amaranthine ⋒ h.s

𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑷𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝑭𝑶𝑹𝑻𝒀-𝑺𝑰𝑿

(CHAPTER FORTY-SIX)

WHAT the fuck is the universe trying to do to me? First my mom and now this? I can't catch a break.

I looked down and saw he was holding hands with a little girl and I swear I felt sick. I could feel Harry standing next to me now. His hand is on my back and he's watching me, waiting to see how I'm going to react.

"Yeah. It's me." My eyes are working up tears already and nothing has even happened yet. And it seems his are too. He's so gray now. It's been almost nine years and I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this was not it. Especially not him dragging a little girl around that looks a little bit too much like me when I was younger.

I'm completely frozen. I don't know if I want to have this conversation or not yet. I guess it was in due time, but I was actually having a good day.

"Look at you, Hollypop," He smiled, reaching one hand up to wipe under his eyes. I hate that name. He hasn't called me that since my eighth birthday. "All grown up."

"Yeah." I whispered back. I don't know how the hell I'm still standing here, but I am. My feet feel like they're cemented to the sidewalk. I'm frozen. I looked down at the little girl again and she's staring right back, looking confused.

"I think," He started speaking again, so I looked back at him. "I think we should sit down and talk sometime. It's been so long and I have so much to tell you." He looks like he's happy about seeing me and I don't know why. One of the last times I saw him he was telling me how much he hated me and how useless I am.

"I can see that." I glanced down at the girl and he sighed.

"Holly, this is your sister, Gracie," I was trying to hold myself together for the sake of everyone here because I knew it. I knew what he was going to say before he said it, but hearing it out loud was something entirely different. . Tears are blurring my eyes now and Harry's got his arm wrapped around me, practically holding me up. "And Gracie, this is sissy. You know those pictures I showed you?"

The little girl nodded and smiled at me. She can't be any older than six. Then, she waved, but I couldn't move to wave back.

"Um," I forced out and then swallowed hard. "I need some time, okay? I-I really wasn't expecting this—" I almost called him dad, but I stopped right before it could come out of my mouth. He hasn't been a dad to me in eighteen years. "I have to go." I started to turn around, but he stepped towards me.

Harry pressed his hand against his chest.

"Let her go, okay? She said she needs time." Harry's tone was stern, he wasn't messing around. But he's also talking to my father and I knew he might not take that well. But instead, he just sighed and nodded, making Harry drop his hand.

"Anything. Just please call sometime, alright? The house number is the same." I nodded at him even though I was barely listening. I took a step back before grabbing Harry's hand and dragging him with me in the opposite direction.

We didn't speak much at all. He asked me if I was okay or if I wanted to sit down and I shook my head no and he left it at that. He did keep squeezing my hand to let me know he was with me, but my mind was racing.

The little girl, Gracie, definitely has a different mom. I can tell. So what the fuck happened after I left? If she's around six years old then that would mean that less than two years after I left, shit went down. Did my mom leave him? Did he leave her? I have so many questions that I'll never get answers to unless I want to get the answers. And right now I'm so curious I just might make the mistake of talking to him again. God, I'm such a nosy bitch. I should mind my business and forget about that interaction all together, but it's not that easy.