Page 25 of Claiming His Reunion Obsession

“There’s a button by the front doors,” he says, relaxing his snarl to actual words as he holds out his hands for mine.

“I’ll be alright, Quinn. Just give us some time, okay?” he nods and walks me to the door.

“I’ll get changes too, don’t be long.” He tells me and gives me a soft peck on the lips as I feel myself shaking again, but for a different reason this time.

The elevator door opens and I can see my dad pacing out front of the huge glass sliding doors to the building. He’s got his phone out, trying to call me or Quinn, I assume.

I stop for a second, looking at the man before he even sees me. I can see he’s upset, but he’s not dangerously mad. He’s not acting crazy. I see a man who’s concerned, hurt and worried more than anything for his daughter, for me.

I’d primed myself for a confrontation, a shouting match or worse but once I press the big red button by the sliding doors and his eyes meet mine, I feel a flood of emotions for my dad, and they’re all good ones.

“Oh daddy!” I cry, rushing into his arms, which he holds open for me, tears starting in his own eyes.

“What are you doing here?” I ask him, looking at my car behind him, filled with what looks like everything I’ve ever owned.

“Aww, Chelle…” he sniffs, “Just tell me you’re alright. Just tell me you’re safe. I was so worried… nobody would answer my calls and I thought… I guess I dunno what I thought anymore…. I thought maybe you didn’t love me… that you’d left because of me…”

I feel my own heart go, I let out a croak of disbelief, and feel my own tears getting the better of me.

“No, dad, oh… no! Don’t even say that.”

We hold onto each other for a long time, saying most of what needs to be said without words and once I feel dad settling down, I have to half-cry, half-laugh.

“Are you throwing me out?” I ask, looking again at my car parked behind him, I can see half our apartment in there.

“I’m sorry, Chelle. I got mad, right after I felt my heart break… I didn’t know what to think, my best friend and my baby girl… suddenly ignoring me and taking off at that reunion… I heard all kinds of things from a couple of people who were there, it killed me to hear it.”

Cindy Sanders, I’ll bet…

“That Brad fella, the one who works for-” but he stops short. I notice my dad can’t, or won’t even mention Quinn’s name. He tenses up and his eyes narrow, his tears drying up instantly, replaced with a darker look. An angry look I know isn’t meant for me.

“Daddy? Listen to me… We need to sit down and have a talk, but you’ve had a long night and a long drive… let’s just…”

“Where is he,” he snarls, his lip turning up and his eyes glazing over as he removes himself from our hug and literally positions me to one side so he can get past me.

“Tell me where he is, Chelle. I need to sort this out, once and for all.”

“Dad, stop!” I command him and for once I think he actually listens, he turns to look back at me, turning his whole body, to listen.

“I love Quincy Quinn Dad. He didn’t make me do anything I didn’t want to… He’s your best friend and he’s hurting. He wanted to share the happiness we’ve found with only one other person… you. But guess what? He couldn’t. Why? Because he knew this is how you’d act.”

I shudder as I finish speaking, it’s as if my voice has come from someplace else, far away or from up above. Loud, firm and full of the truth.

“Did he tell you to say that?” Dad asks, his shoulders sinking a little before he puffs himself back up again, pretending he’s mad but I can see he’s really just as hurt as Quinn is, hurt I’m the one piece of good news they couldn’t share together, not in the way friends would.

“C’mon, dad. Do you really think he would? And even if he did, do you really think I’d say that, would I tell you something like that if it wasn’t true?”

He humphs, looking like his mind’s answering a whole reel of questions he’s been asking himself for nearly a whole day and a night.

He puffs out a long breath of air from his cheeks, shaking his head from side to side.

“I don’t need to know the details, Chelle… it’s killing me inside as it is, but just tell me this is what you want. Tell me you’re happy right now,” he says, looking at me earnestly, registering that I’m not dancing around singing about how perfect Quinn is, about how perfect everything will be with us, even though that’s how I feel.

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