Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Today, the girls and I didn't have any set date with Cyrus, so we planned to spend our day off enjoying Northport. There was no way I wasn't going to not enjoy this place while I can. It was an absolute honor being able to come here free of charge. Even if it was for this bachelor thing. Most people who aren't rich can't come here whenever they want. This was a dream I didn't know I was missing but was glad to be living. There were so many things I couldn't wait to do, however, there was a prior commitment I had to fulfill before anything else.

That commitment being that Saida, and I were meeting up to have a little ice cream and chat. We were supposed to meet up so she could show me to paint but things got a little busy. On my part. She also only had about fifteen minutes before her mom would come to look for her. I for one didn't want to have another run in with her. The rude comments she made to me last time were enough for me to get in my head. I can only imagine what she'd say this time if she caught us. That was unimportant as we were going to enjoy our little bit of time together.

Getting to the ice cream parlor, we ordered small cups and found a seat far in the back. Just in case her mom came walking inside I could run to the bathroom without being seen. Despite her mother, I was excited to see Saida. It was going to be great catching up with her and seeing what she's been up to. Now that she was here this weekend, I knew she was going to be able to be a teenager instead of a robot. That made me happy and thrilled to hear her plans for the weekend. There was so much for her to do as well being in Northport.

"Are you excited about your weekend getaway?" I asked her smiling seeing her so much more relaxed.

She nodded sighing with relief. "Yes, you have no idea how long I've been waiting for this. No working or studying. I get to just be free." The tone of her voice screamed with joy. I can tell she was going to bask in this for as long as she could.

I laughed at her eagerness. "What are you planning on doing?" I was curious to hear what she had planned. She was only fourteen.

Thinking for a moment, she took a bite of her rocky road ice cream before responding. "Well, first I have to go skiing with my family because of traditions and blah, blah, blah. Then I'm picking a nice scenic area to paint because this place is perfect for painting. Afterwards I'm pigging out and catching up on all my shows that I've been missing." She said smiling just thinking about it.

Listening to her, I could tell that she desperately needed this break. If I were her, I would lose my mind being overworked the way that she is. She barely has time to paint like she wants to. Something that she's passionate about and can only spend fifteen minutes a day on if lucky. That was complete overkill. You'd think their parents would learn something after having one kid but no they continue with the same old same old. My upbringing wasn't perfect but at least I had time to be a kid. This girl was being raised as if she were already an adult. It was sickening! I couldn't even begin to imagine how Summer would feel if this were her life. She'd for sure lose her mind and rightfully so.

Aside from the shitty workload, Saida seemed like she had a good head on her shoulders. One day she was going to grow up and be something out of this world. A force to be reckoned with and a female force at that. We needed more of those in this wretched world, and I could see Saida making a tremendous change. Especially with her family backing. She was going to be unstoppable, and I couldn't wait to witness it.

"But those are just my plans, what are yours?" She asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I shrugged. "I have a date with your brother Saturday morning so yawn." I merely joked. "Other than that, I'm going to try to enjoy this place as much as I could all weekend."

She smiled totally getting where I was coming from. "Try not to let my brother bore you on your date. He's good at that." She warned me but all I did was laugh.

To me, it sounded like she was kidding, but I didn't really know the ins and outs of their relationship. He doesn't talk about her much and it makes me wonder if they even have a relationship. Usually, brothers are protective of their siblings, but Cyrus seems so aloof that it's hard to tell how he acts towards her. Granted I don't see their every move so I could just be speculating here. It was odd that he barely mentions anything about her when we're together though. If it were me, I'd talk about my sister as much as I could.

"He's not boring. He's interesting actually." I say eating my ice cream. I had strawberry with fresh strawberries mixed in as well.

Saida scoffed. "You're just a sweet person, that's all." She wasn't buying what I was saying. "Cyrus is lucky you even pay attention to anything he says. The boy is a complete moron. Literally."

I laughed. "A moron? Really?" It was great listening to her talk about him. I was enjoying it a little bit too much.

She nodded eating her last scoop of ice cream. "Yes, and he'd be an even bigger one if he doesn't realize how much of a catch you are." She complimented me warming my heart. "I mean the whole reason we're doing this thing is because no women were able to catch his attention like ever. I just hope he sees that you're different."

I didn't even know what to say. It was nice that she took a liking to me. I really liked her too as if she were my own sister. The way she was telling me that Cyrus has never been interested in any women was a shocker. The way he presents himself to me is completely different. As if he's been with multiple women before me and knows what he's doing. It stunned me even more as well because he seemed interested in me from the beginning. Not that she would know that, but he was. The boy wouldn't stop flirting with me every chance he got. I spent so much time trying to push him away that I didn't realize he was chasing after me because we have some weird connection. I wasn't going to get my hopes up though. He was still a part of the richest family and could have anyone he wanted. That option was never off the table and will always be a constant reminder that there's a chance he could do better.

I smiled at her positively talking about me. It really made me feel good. "I really appreciate it, Saida, I do. Hopefully, he smartens up soon." I joked with her.

Laughing, we finished our ice creams leaving the parlor. Before we parted ways, she turned around and hugged me, surprising me in the process. I wasn't expecting a hug out of her and I for sure squeezed her back. In our little time she started to mean a lot to me. She reminded me so much of my sister and not only because they were the same age. But because they both wore their hearts on their sleeves. They were a bit delusional in thinking they knew everything, but besides that they were these kids I wanted to protect and nurture. She was someone I wanted to nurture giving her parents don't seem to do enough of that with either of their kids. I wanted her to know when she was with me, we would be having a fun time. No working or trying to be this perfect being. Just being ourselves and having fun doing it. That's what I've always taught Summer and Saida was going to get the same from me.

She looked up at me smiling from ear to ear. "Thank you so much for meeting up with me. I wish we had more time, but I don't want my mom coming down here with a search team." She rolled her eyes at her overbearing mother.

"Of course, Saida, anytime. Next time there will be some painting." I reassured her.

We said goodbye one last time before we went our separate ways. I made sure she was on the elevator before leaving to go back up to my room. It was nice getting to spend a little time with her before I got caught in my date with Cyrus. I was going to enjoy all my little get togethers with her for sure. If Cyrus did choose me after this, I couldn't wait for her to meet Summer. I can picture us now all together having a cute little girls' day or something. Ok, I'm thinking too far into the future, but it excited me. Ever since I accepted Cyrus' affection, things have been going up in a positive way. Let's hope it stays that way.