bapa: from here to eternity

chapter 48: plans

Miles POV:

I was still hanging out at Bose's penthouse, trying to survive this whole babysitting situation. The girls were all over the place—laughing, shouting, trying to get Bose's attention while playing games. Meanwhile, I was doing my best to stay out of their way, feeling more like a third wheel than anything else. Watching Bose handle all of it like a champ, though, made me realize I wasn't really needed here.

I leaned back on the couch, scrolling through my phone, when suddenly Bose walked over to me. He had this easygoing smile, the kind that usually meant he had something up his sleeve.

"You know, man," Bose said, glancing over at the girls who were still busy with the games. "If you wanna dip out, it's cool. I've got everything under control here."

I looked up at him, surprised. "You sure?"

"Yeah," he nodded, still smiling. "They're having a blast. I can handle them."

I didn't need to be told twice. Babysitting wasn't exactly my idea of a great Sunday. "Thanks, man," I said, getting up and grabbing my jacket. "I owe you."

Bose waved me off. "Nah, you don't. See you later, Miles."

I gave him a grateful nod, said goodbye to the girls who barely noticed, and headed out. After driving for a while, I found myself pulling up at the Man's Nest. It was quiet—too quiet. It felt good to have some space, though. I turned on the lights as soon as I stepped inside, expecting to unwind a little before figuring out what to do next.

But then I froze.

Sitting on the couch, looking like she'd been waiting for me, was my mom.

I stopped dead in my tracks, completely caught off guard. "Mom? What are you doing here?"

She stood up quickly, her face tense and serious. "Miles, I've been trying to get ahold of you."

I closed the door behind me, still confused. "Yeah, I've been... busy. What's going on?"

She walked toward me, her voice urgent. "I need to talk to you about Aunt Didi's birthday. You have to come, Miles. And you need to bring Maddie."

I sighed, feeling my frustration rise again. "Mom, we've been over this. Maddie and I broke up. I'm not dragging her to some family event."

"I know, I know!" she said, practically pleading now. "But I already told Aunt Didi you're still together. If she finds out I lied, she's going to be so angry with me. She's been asking to see Maddie for ages."

I couldn't believe we were doing this again. "Mom, that's not my problem. I already told you, you should've told her the truth."

She stepped closer, eyes wide and desperate. "Please, Miles. Just this one time. After that, you can hate me all you want and you can tell her you broke up. But you have to come. And Maddie has to be there."

I clenched my jaw, trying to hold back the frustration building up inside me. "This is ridiculous. I'm not going to lie for you."

"Miles, please," she begged, her hands clasped together like she was praying. "Aunt Didi will be so upset. You don't understand how important this is to her. And me if you don't show up."

I stood there for a long moment, torn between telling her no and just giving in to make this whole thing go away. Part of me wanted to walk out and forget this conversation ever happened, but the other part—the part that still wanted to keep the peace—was nagging at me.

Finally, I sighed heavily and ran a hand through my hair. "Fine."

Her face lit up instantly. "Thank you, Miles! You have no idea how much this means."