A/N: I hope you guys enjoy this chapter of Hooked. Please tell me what you think in a review! They mean alot to me :)
**THIS CHAPTER IS OVER 8,000 WORDS :D**
- I've gotten alot of inquiries unto how Stella survives in the house all alone, and why she had water. Remember all this is a story, and while trying to make it as realistic as I possibly can, sometimes little things slip my mind and my imagination takes over. No, there will be no unicorns and ponies in here, but Stella's house has no electricity, and only a minimal amount of cold ice water. Anything she has food wise, or object wise is assumed that she bought in town. Remember folks, she DOES have a job at the General Store, and does make money :D
Next week's chapter WILL be rated M. You're in for a treat!
Please look at the end of the chapter for my shoutouts! :D This chapter is dedicated to waterwicca because the former half of it takes place on her birthday, December 23rd! :D
I do not own BTR, only Stella and the Treggers.
Chapter Five: Letting Me In
Kendall and Stella just stared at each other for a good fifteen seconds before either of them said anything. Stella then sat down again, facing the window, trying her best to hide her tears, even though it was no use. She didn't want to cry in front of Kendall, not again. She didn't want to look weak, not after what had happened in the General Store. She was stupid to think that Kendall wouldn't come back, looking for answers. She knew Kendall Knight. He was stubborn, hard headed, dangerously passionate and the most amazing person she had ever met.
"I don't want to talk right now," Stella said upset, her voice thick with tears. Kendall took a powerful step forward, getting frustrated. Stella had just come to see him last night on the deck, which she had openly admitted seconds ago, and now she didn't want to talk again. He was getting angry with this whole situation. She had to make up her pretty little mind, and now.
"Well you know what, I want to talk," Kendall said forcefully, his brows furrowing and his breathing heavier. Stella said nothing in response, as Kendall licked his lips and went over to her. His mind started spinning and unraveling as he looked at how broken and upset Stella looked. Her blue eyes weren't sparkling, her smile was nonexistent and she looked cold, and miserable.
"I wanna know why you think the way you do, Stella. I want to know what's going on here. You say you're a runaway, that you have no parents. You live in this," Kendall said pausing, looking around the barren room, with just a mattress, blankets, and a small space heater in the corner, unplugged, "this abandoned house all alone, I-I don't get it," Kendall breathed out heavily, his heart racing, his breaths coming so hard and heavy, his whole entire face was surrounded with the fog. He wasn't even making sense with his words at the moment, but his heart pushed them up out of his throat with every beat. He needed to talk. If he didn't talk, he would cry.
"You don't need to know what's going on, Kendall Knight," Stella said stoically, not gazing her eyes to his, or anything of the sort. Kendall bit his bottom lip, his anger rising. He wasn't angry at Stella, of course not. He was just so frustrated at her from keeping this from him, when the two had been so open with each other, emotionally and physically two nights before. Why couldn't she just let him into her life? He obviously didn't care if she was a little messed up, or an orphan, or whatever the hell she was. He loved her for everything she was. And she was perfect.
"Are you fucking kidding me, Stella?" he lashed out at her with angry, green eyes. She finally looked up at him, with sad eyes, surprised at his attitude. Kendall's chest heaved up and down with passion, and anger, his eyes locked on hers.
"You're being-you're being selfish!" Kendall exclaimed angrily at her, stumbling over his own words. Stella looked up at him confused, but not angry. She just gazed at him with wide eyes, listening to him rant on and on. "You're not letting me in. I let you in, now it's your turn to let me in," he yelled, his voice powerful, and full of passion as if she didn't understand. Stella totally understood.
She knew exactly what Kendall was talking about. She knew so much about him from just that one talk. They had looked into each other's eyes, sitting under the warm, tan blanket on the snowy deck, talking softly, taking in each other's hot breath and soft, moist lips. It was one of the nicest nights Stella could remember in her life.
She knew about his father's death, the first time he was stood up on a date by Hannah Trickmen, his first kiss with Georgina Retts, and how he was the only sophomore starter on his Duluth High hockey team to name a few. Stella had a mind for detail, and she hadn't forgotten anything the boy had told her about himself in the past three days. She should've known he'd get curious about her. And now that he knew she was a runaway, she had a feeling she wasn't going to be able to keep her secrets anymore.
Eventually, Kendall Knight was going to find out everything about her complicated life. And it scared her to death.
Silence. "You think you want me to let you in, but you don't. You really don't," Stella spoke softly, her voice cracking, her head hung down, and blonde tresses hanging over her soft, delicate face. Kendall swallowed hard, his feet planted firmly on the ground. He was torn between anger, frustration, sympathy and empathy for the cold, fragile, blonde angel that sat in front of him. He didn't know what to do.
He took a knee quickly, and immediately brought his cold, gloved hands to Stella's icy white face. He looked in her eyes intently, breathing heavily, adrenaline pumping from his rage. She looked near tortured, and not like herself as she clutched the blanket to her chest. Kendall didn't want to see her like this. This wasn't how Stella usually was.
"I don't know what is going on here, Stella. I don't know about your life, or why you ran away, or who you really are," Kendall whispered to her lips, a hot tear slowly falling out of her eye. Kendall leaned in with a saddened face and pressed his lips to the fallen tear, as her face tensed up even more, more tears cascading from her face. "But I want to know," he mumbled, his lips and hand at her wet cheek, his left hand enlaced in hers.
"I can't let you in, Kendall Knight," she cried out, her voice thick with tears. His thumb stroked her face, as she reached her hands up to his neck, resting them at the nape. "I want to so bad. I just can't," she choked back, swallowing the lump in her throat. Kendall's heart beat faster, and he immediately leaned down, placing a soft, suckling kiss on her lips, and then pulling away with a concerned look. He didn't understand Stella. He didn't understand her situation, or the way she was acting, how she had no name, and why he felt so attached and strong to her since that night on the deck. But to Kendall, it didn't matter. He loved her, and that was all there was to it. They had met on the deck for a reason. She had been up there that night for a reason, and had pried into his life for a reason. They had kissed for a reason, and felt sparks for a reason.
They were supposed to be together. They were meant to be together. Kendall was sure of it.
When in her presence, everything made sense. When he was upset, just thinking about her soft face and her beautiful blue eyes put the poor boy over the moon. He loved her. He really loved her. And he didn't even know her real name. It had come to the point where Kendall felt like he couldn't be separated from her not only in distance, but emotionally. There was a wall Stella had built between them for whatever reason she had, but Kendall needed to knock it down. He needed all of Stella's love in return, something she didn't know possible to give the boy.
"Yes you can," he muttered out with a confident smile, as he kissed her lips one more. Kendall parted from her slowly and looked in those broken eyes which seemed to light up a bit each time their lips touched. He knew he hadn't been crazy. He didn't care how long it took to fully capture her heart. Minutes, hours, days, months, years. He just wanted to get to the other side of whatever separated them.
He needed to get to the other side.
Kendall had left Stella in the cold, lonely, broken house, having to get back to shoveling with the Tregger's before they got suspicious of his extended bathroom break. He left her with a soft kiss on her pink lips and a promise of a warm plate of dinner upon his return later on. Kendall and Stella needed to talk, and he figured it would be a nice gesture of him to bring her over a plate of hot food, seeing as the poor girl had been living in a house with no microwave, or any cooking appliance. He could only imagine what kind of cold, disgusting food she had been eating.
It was around 7 o'clock, all the plates had been cleared from the last small, intimate dinner of the holiday, which Kendall didn't partake in. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve, and everyone in the Tregger house was tidying up the giant for the mounds of company that were staying over into Christmas day the next night. Bryan was cleaning out all the guest rooms, Jenny the bathrooms, Dave was fixing the Christmas lights outside in the cold harsh winter, Mrs. Knight was cleaning the kitchen, and Katie and Serena were folding napkins and polishing cutlery. It seemed that everyone was so busy trying to make the huge house so pristine after cooking and shoveling all day, they didn't even notice Kendall slip out the back door with two large plates of leftover turkey, mashed potatoes, corn and salad, covered in aluminum foil. He had told everyone he felt ill, and was going to stay upstairs halfway through the feast, Kendall having eaten just a few small pieces of sourdough bread. Luckily, with the oncoming chaos of Christmas time, and at least forty guests, he knew no one would come up and check on him.
Bundled up in his beanie, a sweater and his winter jacket, he held the plates close to him, careful not to drop them as he trudged through the snow, through the terrifying fir trees at the start of the forest, his half-gloves not really helping him all that much with the bitter cold.
He made his way to the storm cellar of Stella's house, opening it and stepping down the creaky wooden stairs, the chill from outside shivering down his spine, closing it behind him. He made his way up the dark basement stairs into the large, empty house, just as he had done earlier in the day.
"Stella?" he called out, coming out into the long hallway. He shivered again, holding the food tight to him as he heard her soft, gentle footsteps on the wood floor behind him. Kendall turned around and saw Stella there with a small, nervous smile on her face. Her blonde hair tied back into a loose messy bun wearing sweats and two sweaters. She slowly glided herself over to him with a smile, as Kendall smiled back, holding up the food with a chuckle.
"I hope you like turkey, mashed potatoes, corn and salad," he said with a chuckle. Stella looked up at him with bright shining eyes, and he could practically see her mouth drooling. He wondered when the last time she had actually had real food was as he made his way over to the kitchen and set the food down on the granite countertop. He took off his hat, pushing his hair back as Stella looked at the food, with weird, awkward eyes. She looked back up at him and Kendall's face scrunched up a bit worried.
"What's the matter? Do you not like turkey?" he asked with a small chuckle, taking off his gloves. Stella nodded no and played with the aluminum foil covering the sumptuous feast in front of her. She didn't answer him, but looked at the plates intently with curious, wide eyes. Kendall looked at her a bit oddly, and touched her hand gently, where she looked up at him confused a bit.
"What's wrong?" he asked her softer, approaching her with sad, heavy, green eyes. Stella looked at the plates, and then back into Kendall's eyes.
"I just—I haven't really, eaten well in such a long time. I feel bad stealing food from the Tregger's. I feel like a scavenger," she said a bit perturbed at her own words. Kendall nodded no, and took the foil off the top plate, revealing the delicious, colorful food items before Stella's shining blue eyes. How could she ever think that?
"Don't think that way, Stella. They had a lot of leftovers, and you haven't eaten well in God knows how long. You deserve a hot meal," he said softly, his eyes locked on hers. Stella looked up at Kendall and smiled brightly at him. Her eyes went back to the food, her usual arched expression matching Kendall's showed up on her face.
"You got me two plates of food?" she asked quizzically, with a chuckle added on at the end. Kendall let out a laugh.
"Well, I didn't eat at dinner, because I figured we could have dinner together," he said with a goofy, wide smile on his face. "So one is for you, and one is for me," he said proudly, taking the foil, off the second plate. Stella smiled widely at how much the boy truly cared for her. She hadn't remembered the last time she eaten with someone else—she hadn't remembered the last time she really ate well at all. Kendall pulled two forks and knifes out of his pocket and placed them on the countertop with a clank.
"I didn't know if you had utensils," he said, a tad embarrassed. Stella chuckled and took both plates of food in her hands.
"Come on," she whispered lightly, leading him to the dining room just a few yards away, with a large, long, table in the center. It was really the only other piece of furniture in the entire house Kendall could see except an old couch or two in the living room. He shivered again from the coldness, and blew into his hands, steam coming from his mouth as Stella set the plates down on the table, him sitting at the head, and her next to him.
"How do you stay in here when it's so cold?" he asked her, sitting down next to her at the table with a chuckle. Kendall sat in the cold, rigid, uncomfortable chair next to Stella, whose smile hadn't stopped since he'd arrived. He knew she was happy. And it made him ecstatic.
"I usually spend all my time in the bedroom in the back. I have a space heater back there that I bought with my money from work," she said, as if she was talking about some new dress she had wanted and saved up for. It was then Kendall realized, Stella wasn't a teenager in mind. She was definitely older than that, using her wages from work for the things she needed to survive. Kendall's paycheck from Sherwood's was constantly used on hockey equipment, hockey tickets, and hockey jerseys, due to the luxury he had of his mother's paycheck keeping a roof over his head . And here was Stella, barely just getting by, all by herself with no one to take care of her. Maybe that was one of things that drew Kendall to her so much. The fact that maybe, he could be that one person to take care of her. The one person she could nestle and cry into, when being alone and taking care of herself didn't work out.
Stella bit her lower lip as she picked around the delicious, hot food with her fork, deciding what to eat first. It was then Kendall decided that over this delicious, stolen dinner, he was going to have to start up some sort of conversation about Stella's life. He needed answers, desperately.
"So, are you going to explain this whole runaway thing to me, or not?" Kendall asked a bit nervously but playfully, shoveling some salad into his mouth. Stella, who had just taken a heaping of mashed potatoes slowly slid the fork out between her lips, and looked down, as if she were trying to contemplate something. She looked up at Kendall and sighed a bit nervously. She decided he deserved to know some. He had brought her a hot dinner, they had kissed on numerous occasions, and he had opened up to her about his father's death, something he definitely had been struggling with. It was only fair. Stella would tell him some, but definitely not all.
Nevertheless, it seemed like her heart called out to Kendall for some reason. Every time he was around, her heart beat faster, she became self-conscious of herself, and she got lost in those green eyes each time she looked in them. Stella wasn't aware of the symptoms that were featured in glossy teen magazines under the article heading "You Know It's A Crush When," and even if she had, this wasn't a crush. The connection between Kendall and Stella was one that some people don't even see in their lifetimes. It was some feeling Stella hadn't been remotely familiar with, and she didn't know how to handle it. It was love.
"You're that interested in my life, Kendall Knight?" she said slyly, twisting the fork between her fingers. Kendall smiled widely and looked down, his smile truly infectious to all those around him. Stella's lips curled up into a grin as well as he nodded.
"Well yes," he chuckled, taking a small piece of turkey in his mouth. "I would really like to know more about the girl I love," Kendall said after swallowing, raising his eyebrows expressively. Stella blushed at the word again, quite hesitant to say it back. She didn't know what love was, and she couldn't even fathom the thought of someone loving her, especially someone as perfect as Kendall. It made her heart beat so fast, she nearly thought it would explode. Stella knew she felt something for Kendall, something that she hadn't ever felt before—but she had no idea what sort of feeling it was or how to label it. Kendall's eyes had obviously been looking for an "I love you too," or something along those lines, and when Stella didn't say it, he tried his best to understand. He had to give her time. It was all about breaking down this wall she had up. The mere fact that she hadn't reiterated and said "You don't love me, Kendall Knight," again was more than enough progress for one night.
Stella took a deep breath and licked her lips a bit nervously. "I've been on my own since I'm eleven," she said. Kendall nodded, listening intently, as Stella's breaths came a bit heavier, and slower. She was obviously nervous, and not used to telling this story. She looked up at Kendall with saddened eyes, looking like she was about to cry. Kendall immediately took his right hand in her left, and enlaced his fingers through it, letting her know he was there. She looked down at their entwined hands and smiled at the incredible warmth and firework she felt in her body, as soon as she came in contact with Kendall's touch.
Stella took another deep breath and smiled up at him a bit. "I've lived in Wisconsin, North Dakota, and Minnesota since then," she said somberly. "I usually got around hitch hiking, or just walking. I slept at bus stations, motels, I've been in soup kitchens," Stella said, looking down away from Kendall's eyes. She felt as every horrible situation she listed, Kendall was becoming more and more hesitant with her, but she was wrong. With each place she listed, Kendall squeezed her hand tighter and tighter. It was almost as if he was making sure she was real. She looked up at him with sad eyes and tight pursed lips as he ran his finger over the back, soft skin of her hand. He had no upset, or disgusted reaction like she had expected. He just wanted to listen.
"I ended up here about a year ago, and found this house, and—and I don't know. I live here now," she said quietly. She then fell completely silent, and he figured he wouldn't pry her for my answers on that subject. It seemed the most sensitive. He remembered their first night on the deck, when he had asked about her foster care situation and how her eyes had dropped, along with her smile. He didn't want to see that again.
"What about your name? Stella?" he asked lightly, with a smile. Stella took a deep breath and smiled, looking up at the sky. Kendall looked up with her and chuckled, arching an eyebrow.
"I never really knew my own name. I picked it because of them," she said, motioning her chin up to the sky.
"The…ceiling?" he asked her confused. Stella chuckled and squeezed Kendall's hand gently.
"No. The stars," she said softly. Kendall leaned into her confused as she arched an eyebrow at him.
"Stellar?" she asked him knowingly. Kendall still looked a bit confused as she sighed playfully.
"I picked Stella, because it sounds like Stellar. You know, like the stars. Stellar is defined as pertaining to the brilliance and shine of the stars," she airily said in a breath, like it was the best information she had ever told anyone. Kendall smiled widely at her cleverness, and how beautifully she explained it. The way her lips moved into a small smile when talking about the stars captivated Kendall's mind in ways he could never explain. The name fit her so well, her blonde hair shining radiantly, along with her smile, and those blue eyes.
"That's sexy," Kendall said outright, the filter in his head apparently not working. His cheeks immediately flushed a bit as Stella chuckled, and blushed a bit as well. It wasn't that he was embarrassed about saying that it was sexy, he just felt it was insensitive. Stella had obviously picked out the name after much thought, and he didn't mean to affront it.
"Well, thank you," she said chuckling. Kendall bit his lower lip and looked in her eyes which shined like the stars who she was named after.
"So did you pick it out because you like the stars?" Kendall asked her. Stella smiled and shook her head no. Kendall looked a bit confused, his thumb still stroking the soft skin on the back of her hand.
"There is so much more to it than that, Kendall Knight," she said softly, looking up at the non-existent stars. Kendall was intrigued, as he leaned even closer to her, both of them completely abandoning the warm food in front of them. She looked up at the ceiling, as if she could see the stars through the roof, even in the daylight. "They protect me. That's the only reason I'm even still alive," she whispered out to the heavens, then looking back at Kendall with a smile. Kendall smiled widely and so did she, obviously happy to talk about the subject.
"I spent so many nights lying on benches stargazing, and I learned all the constellations, and where all the stars are. It's how I found my way around the states a lot. When I would walk at night, I'd make sure to look at the stars, because they gave me light, and guidance," she said thoughtfully and in a whisper, as if it was some forbidden secret. "No matter where I was, the stars were always familiar to me. They never moved. They are always in the same place, no matter where you are. They never turned their backs on me," she said, her throat heavy, her voice wavering a bit. She swallowed hard and returned her gaze to Kendall who looked distraught with emotion.
"I picked it out because I love the stars. They named me," she said with a smile on her face. Kendall studied her face and smiled sympathetically, touched by her story. It seemed as everything came out of her mouth just made her more and more beautiful to Kendall, and he had no idea why. He leaned into her forehead, and gently pressed a kiss to it, his hand stroking her warm face.
"I guess I have some competition," Kendall said with a small grin, resting his lips flush against Stella's warm skin. He parted his lips from her forehead and she smiled, her lips pursed together in a small smile.
"Are you up for it?" she asked him in a whisper. Kendall nodded immediately, his hand touching her soft cheek, the heat and love radiating between the two in his gentle caress.
"You betcha," he whispered softly with a smile. Stella bit her lip softly, and looked from Kendall's green eyes to his lips. She had kissed him so many times before, but had never been the one to truly initiate it. She leaned into Kendall's face confidently, her warm breath on his and gently brushed her lips against his, smacking them gently. Kendall stayed unsure and straight as Stella leaned into him, but after only a second or two, his hand went to her neck and he leaned into it, as Stella brushed her tongue over his bottom lip, requesting entrance to which Kendall granted. Stella shifted herself even more over to him, the two engrossed in a passionate lip lock.
Their bodies were perfectly aligned, as each other's soft touches created sparks on the other ones skin, their lips fitting like a lock and key. It was perfect. Kendall and Stella sadly parted a few seconds' later, stars both in of their eyes. Kendall smiled like he never had, and Stella smiled brightly as well.
"So what about you?" she asked surprisingly. Kendall looked taken aback at her question, and was a bit confused.
"What about me?" he asked with an arched eyebrow. Stella chuckled at the cute, knit expression his face made whenever he was genuinely confused. It was adorable.
"I know about your father, and your ex-girlfriends, and your hockey team. But what about you, Kendall Knight?" Stella asked slyly. Kendall was still a bit confused.
"I-I don't know?" he chuckled questioningly, his hand still entangled in Stella's. "I've told you a lot," Kendall said unsure, thinking back to their talk on the deck. It was short-lived, only lasting an hour or two, but it was still amazing. Stella sighed and licked her lips.
"I know about your facts of life, all the boring stuff," she said chuckling. Kendall let out a chuckle as well, leaning in closer to her.
"Oh, so my life is boring now?" he asked her with squinted, expressive eyes, a coy smile on his face. Stella bit her lip and looked up at him, her voice soft as ever.
"Everyone's life is boring compared to mine," she said truthfully. Kendall studied her eyes as they starred up into a smile again. "Tell me something no one knows about you," she whispered gently, their lips moving closer. Kendall sighed deeply and looked down at his hands touching Stella's and then back up at her.
"You're that interested in my life, Stella?" he asked her slyly, cocking his head to the side. She smiled, her supple pink lips pursed perfectly, her freckly face drenched with curiosity. Kendall took a deep breath and nodded, looking away from her eyes nervously.
"I sing," he stated secretly as if it was a sin. His face turned a bit blush, and he looked away from Stella's eyes. She let out a slight chuckle as his face snapped back up to look at her.
"What?" he asked confused. Stella took a deep sigh, her fingers going through his like soft silk.
"I just—I was expecting more of a secret," Stella said lightly. Kendall swallowed hard and looked into her eyes. She had no idea of the magnitude of Kendall's confession. Kendall Knight had a beautiful, melodious voice that rang through any room he sang in. Coupled with his guitar playing, it was something Kendall loved to do more than anything—almost as much as hockey. But no one knew it.
Kendall's singing ability was a well kept secret. Sure, his mother and Katie had heard him sing loosely in the house, but hadn't thought much of it. Logan, Carlos and James had no idea Kendall could sing as beautiful as he did, James being the "performer" of the four.
The only one who knew that he did have the voice he had was his father. And now with him gone, no one knew.
"No one knows I can sing, Stella," he said dryly looking up into her eyes. "No one." Kendall looked into her eyes and she gave him a soft smile, leaning in closer to him, her face at his, not touching but just close enough.
"I do now," she said softly, with a smile across her face. Kendall bit his lip and smiled, looking down a bit embarrassed. He didn't believe that he had told this girl he had just met three days ago he had a voice, but yet not even his three best friends he'd known for years back home knew.
"I just—only my dad knew. And he would always try to get me to sing in front of people, but I was never comfortable with it," Kendall muttered out, still a bit embarrassed, his hands twisting in hers. Stella nodded and the two were silent, as Kendall's father was brought up again, obviously having an effect on him.
"Why not?" she asked simply as she possibly could. She didn't understand. Kendall swallowed hard, and cursed himself for bringing it up in the first place, regretting it for a split second. He knew she was going to pry, just like he had into her life. She was Stella after all, not just any ordinary person. He took a deep breath in and looked at her with an odd face.
"I just—I have horrible stage fright, and I'm-m self conscious," Kendall ousted out, his voice a bit weak from the confession. Here he was confessing two things nearest and dearest to his heart to Stella. And to be honest, it didn't even bother him. It felt good to tell her. It felt right to tell her. Stella leaned in, and gently suckled his bottom lip, bringing her hand to his chin and gently tilting it upward in the kiss. She parted from him with a soft smile, her heart fluttering.
"I bet you have a beautiful voice, Kendall Knight," she smiled widely. Kendall looked down and smiled a bit embarrassed, their hands still tightly embraced. "I'd love to hear it sometime," she whispered softly to his lips, so only the two of them could hear. The cold didn't matter anymore. The heat between the two lovers was unexplainably creeping up through each of their bodies. Between their emotional and physical attractions to each other, it was at the room was filled with lava. Kendall gently brushed his lips against hers, suckling every inch of her bottom lip, occasionally nipping. Stella gently moaned into the kiss, Kendall's hand moving upward on her thigh as he gently slipped his tongue into her mouth. He felt her kiss back, attempting for control in the battle but ultimately lost as Kendall's tongue lapped against hers, making her moan even more. Stella quickly broke away from the kiss, getting a bit too ahead of herself, as Kendall seemed surprised.
"I think we should eat before this goes to waste," she said chuckling, breaking the intimate moment, picking up her fork. Kendall bit his lip and looked at her, trying to hold back the huge smile on his face. It seemed like every time he kissed Stella, everything went away, and every time she said his name, it was music to his ears. She was absolutely amazing. He needed her. It was then he made a decision. He rested his hand on her thigh and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"Stella, you're coming over for Christmas Eve tomorrow," Kendall said demandingly. Stella looked up from her plate into his eyes, with a lost, confused expression her face. She chuckled a bit and shook her head.
"I'm sorry, but I can't," she blurted out immediately, her voice a bit hostile. Kendall looked at her disappointedly.
"Why not?" he asked innocent as could be, his eyes heavy with sadness at her response. He knew she probably wouldn't say yes the first time, but it still hurt him a bit. Stella looked up at him with a confused, matter-of-fact face on.
"Because, I-I'm a runaway. I live in the abandoned house next door. How are you going to explain bringing a runaway over for dinner, especially to someplace as nice as the hotel the Tregger's live in," she said with an upset face on, poking at her now cold food. Kendall smiled at her, the ideas cooking up in his head amazingly fast.
"You're not going to be Stella. You'll be Kacey. The cute cashier at the General Store who kissed me in front of Bryan and his friends," Kendall said smiling smugly, stroking her hand gently. Stella looked up at him with a smile, imagining how nice it would be to spend Christmas Eve with a family. She hadn't celebrated a real Christmas Eve since—ever. She had either been in the orphanage, a negligent foster home, or out on her own the past five years. She had never experienced the lively family chatter, the old stories, the tasty food, and the exchanging of presents and smiles. It was a mere dream to her, she felt really didn't exist.
She smiled at the boy's pleading green eyes, trying to look away as to not get completely lost in them. "That's so sweet of you, but I can't. I'd feel out of place, and I barely know the Tregger's. I mean, I've seen them come into the General Store a lot—"
"Please, Stella. It would mean a lot to me," Kendall interrupted with a smile that she could barely resist. Stella swallowed hard and looked down at her food, nervously biting her lip.
"I-I don't know," she said shakily, avoiding his eyes. Kendall sighed and bit his lower lip, as he tilted her chin up to his face smiling at her.
"Well if you're not going to come, then I'm coming over here, and we'll spend Christmas Eve together huddled up in the back room, clinging together for warmth around your space heater," Kendall grinned smugly, his sage green puppy dog eyes doing their magic. Stella chuckled uneasily, and looked in his eyes biting his lip.
"Please, Stella," he said again, just above a whisper. She studied his face and smiled a bit at how caring he was towards her. Here he was, this sweet, sexy, passionate teenager boy, inviting her to spend Christmas Eve with a feast, family, and friends, and she was telling him…no. How nice would it be to have an actual Christmas Eve?
He leaned into her even more. "Spend Christmas Eve with me?" he asked again, slowly touching her face with his thumb. She bit her lip and looked up at him. He leaned into her face and gently brushed his lips against hers, smiling throughout the kiss, one last shot at convincing her to come. He pulled away from her lips and bit his lip nervously. She swallowed hard and smiled, hypnotized by his kiss.
"Okay. I'll come," she said softly.
Kendall nervously waited outside the kitchen, playing with his thumbs, biting his lip. His mother was in the kitchen with Jenny, baking, and he had to ask if he could have Stella as his guest this Christmas Eve. It wasn't like he thought the Tregger's were going to say no, he just was afraid of all the questions they were going to ask about Stella—and Kacey. Kendall took a deep breath and walked into the kitchen with a smile on his face.
"Mom, can I talk to you for a second?" Kendall said, approaching her at the island in the middle. Kimberly Knight was frosting the last of the cookies they had baked earlier in the day, not even bothering to look up at her son. It was near eleven o' clock and Christmas Eve was creeping up on all of them.
"Sure," she said quickly obviously in some sort of cooking frenzy. Mrs. Knight always got like this around the holidays. His father had always called it HCCS, Holiday Cooking Craziness Syndrome. Kim had a serious case of HCCS right now, and Kendall knew it. It was part of the reason he had been able to sneak out earlier to see Stella. He knew however it wasn't just HCCS, but the fact that his mother had to engross herself in something before she realized what day it was. Christmas Eve—without her husband.
"It's kinda…important," he choked out nervously, looking down awkwardly, getting his mother's full attention. Kim's head snapped up as Jenny turned around from the stove subconsciously, then quickly returning her glance to the cake she was baking for tomorrow. Kendall saw she had turned around and smiled. He needed to ask her permission first, seeing as that it was her house.
"Mrs. Tregger, I'd like to talk to you also," Kendall said sweetly, in his most polite voice ever. Jenny looked back surprised, and wiped her hands on the kitchen towel next to her with a chuckle.
"Kendall, for the millionth time, please, call me Jenny," she said approaching them. Kendall smiled warmly at the petite, beautiful, caring blonde woman as his mother looked at him confused. What did he want to talk about? Jenny stood next to Kim as Kendall took a deep breath, leaning on the island lazily.
"I-I was wondering if I could bring someone to dinner tomorrow, if-if that's alright?" he asked nervously, biting his lip. He swallowed hard as his mother looked at him confused. She had kept her eyes on Kendall almost the whole entire time they had been here, and now he had some sort of guest to bring to dinner?
"Oh sure, sweetheart! The more the merrier!" Jenny exclaimed excitedly, looking at her best friend who was still confused.
"Like—a date?" Kimberly asked her son with an arched eyebrow. Kendall looked at her with green eyes, and couldn't help but smile goofily as he nodded his head. Kim's face curled up into a surprised smile.
"You met a girl?" she asked confused and surprised, putting down her frosting utensils, as Jenny looked on with a smile. Kendall bit his lip and nodded, letting out a small chuckle, standing up straight. Jenny saw this talk as a mother son type of deal, and smiled.
"Well she is definitely welcome, Kendall," she said politely, before turning away to the other side of the huge kitchen, leaving the Knight's in private. Kendall looked down and knocked his knuckled on the counter as his mother stared him down surprised and a bit excited for her son.
"When did you meet a girl, baby? What's her name? What is she like?" Kim asked, wiping her hands of all the cookie decorating icing, and smiling at her son widely, totally engrossed in the conversation they were having. Kendall swallowed hard, trying to remember all the elaborate lies he and Stella had made up over dinner just a few short hours ago.
"Her name is Kacey. She works at the General Store. I met her when Bryan, his friends and I played hockey the other day," Kendall said sheepishly. He knew it was a bit suspicious that he had just met this girl a day ago (technically two) and was inviting her to Christmas Eve, but he didn't care. He just needed Stella there. It was important to have her there, instead of her freezing in her house, looking up at the stars all night.
"I'm just—surprised. I mean, you only met her yesterday, I mean—," Kim said stumbling over her words looking at her son. She was surprised at this and found it odd, but the true smile shone on Kendall's face, and she knew that anything to make him happy this holiday would definitely do. Kim smiled at her son and took a deep breath in.
"Is she pretty?" she asked him curiously. Kendall smiled widely and nodded his head.
"She's beautiful, mom," he said chuckling. He thought beautiful was an understatement for Stella, but he knew he would have to hold himself back from admitting he was in love from his family. He couldn't tell anyone. It would be a secret between him and Stella for now. They would think he was crazy.
Kimberly Knight smiled at her son widely, tears almost coming to her eyes. She hadn't seen Kendall this happy and excited in months, and it swelled her heart with joy. She swallowed hard and sighed.
"I can't wait to meet her, Kendall," she said smiling. Now came the interesting part.
"Yeah. Uh—is it alright if we go to her parents after dinner?" Kendall asked, nervously as could be. Kendall had decided that they also deserved time alone on Christmas Eve, and since Stella wasn't used to all the festivities and merriness that came along with Christmas, a whole entire night might boggle her out of her mind. They had agreed that after dinner they would go back to Stella's next door, and spend some time alone. Stella had promised Kendall they could star gaze as well. He was adamant about looking his competition in the eye.
Kim looked surprised at her son. "Oh?" she asked. Kendall swallowed hard and chuckled.
"Well, I—I want to spend the holiday with her, mom. We've been texting since we spoke, and I really like her. Her parents were at the General Store when we met, and they seem like really nice people. Their house is just fifteen minutes away," Kendall said, spitting out more lies than he could possibly handle. Kim looked at her son suspiciously and arched an eyebrow.
"I don't know, baby. I mean having her here is one thing, but I don't know her parents, or what type of people they are," Kimberly said, being an overprotective mother. Kendall swallowed hard and his smile fell, as did his mothers. She would do anything to make Kendall happy. She sighed deeply, knowing that he was sixteen, and that he could handle himself.
"I mean, I guess it's alright if you want to go for a little while. But I want you to make sure that you text me when you get there, and that you call me during your time there, alright?" she said demandingly. Kendall smiled widely, as he went to the other side of the counter, and kissed his mother's cheek.
"Thanks, mom," he said smiling widely, and excited expression on his face.
Kendall smiled widely before turning on one foot, and walking out of the kitchen, taking a deep sigh of relief. The plan had been set in motion and he couldn't wait to see Stella at Christmas Eve tomorrow.
December 24th. The snow outside had ceased, leaving the entire property of the Tregger's and beyond in a light, powdery, but thick covering of white snow. Kendall nervously stood in the dining room by the large fire place, as the twenty guests—that would soon grow to forty—sipped their drinks, talking about old times, pregnancies, marriages and everything in between. Kendall stood with one hand in his pocket, one hand holding a glass of hot apple cider, his body leaning against the window, green eyes cast down. Stella was to arrive any minute, and Kendall prayed that she wouldn't back out of this. He had told her to come around 7:00, and it was now 7:02. Kendall jingled the change in the pocket of his dark jeans, his red and black plaid over shirt, and black tie combo nearly strangling him. He cleared his throat and pressed his nose to window, looking out over the horizon, where there was no sign of Stella. Kendall sighed, taking a sip of warm apple cider, as he saw his mother approach him with a large smile on her face.
"Waiting for your girlfriend?" Mrs. Knight asked her son with a quaint smile. Kendall normally would have groaned at his mom for that comment, but the smile on her face was unexplainable, and it made Kendall feel good to see her happy about something. Especially this Christmas.
"Yeah," he chuckled looking down, a bit embarrassed. "And she's just a date, Mom," he lied, mumbled looking down at his feet. He didn't want to let anybody else know just how special he thought Stella actually was. It was between them. The doorbell rang, and Kendall's entire body jerked a bit, his eyes lighting up. It had to be her—or one of the other million guests expected. Kendall swallowed hard and went to the large front door, opening it slowly, his mother standing back a good distance. And there she was, standing on the porch with a bottle of sparkling cider in her hands, wrapped with a vibrant red bow, looking as beautiful as she could possibly be. Kendall's lips curled up into a large smile at seeing her.
Her blonde hair hung loosely in front of her face, which was subtly made up with light blush and eye makeup. Her pink lips pursed delicately into a small, confident smile, as she stood there, almost glowing. Kendall Knight had never seen anything so absolutely beautiful and perfect in all his life.
"Come in," Kendall said in a soft voice, his smile miles wide. Stella stepped into the house silently, Mrs. Knight's eyes on the beautiful blonde, her smile nearly as wide as Kendall's.
"Let me take your jacket," Kendall whispered to her, coming behind her with a smile, as she slipped her sleeves off.
"Thank you," she said sweetly, as his hands brushed against her bare skin, creating a small spark of heat between the two lovers. Kendall hung her old, worn, black jacket on the coat rack, running his hands over all the folds, creases and tatters on the inside of it. It must've been the only one she had. He stepped the few steps back to her side, as Stella stood on her toes and pecked Kendall on the cheek, much to his mother's approval. She had been standing close enough to watch what was going on, but far away enough to give the two teenagers privacy. Kendall blushed a bit upon her warm lips at his cheek, as Stella turned to him with the bottle in her hands.
"You didn't have to bring anything, Stella," Kendall whispered a bit perturbed that she had actually gone out and bought something with money she needed to survive. Stella shrugged and looked up at Kendall with a small smile.
"I'm getting free dinner two nights in a row. It was the least I could do," she said smiling. Kendall smiled back at her and bit his lip, looking up and down her couture and beautiful, angelic face.
"You look beautiful," he said chuckling, his eyes wandering up and down her body, his lust growing with desire, moving closer to her. It would be hard to keep his cool tonight, especially with the beautiful red sweater, dark jeans and boots Stella was wearing. It was so odd. If you had looked at her, you would never think that she lived alone in a humongous cold house, with only one room heated. He wondered how she had dressed up so nicely for the occasion.
"You look cute yourself, Kendall Knight," she said playfully giving him a wink. Kendall bit his lip and swallowed hard; wanting to kiss her with all the passion he had in him. He would save it for later, when they were alone, and he could kiss those lips all he wanted to. Kendall took a deep breath and looked into Stella's eyes, smiling widely.
"Ready to enjoy Christmas Eve, Kacey?" he said with a small, hesitant smile, reaching his hand out to her. Stella nodded and took his hand in hers, the firework exploding once again.
"You betcha," she said coyly.
Like usual, check out waterwicca's Past The Sorrow and EPIC Kendall/OC that has a LONG way to go. You will NOT be disappointed folks.
And check out gleechild's story Big Time Demise it has SUCH a unique, refreshing, angsty, awesome storyline and you will NOT be disappointed!