Brutus and Enobaria went on all different types of dates once they became official. They went row boating, swimming, horseback riding, hiking, biking, shopping, to the movies, on a picnic, spy museum, park, almost everything squeezed into three weeks.
And Cashmere's blood was boiling of jealousy. Her complexion almost turned green from envy, which made Brutus smile.
Enobaria grabbed her wallet and jacket before saying goodbye to Diana, who was in the kitchen. She was reading the newspaper at the counter, sipping her English breakfast hot tea.
"Bye, Diana," Enobaria said, grabbing her car keys. "Brutus and I are going to the movies to see a scary movie. I'll be home at about one a.m."
"Eno, wait!" Diana called, making Enobaria turn around. "You haven't taken your depression pills in almost two weeks straight."
The depression pills were given to Enobaria when she was thirteen; a few years after her dad had been arrested and taken to prison. Even with her uncle's shelter, she still felt abandoned. She would eat like a bird, listen to the same song, read the same book, lie on the sofa all day. If Diana and John were lucky, they'd get a full sentence out of her at least one a day.
That was when they decided she was depressed and took her to the doctors. As much as Enobaria refused, they told her she had to take the pills or else she'd die of depression. The pills didn't make her feel happy of joyful, they made her feel numb.
"I don't think I'm going to need them," Enobaria said. "I've been feeling great."
Diana was about to say she should at least take one just in case, but she knew how much she hated taking them. And her mood really has been better since she started going out with Brutus. "Alright, if you say so. Have fun and drive safely."
"Thanks." Enobaria walked out the front door, got into her car, and drove to Brutus's house. She opened the front door with the keys Brutus gave her last week when he thought she should have a copy just in case. "Brutus! I'm here!" She kneeled down and greeted Poncho.
Brutus came out of the kitchen, panting and looking like a hot mess. He was sweating, his clothes were dirty, and he looked exhausted. "Hey, Princess." He walked up to her and kissed her on the cheek, knowing she wouldn't appreciate him kissing her on the lips while he was sweating like a pig.
"Hi, Brutus." Enobaria looked up and down at him. "Are you ready to go to see Anabelle? It's gonna be hilarious!"
Brutus smiled at how she found horror movies to be funny instead of scary. She wouldn't curl up at his side and be all scared like most girls would do; instead she'd laugh about it like crazy.
"Right…" Brutus trailed off. He scratched the back of his neck. "I think I'm gonna have to cancel tonight. I made a promise to the neighbors that I'd babysit their kids tonight. Only I didn't know it was tonight until they reminded me. I'm sorry; I know you want to see it."
"It's fine," Enobaria said. "And hey, we can always watch the movie another day."
Brutus grinned at her. "You're the best." He loved how she was so understanding.
"I know," Enobaria teased. "No offense, but you look like a hot mess."
"Yeah, they're a bit of a handful," Brutus said. "I don't really have experience with little kids. And worse, they're making me look after a baby."
"I can help you babysit tonight," Enobaria said. "Do you really think I'm gonna let you babysit a bunch of kids by yourself?" She kissed him on the cheek before taking off her jacket and putting down her bag.
Brutus nodded and led her to the kitchen, where two kids were making a mess with their spaghetti and meatballs. "I don't really know what to do," Brutus said. "I don't understand why they can't just eat their spaghetti like normal people."
"Brutus, they're kids," Enobaria reminded him. "Look, I'll take care of them. Go and take a shower."
He nodded, clapped his hands to gain the kids' attention, and said, "Alright, this is Enobaria. She's in charge for fifteen minutes until I'm back. Don't do anything naughty." Brutus kissed her before he went upstairs to take a shower.
Enobaria turned around and looked at the little kids. "Hi, why don't we get to know each other? I'm Enobaria, and what's your name?"
"I'm Toby," a little blonde boy who seemed to be five years old said. "And this is my twin sister, Mary." Mary was a little shier than Toby, since she was hiding behind him and she wouldn't talk.
"Nice to meet you," Enobaria said. "May I ask why you're playing with your food when you're supposed to be eating it?"
"We're not hungry," Toby replied. "And we wanna play."
"Brutus said you have a little baby sibling, where is your sibling?" Enobaria asked, remembering about the baby Brutus brought up. Mary pointed at the living room with her little finger. Enobaria walked into the living room to see a little baby crying in its large baby carriage. She gently picked him up and went to the kitchen.
"That's Jared," Toby said. "He's only four months years old."
"Did he eat?" Enobaria asked. Mary shook her head. "Did your parents leave any milk for him?"
"A bottle should be in the large tote bag my mom left," Toby said, pointing at the tote bag sitting on the counter.
Enobaria reached for the bag until she found a bottle of already prepared milk. She began to feed Jared and he stopped crying. "I'll tell you what. If you eat your food, I'll play with you and you can have desert."
"Yay!" Toby screamed, with his hands up in the air. Toby and Mary began to eat their food, forgetting all about the mess they made. But Enobaria didn't make a big fuss about it; she'd clean it up later.
Once they finished eating and Enobaria fed Jared his bottle, Brutus came down the stairs, smelling like soap. "Hey." He kissed Enobaria on the cheek while she still held onto Jared. "They finished eating?"
"Yeah." Enobaria was a little proud of herself by having that accomplished. "I kinda promised them desert and play time if they finished."
"Okay then." Brutus took out chocolate and vanilla ice cream from the freezer and four bowls while Enobaria settled Jared into his large carriage that turned into a crib so that he could get some sleep. "Who wants chocolate and who wants vanilla?"
"We want both!" Toby shouted. "And please."
Enobaria laughed and helped Brutus serve ice cream to the little kids. Once they all had their serving of ice cream, they played, just like Enobaria promised. Somehow, they ended up playing a game that involved princesses and dragons.
Toby played the night in shining armor that was destined to slay the mighty terrible dragon. Brutus was stuck with playing the dragon in a ridiculous dragon costume, Mary was the queen dressed in a purple gown, and Enobaria was the princess dressed in a pink gown and a small tiara. Brutus thought it was cute that she played the princess, since that was his nickname for her. And of course, Poncho was Toby's steed.
"It is my destiny to slay the foul beast and rescue the princess!" Toby said with a sense of pride.
"Oh, help me!" Enobaria said, putting her hand on her forehead, acting like a damsel in distress.
"I shall rescue you!" Toby exclaimed with honor.
"Not unless you get past me!" Brutus roared, stepping in Toby's way. Mary screamed a little as Brutus began to roar. Toby stepped on Brutus's tale and made it past him. "Ow, my tail!"
Toby rushed to Enobaria's side and saved the princess. "My knight in shining armor!" Enobaria squealed. "You saved me!"
After they played, Mary wanted to see a movie. They all agreed on watching Mulan. Halfway through the movie, Toby and Mary fell asleep and the only ones awake were Enobaria and Brutus, who were snuggling on the couch, with Poncho sleeping next to Enobaria's side.
"I don't know what I would've done without you," Brutus said, bringing her closer. "I probably would've ended up pulling my hair out."
"No, you wouldn't," Enobaria laughed. "Though don't do that, ever, because I like playing with your hair. And you just need more experience with little kids, that's all."
"How come you're so good with them?" Brutus asked, a little curious. It was like she was a child whisperer. And the kids really liked her, he could tell.
"I really have no idea," Enobaria admitted. "I've never really been with little kids for much time."
"Do you think you'd be a good mom?" Brutus asked out of nowhere. Then he realized he brought up the subject on her mom. He knew how sensitive that was for her.
"Uh, I really don't know," Enobaria replied. "I probably wouldn't be a good mom. I haven't had one for almost all my life, so I wouldn't really know how to be one."
"I think you'd be a great mom," Brutus opinionated. "I know it."
Enobaria kissed him on the lips before fixating her eyes on the screen. "Mulan's the most badass princess."
"What makes you think that?" Brutus asked, surprised she brought up the movie.
"She's a fighter," Enobaria stated. "Instead of waiting for a miracle to happen like all the other girls, she actually did something about the situation. She didn't wait for her fairy godmother, or her prince to come rescue her. She didn't want to be saved. And the best part is, she faced reality. She knows life isn't a fairytale, even though the movie pretty much is a fairytale considering it's Disney."
"Do you wish your life was a fairytale?" he asked out of curiosity.
"All the freaking damn time," Enobaria replied. "But I know that's never going to happen because that's impossible."
"My life is kind of like a fairytale," Brutus told her. "I have my princess with me. But don't you sometimes wish you could be saved by your Prince?"
"It would be nice," Enobaria said before yawning. "It never hurt to just stay in fairytale land for once in a while." She leaned onto his shoulder. Then the baby began to cry and Enobaria stood up and cradled Jared in her arms. She sat back down next to Brutus once the baby stopped crying, Jared still in her arms.
For some reason, Brutus imagined his life in the next maybe five to eight years. He pictured Enobaria, holding their baby, just like she was doing now. He thought about what would happen if they stayed longer than he planned.
Did Brutus actually love her enough to imagine the rest of his life with her?
A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. Brutus stood up to answer the door while Enobaria set Jared back into his crib, or carriage, or whatever it was. Brutus came back with the neighbors, ready to pick up their children after a long night.
Enobaria gently woke up Toby and Mary, who were asleep on the couch. Toby was up and he was more than awake. Mary, on the other hand, was still sleepy. Enobaria picked her up and handed her to her father.
Toby didn't want to leave. He held onto Enobaria's leg and wouldn't let go. "No! I don't want to leave. I had so much fun!" Enobaria laughed and made him loosen his grip on her leg. "You guys are the best babysitters ever!"
After the neighbors paid Brutus and said goodbye, Brutus and Enobaria were exhausted. They collapsed onto the couch and then groaned once they realized they had to clean up all the mess they made.
"We should start cleaning," Enobaria said, standing up and tugging at Brutus's arm. "Come on, I'll help you."
"I'll go get the cleaning tools." Brutus headed over to the laundry room to look for the cleaning supplies. While he was gone, Brutus's phone received a text.
Enobaria checked to see who it was from. "Brutus, you got a text from Finnick."
"Can you read it out loud for me, please?" Brutus asked from the kitchen.
"He says that you have twenty-five days left," Enobaria said, a little confused. "What does he mean by that?"
Brutus dropped all the cleaning supplies and sprinted to her. "Oh, that's nothing. We just have this massive project due in twenty-five days." He grabbed his phone from her hands and hid it from her. "Don't worry about it."
"Okay, if you say so." Enobaria didn't really think the text was very important, and she knew she should just stay away.
"Hey, my friends and I are going to the beach this Friday afternoon. Do you want to come?" Brutus asked, picking up the mop from the floor. "You don't have to if you don't want to, but it'd be nice if you'd come…"
"I'll go if you want me to," Enobaria said. Brutus gave her puppy eyes, and she giggled. "Alright, I'll go."
"Thank you!" Brutus kissed her on the cheek before they started cleaning up the kitchen. The front door opened and in came Clara and Peter.
"What on Earth happened here?" Clara asked, looking at the spaghetti and meatballs all over the kitchen. "Hi, Enobaria."
"Enobaria and I were babysitting," Brutus said, putting down the mop. "They were a bit of a handful."
"I can tell," Peter said in a nasty voice. "Brutus, you promised to be responsible and babysit for one night. Not to make a mess around the house and let the neighbors' kids run wild."
"Okay, at first it was a bit of a mess because I was alone, but then Enobaria came to the rescue," Brutus explained. "She's amazing with kids."
"And why is she here?" Peter asked, a little angry.
"Well, we were supposed to see Anabelle, but then I forgot about babysitting so she decided to help me instead," Brutus explained, a little scared of his dad's angry expression. "It's not a big deal."
"Brutus, that's not the point!" Peter snapped. "You need to start being a little bit more responsible and I didn't give you permission for Enobaria to be at my house!" He turned to face her. "When will you just accept the fact that you're not good enough for him?"
"Peter!" Clara called his attention. Something was wrong; he never spoke that rude to anyone before. "I'm so sorry, Enobaria. I don't know what's wrong with him. I think it would be best if you left."
"No! She doesn't have to leave just because dad doesn't want her here!" Brutus decided. He walked up to Enobaria and grabbed her hand.
"Get her out of my house!" Peter yelled.
Enobaria nodded before pecking Brutus on the cheek, grabbing her coat and bag, and getting into her car. She sighed and ran her hands through her fingers before she burst into tears.
Peter just called her worthless, inferior, a nothing. She knew she was all that, but it was still harsh to hear those words. She had one good thing, something that made her happy. Enobaria knew that Brutus could do better than her, that she didn't deserve him.
She brushed off her tears before she turned on her car and headed home, trying to conceal her whimpers.