Hi Guys and welcome back to Class Vs Character. So, this is quite a big chapter in this story so I won't keep you!
James sighed with content as he stared out the window, the train about half an hour away from Oakland station. He was imagining the look on Kendall's face when he arrived with Katie and Jennifer, and the thought alone made him smile. He could see Kendall with a huge smile on his face, as his green eyes glistened with a few unshed tears due to his happiness.
He was snapped out of his thought process when he saw Katie emerge from her room and take the seat opposite him. James couldn't help but think that Katie had been slightly strange while on this trip. Jennifer said that the young girl would be ecstatic for the move to California, but other than a curtsy, the small girl had hardly said anything to James, often staying in her room for most of the trip, so when she sat opposite him, James was slightly on edge. When Katie spoke, that made it so much worse.
"So, what's your angle?" the brunette girl asked, her eyes piercing into James' as they maintained awkward eye contact.
"Excuse me?" James asked due to the shock of the question.
"What's your angle? Why bring Mum and I out to California?" she continued, her eyes narrowing on James even further. The brunet male started to feel really uncomfortable, if not slightly intimidated. It was clear this girl did not care about offending James whatsoever.
"Like I said, Kendall was worried about the two of you, and as his boss, I thought it would be right to help him out." James replied, trying to think of the best way to word this.
"So, it's for Kendall?" Katie continued, causing James to nod.
"Yes." James replied, causing Katie to nod, mimicking James' action. The two went silent for a minute, before the rigorous question began again.
"So, why are you doing this for him?" she began, causing James to fluster. Obviously, he couldn't answer truthfully, so instead he used a line his father always told him.
"Like my father always says, when a worker is happy they are more productive at what they do?" he replied, but by the end of the sentence, it sounded more like a question, almost as if he was hoping for Katie's approval of the response. Never had James been so fearful.
"So, what your saying is" Katie began, shifting in her seat slightly. "Is that my brother is just another way to earn money for the estate" Oh shit, this did not go the way James wanted. "And that the only reason you are doing this, is to ensure that he makes you the most money possible." Katie's voice throughout that entire thing stayed completely calm and level, only adding to James anxiety. Of course, as soon as she had finished, James jumped into his justification.
"No! That's not what I meant at all…"
"That's what you said"
"But it came out entirely wrong, I didn't mean that"
"So what did you mean? And more importantly, why are you hiding it from me?" Katie replied, causing James to fluster further.
"I'm not hiding anything" James replied, causing Katie to snort slightly as she laughed.
"Firstly, you've been unable to maintain proper eye contact with me. I stare at you, you stare back, then look away. Secondly, you've been playing with your sleeve the entire time, almost like a nervous habit, and three, your voice has been getting higher every time you speak" Katie stated, as she counted the numbers on her hands, only to make James more intimidated, which was working. The two of them stared at each other for a while, neither of them saying anything. It was clear that Katie had the upper hand here, so there was no way James was getting out of it. Carefully constructing what he was going to say, James began.
"I care for your brother ok? He's young, and obviously quite inexperienced, so I want his to have a good life with us" James replied, his tone soft and caring. Katie nodded at James, obviously agreeing, before she began as well.
"I think there is more to it than that" she replied, her tone matching James' "By taking him out to California, you've already does those things, so why are you going that extra step?" she continued, still staring at James, yet it was softer and less intense.
"Because" James began, thinking if he really wanted to admit it. Of course, he didn't need to, because Katie finished the sentence for him.
"Because you like him in a romantic way" she replied, causing James to nod.
"He's just perfect" James began, a small smile settling on his face. He had no clue where this was coming from now and couldn't stop the words from emerging. "He's so sweet and innocent, he's always looking out for everyone else before himself, and I think I might be falling in love with him"
"So, you brought us out here, so he would love you back? Almost like a bargaining chip?"
"What no! I brought you out here, because I want to make him happy, and I'd do anything to see that. It doesn't matter if he loves me back or not, just seeing him happy is enough."
"And that's all I wanted to know" Katie replied, a small smile now settling on her face. "Just from the way you speak about him, it's clear you like him, and if I know my brother well and you've treated him like this, I think it's safe to say he is falling for you as well. Whether or not that was your intention, it's happened anyway"
"How old are you?" James asked, as he wiped a few tears that had welled up in his eyes.
"12" Katie responded as she shrugged her shoulders, causing James to chuckle.
"You know, no one else has managed to figure any of this out. Even my parents when I asked if I could bring you here. Yet, a 12 year old has managed to outsmart me" James chuckle, as he began to shake his head. "You're something else, you know that right"
"I've been told that quite a few times. Especially when I outsmart my boss" Katie continued, causing James to chuckle once more.
"I think I'm starting to like you. You know, now that you're not putting pressure on me" James replied, causing Katie to smile briefly, before her facial expression turned to stone.
"Cute. But if you ever hurt my brother, I swear I'll kill you myself" the brunette girl replied, causing James' face to pale. With a sarcastically sweet smile, Katie stood up from the sofa and made her way back to her room, leaving James petrified for his life.
He had no doubts that Katie would go through with it.
Kendall was hard at work when James' car finally pulled up at the estate, so he wasn't even the person to notice it. He was cleaning out Snowbell's pen when Camille came running up to him.
"Kendall! Kendall, he's back!" She squealed as she grabbed the blond's hand and dragged him out of the main stable, onto the drive of the estate. When James stepped out of the car, Kendall's face light up with a smile especially when James made eye contact with him and smiled back. James gestured for Kendall to come closer, causing Kendall to blush slightly as he began to walk. That walk turned into a sprint as he saw a familiar brunette and red haired woman emerge from the car.
"Mum? Katie?" Kendall asked, tears welling in his eyes as he finally reached then, pulling them both into a tight hug.
"Hey sweetie" Jennifer said, kissing Kendall on the top of the head as she did so. Kendall was crying into his mother's shoulder at this point, with Katie squeezing her way out of the hug.
"But, how…" Kendall cried into his mother's shoulder, the whole thing seeming so unreal.
"James brought us. He said that you were worried about us, so he offered Katie and I a job so you wouldn't have to worry" Jennifer replied, as she kissed Kendall on the head once again. Kendall finally pulled out of the hug, a huge smile on his face despite the fact that his eyes were red and puffy, before turning to see James stood there with a small smile of his own.
"You did this?" Kendall asked once again, causing James to blush as he nodded.
"Well yeah, you were so upset when you spoke about it, so I thought I would help" James replied, causing Kendall to wrap his arms around the older male, as the tears began to fall again.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!" Kendall sobbed into James' blazer, as James returned the hug, pulling Kendall tighter into him. Katie raised an eyebrow at the action and looked over to see another dark-haired girl doing the same thing. They both made eye contact with each other, knowing exactly what the other was thinking as they smirked. James and Kendall remained in the hug for a couple of minutes, before James decided to speak up.
"I suppose we should get the two of you settled in" he spoke up, causing Kendall to pull out of the hug first, before giving his mother another one.
"I'll see you later ok Mum. After work I'll come and find you, and we can catch up" Kendall said, causing Jennifer to nod onto Kendall's shoulder.
"Ok, I'll see you later sweetie. And don't worry about us anymore, we are here now" she replied, kissing him on the forehead once more. Kendall blushed when he realised James was watching, despite the fact that he'd watched the entire time, and gave him another quick hug.
"Thank you" Kendall muttered once again, before pulling away and walking backwards over to the stables. Jennifer gave him another quick wave before he saw the three of them emerge into the house. A smile settled onto his face, and when he turned back to see Camille, she was stood there with her eyebrow raised, arms crossed, and a smug smile on her face. "What?" Kendall asked, having some slight idea of where this was going.
"He so likes you back! He brought your family half way across the country just so you would be happy!" Camille replied, before turning back into the stable sing "I was right! I was right!" on repeat, which Kendall couldn't help but chuckle at.
Maybe she was right after all, and thinking back to the other day, maybe he should just go for it.
Camille could see how antsy Kendall was getting as the day went on. Although all of his jobs were fulfilled to a high standard, Camille could see that he was trying to rush through them, and most importantly, she couldn't blame him. After all, it was his family. So, when the clock struck 7, Camille finally spoke up about it.
"Kendall, why don't you head off" she said, causing the boy's head to poke up from one of the pens.
"Are you sure? I can help you finish I don't mind" Kendall replied, but Camille knew it was an empty gesture, and that he really wanted to leave.
"Honestly, there are only a few more bits to do anyway. Now, go see your family" Camille replied with a chuckle. The speed Kendall shot up at was immense, and after pulling her into a quick hug, the blond was headed back to the house, a huge smile on his face as he did so. The whole walk back, Kendall still couldn't believe that James had brought his family out here, and he was so grateful for that he felt he should try to do something in return. When he walked into the servants area of the house, he saw his mother pottering about the Kitchen with Carlos as Katie was sat at the table reading through the contract all employees had to sign.
"So Kendall's settling in alright here?" Jennifer said as she stirred one of the pots on the hob.
"Very well, everyone seems to like him, and he's so helpful" Carlos replied, causing Katie to look up at Kendall with an eyebrow raised. It was clear she had noticed his presence when no one else had. Trying to stay as silent as possible, Kendall took a seat at the table, while Carlos and his mother continued to talk.
"I'm so glad. That was one of my biggest worries about him moving out here. I didn't want him to be all alone."
"Trust me Ms Knight, he's got plenty of friends, like myself, Camille, Lucy and even Mr Diamond. Plus it's common knowledge that Peggy and Jenny have a crush on him. Well, common to everyone else. I didn't think Kendall has noticed yet" Carlos continued, causing Kendall to fluster silently. Turns out Camille was right about that as well.
"Bless him, I bet he even tried to talk to them, and he was oblivious when they flirted back. That's Kendall alright" Jennifer replied, causing Carlos to chuckle along with her. Knowing their idol chatter had gone on long enough, Katie decided to be the one to clear her throat, while Kendall just sat there with his arms crossed over his chest, as he tried to put on a pout, showing how 'upset' he was. When Jennifer and Carlos turned around, their eyes widened as they landed on the blond, sharing a look of horror.
"Kendall sweetie" Jennifer began, trying to hide her shock. "How, how long have you been here for?" she asked, even though she knew the answer to the question already.
"Along enough to hear you call me oblivious" Kendall replied, causing Jennifer to quickly make her way over to her son in an attempt to make it up to him. "I'm totally not oblivious by the way, I knew about their crushes!" He continued, until he heard a voice shout back.
"LIAR!" radiated through the halls, followed by Camille. "When I told you about it at first, you denied it" she continued, as she grabbed a glass and made her way over to the tab.
"How…but…what…aren't you supposed to be working" Kendall replied in a huff, causing both Katie and Carlos to snicker slightly at how much the young blond was acting like a child.
"I got thirsty" Camille replied with a shrug, only making Kendall slightly more agitated.
"Can we not talk about this anymore?" Kendall asked, causing the group to nod, as one final voice joined them.
"What? Peggy and Jenny's crush on Kendall?" Lucy asked, slightly overhearing the conversation. "It's so obvious dude" she continued, causing Kendall to pout while everyone else chuckled.
Before long, Camille had left the room to finish up with the horses, Lucy had gone back to her office and Carlos had to deliver some food to Brooke, leaving the Knight's in the kitchen to catch up. Kendall was telling Jennifer all about his life here, what he did during the day, and how much he loved it, and in turn Jennifer and Katie shared a few stories they had since Kendall had left. Really, they had only been separated for about a week, so there wasn't too much new information to chat about. Jennifer shared that she'd become a cook, helping Carlos out in the kitchen due to her experience at the bakery, while Katie had been recommended to Lucy as an assistant, after James thought it was best. That was basically James' way of saying that Katie was too smart to be put anywhere else in the house, which Katie was quick to agree with.
Other than that, Kendall told them about how James was teaching him how to read and write, causing Katie to chuckle under her breath. She could see what James was doing, and by the way Kendall spoke about him, it was clear that Kendall liked him back. Before long, everyone came in to eat dinner, getting the know the two new arrivals, and of course Jennifer was willing to share most things with them, including many embarrassing stories she had of Kendall, the first being the first time Kendall had ever seen a horse. Jennifer told them how Kendall was quickly scared by the big animal, and how a tear slid down his face as he stroked one, causing everyone to chuckle, while Kendall still pouted and blushed due to his embarrassment. He knew he wasn't going to live this down for a long time.
The evening quickly passed, with stories being told, and before it got any later everyone said their goodbyes and trotted off back to their rooms. Kendall helped Carlos wash the plates, with the two of them returning to their room at the same time. Still, Kendall couldn't stop thinking about what James had done for him, and most of all, what Camille said it represented.
Did James do this because he cared for the young boy?
Was he feeling the same way Kendall was?
These were the thoughts that kept Kendall stirring all night, and before long the blond found himself getting out of bed and heading back into the dinning area. The blond really wanted to meet up with James, but he knew he couldn't risk walking upstairs as the rules about that had been drilled into him. Instead he found himself searching for James' name on the wall of bells, luckily James being one of the words he'd first learnt to read, and when Kendall found it, he started to ring it slightly, hoping the signal went both ways. If the bell could be rung in the rooms and heard here, then surely the same would work the other way, right?
After ringing the bell for a short while, Kendall sat himself at the table, hoping James would turn up and soon.
So there we have it! Katie drilled James about his intentions and with her being so sneaky and smart, of course she figured it out, with James actually confessing everything at the end. We had the family reunion, with Kendall crying as he saw his mother and his sister, as well as pulling James into a tight hug, which was quickly returned. And then, I finished off the chapter with a little bit of light banter between everyone as well as a set up for the next chapter!
A massive thank you to Guest, Winterschild11 and RainbowDiamonds for reviewing the last chapter, and without sounding too mean, I want to give RainbowDiamonds another thank you as it has been fun to mess with you for the past two weeks, and get you all on edge :P Truly, that is evil muhahaha. *Hums Evil Like Me*
But yes, as you can see, Kendall was super surprised by James bringing his family here, and you all seemed to love the chat between Kendall and Camille, which I had to admit, I really enjoyed as well. I will admit I enjoyed the chat between Katie and James more, just because it was almost like a role reversal with Katie being the one holding all the power!
I will see you guys on Thursday for the next chapter of Love, James and at the moment, I will admit that I am loving uploading that story for you all, and I can see how much you are enjoying it! But until then,
TTFN :D
