This Love (Naturals One shots)

The Boyfriend Assignment (Part 1)

Veronica Sterling 

 I was always the good daughter—the one who did whatever my father asked, no matter how demanding or unreasonable. Ballet? No problem. Piano lessons? Easy. I perfected every performance and followed every rule. But this time, what he was asking felt like it was beyond my reach.

It all started during my first month of college. I was still settling in, trying to balance classes and dorm life with my best-friend , Scarlet. Then my dad called, which was shocking enough; he barely even answered his phone, let alone initiated a call to me.

"Dad! Hi!" I replied, my voice sounding a little too eager, a little too hopeful. For a brief second, I imagined he'd called to ask about my classes or how Scarlet and I were adjusting to campus life. Maybe he'd finally take an interest in something I cared about.

But I couldn't have been more wrong.

"Veronica, I need you to do something for me. Quickly." His tone was sharp and professional, devoid of the warmth I'd once craved as a kid. He spoke to me as if I were another one of his employees, not his daughter. And I realized, not for the first time, that he saw me as his perfectly trained child, the one who required structure and discipline.

"Oh... yeah, of course. What's up?" I managed, forcing a cheerful tone, though my stomach twisted. I had half a mind to scream into my pillow later, but for now, I clung to that forced brightness. Why couldn't he care just a little about what I was doing here, about *me*?

He barely paused. "I'm having some important meetings, and I need you to find someone to bring with you."

"Oh, so, like Scarlet?" I asked, trying to keep the confusion out of my voice. If he was setting up some formal event, maybe he wanted me to bring my best friend as a casual buffer, someone to keep the tension light.

But my dad's voice sharpened. "No. More like a boyfriend."