Leo stands in front of the apartment, ringing the door the third time and wanting to just kick it down and scream at his father for not answering. After almost half an hour of unanswered calls and Leo swearing under his breath, the door finally opens.
"What a father you are. I waited for you to open this door for an hour!"
Arthur takes a smoke as Leo almost dies from the awful smell from inside the apartment.
"Leonardo! My son! I haven't seen you in like a month! My my my how you've grown" he sits down on the broken couch and pats the place next to him.
"I bet this month felt like an year to you"
"You have no idea! Now tell me how you've been. Want some snacks?" Arthur grabs a bag full of chips from the kitchen and hands them to his son.
Leo looks at the bag and just shakes his head. His father has this sparks in his eyes when he comes to visit. It's like they haven't seen each other in years and he wants to hear everything that happened.
The saddest thing for Leo is the fact that his father is not a bad person and he genuinely cares about him and his mother. It's just that his addictions make him another person. A bad person. It's like two completely different people living in one body. Arthur can't escape the other side of himself because he can't stop the addictions that fuel his bad side.
"Are you drinking?" Leo asks curiously after seeing empty bottles on the table in front of the couch.
"Nah... Just smoking here and there. Your mom didn't said anything about smoking. Now tell me about you" he points at Leo who looks down and sighs shrugging.
"I made a new friend at the café. His name is Aaron... He's actually really nice... Kind of... Silent and anxious?"
"Just be careful"
"Why?"
"You know how dangerous the world is! You should be careful when it comes to strangers!"
"What?"
"I said what I said! Woman, man or anything in between... Everyone can be a serial killer preying on vulnerable boys like you!"
"Dad... Are you stoned?"
"I'm not stoned. I'm Arthur"
"Yeah... I can't tell if you're joking or if you're actually stoned"
"I'm always stoned"
"I don't think mom would like that answer"
"I don't like a lot of things either but eh... Can't complain"
Leo just rests his head against the wall and sighs looking at his father. He missed him. He doesn't really say to it his mom and would rather die than admit it out loud, but he can't bring himself to hate his father. The few memories he has from when he was younger, before his father started drinking, are the things he holds onto the most.
Because of all the fights and nights staying awake, the divorce became a release and something he looked forward to but a part of him thought that maybe his father can change. Maybe he can stop drinking and they can be a family again. Leo used to blame the problems in his family on his father's drinking, but it was only a matter of time before he realized that sober or not, the situation can't be fixed.
"Hey... Don't look so down. I'm happy that you made a new friend and everything. You're a good kid, of course you'd make new friends" Arthur smiles and pats Leo's back before standing up and walking to the kitchen.
Leo's eyes follow him and for the first time he feels like his father is actually sad. Arthur was always carefree and happy, trying to lift his son's mood. Now, in his eyes, Leo can see a bit of regret and sadness as he hands him a cup of hot chocolate.
"I don't have anything else right now. I know you like coffee more. I'm sorry"
That apology at the end felt like it was for something else he had done.
"It's fine. I like hot chocolate just as much"
"Uh... So... How's your mother?" Arthur hesitates a bit before asking and Leo shrugs before taking the cup of hot chocolate to his lips.
"She's fine... Busy as always"
"I guess she didn't change" He smiles sadly while nodding to himself.
"No... She actually did change. For the better of course. She still works hard but she's more confident now and finds free time to talk to me"
Silence follows and they both sit next to each other taking sips out of their cups and enjoying the calm atmosphere.
"I'm really happy that you two found happiness in each other... Even if I'm out of the picture now" Arthur finally breaks the silence and Leo's eyes fill with tears.
"Well you're not completely out of the picture... I'm still here so..." He laughs and sniffs before hugging his father.
He hugs Leo back and ruffles his hair. The boy smiles and wipes his tears that he couldn't hold back. He really misses spending time with his father.
"I love you a lot" Arthur says and Leo nods.
"I know... I love you too, dad"
YOU ARE READING
Pumpkin Spice Mocha
General FictionLeo doesn't need much except a good book and a coffee to relax. He always puts his family and friends first no matter what and he never had trouble getting close to new people. That was until an anxious boy, Aaron, that has trouble opening up, appea...
