Love me, regardless

Chapter 4

Cyrill's POV

"Baby, wake up." I gently shook Aries awake. As usual, I had woken up before him. I couldn't let him sleep too long, or he wouldn't be able to fall asleep later tonight. Still half-asleep, he immediately wrapped his arms around me.

"I love you, Mommy."

"I love you so much too, my love."

We headed downstairs, and I sat him on one of the stools by the kitchen island while I reheated the meal I had cooked earlier.

"Do you want to play outside?" I asked, wiping the corners of his mouth. I didn't think he'd noticed the garden behind the house yet.

Aries was just about to answer when the doorbell rang.

I immediately went on alert and picked him up.

"Don't let go, okay?" He tightened his arms around my neck and buried himself against my chest. My entire body trembled with anxiety as I slowly walked toward the front door.

"Hello? Anyone home?" I let out a quiet sigh of relief. I didn't recognize the voice. It was ironic how I felt safer around complete strangers than I did around my own friends.

"It's okay now, lovie." I set Aries down but kept him safely behind me before opening the door.

Standing outside was a fair-skinned man with a bright smile on his face, carrying a food container.

"Hi! I'm Matthew, but you can call me Matt. I'm your neighbor—I live right across the street." He pointed toward the house opposite ours.

"Cyrill." It was all I offered in return.

"I made some adobo. I saw you move in earlier, so I thou—"

"Adobo!" Matthew was cut off when Aries suddenly peeked out from behind me. Adobo—especially with boiled eggs—was his absolute favorite.

"Hello!" I quickly pulled Aries back beside me, causing Matthew to stop in his tracks.

"Ah—sorry. I just got excited," he apologized immediately.

"No, I'm the one who's sorry. Anyway... come in." Inviting a stranger inside was probably a bad idea. But he looked harmless enough. Besides, I could defend myself if I had to.

"I'm really sorry about earlier," Matthew said again as he stepped inside. "I've been living here for quite a while, but none of the neighboring houses have been occupied. I guess I just got a little excited when I finally saw someone move in."

"It's okay. And I'm sorry too if I offended you by pulling Aries away so suddenly."

"It's no big deal," He smiled. "Oh, here. This is the adobo. He's been staring at it the whole time." He pointed at Aries, whose eyes were practically glued to the food container in Matthew's hands.

I accepted it and headed to the kitchen. Aries somehow beat me there, making me chuckle. I scooped a small serving onto a plate and set it in front of him.

"I cooked something too. Come on, have a seat."

"I'm already full," Matthew replied, though he sat down anyway. I served him some of the food I had prepared.

"Thanks for the meal, Cyrill."

"And thank you for the adobo. Aries really enjoyed it."

"Thank you, Toto!" Matthew smiled warmly.

___

"If you ever need anything, I'm just across the street. Just call me." After saying goodbye, he finally left.

"Mommy, Toto Matt is super nice," Aries said as soon as the door closed.

"Really? What do you think of him?"

"He's nice, handsome, and funny. He's like Tito Dadi."

"Really? Not just because he gave you your favorite food?" He hesitated, making me laugh.

I pulled him into my arms and showered his face with kisses. Aries was incredibly ticklish, and his giggles echoed throughout the house as he tried to squirm free.

"Mommy, stop!"

"Nope. Just let Papa hug you." He finally slipped out of my embrace and took off running. I chased after him, and soon our laughter filled every corner of the house.

I wished every day could be like this. Just the two of us, happy and carefree.

No more running.

No more hiding.

No painful memories from my past haunting us.

Most of all...

I wished Aries would never have to get caught up in whatever trouble Heath was bringing into our lives.