Chapter 70

Chapter 70

Decision day was here, and I was nervous. There was this uneasy feeling in my stomach about what would transpire. The way Farrah was going to react was going to be a joyous occasion. Seeing Jenna's reaction would be interesting. However, I was most curious to know what Cyrus would do. Farrah held a lot of weight over him, and I was scared that she would persuade him in the wrong direction. In her eyes, Jenna was the winner. That's what the whole competition was for from the beginning. No one would be surprised if she found some loophole for Jenna to win.

On top of that, this was my last day seeing Melissa. I loved talking to her and catching her up on the events during the week. She was a good friend of mine now and would be missed dearly. The way she styled my hair and did my make-up was always top-notch. Today was no different as she helped me put on my final dress.

It was green in color and lace throughout. Not only did it have lace, but it had a solid green train behind it. It was funny because I made fun of Jenna for having a train on her dress the first week, and here I was with one now. The dress was exquisite compared to the others I've worn. It made me realize that this was the last day before Cyrus changed my life. I couldn't tell if I was ready, but it was now or never.

Melissa did a smoky eye on me today for make-up and was in the process of curling my hair with the curling wand. I felt beautiful already, and she had not finished yet.

"So, he's gone then?" She questioned as I told her what had happened with Jay.

I couldn't stop talking about him. "As far as I know, Jay is gone, and I miss him," I admit.

"Don't worry; he'll be back." She was confident in her answer.

I laughed, not buying it. "Please, Jay is not coming back. Especially not if I'm with Cyrus."

Melissa scoffed, getting down to the last few curls. "Jay is not going down without a fight," she remarked. "Plus, I'm rooting for him."

That was interesting to know. Many people seemed to be team Jay and held a lot of faith in him. I think it's because he was hot. Everyone was clouded by how good he looked, including me. His eyes alone would leave you in a trance. He was so enticing that I couldn't get enough of him even when he was far away. Jason was one of the most significant pieces of my puzzle. It's a shame he left me behind, but I understood.

After finishing my hair, I stood up to look in the mirror. I looked gorgeous; I felt beautiful, I was beautiful! The minute Cyrus saw me, he was going to be drooling. I couldn't wait to see what he was wearing as well. Most likely a suit that was perfectly fitted to his body with a watch and his fabulous suede shoes. That man dressed to impress everywhere he went, no matter the occasion. Now was our time to shine together.

I hugged Melissa saying goodbye to her for the last time. It was going to suck not seeing her every Saturday anymore. Now I had to style somehow myself, which would be a nightmare. Back to wearing my boring old clothes again. Or maybe not since I was going to be with Cyrus now.

Taking a deep breath, I opened the door to head downstairs, only to see Cyrus standing in the hallway. He had this weird look on his face but smiled when he saw me. He walked over, looking me up and down, putting his arms around my waist. The scent coming off his body was so penetrating I couldn't help but sniff the air around us. I wasn't expecting to see him so soon but now was as good of a time as any.

"You look spectacular, Autumn." He complimented me. "I almost feel bad that I spoiled myself."

I giggle, resting my hands on his shoulders. "What are you doing here, silly? Shouldn't we be gathering downstairs?"

Cyrus pulled me closer, getting a serious look on his face. "I need to tell you how much I love you again. I'm sorry for last night; I shouldn't have reacted that way."

He was still apologizing for things he didn't need to. Sure, it was scary, but I understood why he did what he did. I would've done the same if it were the other way around. Besides, it's not like he knows the truth anyway. Once he does, he'll realize his reaction was justified. I was the one who should have been begging for forgiveness. I'm the person who created problems between us. Not that I meant to, it happened, though. I would never forgive myself for it but now wasn't the time.

Today was about us rejoicing in finally becoming official. It's been eight weeks, and I was happy to be called his girlfriend. It was crazy to think about how far we've come. We went from me shoving him away to me not being able to love him more than I already do possibly. Imagine if Cyrus listened to me and stayed away. I don't know if I would have lasted as long as I did if he had. Everything was coming full circle.

"No need for apologies. Let's focus on us and the exciting things happening today." I smiled brightly.

He looked at me with a blank stare, causing me to worry. What was up with him? It was like he wasn't even excited about this. It was the day we'd been waiting for, and he was acting strange. My mind started to wonder what he was thinking about. Were things going to go as planned, or was I in for some sad news? If that were the case, I wish he would tell me now so I could at least prepare myself for the worst-case scenario. Great, now I was even more nervous.

Cyrus saw my face and quickly changed his expression to a smile. "I'm sorry, I'm nervous," he admitted.

"Are you sure that's all?" I wanted to make sure he wasn't hiding anything from me.

He nods. "Yes, love, now come here."

After he said that, he kissed me so passionately. He gripped my waist as I moved my hands up through his hair. My heart was racing to feel every emotion he was feeling at this moment. This was going to be what I would get to experience every day for as long as I wanted. No more sneaking around, no more late-night meetings; we could be out during the day without any consequences. It was a great feeling and a satisfying ending.

We stopped our kiss as I bit my lip, looking at him. He held onto me still so tight, sighing with relief.

"I love you so much; never forget it." Cyrus was being weirdly sweet today, but I loved it.

I hugged him loving his words. "Not a chance," I say back. "We should probably get going, though."

He agreed. "I'll go around so it won't be weird for us to show up together."

Giving him one last kiss on the cheek, I headed downstairs to meet everyone else in the back. We all looked great, even our mothers dressed up. The servers were down here as well, lined up awaiting the announcement. The whole Hadid family was present, with the exclusion of Cyrus as he went to walk around. Having all these eyes to witness his decision was a bit much but necessary for Farrah. My mom looked excited, waiting in anticipation for Cyrus to get down here.

Since my father passed, I never thought my life would be significant. It wasn't supposed to happen like this. Meeting Cyrus and falling in love wasn't what I pictured in a million years. Yet here we are waiting for the announcement that I'm his, and he's mine. Instead of being afraid, I was thrilled! Getting to spend the rest of my life with him was going to be a breeze. There will be no more distractions, just us. The way it should be.

Cyrus finally made his appearance, looking at me with a soft smile. His eyes were telling a different story, though. There was disappointment and fear behind them as he looked at his mother. Farrah smirked knowingly, and that was when I knew this would not play out the fairytale I had dreamt of. Cyrus would not be mine because she had won.

"Now, before I make this decision, I would like to thank all of you for coming," Cyrus spoke with a nervous tone. "These last eight weeks have been insane, but I had a lot of fun with you all, and I wouldn't trade it for the world." He said that last line looking at me.

My heart was racing. We looked at each other's eyes almost as if we were pleading with one another. Him pleading with me not to be upset, and me pleading with him not to do this. It wasn't what he wanted. He was willing to sacrifice his happiness to appease his mother instead of focusing on what was suitable for him. Farrah needed to bud out! She was getting in the way of what we both wanted, which wasn't fair. All because she didn't like me! It was ridiculous.

Sighing, Cyrus gave a tight-lipped smile and shared the news with everyone causing a scene. "The lucky lady will be, Jenna," he said to gasp, filling the room.

My mother was shocked after all the good things I told her and what she saw for herself; it was maddening that he would choose Jenna. Cairo even looked disappointed because he knew that Cyrus was also set on me. Saida ran off to who knows where and Jeremy bowed his head. No one was excited about this except Jenna, her friends, and Farrah. The pain I felt throughout my body was so immense that I didn't even realize I was crying.

"You've got to be kidding me?" Twila chimed in, her mother telling her to hush. "No, everyone knew Cyrus was picking Autumn! What the fuck happened?" I could tell she was angry.

"Please tell me you weren't stringing her along this whole time? That's pretty fucked, man!" Bradyn added.

Farrah stepped in to calm down all the commotion. "Ladies, please, I'm sure he would have chosen Autumn had they not been having secret dates and meetings in his bedroom that no one knew about," she said condescendingly. "Unfortunately, you broke the rules."

Bradyn rolled her eyes, "since when was that a rule? Or did you make that up to fit your narrative?"

Farrah frowned, not answering her question. "Rules are rules, and you broke them, so Jenna wins."

Jenna looked at me with a smirk on her face. She knew this would happen. "I told you, I always win." She screamed excitedly.

There was nothing for me to say, and quite frankly, I didn't want to be in that room with them anymore. So, I turned around and ran out the back door. I had no idea where I was going or what to do. At the moment, the outside seemed like a great place to be. Anywhere away from them would make me happy as my heart broke. Jenna knew all my secrets, and somehow she would use them against me. The Jay situation didn't pan out, so she went the Farrah route. That woman would always take Jenna's side no matter what.

Karma had a funny way of showing itself. I guess this was my karma for falling for his best friend. Nothing good would come out of that, but you kept helping who you liked. That doesn't mean it doesn't hurt any less than it would have if I weren't pining over Jay. My world was crushed yet again, and there was nothing I could do.

I was still running near the fountain when I stopped after Cyrus called me.

"Autumn, wait," Cyrus called out to me. Was he running behind me this whole time?

Stopping in my tracks, I wiped my face though it didn't do any good. The tears were still spilling and hard as I turned around to look at him. Surprisingly he was crying as well. His face was about covered as mine, his eyes puffy and red. This was also draining for him, but he could have done something about it.

He stepped closer to me, but I took a step back. "Autumn, don't do this. I didn't want to choose her."

"But you did, Cyrus, you did," I say through tears. "Why? I thought you were going to do what you wanted to do?"

He gulped, becoming frantic. "I-I was, but there was so much shit she had over my head. I didn't have a choice!" Cyrus was crying pretty hard.

I shake my head, not interested in hearing any excuses. "What were the last eight weeks for? Did they not mean anything to you?"

He rushed over to me, cupping my face in his hands. The warmth he gave me would never fade. This was the last time I would ever get to feel his touch. Felt his body up against me, and I didn't let the opportunity go to waste. I initiated the kiss this time, wanting to experience what it felt like to be with him before ending it all here. Even though the day didn't pan out as I had hoped, our feelings for each other never wavered. We still loved each other; that much was so. I'm unsure if I could ever forgive him, not that I was the one who should be giving out forgiveness.

Cyrus stroked my cheeks, feeling the world's weight on his shoulders. "Please, Autumn, I can't lose you. I don't know what I'll do if I do," he begged in a way.

I removed his hands from my face giving him a soft look. I kissed his cheek one last time before saying, "you're going to have to figure it out because this is it, Cy."

"Don't say that! I can fix it!" He pleaded. "Please don't leave me."

"But I have to, for both of us."

And with that, I left him there, never to look back. That's not what I wanted to do, but that's what was happening. This was the end of Autumn and Cyrus. It was the end of me Falling for the Bachelor.

***

That is the end of part 1 to Falling For The Bachelor! I'm excited that you all read to the end! Part 2 will be up soon and posted here as well. I also have a few bonus Chapters coming up so stick around for that! Thank you for reading and I hope you will enjoy part 2 as well. I'll also be going back and editing these chapters because they need it badly!