Chapter 64

Chapter 64

My mom was extra nervous about her meeting with Jeremy. She didn't know this man yet here she was getting ready for a date with him. Of course, she trusted me and knew I would never set her up with someone not up to her standards. I was confident she was going to fall in love with this man and also get to meet Cyrus. Who she would also like a lot.

Twila and Bradyn helped get my mom ready as quickly as possible. Their moms were here as well and I didn't want to take away too much time from them. Tomorrow sounded like a good day for our parents to go out and get to know each other as well. My mom didn't have many friends so this was a great opportunity for her to make some. Though that was a for another time.

Once we were both ready and set to go, we headed out in the front where Cyrus was standing. He smiled brightly at me as I ran up to him embracing him tightly. This wasn't even supposed to be a date for us but he insisted. Why not have a little fun while they're getting to know each other as well?

"Did you miss me?" He asked holding me close to him.

I nod forgetting that my mom is standing there watching. "Don't I always miss you?"

Cyrus shrugged in agreement. "Touché," he says while kissing the top of my head.

That's when my mom walked over with a knowing look on her face. "Someone's infatuated with my daughter," she beamed.

Cyrus grabbed my hand chuckling at my mom's comment. "That's a bit of an understatement," he winked at me.

My cheeks flushed when he said that. It's one thing acting that way alone, but in front of my mom was a bit embarrassing. I was never intimate with guys in front of her. This would be the first time and she was watching like a hawk. The whole point of me coming here was to fall for the guy. Now she was going to have to deal with the loving looks we give each other. If she weren't here we'd probably be sucking each other's faces right now. Now that I thought about it, that's all I wanted to do.

We were getting sidetracked though as Jeremy showed himself to us. He cleaned up pretty well with his spotted gray hair slicked back with a lovely black suit on. The man was great and my mom looked impressed as well. The way she was looking at him told me everything I needed to know. All that was left was they needed to have a conversation. I'm sure they had plenty of things in common and I couldn't wait to see how their connection bloomed.

They weren't saying anything just staring at each other. I took it upon myself to grab my mom's hand and drag her over to Jeremy. This was the first time I noticed Jeremy nervous. He was always so calm and collected. Now he seemed like he was sweating and not in a good way. It was quite funny honestly.

"Jeremy, this is my mom, Iridessa," I introduced them to each other.

My mom smiled graciously sticking out her hand. "It's lovely to meet you," she said to him nervously.

Jeremy took her hand smiling back at her. "It's my pleasure to meet you, Iridessa. You look gorgeous."

She flushed making me laugh to myself. This was going better than I expected so far and it was only going to get better for them. Cyrus called us over to the limo as it was time for us to go to our destination. They lead the way in with Cyrus and me following behind them. It was unclear where we were going but anything with Cyrus was bound to be a great time.

We both drowned out my mom and Jeremy talking as we had our conversation. He held my hand looking down at me eagerly. The way his eyes fixated on me sent chills down my spine. I loved the way he looked at me. It was the look of care and admiration mixed into one. He made me feel special and even more drawn to him.

"So what's on the agenda for tonight?" I asked leaning into him.

He wrapped his arm around me snuggly. "Well, for the older folk they're going on a romantic candlelight dinner followed by a nice boat ride," he explained. "As for us, I thought we do something a little more light-hearted."

My mind wandered about what he was referring to and I got excited! Although the dinner sounded spectacular, I couldn't wait to see what he had in store for our side date. It's been a good while since we've had a date. The fact that this was going to be the last one in secrecy is thrilling. Soon there was going to be no more sneaking around and we were going to be free to go on dates in the open. Everything I've been waiting for!

The limo came to a stop as we all headed out.  Cyrus pointed them in the direction of their date as we went the opposite way. It was still unclear where we were going but became all the more known as the aquarium showed itself to us. My eyes lit up in glee. I can't remember the last time I've been to one and who better to go with than Cyrus.

"Shut up! You did not bring me to an aquarium!" I was more excited than I let on.

He chuckled. "Is that a bad thing?" He looked at me worried he messed up.

I rest my hand on his shoulder reassuring him. "Are you kidding? I love aquariums."

A smile instantly formed on his face. "Well, what are we waiting for?"

With that, we headed inside and of course, it was amazing. Getting to see all kinds of sea animals blew my mind. My favorite had to be either the seals or the dolphins. They were both so stinking cute and funny too. Cyrus looked like he enjoyed the penguins and the whales as well. There was so much to see it was hard to keep up with it all. That didn't stop us though. We saw everything and I mean everything!

Before we continued our walk, we took a pit stop sitting down on a bench as the jellyfish went by. Those things were frightening yet looked so cute in the tank. As long as it was far away from me we were good.

"Don't you think it's odd that these blobs could be very harmful to you?" Cyrus stirred up a conversation.

I cringed at the thought of them stinging me. "They're silent but deadly that's for sure." The thought alone scared me.

"Indeed," he sighed before grabbing my hand. "What's your favorite animal?"

I thought for a moment before answering. "Polar bears!" I yell.

Cyrus laughed. “What why?” I amused him with my answer.

“They’re gorgeous to look at but don’t get close to them. You’re asking for a death wish at that point,” I giggle.

He laughed along with me somewhat agreeing with my point. It was nice getting to just talk to him again. Everything always felt natural between us no matter what we were doing. If there was ever anything that I needed, I knew Cyrus was someone I could count on. He planned this whole day for my mom and us. Words couldn’t describe how thankful I was to him. His kindness resonated with me this entire journey. Nothing would ever compare to that.

Bumping his shoulders, I figured it was time to learn what his favorite animal was.

“So, what’s yours?” My ears perked up ready to hear this.

He smiled, “panda bears,” which surprised me.

My mouth fell open. “Really?” He nods. “Why may I ask?”

“They’re fucking cute for starters, but I think my main reason is that they’re unapologetically lazy.” His smile grew wider as he spoke. “I don’t know my life is so chaotic that if I ever got the chance to switch places with any animal, it’ll be a panda.”

I couldn’t argue with him there. Though I did expect him to say something like a lion or maybe even a panther. Animals that give off dominance and sophistication. He surprised me with the panda but it made sense once he explained it. The man rarely gets any free time and the little bit that he does get is usually spent with me. I’m positive things have only gotten more chaotic since this is the last week for the whole bachelor stunt. Cyrus was soon going to be running the show alongside his father. It’s only going to get more complicated from there I suppose.

Before we stood up to head out of here, Cyrus had one last question for me. A question I wasn’t expecting but it happened anyway.

“Have you seen Jay?”

My heart dropped. Hearing him ask me that made me think of so many things. Did he know about Jay and me? Why would he be asking me if I saw him? We were friends and did hang out a lot but not for the reasons he thought. If he was catching on to us my chances of ever being with Cyrus were futile. I’m not understanding why he would bring him up of all people.

I took a big gulp trying not to give myself away. “Um, I saw him once when we got back from the beach house, but that’s about it.” There was no point in lying to him.

He seemed perplexed. “Hmm, strange he hasn’t been answering any of my calls or texts recently. That’s unlike him.”

The worry in his voice made me feel like a horrible person. Not because I knew where Jay was but because I knew the reason he left.

“I did see him and he seemed fine but since then it’s been dead on my end as well.” Ok, it wasn’t a complete lie but it also wasn’t the whole truth.

Cyrus nods his mind looking like it was racing. “Maybe he just needed a break,” he tried reasoning with himself. “I’m sorry, I didn’t want to worry you or bring the mood down. That’s just my best friend ya know? You two seem to have become close so I figured I’d ask you.”

Close is an understatement. We became more than just close friends but close lovers. Something that if he knew he’d hate the both of us. Though I understood why he would come to me. In any case, I knew why he left but I couldn’t say without the extra questioning that would come with it. Leaving me to lie to him to both of our dismays.

“He’s more than likely trying to find a way to cope,” I explain. “I’m sure he’ll let you know he’s safe when he’s ready.”

Cyrus looked at me taking in my words. “You always know the right words to say,” he smiled squeezing my hand.

“Of course I do! Now let’s hurry and grab some churros before the lines get long!”

I dragged him to the churro stand with his laughter filling my ears. Talking about Jay wasn’t going to do us any good. He would continue to feel sad while I felt guilty ruining the day. A cinnamon sugar treat was always a great way to brighten any mood. Besides, whenever he was ready Jay would come and tell us why he suddenly disappeared. Even though I am still gutted about how he left. My attention was on Cyrus now. Nothing more, nothing less.