Missing [ST]

Ninety Four

It may have been months since Leah had last seen her father, but she could never forget what he looked like. But, compared to the tail end of winter, the last time she had seen him, he was tanned, brown eyes were well rested so they were no longer sunken with grief, and there was barely any stubble that grew so thickly on his face.

He was exactly the parent Leah knew and loved so dearly, and he was standing on her doorstep.

"Hi."

The ice breaker of a reply in July's heat was followed by a hint of a pressed smile that showed an honesty that he was glad to be where he was.

Something, resembling a happy relief.

Leah, meanwhile, was dancing with shock. Her breathing had shallowed, and she said nothing because she couldn't. That one verbal confirmation of her father's presence had firmed her grip on the door handle to the point where sweat was accumulating in her palm, and she was drowning in how many emotions she could feel in one day.

Louis shifted, awkwardly looking down.

"I uh, I wanted to see you since we...well, since I-"

"Who is it, Leah? Careful it's not the papz, cos they might have paid someone to- oh..."

Unfreezing, Leah swallowed down a lump that had crept into her throat. She felt Steven's hand on her back when he stood so naturally next to her, his touch always an opportunity for comfort.

But the surprise had taken his composure from the neutral fall of his face she saw, and even Liv clinging to his right side, picking with his necklace, was following the fearful widened eyes to the figure standing outside.

"Steven, it's...it's good to see you."

Subconsciously, Leah's free hand had gravitated to the dangling one of Steven's once it slipped from her back, but she only managed to tap his fingertips before he placed it on Liv's bent knee resting on his torso.

"Who's that man, daddy?"

Steven hesitated, tensing his posture.

"This is Leah's dad, blue. He's...visiting."

Denied a hand to hold, Leah clocked the suitcase and bag by her father's leg. She even saw the friendly wave directed to Liv, almost pitied it, but her inability to speak was washed further out of reach by the music escaping the garage.

"Your band?" Louis asked.

"Oh, yeah." Steven cleared his throat uncomfortably, glancing in the vague direction outside. "Yeah, we haven't quite managed to sound proof it all, sorry."

Easily the most random bit of information of the day, the awkward, full of unnecessary exchanges and apologies finally got to Leah.

"Dad, just come in, please," she said in exasperation, tugging the door wider.

She stepped back into her home with a dramatic drop of her arm, not looking at her father as she spoke, or at Steven because he was a new case altogether.

She understood why, was guilty that it hadn't been mentioned since the drama happened because she had refused the subject to come up in conversation, but right now she needed to prioritise herself, before addressing her boyfriend-father tension.

Flicking her eyes that had landed on the mirror and a very real reflection of her dad closing her front door behind him, Leah delicately slid her fingertips around her chin.

The heat would make a stress induced headache so much worse, and they weren't uncommon for her, so she had to try her best to stay calm and be methodical, if she could concentrate enough to process her current affairs.