Book 2: Chapter 51

**Chapter 51**

Saturday I felt like complete dog shit. This feeling was more than just a hangover. I mean I could barely get out of bed with the way my body was hurting. Mainly my stomach. It had to be some of the worst cramps I ever felt in my entire life. I've never had a hangover this bad before however, we did do a lot of drinking at that club. Maybe my body just wasn't able to handle how much we were partying.

That aside, I ended up staying at the Hadid house last night with the girls. We were all in misery together as last night was such a wild ride. Luckily, one of us was prepared with a supply of aspirin to ease our struggles. I even took a note from Jay getting us all cups of black coffee to chug down. It took a couple of hours to help us feel an ounce of normalcy. I still was hurting but to a much lesser degree than before.

"I'm never partying that hard again," Kira was adamant about that.

Twila agreed. "My head is still spinning and this coffee is making me want to hurl."

"Hey, it was Jay's idea," I vouched. "It works...at least last time it did."

Bradyn smiled coming to sit next to me. "You admire him don't you?" She asked me.

My head nodded in agreement. "Admire him...I love him but he is my boyfriend so I—"

Before I finished talking, I realized what I just said. We were supposed to be keeping our relationship a secret and I sort of slipped up by telling them that. It's obvious we had something going on, but not that we put a title on our relationship. I didn't want them to think I was trying to hide things from them. It was just with the wedding we needed to keep it lowkey. We only had little time left and before you know Cyrus would find out.

That didn't stop the girls from looking at me with prying eyes. My big mouth couldn't keep itself shut but Jay wouldn't mind if I told them. He was super chill about everything lately. Confiding in my friends shouldn't disturb him too much. Besides, none of them would run off and tell anyone else. They were people I could trust with my every being.

"Autumn Monet, you better start talking right now!" Kira yelled at me.

I rubbed the sides of my head realizing I may have fucked up. "You didn't hear me say a thing," I deny.

Twila smirked. "I believe the word boyfriend was mentioned." She raised her brow.

My eyes roll. "You guys are crazy," I keep avoiding it.

"I knew you guys were seeing each other but not to this extent!" Bradyn looked at me. "When did he ask you out?"

Seeing as they weren't letting it go, I may as well be honest. So, I told them everything that happened. To how awkward we were in the beginning. To us finally getting it together and him asking me out. It took some time for us to get it together, but once we did it's been nothing but happiness between us. Unlike last year, we were both more open to speaking about our feelings to each other. Jay especially has been fantastic at making sure I know how he feels when he feels it. That was such a big concern when we first started seeing each other. Now it was a thing of the past and we were really in tune with one another.

Still, it wasn't over yet. Jay swears up and down that he's willing to give up his relationship with Cyrus. That was hard to believe. Things will get heated once he does find out. I found it hard to believe that he was going to pick me over someone he's known all his life. Someone who has been there for him from the beginning. I don't see how I stood a chance with their long history. Though Jay wouldn't lie to me about something like that. Especially not after saying it time and time again.

The girls were happy for me though and fully expected it to happen at some point.

"You always looked to have a connection with him," Twila pointed out. She was the one who said he liked me.

I giggled. "Everything was always natural with him,"
I admit. "We just clicked for some reason."

Bradyn immediately started gushing. "He was your one true love!" She screamed. "Love at first sight."

That was too much. "I wouldn't say at first sight," I argued. "It was...something."

"How did you even end up falling for each other so hard? You didn't exactly spend much time with him last year." Kira wondered.

Scratching the back of my neck, I was hesitant to say how since there was a lot that happened. Initially, our bond started because we both experienced losses that we were dealing with. I guess you can say that we trauma-bonded. After that, everything fell into place. Our relationship went from that initial bond to something neither of us expected. Although our time was short, we managed to spend nearly every day together up until he left me. It was enough to see that we had chemistry and lots of it. Now, the thought of not having Jay scared me.

Explaining that to them, they instantly felt bad for not knowing about my father but I don't blame them. It's not something I wanted to talk about. Not because I didn't miss him but because it happened years ago. I've come to peace with it and like to think back on happy memories, not the sad ones. Plus, I got all that out when talking to Jay. There was no need to rehash that.

However, it made me happy that I was able to tell them and they were as supportive as ever. They were behind my relationship with Jay. He was funny, cute, and liked hanging around them as well. Ironically, it was Cyrus who they weren't too keen on. After he went back on his word and admittedly not worried about getting to know my friends, they didn't take too well to him. Not after seeing my relationship with Jay firsthand.

Kira's nose scrunched up at the thought alone. "Would you choose Cyrus over Jay? I mean, it's clear one of them wants you more than the other."

That I didn't agree with. "Cyrus and I just haven't been able to spend a lot of time together," I defended him. "Don't ask me hard questions!" I yell.

Bradyn, being sensible, understood what I was saying but also had valid points too. "That's a fair assessment but I don't like how he never truly wants to talk to us." She said. "We only ever see him when everyone is together. Unlike with Jay."

"Yeah, I mean I know Cyrus from growing up but it is a bit off-putting," Twila added.

I guess it does seem a little rude that he never had the inkling to want to talk to them. It would be nice if I could get him to go on a date like I did with Jay. Maybe he'd be up for it and that'll help sway their opinion. They didn't know Cyrus like I did so they weren't getting the good sides. Plus, it's not like I asked him to come hang out with us. All it would take is me asking and I'm sure he'll be on board.

Speaking of Cyrus, it's like he knew we were talking about him because he texted me to go see him in his room. The girls weren't thrilled about it but I was going anyway. He said he wanted to have another day together after the bachelor parties. I was also curious about what the guys did and if Jeremy participated in any of the festivities. Mainly I wanted to gather this information so I could use it against Jay. Just to poke fun at him.

Saying goodbye to the girls, I made my way up to Cyrus's room knocking on the door. This time, he immediately opened it pulling me inside the room. As he closed and locked the door, he pinned me up against it crashing his soft lips on mine. His hands cupped my face as I reciprocated the love he was giving me. It was unexpected but it didn't take me long to get into the swing of things. He wanted to be more spontaneous and he accomplished that very goal. I was stunned.

Giggling, I wrap my arms around his neck looking into his honey eyes. "What was that for?" I asked him amused.

He smiled, grabbing at my hips. "I missed you," he says. "Did you have a good time last night?" He asked me.

Nodding, I couldn't help the sick feeling that was still present. "Yes, but I'm never drinking again. At least not that much." I reword my statement.

Cyrus laughs. "Lucky for you, I thought we could do something a little relaxing." He smirks. "It's your favorite thing!"

My eyes lit up knowing exactly what he was talking about. "What are you waiting for!" I yell at him in excitement.

He lifts me carrying me to his beautiful bathroom where we would take part in a nice bubble bath. Though we spent most of our time making out with me on top of his lap. Once we got that out of our system though, we enjoyed the water before washing up. I'm not sure if he was expecting me to stay the night here, but he gave me some of his clothes to wear before we cuddled up in his bed. He even managed to get us some food sent to his room from one of the servers. It was great and I couldn't have asked for a better day than this.

However, it would be short-lived once I asked him a serious question. What the girls were saying got in my head. I'm not sure if I wanted to date someone who didn't accept who my friends were. Especially because friends are always there as men come and go. I'm sure he would be happy to hang out with us altogether if I asked him. Cyrus was willing to do anything to make sure I was happy. But not this.

Finishing eating, I set my plate aside before asking him. "Cy, I was wondering if you could do something for me," I say trying to find a way to word this.

He looked at me surprised that I wanted to ask him something. "Ok, what is it?" His smile is warm until I tell him what I want.

"Well...maybe we can plan something where you come to hang out with the girls and me." It was weird asking but they were right. "They just feel like they haven't gotten to know you."

Cyrus's smile drops as he stares at me intently before responding. "Autumn..." he trails off. "I...I don't think that's going to happen." He says hesitantly.

My face fell. "And why not?" It was hard to hide the annoyance in my tone.

I mean it just didn't make any sense that he would say no. I get that he was supposed to be getting married but it's not like anyone had to know. Plus, if he was right that he was going to figure it out then what's the problem? If we were together my friends weren't going to magically disappear. They were always going to be around so they should at least have some bit of a relationship with Cyrus. Of course, it's all hypothetical but still important to me.

Cyrus didn't understand why I was getting all worked up about it though. To him, it shouldn't even matter but it did. Mainly because before Jay and I ended up in our mess, I got to know him. He should be willing to do the same with my friends too. It was one day as well. He was acting like I was asking him to hang out with them every chance he got. One day wouldn't kill him.

Shrugging, he crossed his arms sticking to his stance. "Because I don't see the point in hanging out with them, A." He was honest but it hurt. "Not that they aren't great but I rather just spend time with you."

His honesty was appreciated but it wasn't what I wanted to hear. I loved that he liked spending time with me. The energy when we were alone was always magnificent. We had a great connection that didn't die even after our big blowout. However, his not even wanting to spend one measly day with my friends turned me off. What was the problem with that? I could see if something happened between all of them but he just met Kira this year. Bradyn he also just met when we did the competition and he knew Twila previously. His reasoning, although sweet, was bullshit.

I sucked my teeth. "What if I told you this was important to me?" I wondered if that would change his mind. 

It did nothing. "A, come on seriously? Is it that important to you?" He asked me.

"Yes! I did the same for you last year with Jason." I argue. "Now we're super close. I want the same with you and my friends."

"You also wanted to spend time with Jay. I didn't make you." He had a point. "Hell, you see him more than me half the time now."

My eyes rolled. "That's not the point Cyrus. I want you to at least mingle with them." I sighed. "Jay and I do it all the time outside of events."

That piqued his interest. Once I mentioned Jay doing it his attitude changed. It was a cheap move but it was the only way he'd agreed to it. However, Jay and I indeed hang out with them all the time. There wasn't much of a reason for Cyrus to turn down one day. It was one day! If he didn't enjoy it after that we didn't have to do it again.

His eyes shot up at me after hearing that. "Jay? You guys...hang out with your friends?" He tried to get a better understanding.

I shouldn't have said that but it was true. "Yeah, and he never has a problem with it." I continue to egg him on.

He gives a tight-lipped smile, frustrated. "I don't know Autumn. It's a lot to handle for me." He admits. "I'm not exactly the social type."

"It wouldn't hurt to try," I cross my arms.

That made him groan but he didn't exactly turn me down either. It wasn't the answer I was looking for but at least there was a possibility of it happening. The girls were right though. Not that meeting my friends was the end all be all, but it was nice when they liked your significant other. They were simply indifferent to Cyrus because they didn't know him how I did. Though, he didn't seem like he wanted to do any of this. If we did date, hanging out with his friends would be easy for me. I couldn't say the same for Cyrus. Only time will tell.

Instead, I opted to finish the rest of our night together. We snuggled up before sleeping soundly. My mind suddenly rethinking our relationship.