A Missed Opportunity

14

As if on que, loud and uneven knocks sound from down the hall. I laugh because I assume Elaina might've done the same thing Cameron did and ran ahead to knock on the door. "I got it." I hold my hand up when Noah makes a move to get off the ground. He smiles at me, so I get off the couch to go down the hall.

I smile widely when I open the door to see Aaliyah. She smiles back at me. "Hey," She greets as Elaina squeezes past me to rush inside. I step aside to let Aaliyah in too. "You're here already." She quietly points out, anxiety slipping its way in her voice.

My smile softens. "We're only fifteen minutes away." I reason, in case she thinks I was already here. She smiles at that and starts to lead the way back down the hall. "Anyway, I'm so glad we could do this. I seriously need to update my wardrobe, and I hate doing that alone."

"Oh, God. I do too." Aaliyah quickly agrees, looking at me over her shoulder. "Oh." She whispers when she looks ahead and makes it into the living room. I tilt my head at what we see too.

Cameron has since moved over to find a spot in Noah's lap, sitting how he used to when he was smaller with me. His narrowed eyes are locked on Elaina who stands off to the side, watching Noah with a frown. She looks heartbroken.

I think they're fighting over him.

Luckily, Noah seems to know how to handle it. He's laughing as he crosses one arm around Cameron to keep him still, using the other to reach for Elaina. Cameron huffs at that, but he seems to allow Noah to hug poor Elaina. "Hey." He looks up at Aaliyah with a gentle smile.

Aaliyah tips her chin up stubbornly. "Nora." She hums as she marches over to drop down on the couch.

"Hey, do you mind if I take them for ice cream sometime today?" He asks, seemingly choosing to let her go on with her stubborn anger. From what I hear, it's kind of fair.

Aaliyah thinks for a second. She shakes her head. "No, go ahead." She agrees, her cold tone dropping pretty quick. "Try to get her down for a nap before though. She won't sleep afterwards." She warns. He nods like he figured. "Okay, we're good, right?" She smiles again as she looks to me.

I smile back. "We're good." I confirm. She bounces up from the couch immediately. I turn to Cameron. "Bye, Cam." I call, opening my arms for a goodbye hug like he loves.

"Bye." He doesn't even look at me, too busy defending his spot from the little girl who just wants to hang out with her uncle.

My jaw drops and my heart breaks a little. Noah laughs. "Hey, come on." He nudges Cameron. "Go say bye to your mom." He dismisses.

Cameron huffs, but he reluctantly gets up and comes over to me. He sighs when Elaina immediately moves her little legs as fast as she can to steal his spot. Noah just laughs, letting her drop down where Cameron had been. "Bye," Cameron offers again, this time giving me the hug he always gives.

"I'll see you in a few hours." I hum, kissing his cheek as I pull away. As I expected, he follows us as we start walking towards the hall. Once he learned what it meant to walk someone out, he's always done it. "Thank you, sir." I smile when he opens the door for us.

He grumbles under his breath in response at us. I try not to laugh as I walk out into the hall with a giggling Aaliyah right behind me. As I turn to say one more goodbye, he shuts the door on us. Aaliyah lifts her hand to her mouth when we even hear the door lock behind us. "Oh, my gosh." She whispers as we start walking down the hall. "He's really getting used to Noah, huh?" She asks.

I nod quickly. "Oh, yeah. He was never so close with the friends I'd introduce him to in our old town, so I don't really understand it."

Aaliyah tilts her head at that. "Wait, does he know Noah's his..." She trials off and points her thumb over her shoulder.