Journey into love

Chapter Seventeen

Song of the chapter: Seventeen-I don't wanna cry.

"Why are you here?" Nico repeated again. I couldn't see his face, so I didn't know the expression he was wearing now. There was a pause and he spoke again.

"Why are you here without getting me any gift? I thought we agreed that if you didn't bring my gift on your next visit, I wouldn't let you in." I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

"Well, I have something for you." I heard the man say at the door. "Come here champ." I heard giggling from the kid and loud laughter as they stumbled in, the man, holding Nico in his arms.

There was a pause as the man moved into the room. I spun around in my seat to take a look at the new presence. He was the man I saw in a blue hat on the first day of the McLeans' move here. His face was unmistakable. Nico got down from his arms and ran into the kitchen.

"Careful boy." The man's voice boomed from behind me, just as I'd turned back around.

"Hello sir." I got up awkwardly as he scanned my face, probably checking to see if he knew the face but with the way he stared, it looked like he was only trying to confirm if I wasn't a serial killer. I took that moment to take a closer look at him, as subtly as I could.

His face had wrinkles that were quite obvious at the corners of both eyes and forehead. He had grey eyes, which looked to be scrutinizing. His black hair looked thoroughly combed and there were visible dusting of grey hair. If he was Jamie's dad, I wouldn't say he looked a lot like his father but I guessed they had that one thing in common- that penetrating gaze that made one squirm even if you were the one at the receiving end or not.

He finally gave me a nod and looked up as Nicole appeared from the kitchen. She seemed fidgety and reached up to give him a kiss but caught herself and gave him a hug instead.

He gave her a pat on the back briefly, before letting her go. Was that a strained relationship I perceived? Looking at them as they stood so close, he looked a lot older than her, probably more than ten years difference.

"Dinner will be ready in five." Nicole croaked out to her husband and chose that moment to look at me. She looked up to him and back at me.

"Honey, please can you get Jamie down here?" Wait, she was talking to her husband, right? She could call him honey but...why was she looking at me? While seconds passed and I was still having an internal battle on who she was talking to, she confirmed my doubts by repeating her question, this time, with my name.

"Annie, could you help me get Jamie down for dinner?"

"Me?" It could have come out as a shriek if my voice hadn't sounded like a strangled animal. I looked at the couple before silently clearing my throat. I mean, yeah, sure. And please, if you don't mind, I'd like to place a call to my dad to hear his voice for the last time and to tell him to live his life, get married to Miranda and try his best to move on without me.

Instead of spouting out all these though, I replied. "Oh, sure."

Up the stairs and down the hallway to the last room on the left, I walked like I was being controlled by a remote.

I took a deep breath and gave a knock on the bed. Once, twice.

"Who's there?" I heard his voice and before I realized it, I was already tiptoeing back the way I came. To get things straight, I was not scared of him. I was only... okay, maybe just a little scared of him.

"I'm glad I was able to make such a great impression." 

I stopped moving, slapping my forehead, and disgusted at myself.