"Kyle's here,” he made a slight pause to look at me. “You look beautiful, sweetheart."
"Thanks, Dad." I turned to face him, and something twisted in my chest. In my real present, the 2025 version of our lives, my dad and I were closer than ever. After losing Mom and Leo, we’d become each other’s support system. Wetalked every day, shared dumb jokes, and had the kind of bond from surviving hard things together.
But here, now, things felt different. More formal. There was a distance between us that I'd forgotten existed, the natural boundary between a teenager and her parent. I was still his little girl in his eyes, not the adult woman who'd helped him through his darkest moments.
"Dad?" I said suddenly, crossing the room to wrap my arms around him, then I kissed him on his cheek.
"What's this for?" he asked, but his arms came around me automatically.
"I love you,"and I'm sorry for what's coming. I'm sorry I couldn't save our family the first time. I'm sorry you're going to lose so much. I love you more than you'll ever know.
He pulled back to look at me, his eyebrows raised in surprise. "I love you, too, Lily-pad. Are you feeling alright?"
"I'm fine," I assured him. "I just want to make sure you know."
He studied my face for a moment longer, then smiled. "Well, I'm not complaining, but you should probably head downstairs before your mother starts grilling that poor boy about his intentions."
I laughed, following him down the hallway. As we reached the living room, I could hear the familiar sounds of a video game in progress and some laughs from the boys.
"No way! That's totally cheating!" Leo was saying as I rounded the corner.
Kyle was sitting on the couch next to my brother, controller in hand, completely absorbed in whatever game they were playing. My mother sat in an armchair next to them, watching the boys with obvious amusement.
"I'm ready, let's go," I announced.
Kyle looked up when he heard my voice, and his smile changed. It went from the mocking grin he'd worn whilebeating my brother to a softer one that took my breath away and made my skin feel warm. His gaze traveled over my face, down to my yellow dress, and back to me, lingering just long enough to make me aware of every inch of my body.
"Let us finish this game," Leo protested without taking his eyes off the screen. "Don't take my playing partner away from me. He actually knows how to play, unlike some people." He shot me a pointed look.
"I won't take that as an offense," I replied, crossing my arms with mock indignation.
"Good, because it wasn't meant as one," Leo grinned, returning to his game.
As they finished their round, my mother stood up and moved toward Kyle. "Hey, you should come have dinner on Sunday," she said warmly. "We miss you around here."
Kyle's face lit up with a smile. "I miss coming too. Hopefully, Lily will stop prohibiting me from visiting."
Everyone laughed, and I felt my cheeks warm.
"I don't prohibit anything," I protested, but I was smiling, too, because the lie was so obvious that even I didn't believe it.
"Come on," I said, grabbing Kyle's arm and pulling him toward the door. "Before you all gang up on me completely."
"See you Sunday!" my mother called after us.
Outside, Kyle led me to his father's old pickup truck, and I couldn't help but laugh.
"How does it feel to be dependent on your parents again for money after being a rich, successful man in your late twenties?" I teased, climbing into the passenger seat.
He laughed, starting the engine. "How does it feel to have to ask for permission to go out again?"
"Weird," I admitted. "I feel like a teenager again, but I'm not. It's like the opposite of when I was this age. I felt like an adult even though I was aware that I was a teenager. And this date isn't helping my confusion either."
"Remember, it's not a date," he said, pulling out of the driveway. "I just want you to free your head. You have a lot going on, and resting and clearing your mind is important too."
And although I didn't want to admit it, he was right. Lately, everything in my life revolved around making sure everyone around me was okay—at school, at home, even that was my job at the hospital. I didn't feel overwhelmed, but I knew that if I continued at this pace, it wouldn't be long before I collapsed.
"So you were playing with my brother," I changed the subject. "Everything is okay between you two again?"
