Play The Part (Player Next Door Book 3)

51 | Back Against The Wall

Hello hello, diving right on innn...

Chapter 51: Back Against The Wall

Hey dad, how's it going? School was not bad this week. I still suck at English but I'm trying to stay competitive in math.

Oh and I have a boyfriend now. He's a handful, but we have a nice thing going.

Flora – remember your other daughter Flora – yeah, she's heading to college in a few months. Can you believe she got in somewhere?

Ha, ha.

Yeah, we been good.

"No pressure," Luke woke me out of my daydream, crouched in front of me while I sat on the concrete step by my front door, "Anytime you want, we can visit him."

His knees were bent, grazing mine. His hand rested on my thigh, lightly, like he was offering comfort but not wanting to push it. I sat there, my hands cold on the steps, processing.

Visit... him.

The Visit. A horror story where a girl goes to visit her long-lost father but gets trapped in the evil lair he's been held prisoner in for a decade.

"No thank you," I replied kindly, giving Luke a little pat on the head.

A flicker of confusion passed through his handsome features before he could mask it.

"I'm hungry," I said, standing up as his hands let go of their place on my legs, "Where were you off to again?"

He raised an eyebrow, "The gym?"

"Oh yeah, maybe I'll come with you to that. Sounds fun."

"Does it?" he asked, unconvinced.

A gym is quite literally my nightmare location.

I'm proud to say I haven't been to one in eight years.

Almost as long as my dad's been gone. But he hasn't been back in 10, so he still holds the record.

Luke rose to his feet in front of me. The shift in height made me suddenly feel small again, my advantage and confidence slipping away as he stood tall.

"You want to join me at the gym?" Luke repeated, raising his hand to check my forehead as if I was sick.

I just don't want you to leave.

"Yes," I lied, "I need to get my jacket and what else do gym people wear?"

"Workout clothes," he suggested, glancing down at my jeans.

Working out is death for me.

I would wake up screaming if that was my dream. Actually, I probably wouldn't wake up at all. The dream gym location would kill me.

I turned around and ran up the two steps to my front door, but I felt his hand around my wrist. He pulled me back and I spun round, tripping back down a step. He held me in his arms, his lips brushed the bottom of my lip.

"Don't run away from what I said," he whispered, "Think about it and, when you want to, we can visit him."

He stepped back, his eyes imploring me to reconsider.

"Ok, I'll come back to you in two to three business days," I replied.

"It's your dad."

"It's my father," I corrected him, "Dad is reserved for people who do the actual job. If he's thirty minutes away and he never wanted to come back, why would I want to see someone who doesn't want to see me?"