"Connor, how did you get in?"
He turned, his smile dropping. "Where were you?" he asked, his soft voice worried.
"I was with Amber."
"I asked you to come straight home."
"We did. I spent the night at her place.” I took the final steps toward him. "Connor, you broke into my home."
"I used the spare key inside the lantern. I’m sorry if I scared you.”
"You still remember where the key is?"
"Of course I do."
He wrapped his arms around me, and my head fell back to stare up to him. I could feel his pulse running through his body. I waited for him to kiss me. With each second that passed, I became lightheaded with anticipation.
"I drove by to see if you were home safe, but you weren’t here. I was worried.”
His breath is hot … sexy against my lips.
Kiss me.
But Connor didn’t kiss me, I felt his muscles tighten around me before he let me go, backing away. “Vida, I shouldn’t have come inside. I shouldn’t be doing this.” With his head low, he stepped around me and walked out of my room.
My head spun. “Connor, wait.” I rushed toward him, but I wasn’t quick enough. He opened the door and walked out, shutting it behind him.
“Wait,” I cried softly, opening the door. I rushed outside to the nosy glares of my neighbors and stopped. I watched Connor get into his car and drive away. With a heavy heart, I turned and walked back into the house and back to my bedroom.
I threw myself onto my bed. What had just happened? I heard footsteps come into my room and I rolled over slowly, hoping it was Connor.
“Baby, what are you doing?” my dad asked from my doorway.
“Nothing,” I answered, burying my face in my pillow.
“Okay.” I heard him walk back to the kitchen. “There’s lunch and dinner in the microwave. Come hang with your dad when you’re ready.”
I rolled off the bed, grabbing my phone out of my bag, and walked into the living room. “How was your date? You’re back early.” I noticed Dad had changed into sweats and a T-shirt. “When did you get home?”
“I wasn’t needed for the whole weekend after all.” He told me. “Grab your lunch and come sit here with me.”
I did as he’d asked and grabbed a Chinese takeout box from the microwave and chopsticks from the drawer. I walked back to the living room and sat on the couch, slouching back with my knees bent and my feet planted flat on the couch. I opened the container and lifting chow mein noodles with my chopsticks.
Dad pushed the volume down on the remote in his hand. “Did you go out last night?”
“I slept over at Amber’s,” I told him before stuffing my mouth with noodles.
"You spent the night there?"
"Dad, don't look so shocked." I laughed.
"You never spend the night anywhere. You must really like Amber." My dad smiled peacefully. "What happened at Amber's?"
"What do you mean by what happened?" I asked, crinkling my nose.
"Well, the way I found you in your room was pretty dramatic. I’d like to know what's hurting my baby girl."
If he only knew, I thought. "Nothing, Dad. I was just being a girl. We’re dramatic about everything."
"Is it a boy?"
Yes… "Dad, if I told you it was, you’d get all daddy and go and try to hurt him, okay, so no, I won't tell you who he is.” When it comes to my dad, there weren't any secrets between us. We held enough secrets from everyone else that holding secrets from each other would just … well, we’d die inside. But for now, I’d have to hold this truth just a little longer. “But yes, there’s a boy in my class that I kinda like."
Dad sighed deeply. "You know I’ll hunt him down if he hurts you.”
"I know." I stuffed more noodles into my mouth.
"Does he know you like him?"
"Yes," I answered through a mouthful of food, wondering where he was going with this.
"Has he acted on it?" I could see his anxiety was rising and rocking his patience.
I finished eating and placed the empty container and chopsticks on our dark-wood coffee table to buy some time. "No..." My heart raced.
"Vida." My dad warned, seeing through my lie.
“He kissed me once …” I whispered. Twice and almost a third time.
“I’m killing him.”
“Dad, trust me, okay?” I hooked my arm around his shoulder and kissed his temple.
He sighed again. “I trust you, baby.”
I kissed his temple a second time and unhooked my arm, falling back onto the couch. My cell phone rang and my dad raised his eyebrow, causing me to giggle.