Hayden's POV
A throat clearing by my dad has me snapping out of the daze I'd been in while staring at Cleo.
One look at him and I can see him analyzing my behavior towards her.
Cleo stands up and turns to pull me up with her and I can't help but inwardly chuckle at the fact that she thinks she can pull someone my size up.
None the less, I take her offered hand and stand up as well, with absolutely no assistance from her. Hell, I was tempted to pull her back down on my lap, but I doubt she'd like that.
“Can we eat now? ” Jace and Cleo ask in unison. I swear, those two are like fucking twins. You'd think she was his mom or some shit like that.
“Jace! ” Mom says, scolding him. “Let your brother get cleaned up first and then we can eat. ”
“But aunt Cleo's hungry too. ” He whines. “And you said to always take care of our guests first. ”
The kid has a point.
“Cleopatra is not a guest, she's family, and she knows better than to act like a child. ” Mom says, turning her gaze to Cleo who is no longer at the spot she was standing at.
A quick scan of the room shows Cleo at the kitchen island, with a springroll to her lips. She freezes when she sees us all staring at her.
“What? ” She asks defensively. “I'm making sure Blake didn't poison us all. I'm willing to risk my life to save all of yours, you should be thanking me. ”
“Cleo! ” Mom yells.
We all laugh at their interaction while mom scowls heavily at Cleo.
I went to my room after that and took a much needed shower.
God, I've missed this place.
I walked out of my bathroom and into my closet after drying off, and grabbed some grey sweats and underwear from my duffel.
I was just about to put my hoodie on when I heard a light knock on my closet door.
I looked in that direction and saw Cleo leaning against the doorframe.
She was staring at me, no doubt surprised to see how much I'd changed physically, and I suddenly wasn't in a rush to put my hoodie on anymore.
Hmm, I wonder why.
I didn't move an inch, letting her watch me, for fear that I'd snap her out of it and make her stop.
She walked closer to me and started touching the scars on my chest.
Oh, that's what she was staring at.
“Are you okay Hayden? ” She asked, staring up at me with concern. She called me Hayden and not kid, so I know she's serious.
“I'm fine Cleo, they're just from some training accidents. ” I explained. It was true though.
I wanted to learn some knife skills cause I was an idiot teen and thought they were cool, three shallow stab wounds later and I didn't think so anymore.
But I still pushed through, and now I have a body littered with scars and some insane knife skills.
“Hmm, ” That alone let me know she didn't believe me, but Cleo being Cleo would never push me to talk about it. “Well, I came to call you down to eat, Jace is starting to look rabid. ”
That got a laugh out of me and she joined in too.
I put on my hoodie and we went downstairs to join everyone else.
We ate dinner and I was filled in on the things everyone's been up to and I told them some of the shit I did, including the knife fights, which got Cleo to finally stop looking at me like I was fucking Bambi.
Overall, it was a good dinner and I was happy to be home with my family again.
Cleo left after dinner and I helped dad clean up while mom put Jace and Jordan to bed.
I was doing the dishes in the sink, cause I liked the monotony of it, when dad suddenly started up a conversation.
“So, you still like Cleo. ” He said it as a statement and not a question.
“That obvious? ” I asked, not even trying to deny it.
“To me, yes. But I doubt your mom knows. ” He said, coming over to the sink to help me dry the dishes.
“You think Cleo knows? ” I asked.
“Definitely. ”
“You think she'll tell mom? ”
“No. ” He sounded so sure that I had to give him a look to explain. “We all know how overprotective your mom is over you, if she were ever to find out that you had a crush on Cleo, she'd turn everything on Cleo and say she's to blame and probably ban her from being around any of us again. ”
I know what he's saying is true, but mom and Cleo are practically sisters, surely she wouldn't be so extreme.
“End it Hayden. ” He said, pulling me out of my thoughts. “This crush or infatuation you have for Cleopatra, end it now or you'll risk hurting everyone, including her and yourself, when your mom finds out about it. ”
“You think I haven't fucking tried? ” I asked, raising my hands in exasperation. “I've tried for years now dad, but I'm in love with her. You don't control who you fall in love with. ”
“Well fucking try harder. ” He said, raising his voice slightly. “Cleopatra is a good friend to your mom and I and your siblings love her too, I will not have your mother telling me to quit my job and cut off one of our closest friends because of this. ”
“Why do I have to be the one to give up who I love? ” I asked getting angry now. “Why can't you say you'll talk to mom and have her see reason? ”
“If I thought that there was even a slight chance that Cleo would have feelings for you, I would. ” He said. It was obvious he was also getting heated, but he calmed down a bit before speaking again. “Hayden, I love you and I want you to be happy, but I can't watch you pine over someone that is never going to feel the same way anymore. ”
“I hear you. ” I said, going back to the dishes.
“I know you do, but are you going to listen to me? ” His question was met with silence, causing him to sigh in defeat and go back to drying the dishes. “You're as stubborn as your mother. ”
“But you love us still. ” I said, giving him a cheesy grin which had him laughing.
We finished doing the dishes while making jokes here and there.
I love my dad, and I know he's right, but, if there's even a possibility that Cleo would ever give me a chance, I have to take it.
