and gave her a warm smile. "Hello Kate, it's so nice to finally meet you!" she exclaimed. "Let me help you with your bags."

"I know we're cousins, but you could call me Aunt Sophie if you like. It makes a lot more sense, doesn't it?" she said, grinning at Kate all the while. "Whoo-hee, it's a hot day, even for Louisianna. It doesn't get this hot up north, does it?"

Kate shook her head in the negative, giving the older woman a tentative smile. The two climbed up the stairs to a beautiful blue bedroom with huge bay windows that had a ledge to sit on, a full-sized canopy bed in white, as well as a dresser, and a vanity table. There was a night table, on which there was a crystal vase full of freshly-cut gardenias and a little lamp. She had never been in such a lovely room, and Kate told Aunt Sophie so.

"That's so nice to say," Aunt Sophie responded, eyes sparkling.

"Really, though. I didn't know there were such nice houses," Kate said, eyes wide as she dropped a bag of clothes onto the white carpeted floor. "To be honest, I didn't expect you to be well-off at all. Marianne certainly wasn't."

Sophie looked at Kate then. "I suppose life was hard for you," she said, but not in a condescending way.

Kate shrugged. "No harder than most people, I guess. But we didn't stay in one place very long, and this is better than anywhere I've been so far. Even though it is hotter than hell." She clapped a hand over her mouth, but Aunt Sophie just laughed warmly.

"Don't worry about it. You're absolutely right," and from that point on, Kate was sure that a beautiful friendship had just begun.

She was folding the last of her clothes into the dresser when she heard the door open again. Looking over her shoulder, Kate saw that it was that boy. She wondered if she was supposed to call him her cousin or something else. Either way, he had been very rude to her and she didn't know if she could bring herself to be civil to him.

"What do you want?" Kate said finally, biting her lip.

"I'm Ewan, in case you were interested."

"I wasn't." She had been, but she would die before admitting it. She waited. "Are you done?" Kate said after a moment or two had passed.

Ewan grinned then. She had spunk. "I'm sorry for being rude to you before."

She arched a brow at him. It must be a family thing, he thought. "Whatever. I'm used to it." Kate turned away from him. He could be so tiresome.

"You could have just accepted the apology," Ewan said, annoyed. He wasn't big on saying that he was wrong, and this girl had just shoved it back in his face. Fuck her.

"I think it's my prerogative to do whatever I want," she retorted snottily, her lips set in a smirk.

"Fine. Just don't expect me to do anything for you," he shot back.

"I never did," Kate said, looking astonished.

"Good." Ewan went to leave, then turned back. "Oh just wondering... when are you going to leave? Because I'd like to know how long I have to withstand your presence?"

Fire flashed within Kate. "Don't worry," she said grittily. "It won't be long."

He smiled then. "Bye then." The door closed, and Kate wished she had thought to push his skinny little ass out before he had done it himself.

She sighed, and fell back onto the beautiful bed, enjoying the feel of the pristine white bedsheets against her heated skin even while mentally torturing the prick she had for a cousin. Kate really didn't understand why he was acting like a jerk to her. Although, she thought ruefully, she could have accepted the apology. But Kate hadn't wanted to. The way it was offered was just so... casual. When she got offended, she stayed offended for a good long while. It wasn't a good thing about her, but that's just the way she was.

Still, Kate had hoped (just a little bit) that she might find a family here. Someone who would care for her. Just a little.