Breaking The Ice

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Harry's POV

"Here, Mr. Tomlinson." I said as I put a cup of tea down in front of him, nervously watching him as he sat at the kitchen table.

"Thank you, Harry." He sighed as he wrapped his hands around the mug, staring down into it like he might find some answers or something in it. "I'm so sorry to have just shown up like this, I'll be out of your hair as soon as my car arrives."

The four of us had stood there watching helplessly as Teej sped off down the driveway, none of us sure exactly what it was that was running through her mind, and it had taken everything in me not to chase after her to make sure she was alright. I was obviously aware that she felt that she had some business to handle where her mother was concerned, but she'd clearly clued into something that had gone over my head. I think I knew deep down that it was something she needed to handle herself, and that she was fully capable, but that didn't mean I liked it. The idea of her being so angry, that anything had pushed her to the point that she would act so impulsively and not like herself, was never something that would sit well with me.

So there I was, practically losing my mind worrying about her as I did my best to respect her wishes, trying to make her dad feel somewhat comfortable as he sat at the kitchen table with my parents.

"There's no hurry at all, Peter. You're welcome to stay as long as you need." Mum said softly, reaching over and placing her hand on top of his in an effort to comfort him.

He looked so sad, and frustrated, and I could only conclude that he was beating himself up over something that the rest of us were unaware of. I felt a number of different things, anxiety probably the main one since I wasn't exactly sure what was going on or what might happen, but I was also now sitting in my Uncle's house with my girlfriend's father who I'd only briefly met at Thanksgiving, and she wasn't even there. I was worried about Teej, confused about the situation, but the look on her dad's face was just so complex I knew there was no way I could figure anything out without asking him for answers.

After she'd taken off he'd just kind of sighed and shaken his head at himself, apologizing to my parents repeatedly for showing up, saying that he'd just rushed to find her without thinking things through. We'd invited him in while he called some car service to pick him up, and now my parents and I were just sat there quietly in the kitchen while he seemed to be trying to sort out his thoughts.

"I've really made a mess of things, haven't I?" He sighed, closing his eyes and shaking his head at himself.

None of us responded, just watched him carefully, sensing he had more to say.

I think at that point I had a general idea of what Teej was thinking, the small bit of information we'd gathered from her father seeming to be part of a puzzle that we were trying to piece together, but I in no way felt like I had a grasp of what was going on. He'd obviously believed she was in danger or that she'd been hurt, but I wasn't sure just how or why. I didn't know if her mother had said something to him, maybe threatened her or something, but whatever it was he seemed to have taken it very seriously.

"I don't know how we got here." He said, staring at the table in front of him, thinking out loud. "It's Christmas Day, my kids are all off doing their own thing. None of us are together, and it didn't even occur to me until now how sad that is."

I looked over at my dad, who just reached up and gently squeezed my shoulder, and I knew it was his own way of telling me he was thankful that I was there with him.

"I was just sitting in my office, working like it was any other day, like I always do. I've been absent for years, just trying to bury myself in work to escape from my marriage, but I failed my kids." He continued, the emotion thick in his voice. "I...started this company because I wanted them to be taken care of, to never have to worry. I wanted to be an example for them of hard work, of showing them that it could pay off...but instead I just abandoned them."