Frozen Heart

Chapter 41 ~ "You're Growing Up"

Grace

"I'm sorry you had such a rough night." Chelsea says quietly, closing and locking her front door. 

"Thanks for letting me stay, I know it was out of the blue." I mumble and she smiles.

"No sweat, that's what friends are for." She says and I smile weakly. "Do you want to talk about it?" She asks and I sigh, following her through the house into her kitchen. I didn't even want to cry anymore, I'd just been through so much garbage tonight I could hardly stand it.

"My dad found out I was seeing Nik......he didn't take it well." I mumble and she frowns, leaning in and giving me another hug. She gestures for me to sit up at the island and she goes to the kettle, filling it up. "He hurt my feelings."

"I'm sorry." She sighs. "Dads are always so overprotective, my dad used to flip out when either of my sisters started to date someone." She tells me and I nod, that made me feel a bit better, it gave me comfort that other people have been through this too. 

"Yeah, I just needed some space. He was all stressed out and insulting me left and right, I just left and called Nik.....I didn't know what else to do." I sigh, shaking my head and she nods.

"I know how much you've been looking forward to your dad being home." She says and I sigh. "I know it must be hard."

"It's awful, but he wasn't acting like an adult. He's just.....stubborn." I admit and she nods.

"Well for now you can stay with me." She says and I smile, watching her go through her cupboards and pull out a bag of chips. "I'm sure your mom will talk to him, she likes Nik, right?" She asks and I laugh with a nod.

"She thinks Nik's perfect for me." I tell her and she chuckles. "I know my mom is going to set him straight, I just wish he didn't have to be set straight.....you know?" I ask and she nods.

"It's tough." She admits with a shrug. "But at the end of the day, your dad loves you. He wouldn't want to see you miserable." She insists, opening the bag of chips. "Believe me, my dad's the same way. He's gone all the time on business, but he still always wants to know what's going on. It's why I still have a nanny at eighteen." She says and I laugh.

"It's nice to know I'm not alone." I mumble and she smiles.

"Not by a long shot." She insists, turning off the kettle and pouring hot water over the tea bags in the pot in front of her. "Don't let this get you down, I'm sure your dad is going to open up. And Nik's a total charmer.....given the chance to meet him, I'm sure they'd get along."

"You think?" I ask, worried if that was really true.

"I really do." She insists. "I know Nik used to be promiscuous, but he was never a mean person. He's always been really friendly and kind, plus he worships the ground you walk on. All good things." She shrugs, pouring the tea into mugs in front of her.

"That's what I kept telling myself." I tell her. "I'll just give it some time, they're both important to me, but if they hate each other I'd be really sad."

"Nah, I don't see that happening." Chelsea says, waving her hand. "By the sounds of things, you dating anyone would bother your dad and I know Nik doesn't want to be at odds with your family." She says, setting two mugs down and sitting next to me at the island. "Like you said, you just need to give it time."

"Where were you an hour-and-a-half ago when I was having a meltdown?" I ask rhetorically with a laugh and she laughs too. 

"It's easy to know the answers when they're not your problems." She shrugs and I smile. "It'll get better, you watch."