Blessing in Disguise (MM)

Chapter Thirty Six

NICK'S POV

✲

It's Sunday and I'm having a lazy day with my girl. After Aris left yesterday I decided to take her out to the park and we grabbed some dinner at TGIFridays because we drove past it on the way home and I thought about treating her.

Of course she didn't enjoy the food that much, Aris told her it's not all that and she decided to agree with him. Even though I know she secretly liked some of it. At this point she's practically Aris' shadow and wants to copy his every move.

When he left yesterday, I've never seen her pout so much in my life. I don't even get that sort of goodbye and I'm her damn father. But it's okay. I totally understand where she's coming from, I feel the same way about him.

The second he leaves it feels like something is missing. I'm not at all saying that Elodie doesn't fulfil me because of course she does, she's my absolute pride and joy. I guess Aris feels the void in my heart of the loneliness I've been feeling the last couple of years, instead now I have a companion and everything feels complete when he's here.

I have Elodie, I have Aris who is my–

I don't even know what he is. If we're... Boyfriends? Friends with benefits and feelings? Dating? God. I don't have a clue. But whatever we're doing, it works.

Elodie sits on the floor making more friendship bracelets. I've been gifted at least one hundred of them. I wear a black and blue one on my wrist most days but it's hidden underneath my shirt for work and I take it off when I get home. It's a part of her with me on days that I'm working.

"Did you see that Aris is still wearing my friendship bracelet?" She turns around to face me as I look up from my phone.

I run a finger down my lip. "Hmm? Yeah. I saw it when we went bowling."

Elodie places a hand over her heart as if she's fainting. I roll my eyes playfully. "He said we're going to be best friends forever."

"I don't doubt it, pumpkin."

She's quiet for a long moment and I flick my eyes back to my phone screen. I hear her stand up in front of me and she crawls on the sofa, beside my legs. "Daddy," she starts and I lock my phone and place it down. "Do you like Aris?"

"What do you mean, baby?"

"I see the way you look at him with these big googly eyes," she says as she raises her fingers to her face and spreads them over her eyes. "Sometimes I think they might pop out of your head and I said I wouldn't be the one to pick them up."

I raise an amused eyebrow. "And what way do I look at him?"

She shrugs softly. "It's like how I look at ice cream."

"Do I?" I choke out with a subtle laugh.

"Yeah," she nods and pushes her dark hair behind her ears. "You've done it a few times now. You don't look at other people the way you look at him."

Why is this girl so damn observant?

"Yeah..." I trail off. "Well–"

"Are you guys?" Then she raises her two hands and pinches her fingers to her thumb and replicates the 'kissy kissy' motion. "Because if so, that's disgusting. Ewwww. You should never kiss anyone."

My eyes nearly leave my skull at her brash suggestion. Instead I laugh it off because I know my cheeks are becoming red by the second. "What would you think if we were more than friends?"

Elodie doesn't seem surprised by my question, she merely shrugs as if it doesn't bother her at all. "I like Aris. I like having him around."

"Me too, Els," I smile.