Love & Care

Chapter 21

Selena and I had finished preparing our food. We went downstairs into the basement. Selena had put on a bathing suite before coming down but I just got my sketch book and some pencils. I sat close to the edge of the pool sketching while the others were in the water.
"You sure you don't want to come in?" Taylor was swimming to where I was sitting. "No I'm good." I smiled at her.
She nodded and went back to where Layla was currently helping Maya to float.
Maya was still floating. Taylor pulled her towards her. "Come here princess." Maya was paddling closer to her but sank in a little. She tried to hold her had back up but as she never learned to swim it was difficult for her. Taylor picked her up.
"I can't swim." Maya mumbled into her neck.
"Well that's something we can change." Taylor grinned at her and took the floaties they had bought to put them on Maya.
"Look princess you can float now." She said and let go of her of course staying close to her. She gave Maya a little push so she was floating towards Selena and Layla. When she arrived they turned her around and pushed her back towards Taylor.
They did this for a few times and Maya was giggling and when she was back she held onto Taylor.
"Good job princess. The water isn't scary right?" Maya nodded giggling.
"Want to try to kick the water to move forward by yourself?" Maya nodded.
She brought Maya closer to the shallow and where she could hold onto the edge of the pool. Taylor showed her how to probably kick the water to move forward.
"Can I try on my own?" I was looking up. Taylor had picked her up and turned to Selena and Layla.
"Do you think you can swim all the way to your sister?" Maya nodded excited. So Taylor let go of her and Maya started to kick the water. It took her a while but she managed to get to Layla and then back to Taylor.
"You did so good princess. Do you want to practice more?" Maya shook her head and clung to Taylor.
" 'm tired." "Swimming is exhausting. Why don't we get you out of the pool and wrapped up in a warm towel? I could get my guitar and we could sing something." Maya nodded eventhough she seemed tired.
The two of them got out and Layla and Selena followed shortly after.
They dried themselves off or in Mayas case Taylor dried her off and put her up into a Turban.
I got up and together we walked back upstairs. The four of them changed their clothes and when Maya came running downstairs she was wearing a cute pink bunny onesie.
"Awe May. You look adorable." I picked her up and held her close to my chest.
Layla came downstairs and grinned at us. "Aww Maya you are so cute." She came towards us and put the hood on Maya to play with the ears.
I smiled at her while bouncing Maya up and down.
Taylor walked downstairs cooing at the side of us.
"You guys are to cute." Maya looked at her before stretching her arms out in Taylors direction.
Taylor smiled and after setting her guitar down took Maya from my arms.
"My cute little bunny." She said while holding my baby sister and playing with her.
"Can we sing now?" Taylor laughed and sat down with Maya who excited started to clap her hands.
Selena walked into the room. "I'll start to cook now." I nodded and got up. "I'll help you." She smiled and we walked to the kitchen together.
We started to cook and twenty minutes later we started eating.
Maya was happily was happily eating her sausages and some of the vegetables. Layla and I only ate the vegetables but they were really good and both of us were happy about it.
"It's really good." Taylor said giving both of me and Selena a smile.
"What do you want to do after we ate?" Selena asked.
"Sing." Maya answered really excited. We others just nodded. "Yeah we could sing a few more songs and then play some games." Layla agreed and I smiled. Since we were here both of them had grown so much. They weren't as afraid to say their opinion as they were before.
Both Taylor and Selena nodded.
"Is that okay for you Alexa?" I looked up. Smiling at the nickname. My granny used to call me Alexa. "Yeah sure." "Can we go now?" Maya asked almost getting up.
"We have to clean up before we go back to the living room." I answered smiling at her. She sighed but got up to out her plate away anyways.
"Can we sing now?" Taylor shook her head lovingly. "Why don't you get your ukelele and we clean up." Maya jumped up and down and ran out. "Sure mommy."
All of us except Maya froze. "Did she just call me mommy?" Taylor asked. She looked both shocked and happy at the same time. "She did." Selena answered.
"If you don't want her to call you that I'll talk to her." I said quickly. "No it's alright." She answered giving me a warm smile.
We could hear Mayas little feet running up the stairs.
I got up and started to clean up with the help of the others.
We worked in silence until we heard Maya's foot steeps again.
"I'm back can we sing now?" She was jumping up and down and Taylor nodded. Maya grabbed her hand and pulled her with her.
"Come on mommy." She didn't seem to realize that she said mommy but we others did.
"I'm coming princess. Guys you'll join us?" Layla looked at me and Selena. "You're okay with finishing to clean up alone?" We nodded and she walked to the living room with them.
I helped Selena doing the dishes and we could hear the others singing in the living room. Maya was playing 'bare necessities' on her ukulele while singing.
I looked over to Selena and smiled at her. And then I dropped a plate. For one second I wasn't thinking and dropped a plate.
I looked at Selena. Freaking out internally. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I'm really sorry. Please don't be mad." Okay I wasn't only freaking out internally.
"Sunshine. Look at me. I'm not mad. It happens nothing is wrong. Nobody got hurt."
She came towards me careful not to step on any of the shards.
Careful she was coming closer befofe pulling me into her arms.
"You're alright. Nobody is going to hurt you." I felt her playing with my hair and drawing patterns on my back.
We stayed like this for a while and after a few minutes I finally calmed down.
"Are you okay now?" I nodded but didn't want to let her go.
"Can we stay like this for a bit?" I mumbled into her hair and I could feel her nod before pulling me closer.
I could hear my sister and Taylor stop singing so I slowly wriggled out of Selena's grip.
"We should clean up here. Not that Maya runs to the shards." I said while wiping the tears that were brimming in my eyes away. She nodded and together we started cleaning up and from finished just before heard Maya's foot running towards the kitchen.
"Are you coming?" She looked at us.
"Yeah just one second and stay at the door princess. We dropped a plate and don't want you to get hurt."
Maya nodded and stayed at the door.
"I'll get a vacuum just to make sure there are no shards left. You guys go to Taylor." Selena smiled at us. "You're sure? I can do it." Selena just smiled and nodded.
"Just go." "Thank you." I said and went to the living room.
I sat down on the couch. Maya curled up against Taylor and closed her eyes.
"Can we play now?" Maya asked and looked up at Taylor.
"Course we can princess. Let's just wait for Selena to come." Maya just nodded and went to choose a game with Layla.
Layla smiled at us before picking out UNO with Maya.
"Can we play UNO?" Taylor and I nodded.
"Sure." We sat and I started to shuffle the cards.
"Guys I'm here we can start." Selena said plopping down next to me.
She gave me a smile and I leaned into her.
Taylor started to hand out the cards and we began to play.
We played for a really long time and all of us won at least once.
After UNO we played a few other games till we decided around 6pm to make dinner and watch a movie.
"Why don't we just order pizza?" Taylor said. We nodded and Taylor went to order.
We started watching Moana while waiting for the pizza. Maya and Layla were absolutely in love. Maya was cuddling with Taylor and I was leaning against Selena who had put an arm around me.
The bell rang and Taylor got up to get the pizza.
"Guys dinners ready." She handed all of us our food and we started to eat.
Around 8 pm the movie ended.
"Can we watch another one?" Maya asked looking at Taylor.
"Not today princess. You need to go to bed." She answered. "But mommy." Maya pouted and I could see Taylors stern facade melting away.
"Tay is right May." I quickly jumped in.
"Not fair." She crossed her arms in front of her and continued pouting.
Taylor picked her up. "Baby bunnies need to go to bed." "No. Don't want to. Why can Layla and Lexi stay up? I'm a big girl too." She looked at Taylor with tears in her eyes. "Yeah you're a big girl, but they are a little bigger." She started to carry the moody Maya upstairs.
"I'll call it a night too." Layla said "I'm really tired from gymnastics and swimming. Night Lexi. Night Sel." "Night Lay." I answered her. "Night darlin'" Selena smiled.
After my second sister left as well I looked at Selena and smiled. She opened her arms and I scooted closer to her so that she could hold me.
"Do you think Maya realizes that she called Taylor mommy?" She asked. "I don't know. She never had a real mom figure in her life so maybe now that she has Taylor and you she just decided that someone who plays the part of a mom should also be called a mom." I shrugged and gave her smile.
"You didn't have a real mom either sunshine." She said while stroking my hair. I sighed and looked down. "Yeah but I am older and I had my granny till I was ten. She was amazing. She'd bake cookies and play games with us. Eventhough she was old she'd still go to gymnastics everyday and she'd take Layla with her ever since Layla could walk. My grandpa worked at a cinema. He'd sometimes sneak us in so we could watch movies for free but in his heart he was an artist. He used to tell us stories about all the places he'd been and the things he'd done. He went to Hawaii in his younger years and learned to play the Ukulele. I think he and Maya would have bonded really well." I smiled at the memories of my loving grandparents.
"What about you who were you close to? I mean this artistic talent must come from somewhere." I sighed and looked down.
"Apparently from my mother. My grandpa told me stories about her as a young girl. She'd stay awake drawing and she'd paint all day. Or she'd climb on trees to get the perspective. As a kid I've never believed him but I found some of her artwork in the attic a few years back." Selena smiled and pulled me even closer. "Thank you for sharing this with me. And sunshine you deserve a real mom as well." I felt her kiss my head before putting a blanket over both of us and I smiled.
Together with Taylor we watched another movie both of them were cuddling me.
"Alexa. If you need one of us tonight because you have a nightmare or anything else just come and get on of us. We don't mind being awake." I nodded and gave Taylor a smile before entering my room.
---------------------------------------------------------
2089 words