Broken Promises

Chapter 20- A ghost from the past

Weeks had passed since I had last seen my father. I do think that I could've handled it better, I wanted to be able to reconnect with him. All along I got in touch with my father in hope that he would respond. Though when he did, nothing could save me from the hurt that he put me through.

I called him on my phone. No answer. Oh right, he's probably working today is Tuesday.

Voicemail: "Hi, Tom, it's me. I just wanted to ask you something. Will you come by my place tonight?? I think I'm ready. Well I'm ready to tell you everything. So yeah, ok, I'll talk to you soon, bye!!"

6pm
MESSAGE: Hey mystery girl, I'll be there. See you soon. ☺️"

My eyes lit up when I saw this message.

8pm
*knocking*
I swing open the door. There he is. His gorgeous smile gleaming into me, making me feel weak already. I throw my arms around him, bringing him into a tight bear hug. "Hi." I said, still not letting go. I rested my head on his shoulder.
"Hey beautiful." His voice echoed through my ears.
I finally retreat after ages and stand there before him, his tall figure looking over me, making me feel safe. He takes my hand. We stand there for a minute before I lead him upstairs. "Are you taking me to your creepy dungeon ?? Are you going to throw me in there and not let me leave??"
I pull him with me, with more force than I realised. "Well, I did consider it."
He gasps as if mimicking he was scared.
I kick open my bedroom door. "Welcome, to my humble abode."
His curiosity is significant as his eyes wonder from my bookshelf, to my neat white bed, white walls, and then all the photos on the main feature wall that's painted black. He walks closer, kneeling on the bed so he can see the photos up close, he points to one on the left. "That's you?!" He says, surprisingly.
"I was 10, and yeah. That's me."
"You were brunette??"
"Yep."
"You were adorable!" He smiles.
"Hey? I was?? What about now?" I make a sad pouty face and I cross my arms.
He looks back at me and laughs. "I guess.... you are."
I run over to him while he's now sitting on the edge of my bed. "You guess?"
"Mmmhmm" he says. Damn it. Not going to let his really attractive voice get to me.
I am smiling before I know it. "Kate." He says softly. He pulls me in to his lap. "Uhhh. What are you..."
I readjust myself so I can see his face, don't get me wrong I'd love to just lie into his chest and fall asleep.
My eyes look straight into his blue ones. I'm searching for an answer. "Remember when we told each other we were falling for each other?"
"Yes." I gulp. Was he about to break my heart?
"I am falling for you. I'm falling in love with you. Sorry... is that stupid?"
"No. it's not. I...." before I can give an accurate response. He has grabbed my face between his two hands, and we kiss. Everything inside my body is dancing, My body is heating up, it's electrifying. I don't want it to stop. But I pull away.
I slump down into him. Feeling his arms wrap around me once again, knowing everything is okay, and my mouth runs and I tell him stories about when I was little, how close my family was, and then how we drifted apart. How I'm twenty now and living in an apartment on my own, mum is overseas working, and my dad is here, but I'm not sure that's how I wanted this part of my life to end up. He nods and has already taken my hand, gently playing with them, but listening intently while he does. I tell him why I was crying the other day. And another tear slides down my face. "It's like I'm in pieces Tom. The man I wanted to be in my life, broke my heart. A father should mean everything to his little girl, and he let me believe he was nothing to me." I switch positions so I am now sitting cross legged in front of him. I reach out for his hand again. "Kate, I'm sorry. I had no idea. You shouldn't have to go through this alone."
"I just didn't want you to see me as a broken girl who could crumble at any moment."
"I don't see you as broken, mystery girl. I see you as a mystery, I see you as a beautiful, confident and hardworking person, who brightens up the room whenever she walks in. That's what I see. I see someone who I want to not only get to know, but be with. I see you as the girl I fell in love with as soon as she walked into the coffee shop on the corner. I will be here for you Kate. I promise you, I'll pick you up when you fall okay?"
That word promise just gets me. This time, it came from a person who I trusted. Who I knew. Tom is not a stranger to me. He's dead serious about this and he means it. For the first time I'm believing someone who's said that word in front of me. For the first time the promise isn't broken. It's real.
"Tom?" I say.
"Yeah?"
"Are you like my boyfriend now because if you..."
he was kissing me again. I pull away for a second. "Wait so that's a yes?"
"Yep." His lips find their way to mine once again, and nothing around me could make me feel more happier in this moment.