Love, Simply - Chapter 20：Nos Ambitions, nos erreurs!

“Be humble to see your mistakes, courageous to admit them, and wise enough to correct them,” Amine Ayad.

***

Cyrus went on with his life as if nothing happened. He didn’t let Mina’s sudden return bothering him.

He was happy with Louise, and he wasn’t going to let anything come between them.

Louise was still not ready to meet Cyrus’s mother. She was not confident that she was going to approve of her.

“I don’t think mom is going to blame you for your grandfather’s wrongdoings,” Cyrus said.

“I am not so sure. What my grandfather did was—he was so cruel to her. I can’t see my great grandmother. She’s still alive. But, I feel so ashamed— and I don’t want my presence to upset her.”

“I want to see her too. She turns 92 this year.”

“We can go together.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s alright!”

“You should go on a trip. You need to spend time with your siblings,” Louise told Cyrus. “They secretly hate me,” she whispered.

“Without you?”

“Without me.”

Louise flicked his forehead. “Stop fooling around. I am serious. Your sister missed you. I feel guilty,” she sighed. “You are either at my house or spending time together.”

“It’s okay! Thanks for thinking about them, too, and reminded me,” he kissed her cheek, caught a strand lock of hair, wounding it back behind her ear.

“Mmh! Reward me then,” Louise grinned.

“Hey! What are you doing?” Cyrus asked, moving backward.

“You weren’t shy last night,” She said, “A little bit,” Louise pushed him on the bed.

“Loulou,” Cyrus tried to stop her, “Wait… I am not ready yet.”

“Ready for what? What did your lustful mind think I was going to do?” Louise tickled him.

“Ah! Stop!” Cyrus cried, wriggled his body as he tried to stop her. “Hahaha, have mercy. I am sorry.”

~~~

“She went to your house?” Peter asked, looking baffled. “What did she want?”

“Getting back!”

“Louise didn’t see her?”

“No, she didn’t seem to mind…”

“Can you have your girlfriend meet your mom already? You know she called me—”

“My mom called you?” Cyrus sat up, “For what?”

“She asked me what kind of person Louise was,” Peter sighed, “Have her meet your mom!”

“They know each other already. But, for some reason, Louise doesn’t want to meet my mother now.”

“Why?” He asked, his eyes focused on the screen in front of him, as his fingers flew quickly across the keyboard.

“Something happened between their families.”

“Rich people!” Peter murmured.

“I know,” Cyrus agreed.

“I get to say it,” he stopped typing.

“I am nouveau—”

“Still,” Peter said, resumed to what he was doing.

~~~

Cyrus realized that he somehow took granted of Louise’s presence. She has been absent for three weeks, though, he knew where she was, he still missed her tremendously.

‘This is hard,’ Cyrus tossed and turned.

‘I will be going for an additional week,” Louise messaged him.

He sat up, seeing the text. ‘One more week!’ Cyrus punched the poor pillow, ‘I will be dead, for sure.’

They didn’t live together, but he liked seeing Louise’s smiling face in the morning, where they often meet for breakfast before going to work.

‘I know it’s work, but I miss you,’ he typed back.

‘Darling, I’ll be back before you know it. So, don’t think much. I am in a meeting, right now, I’ll talk to you later. I love you.’

‘I love you,’ he replied.

~~~

Cyrus became lifeless, unmotivated; he didn’t even give his students homework for that following week.

“Did they break up?” Mrs. Smith asked in a whispered voice.

“Aunt!” Kate warned. “Louise went to France. Something is going on with her company. So, she went to take care of it.”

“Doesn’t her family have someone working in her place?”

“Uncle Claude? Yeah, but there are some decisions he can’t make without her,” she explained.

~~~

Cyrus exercised every day, played video games with his siblings after work, and visited Peter to occupy himself.

Louise took care of things earlier than expected and returned home, but didn’t notify Cyrus as she wanted to surprise him.

~~~

In the afternoon, after spending the day with Peter, Cyrus went home. He checked his phone, and sadly there was no new message from Louise.

He sighed.

Someone was sitting in his armchair in the dark.

He didn’t like turning on the light instantly after going into a dark room.

Cyrus moved to the side, reaching for the baseball bat— his father used to play with in college.

He wasn’t much of a fighter,

But he could take on whoever with just that bat if unarmed.

Louise laughed.

She couldn’t hold her laughter much longer and asked, “What are you doing?”

“Cahir?” He asked, still holding the baseball bat up.

“Well, put it down. I feel threatened,” Louise chuckled.

“When did you come back? Why didn’t you tell me—”

She stretched out her arm toward him, pulling Cyrus onto her lap. “I miss you.”

“I miss you,” Cyrus kissed her lips, her forehead, her cheek, “You’re back!” He hugged her.

“I am,” Louise smiled.

“Wait!” Cyrus got up to turn on the light. “You didn’t—”

“I—” Louise scratched her head. “I met your mother before I left.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? What did she say? Did she—” Cyrus asked, trying to keep his voice even as possible.

“Your adoptive mother is an angel. She wishes for nothing, but your well-being and happiness. Rest assured, okay.”

“I am lucky to have met you and mom.” His voice was low. “But—”

“No, buts,” Louise stopped him.

“I am still mad that you didn’t tell me—”

“I love you.”

“Loulou!”

“I love you,” Louise kissed his lips. “Forgive me!”

“I am still…”

“Darling,” she grinned.

“Don’t smile like that,” he urged, “You know that always gets me.”

“I am leaving. Kate’s home.”

“Did Robert leave again?”

“Yeah! She’s home with Willa.”

“I missed you a lot,” said, but his voice cracked. “Will I go through this often?”

“I know. I missed you too, no, not often,” Louise promised.

“Goodnight,” Cyrus lightly brushed his lips against hers, “Take good care of my cousins.”

“Stay!” He hugged her body before Louise had the chance to leave the room.

“I…”

“Please—you can leave later. I can’t let you go now. Not like this,” Cyrus said, caressing her face. “I missed you—please,” he asked again, his eyes pleading.

“Okay,” Louise said, pulling away from the hug, pressing her lips very softly against his. Cyrus’s arms around her waist, clutching Louise to him.

Gently and slowly, he stopped the kiss. Cyrus pulled her close to him, placing his head on Louise’s chest as he listened to her heartbeat. “Let me stay like this for a while.”

~~~

Cyrus was a heavy sleeper. Louise usually came before him.

She was more than thirty minutes late, and she did not tell him beforehand that she was going to be tardy.

“Baby!” Someone shouted.

He turned around and—Mina and Blake.

He didn’t want Louise to meet her.

What unfortunate luck!

Cyrus ignored her.

Mina pulled out a chair across him and sat down.

“Cousin, I am sorry,” Blake apologized.

“When was he your cousin?” Mina asked in a nasty tone.

“What has got to do with you?” Cyrus asked, pushing her hand away. “Don’t worry about it. Tell aunt Grace I’ll go visit her later,” he smiled at Blake.

Cyrus didn’t blame Grace for what she did, knowing that she had her reasons for doing so. He still treated her daughter, as usual, treating her as his little cousin.

“I am going, cousin.”

“Take this,” Cyrus said, pulling out his wallet.

“It’s okay—”

Tough, Grace worked for Cyrus’s biological father, her husband and older son wasted all the money she worked hard to earn.

“Here, take it. I don’t have a lot on me, right now,” he pushed three hundred dollars bills in her hands.” Come by later. I have something to give you. Be careful, okay,” he smiled.

“Thanks, bye-bye,” she hurried out.

Once Blake left, Cyrus got up from his usual spot, moving away from Mina.

‘Did she swallow her dignity? ‘

Mina followed him. Since he was inside a coffee store, he didn’t want to make a scene and embarrass her.

“Cyr!” She called in a sweet voice, tugging at his sleeve.

Cyrus rolled his eyes, “What do you want?” He yanked his arm away.

“Cy—”

“Darling,” Louise said, greeting her boyfriend with a kiss on the lips, after watching the earliest scenes from outside. “I am sorry. Kate was making breakfast and wanted me to bring these for you,” she said, ignoring Mina’s presence.

“It’s okay!” He smiled. “Do you want anything?”

“It’s okay!”

“Baby,” Mina said, trying to make her presence known. “You’re dating this woman?”

“Were you the girlfriend?” Louise asked, her voice low but intimidating.

How dare she called him baby?

Louise wasn’t jealous—

“Oh, you were with this woman behind my back?”

“Mina, you can accuse me of everything, but don’t disrespect me,” Cyrus warned. “You broke up with me, and you’re trying to shift the blame to me by labeling me.”

“I loved you in the past. I did, but I don’t owe you anything now.”

“I can’t believe you stole my boyfriend. You’re my friend, Louise,” Mina cried dramatically.

‘Ah, where the hell this woman came from?’

“You guys know each other?” Cyrus asked, confused.

“We’re friends,” Mina stated.

“We’re not friends.”

~~~

“You acted like you were never interested in my life, turned out you had already stolen him from me,” Mina said, shooting daggers at Louise. “So high and mighty!”

“Mina, what do you want?” Louise demanded.

“The boyfriend you stole from me.”

“I am going home. Mina will surely embarrass herself and us here,” Louise said, getting up to leave. “Do you have class today?”

Cyrus shook his head.

“You! Get in your car, and follow us.”She instructed Mina.

~~~

Mina was stunned how extraordinary Louise’s house interior designed look. “Your house is—amazing,” she said, assuming that it belonged to her old lover.

“It’s Loulou’s,” Cyrus said.

“Oh!” Mina said, disappointed. “Who?”

“Cahir!” Little Willa cheered as soon as she saw Cyrus and Louise’s face. “My beautiful angel,” Cyrus picked her up.

“Lou—” Kate stopped, seeing that Mina, her friend was also there. “Mina! How come you’re here?”

“Oh! I can’t be here. When were you going to tell me that Cyrus was cheating on me with your friend?”

“What?” Kate was confused. “What is she talking about?”

“I brought your crazy friend here. Explain it to her,” Louise said, started to feel pressure forming at the back of her head.

“Mina! You broke up with him to have a greater life. You wanted to catch a rich man. You can’t accuse them like that,” Kate said.

“Isn’t Louise the same. Isn’t she dating him because of his money?” Mina yelled.

Cyrus laughed.

What money?

Even if he worked his whole life, he’d never be able to outdo her.

“I liked him before he had a rich father,” Louise said calmly and confidently.

“Cyr, we dated for so long. You barely know this woman. Let’s get back together,” her soft voice said. “I will be good.”

Cyrus sighed. “Mina! Honestly, I didn’t think you’d follow us here. Do you even respect me? ‘Cyrus loves me so much. No matter what I do, he’ll take me back.’ That was all I ever was to you. I loved you so much, but you—you didn’t even give me,” a faint but forced smile touched his lips.

“Why? Because I am a man, I can’t be emotional. I can’t say how I feel. You left me because I was broke, Mina,” he laughed. ” I was broke, don’t ever forget that. So, why would I take you back when you hurt me so much? I loved you, but I also respect myself.”

“I don’t hate you. Please, I don’t want to see you. So, leave.”

“Cyr!” Mina tried—

“I will leave,” Cyrus said, going upstairs with Willa, “Katie, bring her bottle!” Kate followed him, leaving Mina and Louise alone.

~~~

“Are you happy?”

Louise looked up and smiled. “Why wouldn’t I be? Cyrus’s great.”

Pak! A hand flew across her cheek. Mina didn’t have a problem with Louise in the past. Though she didn’t like Louise’s attitude, lousy temper, her handsome and beautiful face and sense of fashion were bearable.

She hated Louise, who stole her chance at being Mrs. Larson, a rich wife. Louise grinned widely, not the usual sweet grin she’d shot at her boyfriend, but—

“I won’t slap you back. That’s child play. I am older than you.”

Mina was in a rage. ‘How could she be so arrogantly beautiful even in a situation—’ It pissed her off. She raised her hand for another slap.

“Behave yourself!” Louise caught her arm, twisting it behind her back as she pushed Mina against the wall. “Look, kid. I haven’t been in situations like yours, but you left him. What did you expect? A warm, welcoming hug? Grow up!”

“You’re hurting me!” Mina cried.

Louise released her.

“You want some tea? You can stay for dinner,” she smiled.

“Fuck you!” Mina said softly. “You think you’re so great.”

“Stop embarrassing yourself,” Louise said, pulling her closer. “Admit it when you’re wrong!”

“I hate you!” Mina yelled. “I hate all of you.”

“He—” Louise smiled wickedly, “Oh! He’s—really—good. You didn’t lie about that.”

“This isn’t over,” Mina warned, picking up her purse off the sofa, sprinting out of the house.

“What did you tell her?” Kate asked her friend. Louise laughed out loud, feeling satisfied.