Chapter 50

Chapter 50

It was finally time for my date with Cyrus and I was excited to finally spend some time with him again. He's been pretty busy these last few weeks with the final decision coming up soon. Not only that, but taking over his fathers position was something that no one could ever be fully prepared for. Though tonight wasn't about that, or them. It was about us and I was ready to see his smiling face.

Of course, Melissa was getting me ready, as she usually did while I told her the things that had happened through out the week. It wasn't much, but any conversation is a good conversation. Melissa has also been great to me. Someone who became a friend through this whole process.

"Let me get this straight." She said as she did my hair. "She thinks he likes you in that way?"

I nodded as we talked about Jay and the things the girls were suggesting to me. I'm not sure why I talked about it so much as my feelings for Jay were nothing more than those of friendship. At least that's what I was telling myself. Getting others opinions was important so that I could understand where they were coming from. They were basing this off the time we spent together without seeing how we acted in person.

"Yes and I think it's absurd!" This topic always made me defensive. "Jay is like...like that annoying best friend you can't seem to get rid of."

Melissa laughed, trying to make sense of it all. "Are you sure there isn't like a slight crush there?"

I scoffed. "Are you kidding? I'll admit I don't actually know how he feels, but I know what I feel."

There was no backing down on my part. Jay and I were friends and that's it. However, we did have a strange connection that I hadn't had with anyone else. Not even Cyrus. It would be nice to know how he truly felt about me. If there really was something more, I'd rather we have a conversation about it than leave it how it is. If we didn't, it was going to drive me crazy. Although knowing might drive me crazier. Being in my head is the worst.

I chuckled as Melissa was finally done with my hair. "You know, they were suggesting a poly relationship." I casually said.

That made Melissa laugh. "Autumn, in a poly relationship? No way you're going for that."

Shrugging, she looked surprised to see that I was being so chill about it. "I mean I'm not opossed to it, but I don't like Jay." I reiterate.

Melissa snickered, not paying much attention to my words. "Yeah, you don't like Jay." She says sarcastically.

She clearly wasn't buying that like everyone else, but they're all nuts!

In the meantime, I was happy to finally be putting on my outfit for the night. Thank goodness it was a cute pant outfit. The pants being this gorgeous red color with a white and red blouse to match. My make-up was pretty as always and I loved when she styled my hair in an updo. They seemed to fit my face well and made my eyes stand out. Melissa needed to come live with me pronto.

Giving her a hug, we said our goodbyes as I made my way downstairs. As I got closer, my eyes were delighted to see my handsome man standing there, hands in his pockets. When he saw it was me coming down, he didn't hesitate to walk over sticking his hand out to me. Willingly, I grabbed it stepping down the last step right into his arms as he engulfed me tightly. He smelled amazing and the warmth I felt was indescribable. This was what I've been missing.

He lifted my face up to his, looking directly into my eyes with a smile on his face. "Damn, you're always beautiful but Melissa really brings it out more than I can stand." His lips connected with my forehead, making me blush.

"Oh stop it, but she does do a great job." I say, squeezing him tighter.

Chuckling, he got this nervous look on his face that told me something was up. The way he was looking at me did not scream good news. Which was strange because it was our date. This was supposed to be fun and exciting. Our next real date and he didn't seem thrilled about that. However, learning why he was looking like that, I instantly got nervous myself.

Before we could get to the questioning, that voice startled me and annoyed me at the same time. She was not supposed to be here and it really ruined the whole vibe of the date. Would you even call this a date? Last time I checked, you left your family at home. This was just great!

Untangling myself from his arms, I turned around to face Farah; not sure if I should smile or not. She wore this smug look on her face as she looked at me elegantly in her beautiful dress. Her hair let down for once, cascading down her back. Dark, long, and wavy. It really suited her and made her look less intimidating. Though she was still a scary bitch.

Crossing her arms, Farah looked at my outfit up and down before looking at me directly. "Hm, very typical of you not to wear an evening gown." She sneered at me.

"Mom!" Cyrus yelled.

"What? I didn't say anything rude. The outfit is still nice...enough." That was her way of complimenting me. "Anyway, we're just waiting on your father and then we can go. Speaking of which...Cairo!!!" Farah screamed before walking away.

I looked at Cyrus, confused on what was happening. Why the heck were they coming and what did I miss at the briefing? She did not mention anything about her coming along on our date. Why on earth would she want to do that when she already hated my guts? But then to spend however long on this date in my presence was absurd. The woman legitimately confused me.

"What's going on?" I asked him, panicking. "I thought this was a date?" The way my heart was racing was out of this world. There was always a surprise with the Hadid's.

Cyrus sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "Surprise?" He said, not sounding confident.

"Surprise? This is what you call a surprise!" I whispered yelled.

He shrugged, not knowing what to say to me. "This wasn't my idea and I didn't even know this was a thing until the first date this week." He explained to me. "I guess it's her way of judging you guys herself I really don't know."

I rolled my eyes, not happy about this. Not only was Farah going to be there, but so was his dad. Someone I haven't seen since the beginning of the competition. Knowing Farah, she probably said things to him about me that weren't exactly true. It would be nice to have one parent to like me. However, there was a slim chance of that happening. Especially with how hell bent Farah was on making me dislikable.

Nevertheless, Cyrus didn't let me get in my head. Instead, he made me feel comfortable about the situation. Reminding me that I had nothing to worry about. It was still our date, regardless of who was going to be there. I had nothing to worry about as long as Cyrus was there with me. Everything will be ok.

Grabbing my hand, he pulled me back into him, smiling brightly. "Babe, you have nothing to worry about. My mom isn't going to say anything with me there. Trust me." He smiled. "Don't think about them tonight, focus on us ok?"

Sighing, I smiled, enjoying how safe he made me feel. Before I knew it, my lips connected with his washing the nerves away. They were as inviting as always, sending chills throughout my body. Cyrus was the best thing to ever happen to me. I couldn't have asked for anyone better. Though we probably shouldn't have had a make out sesh when we were still waiting for his parents to come back.

Clearing his throat, Cyrus' dad called out to us, interrupting our beautiful moment. "You guys ready to go?" He asked, feeling out of place with what he had just walked in on.

We nodded as we held hands, walking out the door. We rode in the limo to a destination unknown to me as the ride was silent. Every now and again Cyrus would look at me happily while Farah continued to frown. Cairo didn't seem to be bothered by us. In fact, it seemed like he was checked out most of the ride. Their dynamic confused me, but whatever works for them.

Finally coming to a stop, as we got out, the building was immaculate with a huge staircase leading up to the top. Some really important looking people were walking in and out of here making me feel out of place as usual. You'd think I'd be used to this by now, but I wasn't. Most likely never will be, but I was going to enjoy myself. Cyrus was counting on that and I wasn't going to let him down.

As far as the place goes, it looked to be a restaurant, but a gigantic one! There was live music and entertainment being displayed as people enjoyed their meals. There was this huge balcony that overlooked the city with lights that lit up the entire night sky. It was absolutely beautiful and the entertainment was out of this world. It was impressive that we even came here. I'd figured Farah would want me to get the worst treatment out of all the girls. However, I really enjoyed this.

After the last performance, we all clapped as the live music began to play softly in the background again. I took a sip of my wine before peeping, Cyrus staring at me. I smiled slyly as I set my glass back down.

"Is there something on my face?" I ask, caught off guard by his gaze.

He chuckled, shaking his head. "No, not at all. You're just..." he trailed off, contemplating whether he should keep talking. "You're just so gorgeous and I love every moment we get to spend together even when our privacy is being infiltrated." He side-eyed his parents.

We laughed together, taking his hand, he was going to lean in for a kiss, but that was stopped by Farah, of course. To be perfectly honest, I almost forgot she was there. She was so quiet up until this point and that's because we got too intimate for her liking. Little did she know, we were always like this. Not that she would want to know that, but the way we interacted with each other was never going to change. We were all in for one another, much to her dismay.

Leaning a little over the table, she looked at me with death in her eyes. "What do you want out of my son?" She questioned me abruptly, with malice laced in her voice.

"Mom, don't start!" Cyrus was getting defensive, but there was no need for him to.

Farah's facial expression never changed while she ignored Cyrus' pleas for her to stop her nonsense. "I just want to know. You seem a little too close to him so what's your intentions? Huh?" She kept going, not letting up me.

I gulped, shaking my head at her delusion. It's like she wanted me to have some ulterior motive. Something I did not have, nor even thought about. The last thing we needed was to have drama in this beautiful place. The place was great and stunning. Farah was ruining the ambience just because I liked her son. A lot! I'm not sure why that was such an issue for her, but whatever floats her boat.

Shrugging, I answered her question the best way I could. "I'm not sure what you want me to say other than I really enjoy your son's company and we mesh well." I was so nervous, but I had to say something.

"Bullshit!" Immediately she shut me down.

"Farah!" Now Cairo has butted in.

"No, you're a lying little shit and all you're after is our money." The disdain in her voice was a little appalling, but I was not about to let her see me sweat. "I'll tell you what, you won't see a dime!"

I cleared my throat, making sure to keep it as respectful as I could. "You can believe me or not, but I assure you, money is not my motivation for being with Cyrus." I say calmly. "I like him for him and there isn't anything you can do to change that." I looked at him and gave him a tight lipped smile. "And on that note, I'm going to get some air."

Getting up from my seat, I walked toward the balcony and was in awe by the view. The lights made everything look a thousand times better. There was almost this calm feeling to it that made everything that just happened melt away. I understand being worried about someone using her child, but why even have the competition? I'm sure she wasn't questioning Jenna when they had their date. It was always me she was after. It was starting to get annoying, but I was going to keep my cool. It wasn't worth acting out.

As I continued to enjoy the air, to my surprise, Cairo came walking over to me with a look of remorse on his face. "I'm sorry about my wife. She can but intense sometimes." He said.

I nodded understanding. At least trying to. "Yeah, I get it."

"Just ignore her when she gets like that. I see the way my boy looks at you and honestly it's the happiest I've seen him in a long time." He reassured me. "You also seem like a sweet girl. Don't let any of this get to your head ok? And if you need anything, you can always call me."

I smiled at how nice he was being. Cairo was super nice, and I saw where Cyrus got his open mind thinking from. In fact, Farah seemed to be the only closed-minded individual in this family. Whatever her problem was, she needed to get it checked out. I didn't want to be on her bad side, but it was as if she wanted me to be. I get the whole money thing, and I'd be a little caution too. However, she clearly sees I don't want anything wrong for Cyrus or the rest of her family. So what was the issue? Why did she have to get so personal?

I thanked him for his kind words, and that's when Cyrus walked out. He looked at me, concerned, and didn't hesitate to come hug me. Prompting Cairo to excuse himself. I knew Cyrus would apologize for his mom's actions, but he didn't need to. There was some understanding between her and I. She would never like me and that was something I was going to have to get used to.

***

Sorry guys for the late update. I have been really sick and couldn't do much about that. I still feel pretty bad but thought I'd get this out. I've also created a facebook group for this book and upcoming sequels, if you'd like to stay up-to-date with that and chat with me. It's simply called Falling For The Bachelor. Thank you for all your support! Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/pg/MyraFFTB/posts/https://www.facebook.com/pg/MyraFFTB/posts/