Dad’s gaze shifted to Nero. “Not that I believe you more than my own daughter—trust me, I don’t—but what Icando is hurt you if you lie to me.”
“She’s telling the truth, sir. We haven’t— I mean tonight was going to be our first time?—“
I stomped on Nero’s foot, making him hiss as he corrected himself, “Dating. First time… dating.”
Dad’s jaw tightened, and he fixed us with a hard stare that was truly intimidating, and I had to admit, it was impressive. I never truly understood just how lax he’s been with me until tonight.
“Okay,” he said, letting out a long breath before he continued, “Okay. I believe you two. For now.”
Nero only nodded, and I sighed, feeling like a total dumbass for not thinking clearly and accidentally putting him in a situation like this.
There was a silence in the living room, Nero rocking on his heel and toes, and I had to groan in defeat, knowing my dad wouldn’t stop giving him the death glare until he left.
Totally under parental supervision.
Taking hold of Nero’s hand, I tugged him outside through the front door, and, as expected, my dad was right behind us, keeping an eye on us and making sure we left space for Jesus between us or something.
“Sorry about all of this,” I muttered once I figured we were out of earshot. I ran my hand up my hair, feeling so frustrated, because I could still feel how my heart was beating fast, the possibility of what could’ve happened heavy in my chest.
To his credit, Nero just smiled at me with no hint of annoyance on his face as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “Don’t be. Your dad loves you, and he’s just trying to make sure you’re safe.”
“What? From you? He should know by now that I’m always safe with you,” I said, my tone surprisingly turning soft.
“Yeah?” He asked with a shit-eating grin that made me laugh.
God. I hated that our date had to end like this.
“Hey. I had a great evening. With or without what was supposed to happen,” he said.
I nodded in agreement, hooking my pinky with his. “Me too.”
My dad cleared his throat, and I had to find my inner peace not to roll my eyes at him. Nero saw the effect it had on me, making him nudge my chin affectionately, immediately giving me comfort that this wasn’t a total bust.
“I hate to make you wait again after you’ve spent years crushing on me, but I promise, I’ll make it worth the wait when it does happen.”
Nero bent down, giving me a kiss on the cheek before gently gripping my hip and squeezing it away from my dad’s eyes.
“Go on, and enjoy your chocolate mousse. Good night, Cosette.”
With that, he backed away, greeting my dad a ‘good night’ with a polite wave before turning around to walk back to his place across the street.
“He didn’t drive the truck to their driveway,” my dad said suspiciously as I walked past him to run upstairs.
“We’ll be riding to school tomorrow together, anyway.”
Don’t get me wrong. I love my dad. Yet, I really hate how tonight ended, even if it was my fault for not being careful.
It’s not like I’m mad or anything. I was just feeling embarrassed, maybe even a little bitter.
“Anak,” he called out to me before I reached halfway up the stairs, and his voice softened a lot that I knew I couldn’t just ignore him. “You know I give you your freedom. But you have to understand that in my eyes? You’ll still be my little girl. My daughter, who laughs whenever someone calls me ‘Hoyt’.”
My snort came out on its own, and that’s all it took for both of us to know everything’s okay.
“I know, dad. I don’t blame you. Teens today are… wild,” I said, as if I wasn’t tag teamed by my two boyfriends on a goddamn dining table while I was enjoying said freedom that my dad’s allowed me.
With the guilt I felt in the bottom of my stomach, I ran down the stairs and I attacked my dad with a hug.
Has it been long since I’ve done this? I don’t even remember the last time I did.
