Dad's Boss

Eleven: Let's Try Again

I ran the burn under cold water, feeling Alex's eyes on my back. I heard his footsteps come closer to me, then he leaned against the counter and looked at me, or rather, watched me. I could see him out of the corner of my eye, but I didn't look at him straight on. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of me giving a shit. However, the more he looked, the more he tempted me to turn to him, and I gave in, making I contact with him.

"I can't get rid of you can I?" I started, staring at him blankly.

Alex laughed quietly and shook his head, "you just happen to be wherever I am."

"Yeah, at my house. Who knows why I'd be in my own house?" I said sarcastically, my hand still under the cold water. Alex shook his head again, grinning.

His grin slowly faded, "can we talk?"

"Not right now, my dad will back down in a second." I replied, looking back at my hand.

"When then?" Asked Alex. I shrugged as dad came back into the kitchen and Alex moved away from me.

After my dad finished carefully cleaning the burn on my hand and wrapping it back up, I left to go upstairs, leaving Alex and my dad to continue talking about whatever they were talking about.

I wanted to get an early night, so I dressed into nothing but jogging pants and crawled into bed, feeling the warmth of my quilt around my body, glad I had the next three days off of work. I was excited to sleep like a baby. I decided the work life definitely wasn't for me, but I would have to keep up to it if I wanted money.

I was almost asleep, when I heard footsteps and Alex's voice passing my bedroom. I assumed he was on the phone, as I couldn't hear my dad's voice. The hallway went silent, then I heard the bathroom door open and close.

As comfy and warm as I was, I wanted to take the chance to speak to him, so I quietly climbed out of bed and approached my door, waiting for Alex's call to finish. When I knew it was finished, I walked out of my bedroom when Alex walked out of the bathroom, almost making us bump into each other. Alex was about to walk the side of me, so I stood in front, accidentally stopping him. Alex tilted his head slightly to the side and grinned.

"Sorry." I apologised, smiling awkwardly. This didn't go as planned at all, so I sighed and backed into my bedroom, before Alex began speaking.

"Do you think we can have this talk?" Asked Alex as he leaned against my doorframe, his arms folded across his chest.

"What about my dad?"

"I told him I had a phone call to make and that I would be a while, which was mostly the truth, except the call's finished now." Alex responded. I hesitated for a second, then sighed. I took a few steps back into my room, giving him room to come in.

"I want to start off by saying I'm so sorry," began Alex, a guilty look in his eyes, "the way I just texted you like that must have made you feel like shit."

I nodded in response and raised my eyebrows, "you're not wrong. But what made you say it in the first place?"

Alex looked down and sighed, then looked back up at me. "After you left my house, after I...kissed you, everything just piled on me. Like, what would happen if people were to find out? I overthought and panicked, and I also thought maybe I'd rushed it too much. I just wasn't ready at all and I completely mislead you."

I stood there for a second, processing what he just told me. I nodded, looking down at the floor. I didn't really know what to say. Alex slowly moved his hand towards mine, his fingertips touching mine.