Page 27 of Faking it with My Boss' Son

I’d known Michelle since my childhood, but she’d never spoken in this tone to me before, and she wasn’t giving me any clue why she was upset.

I texted Michelle many times over the next few days, asking her the reason why she sounded cold and down in the dumps, hoping that she’d melt down a little bit and take me out of my present mental turmoil, but every time she came up with the same reply: Everything is okay. It is nothing for you to lose sleep over. Just relax.

***

I sat alone on the porch, watching the sunset and remembering all those wonderful evenings we’d shared and all the times I’d come home from coaching soccer and would be welcomed by Michelle’s beautiful smile. She seemed to be present everywhere, even in her absence, and I was sure that I could no longer stay in my apartment until Michelle returned. I decided to go back to my dad’s house in Hidden Hills to tell my dad yet another lie; Michelle had gone to help her sick friend and would be staying there for a while, and I couldn’t stay alone in the apartment.

My phone beeped, alerting me to a text.

Michelle: Hey Ryan, I made it to Davenport.

Ryan: Good. Thanks for texting me. Tell your mom and dad I said Hi.

Michelle: I will.

I packed my bag and headed to my dad's house. I walked in to find him sitting on the couch watching TV.“Hey, son, what's going on? I wasn't expecting you.” He said as he stood up from the couch.

“I am going to stay here for the weekend. Michelle went to see her family, and I don’t want to be alone while she is gone.” I said, setting down my bag.

“Okay. You know you are always welcome here.”

“Thanks, Dad. I’m pretty tired, so I am going to go to bed. I will see you in the morning.” I walked towards my bedroom and shut the door behind me, unable to get Michelle out of my head. What does she want to tell me?

Chapter twelve

Michelle

It was not an easy decision for me to make, but now that I’d decided what I had to do, there was no looking back. The day before I left for my parents, Leah and I talked for a long time. She continued to encourage me to tell Ryan how I felt, and I continued to tell her that I was too shy. Even if I did express my feelings to him, I feared rejection. I was sure he’d laugh in my face. I shook my head as the warm tears flowed out of my eyes and dissolved in the corners of my lips, leaving a salty flavor in my mouth and a sharp pain in my heart.

Leah and I were sitting on the couch, watching movies in our pajamas.

‘‘Look at you, Michelle. Look at what you’ve done to yourself. Do you think you could live with yourself if you don’t tell him how you feel, and he marries someone else?” Leah asked as she wiped the tears from my cheek.

I had no answer for this as I knew it would scar me for life if I never tried with Ryan.

‘‘Leah,’’ I bit my lip. “I can’t tell him. I will just move on with my life. It will be better that way.”

Leah didn’t say anything but hugged me and wished me all the best for whatever I was going to do.

***

The next morning, I flew to Davenport and got an Uber to my house.

Walking through the front door of my childhood home, a rush of memories and concern enveloped me. The familiar aroma of my mother's cooking offered a reassuring embrace as I dropped my bags. Dad was in his armchair, struggling to steady a newspaper with hands that trembled more than before.

"Dad?" My voice carried a mix of worry and affection.

He looked up, a warm smile breaking through the wrinkles around his eyes. "Hey there, pumpkin. Good to see you."

Kneeling beside him, I took his hands in mine, noticing the subtle but undeniable signs of his Parkinson's worsening since my last visit. "How have you been feeling?"

He waved off my concern with a shrug. "You know, ups and downs. But enough about me. How's your world?"

I hesitated, gazing down at our hands intertwined. "Actually, Dad, there's something I've been wanting to talk to you and Mom about."

His gaze turned attentive. "Go ahead, sweetie. We're here to listen."

With a deep breath, I began pouring out my feelings in a torrent of words. "I've been spending time with this incredible guy, Ryan Pearson. Do you remember him from high school?”

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