Since Birth

Chapter Seven

My face had stayed red for I don't know how long. I was just mean to a guy that I liked for who knows how long. I felt awful. I immediately began to clean the dishes once everyone finished eating.
"I had no idea." Aimee whispered as she walked past me. "How weird is that?"
"Can you drop it?" I snapped at her and my dad walked over to us shaking his head.
"I had no idea." He also said scratching his head. "I've met Aidan and-"
"Dad." I interrupted him. "Please I'm already a tomato."
"What did your mom tell you about the divorce?" He looked at both of us lowering his voice.
"That you were leaving." Aimee shrugged shaking her head.
"That's it." I scrubbed at the dishes and he scoffed.
"She didn't tell you girls the truth did she?" I turned back to him confused and he ran his fingers through his hair shaking his head. "I want you girls to come by my house. I want us to talk and mend this. I'm not the bad guy here." He turned away from us and and walked to Blaire who was chatting my mom up.
"I wonder how long they've been bucking." Aimee pushed herself into me. "I bet not long. No way our dad, a silver fox, went for this cougar."
"That's Aidan's mom." I reminded her and she retracted her statement by muttering apologies. I was so tired now. Emotionally drained.
After finishing up the dishes I told everyone I was going to bed. This was too much for me right now. I couldn't help but have my mind wander to what the truth was. What did our mom keep from us?
I went upstairs and showered quickly before putting on my pajamas. I was ready for sleep. I don't think I wanted to be awake any longer than I had to be. My mind still couldn't wrap around my dad and his return. So subtle and unexpected.. and we didn't get the answers we deserved. He was gone for two years!

A small tap on my window startled me as I was readying myself to lay down. My eyes darted to the window seeing a hand against my glass. I covered my mouth from screaming but soon seen Aidan's face pop up in the window. He waved to me and I ran over to the window throwing it open shaking my head.
"What the hell are you doing?" I asked trying to piece together what I was seeing.
"I couldn't sleep." He climbed through the window without even giving me a chance to say that he could. We hadn't talked since we had gotten into that argument in the hall. "I couldn't stop thinking about you." He looked over my face breathless. My eyes went to the window again seeing that there was no ladder below him.
"You climbed up here?" I angrily whispered to him.
"I had to apologize to you. My mom said she was leaving for the night and-"
"Yeah, she's here with my dad!" I was getting unreasonably mad with him like he was the cause of all of this.
He laughed instead of being perplexed about that. "I didn't know he was your dad." His jaw clenched and he ran his fingers through his hair laughing again. "I'm sorry Emelie, I should have texted you but I wanted to surprise you and apologize for the way I acted the other day. It wasn't at all fair to you for me to say those things. I was just afraid I was going to lose you. Trevor is a catch."
I sat down on my bed holding my head in my hands. "This has been an unbelievable night."
He came to sit beside me placing his hand on my knee comfortingly.
"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked and I turned to look at him. His kindness shone through his eyes and the way he looked at me. Aware I was hurting and concerned as to why. He cared.
I bit my lip gently and shrugged shaking my head. "I hadn't seen my father in two years." I admitted to him looking to the ground. "And it's weird because I miss him so much but I'm angry with him. I'm upset but I'm so glad to see his face. Smell his scent, see he smile and feel his embrace. I've missed him so much but I hate him!" I covered my mouth realizing what I had just said. I didn't mean it. I loved him.
"You don't hate him." He said as if he read my thoughts. "You're just angry and rightfully so." He sighed and rubbed my knee. "I never met my dad." He but his lip holding back on his words. I could feel his anger towards his father so I'm sure he felt mine. "Me and my sister have different fathers but both of them left my mom. She only just now started dating again and she's happy with your dad. It's weird because I've met him so many times and not once did I notice the resemblance." He laughed shaking his head. "Now I won't stop noticing it." He looked over to me smiling and I felt better somehow.
"Just don't leave home for him." I joked and he chuckled looking over my face and becoming serious.
"I hope this won't make things awkward between us. I still like you a ton."
"It won't." I looked into his eyes and began getting flashes of my sister in that bedroom- so confident and appealing to Sean. Not desperate.
My lips parted but I had nothing to say anymore. I just wanted him to kiss me and I was afraid to initiate. I shouldn't have been afraid. I should've been like her... except I still had my innocence.
"Um," he dropped his hand from my knee and I suddenly remembered that his lips had touched hers. I turned away sighing and shaking my head to myself.
"Its late." I said quietly putting my hands in my lap.
"Um," he said again and laughed nervously. "I was uh," he swallowed hard and I turned to look at him again. "I was hoping to kiss you." He looked over my face and I sank shaking my head.
"We shouldn't." I looked down and he noticed something was wrong but didn't pry.
"That's fine, I'll go." He started to get up and I grabbed his arm sliding down to his wrist.
"Wait," he sat back down beside me and I sighed trying to get the courage to ask. "My sister told me that she kissed you." I said trampling over my words but I got it out.
"I'm sorry, she made me promise not to say anything. She just came up to me and she said don't tell her and I was confused but she kissed me. I was just taken aback and noticed she wasn't you." He shrugged. "I didn't know how to feel or react so I just stood there like an idiot and she told me she said, 'that's how you should kiss my sister, with confidence. Control the moment. Take her breath away. Don't run away again like a bitch. Kiss her and leave her wanting more.' It was the only advice I was ever given on kissing a girl. It's stuck." I sighed relieved but still a bit upset. I don't think he enjoyed it as much as I thought he would have. He was just shocked. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you but I had no idea how to tell you. I was just so bent on showing you."
"No, it's fine. She's just pushy is all." I shrugged trying to be appreciative of her advice. It helped him.
"Do you still want me to leave?" He asked and I looked back to him seeing I was still holding him there.
"No, I want you to show me again." I said quietly gazing into his eyes. "Show me." I let go of his hand and placed it on his thigh twisting my body to his.
His eyes lingered over my face tightening his jaw and almost hesitating to kiss me. Instead he said, "No, you show me." I hid a smile and shook my head becoming nervous now.
"Aidan," I snorted.
"Please," he said softly inching closer to me. He placed his hand on my side and I moved in looking over his face. I could do this. It wasn't going to be that hard. More flashes of my sister went across my eyes and it angered me a bit that I was hesitant. It wasn't that difficult to do. Just kiss him.
I could hear her giving me the same advice as him but stricter. Just do it.
So I leaned in to him, inhaling his mesmerizing scent and went for it. I pressed my lips into his softly having him respond almost instantly to my kiss. His arm went up my back pulling me closer to him and kissing me hard like his life depended on it. He was impatient and I could tell by his urgency that he had been waiting for this all night. I kept thinking about it to I'll admit and it was like a dream come true. I was glad he climbed up to my window to see me. We only had one date so far but I missed him. I missed this intimacy I had with no one else ever. I craved it. I wanted more.
My hands grabbed his face kissing him deeper and pulling his as close as my body would allow. I didn't want to stop like I had no limits but I knew there were some. I was rushing this I knew it but I felt like I was on borrowed time. Like it was now or never with him. Not that he was flaky but I wasn't sure. I had no idea how things between us would be. Still I was excited for this part of my life, exploring my desires.
I was now kissing him like my life depended on it. Becoming sloppy and frantic wanting to never stop. He grabbed my hips so I moved to his lap resting my legs on his sides. I was breathing heavily, panting and getting so worked up from him- from my own thoughts. I tangled my fingers in his hair feeling the softness of it, fighting the urge to pull it. His arms went up around me holding me tightly rather than trying to progress this further. He started slowing down and lessening his grip on me.
I finally broke away from his lips staring down at him trying to catch my breath.
"We should uh." He swallowed hard looking up to me resting his hands on my waist.
"I'm sorry." I blank several times pushing myself off of him and getting to my feet. "That was not my intention." I ran my fingers through my hair shaking my head confused. I took it too far.
"It was hot." He sat up on the bed looking up at me. "I just thought I shouldn't push this." He got up from my bed and walked over to brushing his fingers up my arm. I inhaled sharply feeling the feather like sensation travel to my spine. I got goosebumps from his touch.
"I should go." I nodded looking up to him.
"Thanks for stopping by." He leaned down to me and kissed me softly one last time.
"I'll see you tomorrow." He brushed his finger across my cheek smiling before heading towards the window. I waited until he made it safely down before I closed the window.

•••

After school the next day, me and Aimee headed down to our fathers house. It would be our first time ever stepping foot in his place. We were both equally nervous about it. He was supposed to tell us about what really happened, why he had abandoned us.

"I've never been so anxious in my life." Aimee muttered pulling up to my fathers house. It had its own gate with floral bushes on each side of it. There was even a intercom on the outside of it to call in.
"I don't remember him being this rich." I said frowning and looking around the gate to try and see the house. All I could see were trees blocking my vision.
"No kidding." The gates opened shaking both of us and making us alert. "Fuck this is cool." She drove forward and I could now see the house littered with the same floral bushes, three on each side of the front of it. The house itself was bigger than our moms but not a mansion. There were large windows in the front as well reaching from the floor to the ceiling. From that you could see the inside was cleaned and tidy and almost empty.
Aimee pulled the car right to the middle of the roundabout that was sort of like a driveway. We both got out of the car and walked up to his door ringing the doorbell which you could hear all throughout the house I was sure. We could see my father walking quickly to the door and opening for us with a smile.
"There's my girls." He moved out of the way letting us through. "Welcome to my humble abode." He chuckled closing the door once we were inside. I never figured he was a modernist. This home he had was full of open space. Subtle colors and decor. Couches that looked as if they never been sat on or used.
"It's not much right now." He sighed noticing that we were looking around. "I was hoping you girls would help with that."
"Cut the shit." Aimee gave a short lived laugh. "What is this? What are you doing?" I looked from her back to my father who's smile had disappeared.
"I want my daughters back." He looked away from us shaking his head and clenching his jaw. "I lost you once but I'm not going to let her take you two away from me again."
"What do you mean?" I asked and he turned his back to us as he walked to his also open kitchen. Everything in there was either black or silver. No color. All the same. We followed him as he went to the fridge grabbing out a jug of orange juice.
We sat at the island looking to him for answers as he grabbed three small glasses. "I cheated on your mother." He placed the glasses on the marble filling the silence with the sound of the glasses clanking and touching the harder surface. We didn't know what to say. Either of us. We were both stunned to hear this. It was not what we had expected.
"We were going over a rough patch and I slipped up something terrible. I hurt her I know I did and she did not let me live it down. She kicked me out but I came back and we talked through it but it wasn't enough for her. So I slipped up again and she wanted to make me pay for that. She wanted to take away something that I loved more than anything, ruin the image your girls had of me."
"So mom told you to never come back so you didn't? You didn't even think to make an effort?" Aimee frowned eyeing him like he was the last person she wanted to see right now. "Is that really why you just disappeared?"
"Aimee, you mother refused to let me see you girls. She threatened to take you away and move in with her mother miles away. I tried every chance I could to see my girls but then she threatened to get full custody and a restraining order."
"So this is just all on her?" I asked looking over his face and trying to understand what he was saying. "She just forced you out of our lives?"
"You know how mom gets." Aimee looked at me. "She forces everyone out and abandons us as well." She turned back to my father and laughed. "You know we never see her? She's always working and the only time we see her is for five seconds in the morning. Five fucking seconds. And she tells you to stay away from us?" She looks back to me and threw her arms in the air. "What a crock of shit."
"She was angry with me, I had messed up big time and ruined every chance we had as a married couple, as a family. I lost her trust and both of yours. Only recently had she allowed me to try and mend what I had broken." He looked from the both of us and gave a small nervous smile. "I've missed you both and I want to fix this. I need to make up for lost time. I need your forgiveness." His words were powerful, they always had been. That's why he had been mayor, he could move people with his charm and wit. He was enthusiastic and loving to everyone that knew him so of course it was difficult to not want to forgive him. Now I had known half of the story I was hoping for. Part of the truth.
"Of course I forgive you daddy." I looked over to Aimee as she looked at him pouting. "I've missed you so much." She jumped off of the stool and went around the island to embrace him. He laughed and put his arms around her tightly nodding happily.
"Did you think we wouldn't forgive you?" I asked and they both looked to me furrowing their brows. "You'd have to be silly if you thought we wouldn't." I got off my stool as well and joined them in a group hug.