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The sun feels particularly nice on my skin today. I don't know why, but all of the other days I'd been forced to the park, it never felt this good.
But my friends have plans to ruin my sunbathing experience.
"Do you think I could touch the sun?" Madzie asks quietly.
In the time I've known her, she's never spoken over a whisper. I know she feels uncomfortable talking to new people in the first place, and even if she's known you for months- as she's known me- she still feels as if she doesn't deserve to talk. I guess that's what a terrible Nana will do to a little girl.
Today, Madzie has on a flowy white dress- which I gifted her and Cat a while ago- that contrasts largely with her dark skin. Her fluffy hair is down, and she has little white flowers braided into the front her hair, looking like a flower crown. She looks adorable, and I just want to squeeze her to my chest. I figure she won't like that much, and opt to not do it.
"No. You'd burn up," Raphael replied, his voice subtly softer than usual.
I glare at him over the rim of my sunglasses. His black hair is gelled carefully, and his dark skin is glistening under the sun. Odd to think that the gangly teen I basically raised has grown up into a man. A handsome straightforward man, nonetheless.
Catarina glares at Raphael, her dark eyes annoyed. "No, sweetie, you can't touch the sun because it's too far away."
"And because you'd burn up," I add, leaning back on my palms.
I look away before Cat can give me her glare. I want to say that it got deadly when she became a mom, but I'd be lying. Cat has always had the death glare down to a T.
"Uncle Magnus?" Madzie asks.
I can feel her crawling over the blanket, and before I know it, she's plopped herself into my lap.
"Yes, sweet pea?" I asked, sitting forward to wrap my arms around her.
She cuddles further into my embrace, and settles a head down on my shoulder. "Do you think that you could do my makeup?"
I bite my lip down on a laugh. Catarina and I held a bet on how long it would take for Madzie to ask that million dollar question.
I'm getting twenty dollars later, and I know it.
"Of course, sweet pea. When do you want me to do your makeup?"
Madzie gets very excited at that, and pushes herself out of my arms, standing up and jumping around. I'm a little surprised at her outburst; she's much too mature for her age, and something like that seems odd for her.
"Right when we get home! You should do Uncle Raphael's makeup too!"
I glance at Raphael, a smirk already spreading on my face. Raphael looks horrified.
"I should, shouldn't I?"
Raphael's dark eyes find mine, and his glare is murderous. I ignore him, and instead turn to Madzie.
"I think you're a genius, Madzie. I also think you deserve some ice cream."
Madzie smiles happily at me, and I'm so distracted by her I don't notice the red frisbee flying at us.
Right as my eyes caught on the blur of color, and big hand was snatching it from the air, right before it would've hit Madzie.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry! Are you okay, sweetie?"
Madzie looks at me with big brown eyes, before turning to who spoke. I look up at him, and I feel a little breathless. He's stunning, messy dark hair, golden brown eyes- with maybe a hint of green, but I'm too far away to tell- and big, broad shoulders, beneath a dark brown sweater.
Madzie doesn't say anything, of course, but she nods.
The mans eyes travel to all of us, stopping on me. I see a flush spread up his neck and splotch onto his cheeks, and I can't help but smile at him.
"I'm sorry for almost hitting your..." his sentence fades as he gestures at Madzie.
"My niece," I supply. "And you're alright. She's okay now."
"Alec! Come on!"
The man- Alec I suppose, which is really a beautiful name- rolls his eyes when he hears the voice.
"My brother's the one who threw it, and of course he's the one rushing me. Again, sorry."
I wave it away, and he turns to go with a soft smile, but Madzie has wrapped a hand around his knee, stopping his movement. We all look at her, surprised.
"Can I play too?" Madzie asks, her big, puppy dog eyes trained on Alec.
He melts very quickly. "Of course you can, sweetie."
Madzie smiles and lets him go, before looking right at me. "You too, Uncle Magnus."
Now, I'm not going to admit I was hoping she'd ask me to come. But I was.
I pretend to make a big deal of getting up, and when Madzie holds up her hands so I'll pick her up I sigh heavily, before doing exactly what she wants.
"Bye guys," I say to my friends, who are holding in laughter. I make sure Madzie isn't looking when I flip them off.
"Uncle Magnus, you won't have to worry about them missing you when we play with the frisbee," Madzie says as she settles herself on my hip.
"And why do you say that?"
"Because you're so sparkly."
I hear a small giggle, and I have a feeling it came from this Alec walking ahead of us.
"That's an interesting concept you have, my friend. But Alec's brother missed him, and Alec is very handsome, so I don't see how that adds up."
Alec stumbles a bit, and I cover up a laugh with a cough.
"Uncle Magnus, do you think I'll be good at frisbee?"
I smile down at her. "You'll be good at anything that you try, darling. You're my perfect little angel."
Madzie smiles, and nuzzles into my side.
"Alec, I think you're being followed."
I glare at the man who walks up. He has golden blonde hair, short on one side, long on the other, gelled away from his face. He has bi-colored eyes, one blue and the majority of the other brown.
Alec scoffs, and hits the man with the red frisbee. "No, Jace, these are the people you almost hit with your trashy throw. They've come to show you how it's done."
Jace's eyes look us over, and he shrugs, turning back to Alec. "Whatever. Let's play, then."
"Isabelle!" Alec yells his eyes traveling around before they land on a pretty girl in maroon jeans and a black short sleeved shirt.
I guess he's straight. Sucks, someone so pretty to be straight.
"We have some friends joining."
Isabelle jogs over, and she's even prettier up close. She has dark eyes, and thick eyelashes ringing her eyes. She has on red lipstick, which contrasted with her tan skin prettily.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Isabelle," she says, holding a hand out to me.
I set Madzie down, and she wraps her arms around my legs stubbornly. I sigh, smiling down at Madzie a moment, before looking up at grabbing Isabelle's hand.
"Magnus," I reply.
I push my sunglasses on top of my head, and smile at her- hoping to maybe charm Alec, even if he is straight.
"So I see you've met my brothers," she says, looking at Alec and then Jace.
Brothers?, I want to ask, but don't instead smiling. I have no clue why that information makes my stomach flutter with newly formed butterflies. "I have. The lovely Alec stopped a frisbee from hitting my niece."
Isabelle squats down to be eye level with Madzie. "I'm sorry for Jace. He's a bit of an idiot sometimes. But luckily for my family, they have me."
There was an indignant snort from behind us, and Isabelle sighs. "And Alec too. I guess."
Madzie smiles, something that warms my heart, and unlatches herself from my leg. "I'm Madzie.
Isabelle smiles prettily, and her dark eyes shine. "Nice to meet you. I say we show these boys how it's done."
Madzie nods, before looking up at me. "Except for Uncle Magnus. He knows how everything is done."
I nod. "Of course I do, sweet pea. I'm the one who taught your mom and Uncle Raphael everything. Like how to do hair."
Madzie squints her eyes- something Clary's little nerd friend taught her, I'm sure. "Mom doesn't do my hair."
I laugh quietly. "So Raph did your hair?"
Madzie shrugs. "Maybe. I'm not supposed to tell."
"It was Raphael," I say, mostly to myself. I already know that I'll never let him live that down.
Madzie looks at Isabelle. "We can play now."
Isabelle smiles. "Of course we can. Magnus, how about you show Alec how to throw a frisbee."
I turn around to see Alec about to complain, but shut up with an elbow to his ribs from Jace. "Fine. But Magnus, get ready to learn some things."
I scoff. "Yeah, I'll learn how to suck. You'll be ok, Madzie?"
Madzie nods, before running over to Isabelle.
I turn back to Alec, and grab his arm. "Well, come on. Get ready to learn."
My arm tingles where Alec's skin is touching mine.
"I'm not going to learn anything."
I tsk at him. "You will learn something, but it might not be about frisbee."
"Well, what am I going to learn?"
I come to a stop, turning to face Jace who has the frisbee, and releasing Alec's arms. "You'll learn that I'm free Thursday night at seven, and that I like Chinese food."
Alec's face turns red, and I smile at him.
Little did I know that one meeting would lead to so much more.