Never Let Go (Of Me) • Ferran Torres

Chapter 45: The Dad

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"Morning" I giggled when Ferran had just appeared in the doorframe of his room while I was walking out of Ari's.
"Morning" he replied in his croaky morning voice and he quickly leaned in to peck my lips. But he decided that it wasn't enough and pulled me closer to kiss me properly, but after a few seconds of making out in the hallway, I pulled away. His sister was already downstairs and judging by the voices I heard, his mother and step-dad too.

"Mmh... Do you mind keeping... our last night's... um... reunion to ourselves? I just... don't want any weird conversations or comments at your parents' place" I muttered, hoping that he could understand where I was coming from.
"Sure... I understand that" he replied and nodded.
"Besides... we should tease your sister" I chuckled and grinned mischievously.
"Oh! You're just as bad as me" he replied, fully smiling too before he checked the hallway and leant in for another quick kiss.
"Back to bickering?" he asked and I nodded.
"Back to bickering" I confirmed and we fist-bumped.

"No! PLEASE go ahead and use the bathroom, you surely need to exercise your facial expressions for fooling every guy around you" he said loud enough for his folks to hear downstairs.
"Oh, I know it's free because you surely have to hurry to Angela with your tail tucked between your legs" I spat and showed him my tongue playfully before really walking inside the bathroom.

When I got downstairs, everyone was already sitting at the table and stuffing food into their mouths. I took my seat as I greeted everyone and grabbed a slice of toast on which I spread some butter.
"Finally, took you long enough. We're driving to my Dad's in 20" Ferran mumbled as he was reading this morning's print edition of El Mundo - and he was giving off hot daddy vibes doing that. Wait a minute.
"What?!" I asked nervously. I was meeting his dad now too? This hadn't been on my agenda.

"Yeah, I always do on the 25th" he replied nonchalantly as he continued reading.
"You're coming, right?" I asked Ari to give off the impression that I couldn't stand going with Ferran alone, but really, I wanted some extra emotional support when meeting their father.
"Nope sorry. I'm spending today with my boyfriend and his family this year..." she replied and shot me a sympathetic smile, when in reality she was probably hoping that Ferran and I would just make up.

"Ugh" I groaned and took a bite from my toast before engaging in a conversation with Faye about how delicious yesterday's dinner was.
"Time to get ready" Ferran said at some point and clapped his hands which I took as a sign for me. I quickly stood up and carried my plate and cup into the kitchen, where Maria was already cleaning up.
"Please just make up with him" she sighed.
"If he stops being an idiot" I replied and shrugged, feeling bad about lying to her.
"IF SHE STOPS BEING A BITCH!" Ferran shouted, apparently having heard us. Maria just rolled her eyes and I quickly disappeared from the kitchen, running upstairs to fetch a cardigan and my bag and then back downstairs to put on my shoes and coat.

"Ok, bye!" Ferran shouted as we walked outside and I quickly hurried to his car as it was quite windy. After sitting down and starting the engine, he squeezed my hand quickly as he shot me a bright smile before starting to drive. We barely made three corners, when he suddenly pulled over on a quite deserted street.
"Wha-" I started to ask, but was cut off by him grabbing my coat's collar to pull me closer to kiss him. It was a hungry, almost desperate kiss and I was quick to give in as his hands wandered to my sides, tracing my body.

He pulled away eventually and we rested our fronts against each other's as we recomposed our breathing.
"Sorry, I... can't and don't want to stop doing that" he chuckled, making me smile. He leant back onto his seat and I did too, before we started driving again.
"So... your dad?" I asked, hoping to get some information to arrive prepared for the day.
"Him and mum separated when I was a teenager, it wasn't messy, they just decided that there wasn't enough love left to stay together. If you ask me, I would have stayed, but it was their decision, it didn't weigh on us and they have always made efforts to be there for Ari and me in our moments" he explained and I nodded.

"That sounds really mature" I mumbled and looked out the window, thinking about my messed-up family situation.
"I'm sorry your parents are such fuck-ups. If I had a daughter like you I would never push you away" he said and softly stroked my hand.
"Thanks" I replied and pressed my lips into a small smile.

We arrived at a small house and we both got out of the car, me walking behind Ferran up to the door as he held my hand. I was nervous, I mean, it's ok to be nervous when meeting the parents, right?
"Oh hello!" a very friendly-looking man exclaimed as he opened the door.
"Hello Dad. Merry Christmas" Ferran replied and hugged him. "This is Cata, she's... my..." he stammered and I had to stifle a laugh at his stalling. "She's my best friend" he finally said with a smile. He said it with so much love and adoration that no one could mistake that for a push into the friend zone, it was rather an acknowledgement of the deep bond we shared. And that no matter what tried to get between us, that bond was always there.

"Hello, I'm Catalina, nice to meet you" I spoke and extended my hand, which he shook.
"You're even more beautiful than Ari said" he commented with a smile on his face as he waved me inside too and I blushed heavily. I mean, at school boys never really looked at me because I guess British boys didn't really like Southern girls but since the whole modelling thing - I was kind of overwhelmed by how much my looks apparently influenced people.
"She really is. Most beautiful girl I've ever seen" Ferran confirmed and I blushed even more now.

"You'll have to excuse me, but I'm not really a great cook. I try my best for Christmas but I can't manage more than a basic paella and some cake from the bakery" Ferran's dad admitted, scratching his head.
"Oh, I really don't care. Time together is the biggest gift you could give me" I replied and shook my hands wildly.
"Cata's family... It's kind of difficult, hence why I brought her with me... No one should be alone or feel un-loved at Christmas" Ferran frowned and I pressed my lips together.

As his dad was setting the table, I tried to make myself useful, but he said that he managed alone, so Ferran was showering me with affection, holding me in a hug all the time as he showed me some childhood pictures, stealing kisses here and there. After lunch, we took a short walk all together before Ferran and I eventually decided to head back again.
"It was great meeting you, Cata. Hopefully you'll be around for some time" his dad chuckled as we hugged goodbye.
"I intend to" I replied and smiled at him.