Page 30 of Hate To Love You

“Okay, I won’t,” she smiles. My eyes narrow and I slap her arm.

“Seriously? Lainey, what the hell?” I whine. The last thing I want to do is see Ryker after what happened in the library earlier.

My cheeks heat at the thought of being so close to him.

“It’ll be fine!” she grabs my hand and starts to pull me to the door, but before we make it outside, my phone rings in my pocket.

The last thing I expect when I pull out my phone is to see my dad’s name on the screen. I freeze, my breath catching in my throat. I don’t remember the last time I heard from him. Did he actually remember my birthday? Is that why he’s calling?

Lainey looks back at me with a concerned look on her face.

“Who is it?” Ellie asks from behind me. I shake my head in disbelief.

“It’s my dad,” I say, barely audible. I can feel Lainey and Ellie watching me as I stare down at my screen. It’s like time has stopped.

At the last minute, I take a deep breath before deciding to answer the call, hoping I don’t regret it.

“Hello?” I respond hoarsely.

“Guinevere?

Hearing my dad’s voice for the first time in so long causes a shiver run down my spine.

“H… hi, dad,” I stutter. I hear him clear his throat on the other end, like he’s nervous.

“I have some news, and I wanted you to hear it from me first,” the tone of his voice has switched to something more purposeful. A million things run through my mind. What could he possibly have to tell me?

“Okay…”

“I’ve just received a leading role in an upcoming film,” he says proudly. A small smile curves on my lips. That’s not exactly what I was expecting him to say.

A tiny part of me was hoping the news would be that he’s coming home to see me. To wish me a happy birthday in person. To celebrate the birth of his only child.

“Wow, dad. That’s great, congratulations,” I try to sound as excited as I possibly can while simultaneously being disappointed.

“There’s more. I will be moving to Germany to film. I’ll be over there for a while, and I’ll be quite busy, so I won’t be able to call much,” my heart drops. Germany? He’s moving to Germany?

I don’t even know what to say. How do I respond to that? He already barely calls me, and now he’s moving to a different country? Does mom know? Of course, she’s probably one of the first people he told.

“Oh. Uhm, okay. When do you leave?” I ask, my lip quivering as I try to hold back the tears building in my eyes. I don’t know why I’m upset. It’s not like we talk now, nothing’s really changing.

“Monday. I just wanted to let you know in case you tried getting a hold of me,” I hear him shuffling around in the background of the call, then I hear a woman call his name. He’s with a woman? “Yes, Viv. Tell him I’ll be there in a minute.”

Who is he talking to? Who is Viv and who is my dad referring to when he says ‘him’? The questions burn holes in my brain, but I’m too afraid to hear the answers.

“Guinevere, I have to go. But I’ll try to get in touch with you once I get back. Bye, honey.”

The phone hangs up before I even get a chance to say goodbye. A single tear runs down my cheek at the realization that my dad is leaving me, again, and he didn’t even call to wish me a happy birthday.

He’d forgotten about me, again.

Chapter 19

Guinevere

The music thumps through my body, the bass vibrating in my chest as the alcohol I’ve consumed courses through my veins, clouding my thoughts and loosening the tension in my body.

As much as I hate drinking, I needed a drink after that phone call from my father, not to mention the fact that I am standing in my enemy’s house.

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