Losing Home✔️

13. Babysitting

"Dammit" Xavier mutters louder this time, furiously tapping away on his phone angrily.

"What's wrong?" I asked giving him a sideways look.

So, this is just a slight recount of déjà vu. When Xavier was driving me to my house, he remembered he had to pick Peyton up after school. Safe to say we drove pretty fast to the junior school to get her.

Funnily enough, it's the same school Tyler goes to as well. Anyway, after we picked her up, she demanded that we got ice cream because she didn't have a good day at school because of a boy in a higher grade.

Xavier ended up giving her the overprotective brother speech about not dating or thinking about dating until she's fifty. She didn't listen though being too focused on her ice cream to care and he gave up. 

I don't know what possessed me to think that he might tell me if something is wrong since we barely know each other, but it's the counts, right? He watched me carefully for a moment, reading me before he let. Out a frustrated sigh. "I have to be somewhere tonight, and I doubt I'm going to be able to get a nanny to watch Peyton at such late notice."

His figure is tense like he's got the weight of the world resting on his shoulders, it seems like he has too much pressure on him for a seventeen-year-old, which is why I figure I'd help him out a little when I say, "Well, I can watch Peyton for you. If that's okay with both of you that is."

It's a genuine offer but I can see him studying me, trying to find any sense of misguided intentions. At least, that's what it feels like.

"YES!!! Can I please go with Paisley? I don't want some old lady that doesn't care about me, watching me." Peyton so eloquently stated her argument.

Xavier turned his gaze to me again before speaking. "Are you sure? I'll be pretty late to pick her back up." It's not like I'm going to get much sleep anyway, might as well spend it with a Peyton.

"Yeah, that's okay. I get to spend more time with this cute little munchkin." I pulled Peyton towards me, matching her wide grin.

"See, it's okay. It's all worked out." Peyton said matter-of-factly. "Let's go!"

"I guess it's settled" He laughs shaking his head at his little sister. We left the shop, Peyton bouncing up down with a sugar-high grin on her face and jumped back in Xavier's car and drove to my house.

Xavier remained mostly silent the whole ride, only glancing between Peyton and I as we discussed all our plans that could do tonight while Xavier was out wherever he was. To be honest, I'm quite excited to spend some more time with Peyton, her laugh and is so contagious you can't help but join in with her. We managed to plan quite the itinerary for tonight, but Peyton wanted to keep the details of our sleepover just to us, so she started whispering not so quietly.

We pulled up to my house a few moments later per my navigating, and I jumped out of the car, while Xavier did the same, getting Peyton this time.

I waited just beside the car watching Xavier lecture Peyton to not give me a hard time and be a good guest for me. It was quite cute to watch actually, he really seems like the father figure in her life from the looks of it because he's really good with her.

He handed Peyton's bag over to me and scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I...uh...should be back around 11:30, twelve the latest. Is that alright?"

I suppose this would seem like a really odd thing to do for someone that I've only talked to on a handful of occasions, and each one of them wasn't really the 'get to know you' type conversations. It would also seem pretty odd letting almost a complete stranger look after their little sister after only a couple of days and knowing practically nothing about me. So, this whole situation is a first for me and very peculiar.

"Yeah, that's okay. I'll be up anyway." I said flippantly then blushing awkwardly at Xavier's confused, questioning expression. "Does she... uh... have a bedtime?" I changed the subject.

"She generally drops off around 8:30, nine at the latest some nights. I'm sure she'll enlighten you on the strict bedtime routine that must be followed herself." He smiles at Peyton warmly.

After a few last-minute instructions on Peyton, which weren't very many because she's apparently very easy to look after, he asked me if I was sure and then proceeded to thank me again before finally driving off to wherever he needed to go. I can't really expect him to tell me where it is he needed to be tonight because well we aren't exactly friends, but then again, I am looking after Peyton for him because of it.

Pulling Peyton inside, I turned the tv on for Peyton, flicking it to a kid's channel playing SpongeBob reruns, while I quickly go upstairs and have a quick shower and change back into Xavier's hoodie. It swallows me whole, acting like a dress that comes to my mid-thigh. When I run back downstairs, Peyton is exactly where I left her, laughing at Squidward's new and improved face after being hit in the face with a door.

Once she spotted me, she jumped off the couch and ran to me begging to make the brownies I had promised her in the car, and so we did. We walked into the kitchen and I noticed a sticky note on the countertop. 'Went out to dinner with some new colleagues and brought Tyler with me. Won't be home till late – Mom.'

Well then, I guess that gives me more time to explain to her why a (handsome) guy would be showing up at our doorstep around midnight.