Unseen

Chapter 15

"You look so handsome," Pop says and I look up to see him leaning against my door frame with a small smile.

"Thanks, Pop." He walks in and I turn to face him, allowing him to fix my tie since I hadn't done a very good job of it.

"Are you excited?"

"More like nervous," I admit with a small laugh, and he shakes his head with a smile as he steps back to appraise my outfit.

"You'll have fun. I'm glad you finally decided to go to one of these functions, I'd hate for you to finish high school with questions of 'what if'." Sitting down on the edge of my bed, I grab my converse and start putting them on.

"I'm actually kind of excited about the dance part, I'm just nervous about the date part. Nobody has ever asked me before, so I have no idea what to expect. I've never been on a normal date let alone a dance. What if it's awkward? What if we have nothing in common and don't have anything to talk about?" What if it's just some elaborate hoax to prove that I'm still the same loser I was last year?

"Well, I feel like a school function will be a lot easier to navigate than a one on one date; if things aren't flowing, just hang out with your friends instead. Is Connor going?"

"I don't think so, no."

"Well, your sister is, so you can either hang out with her, or just come home if you're not feeling it. You know your dad and I are always just a phone call away, so if you want to leave, just call one of us and we'll come pick you up." I nod slowly as I finish tying my laces, then check my phone to see I only have a few minutes before he arrives.

"You're sure I look okay?"

"Dear god, it's like I walked out of a time machine," Dad says as he walks into my room. He looks between me and Pops with a small smile as he shakes his head. "You look so much like your pops when we first met, it's crazy. You look great, Dalton. Your date isn't going to know what hit him."

I blush and look down at my feet before mumbling a small, "Thanks, Dad." Just then, the doorbell rings, and I jump up and rush to the door, only to be stopped by a throat clearing.

"I'll get it," Dad says, his voice a tad deeper than normal and leaving no room for argument. He leaves the room while Pops chuckles behind me, and I look back at him with a pitiful expression.

"You better get down there before he says something that'll embarrass you." My eyes widen as I stare at him, hesitating by the door.

"He wouldn't." He simply raises an eyebrow and I curse under my breath as I run out of my room and down to the foyer where Dad is standing with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I expect him home no later than eleven, do you understand?"

"Yes, sir. I'll have him back in time, I promise."

"Hey, you ready to go?" I ask, moving to stand slightly in front of my dad.

"Now hang on a minute, he just got here. Why don't you come in for a few minutes so we can chat?" Dad says, and I turn to glare at him, subtly shaking my head.

"Ash, leave the poor kid alone," Pops says as he walks up behind Dad. "You boys have fun." He squeezes Dad's shoulder when he opens his mouth, making him shut it with a small pout while rolling his eyes.

"Eleven," he reiterates sternly, staring intently at Vincent who nods quickly in response. I grab his hand before anything more can be said and drag him outside to his car.

"Sorry about him," I chuckle nervously and he shrugs as he opens the passenger door for me.

"It's fine. He's just doing his fatherly duties." I nod and slip in, grateful that he didn't run for the hills because of my dad. "So... was the other guy your uncle, or...?" I glance over at him in confusion before snorting out a laugh and shaking my head.