Prelude to kisses

Chapter 13

"I'm not going over to his house".

"It's his dad's birthday, he invited all of us I don't see a problem in that", Angie argued as she put on her favorite nude lipstick.

"I don't think it's right. What I'm I going as? His friend?"

"Yes, his friend. Because that's what you are".

She shook her head, "No I'm not his friend, my feelings are not genuine, if they were I wouldn't imagine us together so much".

Angie sighed and looked at her friend. She was about to say she could stay home when Dylan came into the room and made it clear that no one was staying behind. He had a way of persuading that bothered her. But Dylan was like that, you had to let him have his way, it was like fighting a losing war with him. So, she saved her energy and got up to change. Contrary to what she had expected a fifty-year-old's birthday party to look like, it was warm and welcoming with only a few of his friends gathered around the living room. Christian was kneeling over the projector, connecting cables so he could get a better connection to his dad on the other side of the world.

He was still trying to get a better signal when his sister walked into the living room, "Did you get it?" She asked him.

She walked over to where her brother was kneeling when the projector screen lit up and an older version of Christian was displayed on the screen. He was sitting on a desk, and the background looked like an office with an oak door and bookshelves.

"Hi dad", Christian's sister said, sinking into the couch nearby. Everyone turned away from the conversations around them and turned to the projector screen to greet the man who had a big smile on his face as he greeted them back.

She noticed Christian touch the screen as if touching his dad's face before quickly retreating it.

"I can't wait to see you in a few hours dad", Liz said.

"You know you don't have to do that; I want you to live your life, get married and have kids and be happy. I don't want to be a burden to you", The older man said.

''You're not a burden to me dad, I'm coming to stay with you because nothing in the world would make me happier," she told him reassuringly.

The older man had a sad smile on his face as he nodded, looking at his daughter and son but not having the words to say how deeply proud he was that they'd grown up to be amazing human beings. They sang to him and the two siblings had the honor of blowing the candles on their dad's birthday cake. After minutes of chatting with their dad and having his friends fill him in on their lives, everyone went back to dancing to the upbeat music coming from the speakers, taking shots of the beer on the table. Christian's dad had gone to sleep on the excuse that he had a lecture the next morning; now Christian and his sister had found a spot outside the house where they sat and spoke softly about their plans for the next day. Liz had an early flight the next morning to Croatia.

"I'm going to miss you sis", He told her honestly.

"Me too", she sighed and continued, "I think it's going to be good for me. I have nothing left here".

Christian knew that the past few months hadn't been easy on his sister. She'd almost gotten married to a man she loved and thought they would spend the rest of their lives together until she found out he had stepped out on her, "I wish I hadn't tried to make it work after I found out about it. I would have saved myself a lot of heartache if I had just walked away that very moment"

"It doesn't matter anymore, I'm just glad you were able to get out of that dark hole you were in", he told her.

"Me too", she squeezed his hand and looked into the night.