12 Homecoming 11

Stellar's heart rammed into her chest. A rush of adrenaline snaked through her veins in excitement over her brilliant idea.

First things first, she had to check Beau's reaction once he saw her flirting with Holden. A test run as they said.

So she stood on her tippy toes and whispered on Holden's ears, "Show them your biggest smile, Brother Holden."

Holden steeled when Stellar's breath fanned his ears but he was quick to school his features.

Chuckling at Stellar's antics, he bumped the side of his head on Stellar's forehead, and the two shared a laugh.

"Is this big enough?" He flashed her a big smile.

Stellar's eyes darted down south. It looked as if his smile blinded her but her attention was elsewhere.

She swallowed when her eyes landed on the bulge in his pants. Letting out a nervous laugh, she responded, "I hoped so."

She felt Holden's hand shuffle on the top of her head and she took that as her chance to steal a peek at Beau.

Yep. He's angry. Oof. Not just angry… Beau looked like a bull ready to attack, and with that Stellar was satisfied. She could continue as planned.

Her plan would be quite a reach for her though. But if what Holden said that he was in love with someone was true, then she stood a chance in earning his affection.

It was not like he would sacrifice his devotion for her, right? Holden wouldn't ditch priesthood for her, right? After all, he stayed in his calling even when he first fell in love.

Stellar bet that he would do the same if he felt so much as a tiny crush on her, right?

All she needed was to earn an unusual attention from Holden. It would then give others the illusion that there was something going on between them.

It didn't matter what her family would think about her seducing a man of the Guy up above.

She was hell bent to put on a convincing show to turn Beau's heart into smithereens and make him regret choosing his family name over her.

...

The following morning, Stellar woke up with a throbbing headache. She clutched her head and pulled her hair when she felt her brain splitted in half.

As she got up on the bed, she cursed herself for her lack of control. She then made a promise, that if her headache goes away in an instant, she would never drink a drop of alcohol ever again.

Or maybe she can have a few sips occasionally.

Dragging her feet downstairs to quench her thirst, she found everyone in her family including Holden in the dining room, enjoying a scrumptious breakfast of waffles and fresh fruits.

"Stop," Aster commanded. She was midway into taking a sip of coffee. Her eyes darted to Stellar who didn't even bother to comb her hair, making her frown.

"Me?"

"Yes, you. Who else would it be, Stellar Cross?"

Stellar shrugged. "I don't know? Aki, perhaps? Look. His waffle is swimming on maple syrup."

"Aki! Watch your sugar. Diabetes runs in our blood!" Aster's eyes widened in shock. She quickly placed her cup on the table before slapping Aki's hands.

The guy was undeterred though. He quickly shoved the waffle in his mouth with maple syrup dripping on the corners of his lips.

Escaping the scene, thanks to Aki's diversion, Stellar hurried to grab a glass of water in the kitchen and purposely hid there to avoid her mother's sermon.

Something told her, Aster would reprimand her for drinking last night. But what irked Stellar the most was her mom didn't even bother to greet her a happy birthday first and foremost.

After drowning herself with three tall glasses of water, Stellar wanted to crawl back to her bed, but she had to pass through the dining room and there was no way she could escape her mother's lecturing this time.

Listening to the conversations in the dining room, Stellar waited for the perfect opportunity to sneak past her mom.

Her head felt heavy and she badly needed to lie down, so she decided that she would just walk ahead and cut the conversation short by saying exactly what her mom wanted to hear.

Taking long strides out of the kitchen and into the dining room, Stellar walked with her head bowed and sped towards her freedom when she heard Aster chatting with Holden.

"Where do you think you're going, young lady?"

Stellar halted her steps. She pivoted on her heel to face her mom with her eyes closed. She didn't want to see Aster's disappointed face.

"Mooooom! I have a migraine," Stellar excused, but it earned her Aster's scornful laugh.

"Migraine? Or hangover?"

"Both. Now if you'll excuse me.'

"You didn't even congratulate your sister last night. Everyone was talking about why you hurriedly left."

"Okay. Okay. Congratulations and best wishes, Cassy!" she greeted sarcastically with a matching forced smile and a bow.

Turning on her heel, Stellar paused when Aster spoke yet again. No matter how much Stellar wanted to run away, she didn't want to disrespect her mom who raised three children on her own after their dad left them.

"Is that how you properly congratulate your sister? Are you jealous of her?"

Curling her fingers into fists, her knuckles turned white with the sheer force she was holding in. "Is there a reason for me to be jealous of you, Cassy?" she seethed, her shoulders shook with fury, she might explode any minute.

Cassy's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of the water. "Me? No. Mom? Stellar congratulated me already. What's the fuss all about?"

"Yeah, Mom. Let Stellar go back to her room and rest," Aki chimed in.

Aster, however, wouldn't let the matter slide. "My friends saw you last night and were whispering how they noticed you weren't happy at all. They think you like Beau and were jealous of your sister's engagement."

Stellar's hand flew to her forehead. She massaged it, slightly relieving it from the throbbing pain.