"What are you doing home?!" I scream out of joy and run to him. He squeezes me hard, forgetting about how buff he is. The air escapes my lungs, but I don't mind. I haven't seen my father in over a year and this was extremely unexpected. That must've been why my mom was so smiley this morning.
"I wanted to surprise you and your mother. I'll be here for a few days." He informs with a big smile on his face.
"I didn't expect you to be here, this is such a surprise. I'm so glad to see you!" I smile and hug him once more.
"So what were you smiling about? You hadn't even seen me yet?" He nudges me playfully.
"She's probably smiling about her boyfriend," my mom notes, leaning against the table and smiling. My dad's smile drops and he gives me a double take.
"Boyfriend?" He asks, hardening his face.
"Really mom?" I straight face her and walk to the fridge, grabbing a snack. "It's not a big deal, really."
"Well I would like to meet this boy." My dad pokes his chest out, making me giggle. Although my dad fights for our country and uses guns every day, he never really scares me. He's just a big teddy bear in my eyes. "I'm being serious, Aria. I want to meet him."
"Okay, okay. I'm going to go do homework." I smile, peck him on the cheek, and walk to my room. I fall back onto my bed and stare up at the ceiling,digging into my thoughts.
I'm happy that my dad is back, but I'm not sure if I want him to meet Jacob yet. I mean, wouldn't that be too soon in the relationship considering we just started dating today? My dad was never around to meet any of the boys I've been with, which is a very short list. I haven't had much experience. I'm pretty sure for a while my mom thought I was gay because I never talked about boys. But Jacob is different. He has the demeanor of a man. He seems to know what he's doing. He knows what he wants and he goes and gets it. I can't possibly say no to that. And the way his body is shaped, my dad may think he actually is a man.
I know once he leaves, I'll be sad the way I always am. I know things will get hard for a couple of days and my mom will go out and not come back until five in the morning. I know she'll lose herself in the bottom of a wine bottle and I'll have to hear her cry in the living room. I don't want to be around that, as harsh as it sounds. It always made me feel worst. As a kid, I always tried to comfort her, but there was nothing I could do. Whenever my dad leaves, she goes through the same things. It's horrible to say but we never know when he's coming back. Or if he's coming back. And that's what scares me the most . . .
Jacob
"You looking for something, sweetheart?" The woman runs her red painted fingernail along my button down shirt. I immediately grab her hand, making her freeze and stare up at me out of fear.
"Don't touch me." I bark, letting go of her hand. "Where is Don?" She rolls her eyes and points to the door at the end of the hallway. I budge past her and stalk down there before knocking on the door. There's loud music and for a moment I think no one hears me. I raise my hand to knock again, but the door swings open. Clouds of smoke exit the room as Donny stands shirtless in the doorway.
"The fuck, kid, I didn't think you'd actually show up." He grunts, scratching his stomach and leaving the door open for me to walk in after him. I notice a naked woman in his bed, fixing her hair and getting dressed. I clear my throat and look away until she's dressed and out of the room.
"What are you, gay? You don't want to look at a naked woman?" Donny strikes, picking up a cigarette and putting it in his mouth.
"No. I just don't want to look at her, that's all." I mumble, leaning against his dresser.
"Oh, I get it. You would rather see that little mocha brunette of yours naked." I know he's talking about Aria. And he's not lying. But I don't show my emotions to him. "Listen, kid, I know I'm hard on you but your father told me to look after you." He holds out a cigarette to me from across the room, but I shake my head and turn him down.
"I don't smoke anymore," I note. He shrugs, looking at me oddly.
"So is that girl your girlfriend? What's her name?" He smirks, revealing the gold tooth I used to think was fascinating. "Why don't you bring her around?" I straight face him. He knows damn well why. If she saw the environment I stayed in, she would never talk to me again. I'd scare her innocent soul away, and I wouldn't be able to live with myself.
"She's just a girl, that's all." I walk around the room, looking at the pictures and paintings on the wall.
"Aria." He says, although it sounds more like he's asking. I stop and turn to him. He puts his hands up in defense. "Hey, I had to get a little knowledge on her. You better keep her close, Jacob. Some guys pulled up on Noah's girlfriend the other day. I don't want that happening to your girl. I see the way you look when I talk about her. Just like how your father would look when someone mentioned your mother."
He's not wrong. My father did love my mother. Whenever he looked at her, his eyes lit up in a way you never saw with anything else. If you talked bad of her, he would be sure to make you regret it. He never loved anyone the way he loved my mother. It was a purified love. A rare type of love.
Donny walks to the dresser and opens the top drawer. He digs through his things before turning around with a gun in his hand. I look at him blankly, carefully watching the little black piece of metal. He walks to me and holds it out.
"I can't take that," I step back slightly and stare down at the gun.
"Jacob, it's your father's. Please take it." He nudges it towards me. I take it into my hands, feeling that too familiar feeling of the skin against mine. I hate guns. Aria would kill me if she knew I was taking this, I know she would. I stuff it into my waist band and put my shirt over it.
"You remember how to shoot it?" I nod, remembering the memories I try hard to forget. Don grabs my shoulder and squeezes it hard. "Don't be trigger happy, Jacob. Only use it when you need it."
I'm about to reply to him when I feel my phone buzz in my pocket. I dig it out and see a text from Aria.
Please come get me.
YOU ARE READING
Pleasure
Romance"I want you so bad," he moans, pressing his body hard against mine. Seeing him so vulnerable only makes me want him more. "So take me." I taunt, looking into his piercing green eyes. ************* Aria was used to moving, since her father was in t...
