Ace Huxley's Daughter

14

Halfway there. 3 more hours to go and I was at least 2 coffees deep now. I'd kept the music loud enough that he got the gist I didn't want to talk right now. I knew Nigel will have dropped it to Blake about the whole lawyer thing and if anyone knew what I wanted to do, it was Blake and Hannah. I just needed a break from the lectures. I'd had them 2 days in a row now from 3 different people. I know they were all teaming up in hopes enough of them could get it through my head but at the same time, I wasn't here for my career to be judged. I was here to have some fun and relax and unwind and spend time with my family and friends.

"We've gotta talk about it Pops." He didn't let go of my leg, holding onto my thigh and stopping me from pulling away as the music quietened a few notches.

"Nope. Not happening."

"Pops."

"No Blake. I'm not here to have people telling me I'm making the wrong decision."

"I never said you're making the wrong decision."

"No but you're going to try and talk me out of it. That is literally you saying you think I'm making the wrong decision." He went quiet. Slow and steady breaths as the hand on the steering wheel tightened, knuckles turning white.

"Are you happy?"

"What?"

"At home. Being Olive. Olive in the dresses with the pearls and the rich boyfriends who want you to be their stay-at-home trophy wife. Are you happy?"

"That doesn't matter."

"Oh my god Callie. Yes it does."

"No, it does-"

"How the fuck does you being happy not matter? I'm not even talking about the fucking job Cal. I'm talking in general. Every time I've facetimed you, you've looked outright miserable. There's some slow pop or classical music playing in the background and you take the call up to your room and you talk so quiet I can barely hear you. Your room looks like it's been pulled from some Instagram influencers house where nothing has any personality." I pulled my feet back down into the foot well. "It's not you Callie. I know you. I know you better than anyone. You know I do."

"You don't-" He sighed.

"Oliva Calliope Huxley. 21 in 13 days. Your hairs like mine, almost black but not quite, you've got these pastel green eyes that hypnotize anyone within 6 feet. You love your dad more than anyone in the world and you want to love your mother, you hate her for what she did to your dad but you don't want to leave her because you feel like you owe her something when you don't. She stomps out your personality and tries to squeeze you into a box you weren't made to fit into. You're a Leo and as much as you say that doesn't affect you because you don't believe in that bullshit, you tick off like 90% of the traits and you love that. You're stressing yourself out over making this choice because you're too worried about what people are going to say and being an inconvenience. You're too sweet Callie. You want both your parents to be happy with the choice you make but Sandra will only be happy if you stay under her thumb and your dad will only be completely happy if you do what you want. But because you've spent so long under mother's complete control, you don't even know who you are completely. You know when you're here you feel freer and happier and more chilled out but you also know this isn't the life you want." He turned his head to me once he'd finished, taking what felt like a million quick glances. "Want to tell me I don't know you again?"

What do I even say to that? He hit every single point down to a T. I don't know why I expected anything less from him to be honest. Blake has always been like the other half of my soul. He knew what I was thinking before I did. Even when he was travelling with the band, he'd know when he needed to call. He knew when things were bad at home without me needing to tell him. He always knew.

"Either way I've got to disappoint one of them." I shuffled. "I hate the idea of disappointing either of them Blake. I'm their entire lives but they both want polar opposites for me and there's no way I can keep them both happy."

"But what's the use in them being happy Pops if you're not?" He pulled over, lifting his knee onto his seat and turning to face me as I fought back tears. I don't cry. I'm not going to cry. Not a chance. Not even in front of Blake. "Pops?" The lump in the middle of my chest was making it hard to breathe. I swallowed, staring at the cloudless sky through the top of the windshield. "Your dad will love you no matter what you choose Callie. You know he thinks you can make this decision. Everyone here does. Whatever you decide, we will all back you. You know that. If you want to take over the world as a family lawyer then I'll get married to hundreds of girls just to divorce them through you. You know I would. I just don't think this is something you should be doing for other people babe."

I stared at him, blinked, and sighed.

"What if I make the wrong choice Blake?" He reached over, swiping a tear off my cheek with the pad of his thumb. Blake was and will be the only person I could talk to about this kind of thing. No judgement, no telling me I was wrong.

"Whatever you choose is the right choice Cal. If 5 years down the line it stops being right for you, then we cross that bridge when we get to it. The world is at your fingertips. It's yours to take. Whatever you want, you have the means to get it. So, take it. You want to spend a few more years working it out? Do it. Go back to uni. Backpack across Indonesia, move to Australia, climb Everest or smoke a bunch of weed and say you did it all." He smiled. "Life is so much more than following people's instructions Callie. You know that. You're dad made sure you knew that. Maybe you just need a reminder."

"What?" He smiled. A smile I'd seen on him dozens of times before he did something he shouldn't be doing. "Blake-"

"You're here for 7 weeks. How about we spend 5 of them breaking as many rules as we can?"

"You cannot be serious."

"Nothing stupid, obviously. But all your mother's rules. All the rules you've set yourself. Let's smash them." This man.

"You're insane." He smiled, turning back to the wheel, and starting the car again. "Literally insane. Maybe I should drop you at an asylum." His smile didn't fade.

"You need to live a little Callie and there is no one who's going to let you do it and keep you safe like I will." He grabbed my hand, twisting his fingers into mine again, placing a kiss on the back of it. "No rules. Just whatever we want to do. Whatever you want to do."