Winter Hearts

Siana Collects Mikhalis

Siana decided to go downstairs and escort her father up. She had showered and put on fresh sweats over a camisole, and rugged up with a cheap, synthetic and totally warm and comfortable blanket she had bought from the markets a year ago. No regrets, better than the real thing, she thought, as she pulled her door shut and bound down the three flights of stairs to knock on her father's door.

As she waited, she heard the door opposite open, and turned to see her father coming out of the studio, turning off the last light and letting the door swing shut, before locking it.

"Ana, my love, I was just coming up," he said when she came up to join him at the lift. He pushed the button, summoning it down, then put a hand out to ruffle her drying hair.

"You'll get sick walking around in the cold like that," he said, before pulling back his hand suddenly. Siana looked at him in surprise.

"That's what your mother used to say."

"Yeah, you always told her to let me be. Anyway, I rarely get sick from walking around with wet hair. That's just a fallacy. Germs. Germs make you sick."

Mikhalis pushed her shoulder, making her giggle.

"Smarty pants."

"Like my mother," she said proudly, smiling up at him. He nodded. "That is true."

The lift arrived and they got in. as they started riding up, Siana thought that she should say something about herself and Leo rather than let her father see or deduce something on his own during dinner. He had already seen enough to make some assumptions, but she felt it was only right.

"About Leo and I." She turned her head to look up at him, while he kept his smiling eyes fixed on the passing concrete and elevator safety doors as the cab rambled upwards.

"Yeeeees?"

"Well, there has been a development."

"I deduced that from watching my little girl snuggling with him in the back of the car just now."

Siana cringed. Yuuurrrghhh this was uncomfortable.

"Sorry about that, but in all honesty I wasn't aware I was doing it til I woke up."

Mikhalis lay a heavy hand on her shoulder.

"I've done worse, and if you keep going on about it, I will tell you every detail."

"Dad!" He laughed as she shrugged off his hand.

"Aww, if you're going to be an adult, I promise I will act like one too," he smiled, snuggling against her and planting a kiss on her head.

"Does your mother know?"

Siana gasped. She hadn't even thought about her mum, she had been so busy dancing and trying not to think about Leo all week.

"Maybe I should call her and tell her everything," Mikhalis joked.

Siana looked at him in surprise. This was the first time he had really expressed any intent to contact her mother since the divorce, even if it was in jest. She nodded vigorously.

"Dad, that's a great idea!"

Mikhalis sobered pretty quickly at the thought. He had never tried to contact Jenny because she had asked him to let the break be clean, to let them go on with their lives. He had been heartbroken, but he knew that she had carried her own heartbreak for much longer. She didn't try to stop him being Siana's father, but she made it clear that their lives were separate and that as the primary carer, things would go as she desired when it came to Siana's livelihood.

He shook his head, his smile a little sadder.

"Ah, much as I would like to share some gossip about you and your boy with your mother, it would be very inappropriate for me to call her out of the blue just to chat."

Siana pushed open the lift door as it came to a stop, and they stepped out into the lobby that led directly to the penthouse door. She pressed the doorbell and heard it sound inside.

"Aww, dad, I think enough time has passed that you can call her if you wanted to. Just as a friend."

Mikhalis looked at her a little sadly.

"But we're not just friends, my darling. She was my love."

Siana felt tears prick at her eyes. She could feel the weight of regret behind her father's words, and his voice sounded tired and regretful. She watched him as he took a deep breath and let out a sigh. She could see his statement put him on the verge of tears too, and she took his hand lightly in hers.

"There is no calling her just as a friend, anymore."

"Stop it dad, don't say that. Mum isn't suffering anymore. She has had time to let it all become water under the bridge. She is happy. We're happy. Maybe distance and separation has made all the past easier to remember-"

The door opened with a whoosh and N looked out at them briefly, taking in the situation in an instant.

Leaving the door open, he turned back towards the living room, shouting over his shoulder, "Ah, there you are, come in, but please excuse us, just a little more tidying we have to do in the kitchen!"

Siana could see he was giving them a moment to compose themselves and looked up at her father to smile at him. This was a conversation for another time. She smiled at him impishly.

"That's Hakyeon for you, busy, busy, busy, being all observant and kindly."

"Yes, an annoying creature you can't help but want to spend time with," laughed her dad, sniffing a little.

"Don't I stan a great group? I mean, imagine if they were rockers."

"Hmmm, that would still be better than electro heads. Those guys are so emo."

Siana laughed, because they really had no idea what they were talking about. In better spirits, they entered the penthouse, arm in arm.