Love, Simply - Chapter 15：Leaving you breathless

“We have to recognize that there cannot be relationships unless there is commitment unless there is loyalty unless there is love, patience, and persistence,” Cornel West.

***

“You made my sister cry over some petty misunderstandings, how old are you?” Lyms said, throwing another punch at him. “If I knew it was like that. Why didn’t she talk to you? I wouldn’t have comforted her.”

“Ly!”

“What?” Though Claude explained things to him, Lyms was still angry that Cyrus didn’t explain things to Louise, resulting in their misunderstandings. He was holding Cyrus by his collar, his fist clenched by his side, ready to throw—

“You can let go of him now,” Claude said.

“Ah! Sorry,” Lyms apologized.

“It’s okay,” Cyrus smiled, “Where is Cahir?”

“She’s upstairs,” Lyms said, “But, shouldn’t you punched me—”

“It’s cool. I deserved it.”

~~~

When they landed in France, it had already been morning.

“She’s in the gardens,” Diane said. “I am going back,” she said, once she caught sight of her niece.

“Thanks.”

~~~

Louise was sitting on a bench with a huge bear next to her. She’d say something, then looked over at the bear and smiled. Cyrus thought she looked adorable.

He had not seen her in weeks she looked distracted and tired. She’d sigh continually then looked up at the clear sky.

Cyrus took the opportunity to take in how lovely she looked, capturing that continuous moment.

Louise stopped talking to the bear, feeling that someone was watching her.

“Cahir,” Cyrus called, walking a few steps towards her.

“What are you doing here?” She asked coldly but didn’t look his way. “You are such a responsible person, coming all the way here—”

“I am sorry!” She looked down at her feet. She wanted to forget about everything and take him into her arms, telling him how much she had missed him.

“I am sorry. I should have considered your feelings. You don’t need to say anything. I understand.”

Would she close her mouth for a second and let him talk? How could she think about everything on her own? How could she assume—

Cyrus was angry that she thought so little of him.

“Go back! I am tired. Let’s talk later,” Louise stood up, taking the big bear along.

“Cahir!”

She kept on walking, pretending not to hear him.

“Cahir!” Cyrus quickly followed her. “Listen to me.” Louise deliberately took huge steps so he wouldn’t be able to get in the elevator in time. She got in and pressed the ‘Close’ button, knowing that Cyrus was rushing to get on.

“Why the hell is there an elevator in this house?” He yelled, kicking the wall in a fury.

~~~

“She’s still not talking to you?” Lyms asked Cyrus later that day.

“No, I mean, I get that she’s angry. But, I came—”

“Ignore her!”

“Huh!”

“Ignore her! Then, she’ll come looking for you.”

“You don’t add fuel to a woman’s rage,” Cyrus said. “I only want to clarify things with her, but she got all these—things going on,” he sighed.

“Well, you can’t go on ignoring her for two weeks and expect a warm welcome. She doesn’t express her feelings, but she’s still a woman,” Lyms said.

“I know.”

“It’s okay. Louise can’t stay mad at people,” he encouraged.

~~~

“That’s not what I had in my mind,” Louise whispered after she successfully escaped Cyrus. “Why is he suddenly here?”

“There’s no way a busy professor like him will fly to another country to reject a woman.”

“I am glad you’re thinking this through,” Cyrus said, the door flung opened. “Are you done avoiding me?” He asked, sitting beside her.

“I wasn’t avoiding you.”

“Then, what was that? Was that necessary—”

“I know! It’s my fault. You appeared out of nowhere—I— fuck. That’s not what I had in mind. You’re messing with my head,” Louise said.

“I didn’t know what to do. I was indeed avoiding you, but Peter threw my phone in the lake—I didn’t know—”

“Peter threw your phone in the lake?” Louise laughed dryly.

“It’s true,” Cyrus said, pulling out his new phone for her to see. “I don’t know how it happened too. We were standing—he threw something—but it was my phone,” he explained.

Silence.

Louise moved closer and stared at his eyes. She pulled away but didn’t say anything.

“Say something. Cahir!”

“I will believe anything you tell me. I was also wrong for making assumptions and avoided you. I should have asked you before—anyway, thank you for coming.”

“I know I haven’t been the best at expressing my feelings to you. I didn’t want to put pressure on you—listen to me!” Louise said, pulling Cyrus closer.

“I like you—no, I love you. I am in love with you. No, I didn’t fall for you at first sight. I liked you a lot back then and wanted to get to know you.”

But, the months I’ve spent with you—I fell in love with you. I love you. I want to be there for you. I won’t do anything that will make you doubt my love for you. I am not good with words—let me be there for you—let’s be there for each other.”

“I know that you may not come here to reject me, but I know that you’re still insecure. So, give me a chance. Give us a chance. I’ll show you.”

Cyrus blinked. That was his moment. How could—

“Hey, say something,” Louise said, brushing his hair back.

“How could you not give me the chance to confess?” Cyrus said, his eyes fixed on her. “I cam here to tell you how much—”

“Ah!” Louise said in a sudden realization. “I am sorry.”

“I have three siblings. I don’t have 20k on my savings account. I have medical fees and student loans that I still need to pay. I share a car with my best friend. I don’t have a lot. Even though—”

“They don’t matter. We’ll work together,” Louise hugged him.

“You’re only saying that because—”

“I am well off—because my grandparents are wealthy. No, you are a hard-working man. I don’t think I should use net worth to choose a man.

“Everyone has issues. We’ll work together. We’ll support each other. I love you now. I’d like you then. My or my family status wouldn’t change the way I’d feel about you.”

“Did you chase all boyfriends like this?” Cyrus laughed. “You—thank you.”

“No, you the first guy,” she smiled.

“Thank you for loving me. “I love you. I am scared that one day you might leave me too, but let’s give us a chance.”

“Let’s do that,” Louise nodded. “I love you.”

“I love you.”

“We’re dating. I don’t want misunderstandings to destroy our relationship. Let’s talk to each other. Let’s ask each other things we aren’t sure of, okay?”

~~~

“Mmh! I missed you,” Cyrus said. “Let me sleep on your lap for a while. I haven’t slept.”

“Have you eaten anything since you got here?” Louise asked.

“Let me sleep! I will eat later.”

“Okay!” She kissed his forehead.

~~~

“Mais qu’est-ce que c’est? Il t’ a dit des mots doux et tu lui a pardonne. T’es trop facile,” Claude said. (But, what is this? He told you sweet words, and you forgave him. You are too easy).

“Il est venu jusqu’ici pour s’excuser. Je pense qu’il est sincere,” Lyms defended. (He came all the way here to apologize. I think he’s sincere).

“Que voulais-tu que Je fasses? C’etait juste un malentendu! J’etais aussi en faute.” Louise said. (What did you want me to do? It was just a misunderstanding. I was also at fault).

“Tu n’aurais pas du lui pardonner si vite,” Claude said, still thinking that Louise was too lenient on Cyrus. (You shouldn’t have forgiven him that quick).

“C’est quoi le problem? C’est sa decision, et ce n’etait pas un gros problem,” Lyms yelled. (What is the problem? It’s her decision, and it wasn’t a huge problem).

Stop it, you guys,” Louise intervened. “We misunderstood each other. I know you’re worried about me, but can’t you trust me this time? I believe in him. And we already cleared things up. Give him a chance, okay.”

“Well, Mr. Claude, you can give Cyrus a few punches too,” Diane suggested.

“Too?” Louise asked. “Someone else—Lyms!”

“What?” Lyms quickly stood up, “I told him to punch me back, but he refused.”

“Are you a gangster? What’s wrong with you?”

“Well, pay me for my shirt, and I’ll forgive him,” Claude said.

“Lyms, I am not done with you. Forget about the money,” Louise said, walking back to her room.

“You, Diane!”

“What! I didn’t do anything,” she smiled.

~~~

“Darling!”

“Mmh!”

“You’re awake?”

“Yes, what’s up?”

“Let me see your face.”

“It’s okay.”

“Why did you let him hit you? Are you stupid?”

“It was worth it,” Cyrus smiled.

Louise pulled his cheeks.

“Ouch.”

“Don’t smile! My grandparents want to meet you while you’re here.”

“Don’t you want me to?”

“It’s not like that. We just started dating—I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”

“You always put me first,” he frowned. “What about you? What do you want?”

“You tend to put the person you love first.” Louise smiled. “I want you to meet them, but you don’t—”

“I’ll meet them. We’ve been dating for a while now.”

Huh!

“Don’t ask,” he mumbled.

“You look tired. What have you been doing?” Louise asked, running her fingers through his hair. “You haven’t been combing your hair either.”

“I have to tutor some students in my Stats class. I thought you got tired and left. Katie didn’t want to tell me where you went.”

“I am—”

“Don’t say it, please. Must you apologize?”

“Mmm. I missed you,” Louise said, pulling him in her embrace.

“Is your grandfather feeling okay now?” He asked.

“Yeah, he came back from the hospital a few days ago.”

“That’s good. I have to go back later. I didn’t ask for the day off.”

“I know! I am glad you came.”

“Mmm! I’ll wait for you at home. I know you still have to take care of your parents.”

~~~

That same day, in the afternoon, Louise took Cyrus to meet her grandparents.

“Grandpa, hello!” Louise greeted. “How are you doing today?”

“I am fine. Don’t worry!”

“Dar—Cyrus come here,” she said, not wanting to call him ‘darling’ in front of her grandparents.

“Eh, weren’t you going to say, darling?” Her grandmother teased.

“Grandma!” Louise blushed.

“Ah! Look at her face.”

“Hello!” Cyrus greeted respectfully. He didn’t know if he had to shake their hands or— “I am Cyrus.”

It wasn’t his first time meeting his girlfriend’s parents, but why was he so nervous?

“Grandpa, grandma, this is my boyfriend.”

Daniel walked forward and shook Cyrus’s hand. “She’s a daughter to me. Everything that we have belongs to her. She chooses you. I am going to respect her choice and wish you guys happiness. Don’t make my grandaughter sad, or—”

“Daniel!” Luce whisper-yelled. “Don’t threaten him! Come here, Cyrus. Don’t worry about him. Take good care of each other. Remember, a relationship is between two people. Take care, and be happy. That’s all I ask from you, guys,” she smiled.

“Yes. We know. We’ll take,” Cyrus answered.

“But, did that sexy accent caught my granddaughter?”

“Luce!”

“What? Can’t I say that? He has a pretty accent.”

“Grandma—”Louise sighed. “It’s not it.”

“I need to rest. We’ll see you guys in the morning,” Daniel said.

~~~

Louise’s grandparents did not make things hard on Cyrus. They asked him about his occupation and family.

They wished for the young couple to be happy. Even if Cyrus and Louise were to separate, they hoped that they would do so on good terms.

However, they wished that their granddaughter would be able to marry that Cyrus guy to start a family of her own.

~~~

“Your grandparents are easy to get along with,” Cyrus said, as they walked down the garden hand-in-hand. “They are lovely.”

“Mmm!”

“I think I angered your grandfather.”

“No, don’t overthink it.”

“You have a nice grandmother,” Cyrus said and looked up at the starry sky. “I can’t even see mine.”

“Why?” Louise asked.

“She and my father don’t get along because she chased my mother away.”

“What does that have to do with you?”

“She hated my mother, do you think she’ll like her son?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Louise said, “You have me and a lot of people who love you.”

“Thanks.”

~~~

Until you believe Me

~~~

“I love you,” Louise said.

“How many more times are you going to say it today?” Cyrus grinned. Was that how it felt to be in love? It felt quite nice.

He loved that feeling.

He loved Mina, yet he felt that what he had for Louise was quite different.

“Until you believe me,” she said, playing with his hair.

“I wish I could keep you here,” Louise said, her arms wrapped around his waist. “Darling!” She kissed Cyrus on his cheek.

“Ah! Don’t do that!”

“But I can do that,” Louise said, leaning down to kiss him. She wanted to tease him a bit, so she gently bit his lip.

“Stop—” Louise sucked on his bottom lip, before slowly slipping her tongue in.

She loved that he let her do things, but sometimes she wished that he would be less insecure and—

She stopped.

“What’s wrong?” Cyrus asked.

“You’re not shy!”

“Huh!”

“I want you to kiss me.”

“I know I always kiss you. But this is the way I am. When I love someone, I tell and show them. If there’ something you don’t like. You have to talk to me.”

“Darling, this isn’t just about me. We are a couple. You have to tell me what is and what isn’t working for you. Okay?”

Cyrus stared blankly at her.

He thought he was considering her feelings. But he made her feel that way.

Why was he always messing things?

It was not that Cyrus didn’t want to—he was not an aggressive person. He was rather shy and reserved.

He remembered the first time Louise kissed him. She—he didn’t know how to describe it.

He couldn’t think of anything. His mind was in a mess. Cyrus realized the second time that they kissed, he always went in shock when she kissed him.

He didn’t know why. It was like he stopped breathing and lost all his senses.

He didn’t want to hurt Louise’s feelings, but sometimes she was—too confident, her boldness.

“I am sorry.”

“Don’t do that again. Sometimes, it feels like I am forcing—”

“You are not,” he said, caressing her face. She closed her eyes, leaning into his touch. “I am sorry,” he said, planting a small kiss on her lips.

Louise opened her eyes, staring at him. Why did she love him so much? Why was he so special?

“Let’s do this together. It’s us and no one else,” Louise said.