Catch Me If You Can | BoyxBoy Romance | Completed

Chapter Twenty-Four

🎶🎵Caleb

"Dad, we need to talk." I stepped into my fathers office. It's been a week since being back and I've been so sick. No word from Nathanial since returning back home, but then again - why would he speak to me?

I left him, again. After I explicitly told him I would never do that to him again. I could barely stand looking at myself since that day I walked out of the wedding. My dad has barely spoken to me since I came back home with no engagement news, too.

He wouldn't take my reasonings as an answer either. I'm a disappointment in his eyes. I couldn't stand it! And the fact that he didn't even know the whole truth and still found me disappointing. Now that was just the cherry on top.

"Caleb, I don't have time for your foolish ways right now." He said rummaging through a stack of papers on his desk. His glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. We barely sunk the Jefferson account no thanks to you. Not to mention, you stroll in here sulking like I didn't just fund your little weekend away. I mean, come on Caleb," He slammed his hands down on the desk. "Can't you for once get serious about something in your life."

I breathed in. Here it goes.

"I know. And, I am. Dad...I quit." I exhaled.

Dad went still. "No." He grunted, looking back down at his papers.

"Dad, I have to. As much as I like what I do - I hate disappointing you even more."

"And you don't think this doesn't disappoint me?" He huffed.

I strolled over to the desk and sat on the chair opposite him, looking straight in his eyes.

"I'm so thankful of you and everything you've done for me all my life. You really have done everything you could for me after Mom passed." I looked down at my hands. "But, you've been right this whole time. I have to get serious. About myself, about my future. And I just can't do that when I'm being spoon-fed from my dad the whole time. Pushing me towards engagement with Sarah I think was the final straw for me. You can't puppet master my whole life or else I'm going to constantly disappoint you. I need to stand on my own two feet, Dad."

He breathed out and leaned back in his chair. "And how do you suppose you'll do that?"

"I talked to Troy and he got me an interview at the high-class restaurant he works at as a server. It wont pay me nearly as much as you were but at least I could make ends-meet for a bit while I look for another marketing job. I will need a reference, of course." I plead with him through my eyes.

He remained still, not giving me any hint of what he may be thinking. "Caleb...I pushed you too hard. I see that now. I never wanted you to quit, I just wanted you to be the best version of yourself."

I was shocked. I may be egotistical enough to never apologize (or so I thought) but my Dad was even worse. Hearing him feel sorry for how he's treated me...I felt relieved.

"I know, Dad. I want to make you proud but I think I can only do that if I have a chance to stand on my own two feet." I shrugged.

He slowly nodded his head and looked away, out the window of his apartment.

"Let me take care of your rent for the next three months while you look for a new job. You don't have to serve. I'll take care of you until then."

I bit my lip as pressure rose up behind my eyes. "Dad...there's something else."

He looked at me confused.

"The reason I couldn't go through with proposing to Sarah...it wasn't just because she was over me. It's also..."