Chapter Four

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With only a few weeks left of school, Luke used it as an excuse not to come home on the weekends. The Sunday after the breakfast incident, he'd told his mom that he needed to focus on his final assignments and really be studying. Delaney stood there behind their mom, stone-faced, his arms crossed, and listened to all the reasons. It all made sense, but he knew that wasn't the only reason Luke would be avoiding home for as long as possible. He didn't blame him.

Delaney's apartment hunt had gained vigor. He picked up a job at the bar he'd taken Ryan to when he'd be in town, and now was trying to find somewhere in the same area to live. The drive to work wasn't bad, but it was the perfect excuse to move out.

Finally he found the perfect one. Okay, it was far from perfect. But it was something he was going to be able to afford on his own without accepting the money that his father offered up to him.

He was packing a few boxes to take with him when he went to sign the lease when he came across a silvery gum wrapper with a phone number scrawled across it.

"Oh shit." Delaney had completely forgotten about that girl. Even if he wasn't really interested, he could have at least met up with her for that drink. Maybe he'd run into her now that he was working in the area. At least then he could apologize.

--

One evening his father came in to visit him at work. Delaney was already stressed out enough as it was without him showing up. He was still trying to get a hang of the whole bartending thing, and it was one of the few times he was working nights, which were always busier.

"You should have told me you worked here," Tucker said, taking a seat at the bar in front of his son. "I love this place."

"I've been busy," was all his son replied. Tucker hardly seemed to notice he was being brushed off. He was slumped forward, staring into his beer.

Delaney's mouth pressed into a tight line. His father was seeming more than just tired at this point. Though he still had no doubt in his mind that his father was sneaking around with someone, it had to be more than that; he looked ill.

"You been feeling okay?" Delaney asked.

His father looked up, eyebrows raised. "Yeah... Yeah," he said, waving the question away. "No big deal, feeling pretty drained lately," he confessed. "I think I'm coming down with a cold or something."

Maybe that was it. And maybe, Delaney thought, if he kept his tongue out of other people's throats he wouldn't have caught a cold in the first place.

"Maybe you should swap out that beer for some orange juice," Delaney suggested, trying not to sound too biting. He went back to his work, bussing tables, refilling drinks, and when he passed his father again, he was very surprised to see a familiar blonde sitting a little too close to his father. Apparently April had a thing for Grant boys of all ages.

"Oh. Hey..." He said to her. Even though he had recently been thinking he hoped to see her around sometime, he hadn't expected it too much. April seemed equally as surprised to see him. She retracted noticeably from leaning into his father and smiled tightly at him.

"You two know each other?" Tucker asked.

Delaney nodded. "We met a little while back," he said, and April nodded her head to confirm it.

His father excused himself for a moment to use the bathroom. Delaney pretended not to notice the way the man placed his hand on April's back, leaning in to tell her he'd be right back.

"So you know my father," he said.

"Your dad." That seemed to come as a shock to her. "Well I guess I see the resemblance," she said, her eyes drifting over him. "But yeah, I know him. He likes this bar, I like this bar..." she told him. "We've... Encountered each other a few times," she said with a smirk similar to the one he'd seen his father give a while back over breakfast. Delaney could feel heat flooding his face; he could guess exactly what she meant, and he was mad.

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