The Older Man Part II

Chapter 24

In Need of A Break

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CHEYENNE'S POINT OF VIEW

I hugged my mom as Vincent and I got ready to leave. "I love you, mom," I said softly. She pressed a kiss to my head and whispered that she loved me back before pulling away.

"Give your father some time. He'll come around eventually." She reassured me with a gentle smile.

"Let me know when he's calmed down, alright? I really wanna talk with him about all of this," I told my mom after we pulled away from a hug.

She nodded. "I will."

We hugged once more before I waved at her, walking towards the front door with Vincent.

"Bye Vincent," my mom bid farewell. He smiled. "Bye Kimberley."

Side by side, Vincent and I walked down the steps outside my parents' house.

By the time we were in the car, Vincent immediately asked me how I was. "Are you alright?" He queried, resting his arm on the back of my seat.

I just looked at him silently and shook my head as if to say I didn't want to talk about it.

I appreciated how caring Vincent was in that moment but I needed to be alone with my thoughts.

No amount of love and attentiveness would help me forget about the pain I felt from my dad's reaction to my news.

I felt like he would at least be a little happy for me and Vincent, but to be so cold and unreceptive was beyond what I could've mentally prepared for.

Vincent let out a defeated sigh before patting my leg reassuringly and starting the truck to leave.

I curled up in my seat and positioned myself to look blankly out the car window.

The whole way from my parents' house to our condo, it was silent in the vehicle. The only sound that could be heard was the humming of the engine and the occasional sound of the turn signal blinking.

When we arrived in our building's parking garage and parked in an empty space, Vincent turned to look at me before we got out of the truck.

"Cheyenne," he started to say. The tone of his voice reflected his desire to get even a single word out of me.

"Vincent," I began, "I know you mean well, but I- I just can't right now. I'm sorry," I told him somberly.

He sighed and nodded to himself. "Okay," he said gently. He leaned over to press a kiss on the top of my head before we both left the truck.

I walked a bit ahead of him as we made our way to the condo.

When I walked through the front door, I immediately felt the overwhelming urge to cry, but it seemed like all the tears I had in me must've escaped when I was hiding in the bathroom at my parents' house.

I heard Vincent shut the door behind me.

I headed straight to the living room to collapse on the couch. After kicking off my shoes, I grabbed the throw blanket draped over the couch and curled up underneath its warmth.

Vincent disappeared into the bedroom to change into more casual clothes, leaving me alone in the living room.

I hid under the blanket and silently sobbed. It didn't matter how hard I tried; I couldn't push away the pain I felt.

When Vincent proposed to me, I wanted to immediately call my parents and tell them the good news. I didn't expect my dad to jump through hoops once he found out, but I thought he would at least be able to be happy for me.