A Father's Journey Of Renewal And Embrace

Chapter 7 - Mi Amor

RICOCHET

I let myself slump on Justin's bed before letting out a lazy groan. It was clear that I was tired and had cried a lot, but thankfully, Justin was there the entire time for me, and now waiting by the doorframe with my bags in his hands.

He piled the bags on top of one another next to his bed before sitting down beside me and tracing my back, hitting a nerve he knows I flinch at, making him chuckle to himself.

"Care to share the reason you needed to stay at mine?" His fingers danced along my skin curiously even when I sat up against his bed frame.

"That doesn't matter right now.. but thanks for convincing your mum in taking me in."

Justin took my smile and reflected the same energy back to me before running a hand through my hair.

"Anything for my Shay.."

And before I knew it, I had him playing with my hair, trying different hairstyles on me out of amusement.

This was the first time in ages I have felt so relaxed, so content and comfortable.. and now I understand why. It really was the right decision to leave home and Dad for this boy.

Justin finished his silly attempts of tangling my hair into ridiculous forms by simply clipping my hair up in a classic ponytail with the hair clip his mum handed down to me, then wrapping my waist in his embrace while burying his face tiredly in my neck. "I'm glad you considered my offer and took it." He whispered in my neck, allowing me to feel his warm breath against my skin and send shivers down my spine. I smiled at his words, I was glad also that I left home for him.

Now that I already have my bags unpacked into seperate drawers from Justin's, I took my time showering for dinner tonight. Justin's mum was hosting a dinner at one of the five star restaurants a few towns away to uplift her reputation in generosity and hospitality. This was perfect! Dad wouldn't have a chance to get any eyes on me if I wasn't even in town — well, if he's noticed my absence yet, that is.

"That us, Shay?" Justin calls out to me from downstairs, getting his collar fixed by his mum.

"Son, stop moving, you're not making this any easier for me here." Justin struggled to keep still on his mother's request, wanting to hurry to the dinner.

I giggled at the commotion and ruckus he caused already, he was just as stubborn as I am. "Ma, stop." I peeked from the staircase to see Justin trying to lean away from his mum's embrace, a bit envious of their relationship and comparing it with mine and Dad's.

"Shay!" Justin spots me from the kitchen, waking me up from my daydream of how life could have been if Dad and I were much bonded like Justin with his mum.

"Can I see ya?" He asks, leaning against the countertop to get a good look at my outfit with his usual smile that held mischief. I scan myself quickly to see if there's anything else I need to doll up for tonight, before smiling at my pleasing appearance. "Hold on! I'll be down soon!" I say, running up the stairs to look at myself properly in the bathroom mirror.

When I saw myself standing there, my smile just grew from the sight of it. This was the first in years that I looked beautiful, and felt beautiful. I have looked in a mirror and thought of myself otherwise up until now, all thanks to Justin.

After a small pep talk to shake myself out of my daze and worry about tonight, I take myself downstairs, watching Justin and his mum drop their jaws in awe. Justin's smile doesn't stop growing, and his mum? She looked like she was about to cry happy tears, as if it were someone's big day or something, before pulling me in for a hug. "You look absolutely gorgeous, my dear" I could see from the corner of my eye that Justin was lost in his own world now, which immediately made my heart beat like a drum.

"It's not too much, is it?" I take another look at myself, now being insecure about how I look, worrying that I'm being too much. Justin walks towards me when his mum lets me go, then takes my hands into his. "Personally, I reckon you're only showing us a fraction of your beauty." His smug smile, yet genuine, overpowers every bit of doubt I had in myself once those words slip from his mouth.

"Y'sure, though?" I wanted confirmation from him, I didn't want him to tell me what I wanted to hear just because I'm his girlfriend. I wanted the hard truth. But I knew my question was answered after he leaned in and kissed my head gently, not long after, holding my face with one hand and resting the other comfortably on my waist; tracing my back like he did earlier in the same spot he knew I was sensitive to. "Y'know very well my Mum raised an honest man, Shay" My heart skipped a beat. Despite him just being his normal joking self, his words still felt genuine and had forced me to look away from him and trail my eyes to the floor out of shyness and slight embarrassment.

Nah, this boy was more than just a mere boyfriend now. He was a person of sincerity.

"Shay, my eyes are up here." His authoritative tone didn't help me calm down at the slightest. To be honest, it was fucking hot to hear his serious voice change from the joking sweetheart.

"Shay.."

My eyes smiled up at him, trying to suppress my need to giggle. I loved him, and this was one of the reasons why. He made me feel important, so ofcourse, I kept him.

"Sorry. And thanks, I needed the reassurance." We were only mere inches away from each other now, close enough to feel each others breath. His eyes glowed a look that reflected the same as mine before jolting from my lips to my eyes. But ofcourse, before the lovey dovey scene came, Jett, Justin's twin sister, jumps the stairs, giving us the biggest fright of our lives so far. "Okay! I'm ready!" She called cheerfully, clearly unaware of her interruption, and proud of her dazzling appearance with her tight black dress. Justin, on the other hand, didn't seem too happy with her, and he wasn't good at hiding it either — if he was even trying to at least.

"Oh my gosh! Great for you! But hey, guess what? One, you're not wearing that shit, go get an actual fucking dress on. Two, you ruined the moment, so you're paying for Shay tonight now. Three, use the fucking stairs properly, they're there to be used, not to be jumped, dumbass." The obvious sarcasm in Justin's voice made me laugh on the spot when it dropped to a serious yet passive aggressive tone as soon as he named the list from one to three. But Jett gave a snarky look to Justin before being interrupted by their mum. "Justin! Language, young man!" She put an arm around Jett's shoulders for comfort, giving her the opportunity to blow a raspberry at Justin, which sharpened his glare. "Forget it, let's just hurry up and leave already.."

The ruined kiss was stuck on Justin's mind, and it angered him. I know it's wrong to, but I couldn't help but laugh at their relationship, relentless of how he treats his sister. I knew Justin loved his mum, sister and I, to the clear point where he'd give anything he had up for us, which is the reason he respects womanhood a lot more than an average boy would.

When we arrived to the car, to separate the twins, I was seated in the centre. Jett was carelessly scrolling through her phone while Justin was staring out the window attempting to hide his pout face, but I knew that if I weren't there, they would be shouting daggers at each other. Conversely, Janette was driving while listening to her fave song, written by one of her favourite artists, Anitta, a Spanish artist. Jett didn't tell me until then that they were Mexican from Janette and Spanish from their father.

I didn't understand the difference between the two countries, but that's something I'll learn about later.

I looked ahead to the big buildings past us, still in shock yet still quite fascinated by the new information I had of Justin. I never knew he was Mexican or Spanish, but I should've known anyway, he sorta looks like it considering his brown eyes and dark hair, let alone his brown skin too. The thought of it made my pride shine through my smile. "Estas llena de sorpresas, mi amor" (You are full of surprises, my love) I don't know why I was so surprised to see all three pairs of eyes on me.

You dumbass, Shay. They're Spanish, ofcourse they'd understand what you just said.