Engaged [z.m.]

Chapter 46: Reunion

C H A P T E R F O R T Y - S I X

Perrie

My dad was staying in a hotel near my mum's place for Christmas. I hugged my coat closer to myself as I shuffled through the crowd, making my way to the hotel on foot. It had been a ten minute walk from my mum's flat so it would have been a silly choice to drive there.

The cold had intensified and continued to do so every day. The wind had picked up speed, icier than before as it prickled my face. I could only imagine how red it was.

I could hear faint Christmas carols in the distance having passed a commercial area. All around me, I could sense Christmas as it drew closer and closer. The city was more alive with the holiday season upon them. Regardless, I had never felt more miserable and desperate to get the season over with.

The holidays always meant unecassary bonding with not only my family but at parties due to which my mum forced me to leave the house and also leave my room when they were hosted by her at her place where I was currently residing for the holidays.

I could feel the clouds being on the verge of letting out, causing heavy rain so I put some effort into walking as fast I could to reach the hotel. I made it to the mediocre looking hotel within the next three minutes, the lobby although large was poorly furnished with tacky interior.

I spotted my dad a minute after I stepped into the lobby, unsure of what to do now. I smiled at I fastened my pace to cross over to where he was seated on an armchair, engrossed in a newspaper.

"Dad" I called out. He immediately looked up, having been expecting me any minute. He stood up and wrapped me in a hug. He was heavily bundled up, probably far warmer than I was. He smelt of mild soap and coffee.

"Let me look at you" he pulled me back, his hands steady and firm on my shoulders. I had not seen him in over a year, he travelled occasionally due to work and I had been out of the country touring thus our timings had always clashed.

He seemed exhausted, assuming that he had been overworking himself trying to keep himself occupied. I was thankful that he had come out and decided to stay here to Christmas, not only because I wanted to see him but because he could spend sometime away from his isolation.

"I missed you so much dad" I pulled in for another hug.

"Me too, Perrielle" he reffered to my nickname that he had exclusively given me at the age of four.

Twenty minutes later, we were seated across eachother in a small italian restaurant that was located relatively close to the hotel. We had already order some mediocre sounding pasta and some white wine that the waiter assured would be here in a minute.

"Perrie?"

"Yeah?" I looked up from my phone which had been ringing continously for the past ten minutes with calls from my mum, my manager and Jade. I put it on silent and focused my attention on my father who smiled warmly.

"You don't look so good. Everything okay?"

I was confused. "What? Why?"

"You look pale and tired. Have you been getting enough sleep lately?" Upon his question, I was reminded of the all the sleepless nights I had spent, all the hours I had spent crying and how much I had deprived myself of food.