Surviving the Aces (#Wattys2018)

Meet Daniel...Again

Jace stared at his father dumbfounded. Then he looked from me back to Daniel, me, then back to Daniel. He took a couple of steps back, as if unsure what was real. 

"Hi son." Daniel said. His voice seemed to wake Jace up; he glared at his father. 

"Don't you dare call me that!" He spat angrily. I flinched at the venom in his voice; I hadn't seen him so angry since the incident with Tony. 

I touched his arm, but he jerked away from me. "Did you call him?!" He asked me with a frustrated look. His tone was hurt, but I couldn't feel guilty yet, I felt like he needed to speak to his father again before something happened and he regretted it for the rest of his life. 

"I-" I couldn't think with his heated gaze on me so I fell silent, looking away.

"I wanted to see you Jace," Daniel saved me.

Jace stepped towards his father and poked a finger into his chest. "I don't want you anywhere near her." He hissed.

"Excuse me," a new voice interrupted. We all diverted our attention to see a young waitress looking at us in distress. "If you guys don't sit down, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." She said apologetically, though there was fear in her eyes, indicating she was hoping we would save her the trouble and just go. 

"Don't worry," Jace told her. "We were just leaving." He turned to move away from the table, but I grabbed his arm tightly so that he couldn't move. 

"Sit down Jace." I pleaded. I gave him a look as he stared at me, clearly still angry.

We stared at each other for a while before he finally sighed and nodded. I sighed in relief as he sat down across from his father. He took my hand underneath the table and I gave his a comforting squeeze. As the years progressed and our relationship strengthened, we began to understand each other more. Jace understood that I was trying to help him, and I understood that he was hurting. The meeting was just something I felt needed to happen. 

"What do you want?" Jace asked. There was still poison in his voice, but he was speaking lower. 

The waitress seemed satisfied with Jace's reaction because she finally smiled timidly and walked away after telling us she would return soon for our orders.

Daniel sighed and leaned forward. "I just wanted to see my son-"

"Do-"

"Let him speak Jace." I said softly. Jace looked at me and I didn't know if it was the tone of my voice and the look on my face, or if it was that Jace was considering letting his father speak. I didn't care which one it was, as long as he gave him a chance.

"I know that I was the bad guy all those years ago," Daniel began. "You're right to hate me. Even I hate me." 

"Not as much as I hate you." Jace disagreed and Daniel nodded, clearly accepting it.  

"I deserve that. I really do." He agreed. I didn't understand what was happening. Nothing in his tone all those years indicated that he hated his father. True, he never brought him up, but I assumed that that was his way of forgetting about him. 

"I...I don't know what I'll have to do to get you to forgive me." Daniel continued; he ran his hand down his face in frustration, and I immediately felt sorry for him. Jace however, was unmoved.

"It's been over three years. Why the change of heart?" Jace asked sarcastically. "Did you finally remember that you had a son? Or are you looking for more money?" His voice dripped with poison and sarcasm.

I looked between Jace and his father in confusion. The heated glare that was coming from Jace was making even me feel uncomfortable, and I was slightly beginning to regret my decision.