Lemonade (Formerly The Wanted Ones) [bxb](On Hold)

15. heart to heart

"In my time the fanciest place we ever thought of going for spring break was Manhattan or Newport." Harvey's dad chuckled softly. "You kids have it all."

Harvey smiled tossing a few clothes into his suitcase "I'm sure in a few years I'll be telling my kids the same thing. They'll probably be vacationing in some fancy resort on the moon by then." The two males laughed at his words. It was still a little strange for Harvey to have his father sitting so casually in his bedroom watching him pack for his trip. With his Metallica posters and messy bookshelves, the whole room seemed too small for his father's large presence.

True to his word, James Lincoln tried to be more involved in his son's life since his arrival. The day before they'd had a friendly tennis game on the tennis court in their property. It was a good bonding experience for the two of them. Even though Harvey still felt strange having his father in his bedroom, they were making some progress. James hadn't hesitated when Harvey mentioned that he was going to Monte Carlo for spring break with his friends. He'd paid for a first class ticket, handed him a fully stocked credit card and even went as far as trying to book a driver to take them round during their time there. Harvey assured him that Kale was doing the planning and that all he needed was money to contribute his own share for the trip.

"Is Elena going with you? It's been a while since I've seen her now that I think about it."

Harvey stiffened at the question "Yeah she's going but there's a good reason you haven't seen her around."

"What?" James asked curiously.

"We broke up." He said dropping the sealed suitcase roughly beside his bed. His father blinked "Well I'm sorry about that. She was a nice girl."

"We both wanted different things." Harvey said with some finality. James took it as a sign that his son didn't want to talk. He could let it go for their sakes. There was a short period of silence in the room when Harvey dropped the second suitcase next to the first one then sat on the bed to face his Father.

"Can I ask a question Dad?" He asked.

James blinked "Of course."

"What made you decide to do all this?" Harvey asked carefully. "To want to get closer to me. Is it anything ulterior? Because you should tell me now before I find out in a less pleasant manner."

His father sighed, hesitant "I'm obviously a terrible father if being close to you is a cause for suspicion."

Harvey immediately felt guilty at his words "Dad-"

"No I need to tell you this. I've been far too distant in the past and keeping things from you won't help move our relationship forward." James said. He patted Harvey's desk "In Beijing, I had a wakeup call."

In a way Harvey wasn't surprised. His father had been there for about seven months opening up a new factory and branch office for the company. There was more than enough time for him to experience anything.

"It was when the appointed manager of the new branch mentioned something about baseball. He was a big fan and kept mentioning all the major American teams. When I told him I had a son, he asked me "Does he like baseball?" and for once, I was speechless."

James swallowed before continuing "I have a son and I don't even know if he likes baseball or not. I don't know what he really likes, who he really is, who his friends really are. I've failed as a father."

"No you haven't." Harvey said seeing his Father's pain. "Maybe you're not the most hands on but you're still a great Dad. You don't force me to be who I'm not." Unlike Mom, he didn't add.