Page 220 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 1
"He's actually done school, Dad. He graduated a few years ago. Several actually. He's 27."
"Oh?" my mom said. She glanced at my father and then back at us. "Well, that's quite an age difference."
We were all silent for a second. The disapproval almost seemed palpable. It felt like I was slowly peeling off a Band-Aid when I should be ripping it off as fast as possible.
My dad was frowning. "So that brings me back to my original question. If you're no longer a student, what is it that you do for a living, James? And why on earth are you dating a teenager?"
I had never heard his voice so cold. "Dad, I just turned 20." No one acknowledged that I had spoken.
"Well." James shifted in his seat.
Thank God he's taking over.
"This is not going to sound great. But I want you both to know that I love your daughter very much." He shifted in his seat again.
Rip off the Band-Aid!I couldn't take it anymore.Just tell them!
"I actually resigned from my current position this morning," James continued. "But before that, I had a job at the University of New Castle." He paused again.
It felt like I was torturing everyone. Enough was enough. "He's my professor," I blurted out.
My parents stared at me. And then my mom burst out laughing. My dad quickly started laughing too.
I looked up at James. He shook his head. He was as confused as me. I expected cursing and maybe sobbing. Definitely not laughter.
"I don't know what you've done to Penny," my mom said between bouts of laughter. "Because she never pulls pranks on us. Well done. You both had us going."
"She can't even pull an April Fool's Day prank," my dad added. "That was hilarious!"
I never in a million years expected them to have this reaction. But it made sense that they thought I was joking. I never broke the rules. "Mom, Dad." My throat caught when I said Dad. The whole thing was so preposterous that they didn't even believe me. "We're not joking. You said it yourself, I don't know how to play pranks. It's not even April Fool's Day."
"Of course you're joking," my mom quickly said. "The age difference? Your professor? It's not even believable. It's ridiculous. It's absolutely ridiculous."
"James is my Comm professor.Wasmy Comm professor, I mean."
"You're joking. You are, right?" My mom suddenly looked pale.She looked over at James and frowned, as if seeing him for the first time.
"We met before I knew he was a professor."
"And you..." my mom's voice faded. "And he..." She closed her mouth again.
Stunned silence. I could work with stunned silence.
"Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, I know how this might sound, but..."
"She's a sophomore," my dad said calmly. "She's only a sophomore."
"I thought she was a senior," James said.
"You thought she was a senior? So you only hook up with seniors, is that it?"
"Dad, it wasn't like that at all."
"I think you should probably leave, James. We need to have a conversation with Penny in private."
"I really think we should talk about this," James said calmly. "I am in love with your daughter. I'm not going anywhere."
"You're a 27 year old man. She's a sophomore," my dad said again.
