Dahlia

Eleanor

Today, I caught Elle singing. She's fucking AMAZING. I've honestly never heard her sing before, like, in a serious manner. She would quietly sing in the car but that would always be it! She was singing in her room. It was angelic. I sat there in amazement. I ended up knocking, and I instantly regretted it because she stopped singing and quickly opened the door.

"D-dad?" She asked, blushing hard.

"I heard youuuuu!!!" I said as I gave her a hug.

"What! Wait- dad w-wait!" She said as she tried to escape my hug. So I let her go.

"Yes hon?" I asked.

"You heard me...singing?" She shyly asked.

"I did. But hon, you sound amazing! I was in tears out here!" I replied.

"You're just saying that because you're my dad..." she replied, looking away.

"Absolutely not! I am saying that as a lead singer in a world famous BAND that makes millions and has won thousands of rewards and Grammy's!" I replied. Elle just stood there a bit longer in silence.

"You really think I'm good?" She asked me.

"I do. It's angelic. Your voice is beautiful." I told her, moving hair away from her eyes.

"Are you sure?" She asked, again. I just hugged her again.

"Ugh, it's beautiful! You're beautiful! Don't you think I'm a good singer? IM YOUR DAD! You got my genes, hon!" I told her.

"Hah, yeah, I guess so." She replied with a huge cute smile.

"I love you. Would you uh, like me to do something for you? I can uh, contact someone or- you know, anything?" I asked her.

"Ugh...um... I don't know dad. I'm only 14..." she replied.

"I know someone whose making an anime movie, it has a lot of singing in it, and it's a teenage girl." I said.

"Ugh, one thing I don't like is musicals." She replied, allowing me to go in her room.

"Okay, I'm offended, but, it's not a musical. The girl in there had a hidden identity and she sings for everyone in the internet, but no one knows who she is until the end. It's basic, but the art is beautiful, and you'd fit it perfectly!" I replied, sitting on her bed.

"Um... does your friend have any lyrics, or just anything I can use to see what type of songs it is?" She asked me.

"Yes, let me find it." I said. I remember him sending me some. It took a bit to find it, but sure enough, ELLE WAS PERFECT!! I WAS IN TEARS.

"Stop dad that's embarrassing!" She told me.

"I love it! I love YOU!!" I replied, hugging her again.

"Ugh, anyways. Dad, can we go to Sacramento today? I wanna go to a restaurant I saw online." She replied.

"Well, I am going down there today, but I'm meeting a friend. Would you mind if he tagged along?" I asked her.

"I don't mind." She replied. So Nabi came over to watch Junji and Rowan, and then Elle and I left! Her and I sang our hearts out to every song that turned on in the car.

"So whose your friend?" She asked me.

"My friend Valerian. He's from Russia but he's going to college here." I told her as I pulled up next to the dorms.

"He better be sitting in the back cuz I'm not moving!" Elle said with a laugh.

"He is going to be sitting in the back, don't worry." I laughed. Val came out and got in the back.

"Hello!" He said.

"Hi, this is my daughter, Elle." I replied.

"Hey." She shyly replied.

"Hello! My name is Val!" He said. We drove to the restaurant Elle was talking about.

"You guys can get a table, I need to put on my disguise." I told them.

"Disguise?" They both said.

"Yes. A hat, sunglasses, and a mask that I'm just gonna wear on my chin." I replied. So they went out as I put on all the stuff, and then I went in. I sat at their table, and honestly, I sat next to Val. I know how awkward it can be when you're eating and someone you don't know is facing directly at you, so I sat next to Val so Elle can face me. Val was REALLY fucking pushing it. He kept placing his hand on my hand, knee, my back... I liked it but... not in front of Elle.

"So Elle, what do you do? Any hobbies?" Val asked, trying to hold my hand under the table.

"Um, well, I just discovered I like singing! But I'm also a swimmer and I play guitar." She replied.

"That's cool! Im a photographer and a filmmaker. Im going to college for film." He said with a smile, now rubbing my back slowly. "So Karma, she's the famous little girl you had when you were 14?"

"Yup! I was her age when I had her!" I replied as I smiled at Elle. She just nervously laughed.

"14. That's crazy." He replied.

"Yup, I was a weird kid." I replied. We ended up ordering some good food, and Val ordered a shamrock margarita, and then another one. He did get a tad bit drunk, but it wasn't bad. But he was, way more touchy. But once He left for the bathroom...

"Dad, do you guys have something going on?" She asked me.

"What?" I asked.

"Dad, this is too soon! Dad hasn't even been dead for a year!" She said, seriously.

"Elle, him and I aren't like that. We are friends. Yes, he does have a thing for me, but I don't feel the same toward him." I told her.

"You've been smiling around him, and you keep holding his hand back and everything! You don't even move when he touches you! You let him!" She said.

"Elle, I'm not talking about this right now." I replied.

"No, we need to talk about this! You can't start dating someone already! How could you already move on! You said yourself that you'd never heal from this and it hasn't even been a year!" She started to say loudly.

"Eleanor, we are in public. We will talk later!" I told her again.

"Tell me now!" She demanded.

"Elle, you have NO right to tell me what condition my heart is in! Ever since your father died, I've been in pain, I've been depressed, Elle, I tried to kill myself! No, I'm not in love with anyone else, I am in love with Jared, but he's gone! I'm aware that Val's been touchy, but he's also drunk and some people do that when they're drunk. And another thing, even if I did love him, you should be happy I could even BE in love again! Jared was my everything, Elle. I can't just love someone again after him. No one can compare to him. So stop assuming stuff I already said wasn't true." I told her. She closed her mouth and just looked away. But then Val came back.

"Val, hold it on all the touching, okay?" I quietly asked him. He just laughed and said okay. Elle didn't speak to me at all the rest of lunch, and then I helped Val get into his dorm, and I got back to the car. The drive was silent, but I broke it.

"Elle, honey, I'm sorry for getting angry. That's just a sensitive topic for me." I told her.

"I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have gotten upset, or assumed." She replied.

"I love you, and I LOVED Jared. You two were my whole entire world for 7 years straight, hon. And now it's you, Junji, Rowan, and still Jared. But, you two were my whole thing for the best moments of my life. You were my baby, my little girl, and he was the love of my life, someone I could hug and cuddle when you weren't there." I told her, "I don't think I can ever love someone as much as I love Jared. No one could ever compete with him. It will be a very, very long time before I could EVER possibly love again. If I ever even could. But, you know, it might end up being Val." I explained.

"I know you did, dad. And I hope someday you can be happy. And if it's with Val, I will accept it. Plus, Rowan and Junji need another person in their life." She told me. She then moved her head and looked at me with a smile. She's so beautiful. Her long, brown wavy hair. She actually bleached the ends so now it's brown and it goes to blond. I love my girl, UGH SHE IS SO PRETTY! I LOVE HER!