Page 48 of Who's Your Daddy?

A fact that was confirmed when I came home to an empty house.

All her stuff...gone. She vanished without a trace, and I mean without a trace. No note. No reason. Not one thing left behind. We were living together, so I never bothered to get her number. I couldn’t ask her why she left. I couldn’t call her to check in and make sure she was okay. And that’s me. That’s fundamentally who I am. I’m the type who always checks in on people. That’s why Dylan calls me honey and sweetheart every chance he gets, because I always ask him to check-in. I hate worrying. It fucks with my head, and Lia activated my compulsive paranoia when she disappeared without a word. She didn’t even tell me she was leaving.

And this shit has got me twisted tighter than a fricken sailor’s knot. I can’t eat. I’ve barely slept in twelve days because I’m worried about her all the time. But more than that...I miss her. I really miss her. I miss walking into my closet and seeing her clothes on my shelves. I miss sitting in my kitchen watching her cook. I miss her overly dramatic jokes. I miss her vampire references. I miss her eyes. I miss her mouth.

Fuck, I missher.

And I shouldn’t be feeling like this. I shouldn’t be feeling anything. As she rightfully pointed out, the arrangement was only ever meant to be temporary. A couple weeks max and then she would leave. She stayed a couple weeks and then she left. It all worked out the way it was supposed to.

So, why the hell am I parked outside this dingy motel? Why did I bribe the manager to tell me which room she’s staying in?

These are the stupid decisions I’ve been making all day. I knocked on her door and peeped through the window earlier. It doesn’t seem like she’s inside, so now I’m just sitting here, waiting for her to come back.

This isn’t what Dylan was talking about. He told me that once a chick sinks her claws into me, I’d have no defenses, no control. But that’s not what’s happening here. I’m in control. This is just a weird manifestation of worry. So, what if I miss her a little. That’s to be expected. No big deal. And yeah, I’m getting edgy because I have this need to see her that’s sort of hard to suppress. But that’s manageable. I’m in control. I’m going to stick to the plan.

The sun slowly creeps across the sky, moving from east to west, and it’s just after five p.m. when I spot Lia coming around the corner. She halts when she sees me in front of her room, just casually sitting on the hood of my car. She looks a little pale, and I’m not sure if it’s because she’s unwell or just surprised by my presence.

“Peter,” she murmurs, sounding slightly shellshocked, “what...what are you doing here?”

“Hey.” I stand up. It feels awkward to hug her, so I slip my hands into my pockets to avoid touching her entirely. “I just wanted to check on you...see how you’re doing.”

She nods, nervously tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “I’m fine.”

I take note of her outfit, a simple black golf shirt with a red logo on the breast pocket matched with a straight-cut black skirt. It’s a uniform. Her hair is neatly tied back in a high ponytail, but it’s the small hoop gold earrings that add just a hint of class and elegance.

“I see you got a job.”

“Uh...yeah. Down at the department store...Henley’s. They assigned me to the cosmetic section. I do some makeovers and help customers with fragrance sampling and whatnot. It’s not much, but it pays the bills.”

“That’s good.” With clumsy rigidness, I reach out and pat her shoulder. “That’s...great. Con...gratulations.” The movement feels stiff, so I turn it into a light arm rub. That makes things more uncomfortable, so I shove my hand back in my pocket.

I’m usually more composed than this, but I have this overwhelming urge to touch her constantly, and it’s bringing out the dork in me. We usually can’t keep our hands off each other, so this distance feels unnatural.

She feels it too because after our eyes lock for a moment too long, she rummages through her knapsack to retrieve her key card. “Listen, thanks for—”

That’s her getting ready to end this discussion, and I’m not done with my checkup yet. “So, is it close by? Do you...do you walk there? Alone? By yourself?” I do a quick scan of the surrounding area. “In this neighborhood?”

I’m trying to remain calm, but this place is dodgy as fuck. I literally saw three guys doing drugs on the sidewalk when I pulled into the parking lot. What if she’s walking home one day and one of them—

Stop!Reel that paranoia right back in. She walked home just fine today. She’s been here for two weeks, and she’s fine. Nothing to worry about.

“It’s about a ten-minute walk.”

Her clipped response is a sign of her growing impatience. She swipes her card and opens the door. Nothing makes me cringe harder than the sight of these motel rooms. They’re dreary and rundown and just gross. She shouldn’t be living like this.

Calm down, I tell myself. I’m not here to be a hero or her knight in shining armor. I just came here to check on her and then I’m going home. Alone.

She steps inside. “Peter, I appreciate the concern. Thank you for stopping by. I—”

“Why did you leave, Li?” I blurt out. After this, it’ll be over, and I can’t let her shut that door without telling me. “You didn’t say one word. I know I said that I didn’t expect anything from you, but...I at least deserved an explanation, don’t you think?”

“I’m sorry. I should’ve told you, but I thought you would’ve convinced me to stay.” Guilt flashes on her face, and she lets out a deep sigh. “But I left because...you don’t need to be burdened with me and my baggage. You’re a single guy who doesn’t want to be tied down, and that situation would’ve lasted indefinitely. I’m barely making enough to live in this shithole, but I—”

“So, how are you paying for the other things you need? Food? Or toiletries?”

Wow. It’s weird how that white knight complex of mine just stepped in and overrode the conversation. I didn’t even realize it had such a quick reaction time, but she shuts it down just as fast.

“Peter, that’s not your concern.” She closes the door halfway. “Look, I’m exhausted. I’m really nauseous. I just want to have a shower, crawl into bed, and sleep until tomorrow.”

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