Book 2: Chapter 41

***Chapter 41***

It was now time for me to go on my 2-day trip with Cyrus to Penshaw. I was still on the fence about going but listened to Jay. This trip could supply me with the answers I needed. It’ll also help build my relationship with Cyrus again. We really have spent little time together this go around. There were a lot of factors why, but 2 days with no distractions would be good for us.

Casually, I waited out on the porch for Cyrus to come sweep me away. He was picking me up, but we had to take the jet. Which, I didn’t know how he was getting this past Farah. We were using his family’s private jet. Wouldn’t she be able to check their traveling records? If they even kept those. Still, the trip was risky but would be well worth it in the end.

After waiting for what felt like ages, Cyrus pulled up and helped get my bag in the car. It was only 2 days, so I packed lightly but also a little extra in case he wanted to go to a fancy dinner. Cyrus loved taking me to those, and Penshaw was the perfect place to do it. There wasn’t a clear-cut plan on what we would do when we get there, but I guess it was going to be a trial and error.

Getting back into his car, Cyrus smiled as his hand rested on my thigh while he drove down the road. “I’m excited that you agreed to come with me,” he says.

I rest my hand on top of his, feeling warm inside. “Me too. It’ll be good for us,” I say. “Still don’t know how you’re getting this by your mom.”

He chuckled. “I told you, we can talk about it when we get there,” he reminds me. “You’re going to enjoy Penshaw and all its glory.”

Smiling, I squeeze his hand, feeling more enthusiastic about the whole thing. “Let’s make this something to remember.”

We drove for about an hour before getting to where the jet was. Of course, some guys that worked at their house and the pilot greeted us. Once we were ready to take off, Cyrus and I settled in our seats with a glass of wine. This was one of my favorite parts about hanging with the rich. They had wine or champagne just about everywhere. It was also good and smooth like. You couldn’t get anything like this at home.

The ride didn’t take too long, but it was late afternoon by this point. We still had a drive before we could settle in. However, instead of staying in a hotel, we stayed in a villa. It was great because the villa was over the water and we could get in whenever we wanted. The tub was to die for and it had a little hammock outside that we could sit in. I’ve admittedly never been to one of these, so this was spectacular! The bed looked even more comfortable as well, and if we didn’t want to sit in the hammock; the bed was right there. It had a great view of the outside as well.

The other great part was that these villas come with room service and your own private butler. They always served breakfast hot and fresh in the morning. We could ask for whatever we wanted whenever since it was open 24 hours. It was beautiful here. How come we didn’t do this last time? I would have much rather enjoyed this than my stupid cheeseburger. Though we were under stricter rules back then.

Looking out at the view, I felt Cyrus come behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. I snuggled into him as his lips connected with my cheek. He was always outdoing himself wherever he would take me. I always say there’s no way he could top it, but I’m usually wrong about that.

“Do you love it?” He asked, holding me close to him.

I nod my head, loving him holding me like this. “It’s beautiful, but you always take me to amazing places,” I say. “You spoil me.”

He laughs that sweet laugh. “I like to impress you, that’s all.” He nibbled my ear. “Now, I hope you brought a bathing suit.”

“You didn’t exactly tell me to, but I did just in case,” I say, turning to face him.

“Good, let’s get in the water. We have time until dinner.” He went to go change.

I followed suit, getting stares from Cyrus watching me. It always made me laugh. He loved to look at my naked body. As much as I fought to have my moment with Jay, I wouldn’t have that problem with Cyrus. Something in me wouldn’t allow me to sleep with him, though. I’m sure it would be just as great as with Jay. I just couldn’t do it. Not yet anyway.

We got into our suits, holding hands to jump into the water. It’s not that deep, which was nice since I wasn’t that good of a swimmer. The water wasn’t too cold and felt quite refreshing. Cyrus didn’t tell me when or where the dinner was going to be, but we enjoyed our time swimming around like children. We had to splash each other a bit as well before making out, of course. I could feel his hands squeezing my bottom while I ran my fingers through his wet hair. It was quite steamy if I say so myself. I almost couldn’t stop myself with how soft his lips were.

Cyrus smiled through our kiss, pulling me closer. “I’m such an idiot,” he says.

“Why is that?” I ask while biting my lip. I kept my arms and legs wrapped around him.

He shook his head before looking at me with those chocolate pools for eyes. “Hmm…I just don’t know how I let you go like that,” he was still holding on to it.

I pursed my lips with hopeful eyes. “But you’re going to fix it, right?” I question. He said he would.

His head nods. “I’m trying, but I can’t make any promises at the moment.” Then my mood changes.

“Cyrus, I told you we couldn’t do this if it’s for nothing.” I remind him. “Or did you forget that?”

He chuckles. “I didn’t forget, it’s just going to take some time, A.” He says, “we have to make sure we do this right.”

Sighing, I was still going to trust him to keep his word because it was time for us to get ready for dinner. He still wouldn’t tell me where we were going but didn’t hesitate to shower with me. I figured he would want to take me somewhere nice to eat, so I put on one of my nicer dresses. It had a low back cut and stopped about mid-thigh. The shortness made it look great and if I hadn’t cut my hair, it would be even cuter, but this was cute too. I style my hair in a half-up, half-down situation and call it an evening. The fun part was that Cyrus saw my dress and matched me. We looked like a hot, sexy couple. So much so that I had to take a picture.

After taking plenty of them, we headed out as our ride awaited us. I kept trying to guess what we were doing, but with everything I said, Cyrus shut down. The man loved his secret surprises. I was impressed when we got there. We were doing a dinner cruise type of thing where the boat moves slowly along the river all throughout Penshaw. Getting to eat while taking the scenery was going to be lovely. Especially since it was nighttime now. It would light everything up with beautiful lights, even the boat itself.

“You do everything in a big way, don’t you?” I say as we get onto the boat. It was very spacious inside as we took our seats in the back.

He pulled out my chair for me before sitting down. “I told you we were going to explore Penshaw. You thought I was joking?”

I smile, pouring the wine into my glass. “No, but this is incredible. I never had dinner and cruised on the water.” I have never done a lot of things.

“I’m happy to be of help,” he poured himself a glass.

We clinked glasses before the boat got itself moving once everyone was on board. Just as expected, Penshaw was beautiful. Impossible to live here if you’re not rich, but beautiful either way. My favorite thing is all the tall, older buildings. They added so much character to the already classy city. It must be such a dream to live in such beauty. The rich folk were so lucky. It almost made me envious.

Envy aside, we ordered our meals with another bottle of wine to come with it. This time, I didn’t get a cheeseburger and instead got a nice savory pasta. Cyrus got the classic steak that he loved so much. I’m thinking that was his favorite food. Everywhere we went he ordered a steak medium well. There was nothing wrong with it, just something I picked up on.

Alas, while we waited for our meals, it got chilly. Cyrus didn’t hesitate to give me his suit jacket, placing it over my shoulders. He was such a gentleman and I could see why Jenna hated my guts. Who would ever want to lose that? Though, it made me bring up something I may regret down the line. It was for the best.

“Umm, this may be a weird thing to ask, but have you stopped doing certain things with Jenna?” It’s not something I cared too much about and I didn’t want to know, but I had to ask.

He did not want to answer that question but did anyway. “Uh, maybe, but why are you asking again?” The question was weird, but I had valid reasons.

Sipping my wine, I didn’t want to do this, but it felt necessary. “If we’re going to be seeing each other, don’t you think you should indulge your wife a little?”

His eyes rolled. “She’s not my wife and I don’t want to. Not when I have you.” He was adamant about that.

“That’s too bad because you’re going to start,” I say. “Both Jenna and Farah came up to me thinking we see each other as it is.”

He scoffed. “So what? They have no proof.” Cyrus truly did not care.

I frowned. “That’s not the point, Cy. They won’t leave me alone unless you show Jenna more attention. Got it?”

This wouldn’t be fun for either of us, but it’s what needed to happen. I didn’t want to hear about what he would do with her. Not in the slightest. However, the less they think Cyrus is with me, the better. I especially didn’t need Farah telling him anything. I know he would find out eventually, but I rather it be from Jay and me than Farah, his own mother. That’ll crush him even more. Regardless, he was going to give Jenna time as if I weren’t even here. As much as it pained me to say it.

“Fine, but I don’t see how you like this idea,” he agreed.

“Trust me, I don’t, but it has to happen, anyway.” I tried not to sound too annoyed about it.

The good thing is, our food came and it smelled delicious! My pasta was the right amount of savory and creamy. Cyrus’s steak looked quite tender and yummy. We continued to talk and laugh like we used to. We had no distractions and didn’t need to worry about anyone catching us. It was Cyrus and I alone after a year of being apart. If you told me months ago we’d be doing this, I would have called you a liar. The relationship we shared was so special. We’d forever be linked to one another.

After dinner, we headed back to our villa and cuddled up on the hammock together. It was nice being snuggled up in his arms with his bare chest exposed. We grabbed a small blanket to cover us, as there was a slight breeze. It wasn’t cold by any means, but the blanket made it a lot more comfy. Cyrus seemed to love every minute of this as he couldn’t stop smiling to himself. If there was one thing about him, it’s that he loved being around me. No matter what we were doing.

I can feel his fingers gliding through my hair as we stayed like this. “So, how did your dad help set this up and why?” He hadn’t told me and I’ve been dying to know.

“He’s on my side with this scam of a wedding and just told my mom he was sending me away for business.” He explained. “They’ve been fighting quite a lot lately because of the mess my mother did.”

That caught my interest. “Jeez, it’s nothing like a family divided,” I say. They seemed like such a steady couple. Though these kinds of things happen to the best of them.

“I’m not worried. It’s not like they’ll divorce.” he sounded not concerned at all. “The only one it’ll affect would be Saida if they did and they’ll never do that to her.”

He was right. “Right, but your dad, he’s happy with you dating someone like me?”

Cyrus laughed, rolling his eyes. He hated when I said stuff like that, but it’s true. The Hadids hold a lot of power in Sunbury. I didn’t add value to their family name, say as Kameron would. Jenna’s family barely added value, but at least she still came from something. My home was a not-so-shabby place in Greendale and only because of Cyrus sending me that money. Had it not been for him, I’d still be living at home. Which still wouldn’t be so bad because of Jeremy. The point is, Cyrus definitely could’ve chosen to fall in love with better, but he chose me. It’ll never make sense.

“Enjoy the air, Autumn,” he refused to respond to my question.

I couldn’t let it go, though. “What? What’s so bad with the question?” I laugh.

He looks at me with a brightness in his eyes. “It’s bad because you’re a somebody and I wish you stop comparing us just because a bit of a money differential.”

Now I rolled my eyes. “It’s true though, Cyrus. I can barely compare to Jenna, let alone Kameron.” My confidence wasn’t where it needed to be, but Cyrus was always there to maintain it.

“You’re better than them, and no amount of money will change that,” he said before nuzzling my nose. It made me blush.

Snuggling up closer to him, I sigh a good sigh, resting my head on his chest. We must’ve stayed like that the rest of the night before I fell asleep somehow.