Manhattan Dreams ✅

39. Alone

Monday December 24

"You going crazy yet?" my dad teases as he stands beside me in the kitchen while I'm icing a batch of sugar cookies.

"I don't know what you're talking about" I reply with a coy smile.

"I mean you've gone three days without Josh. I'm surprised you haven't tried to sneak off yet" he says matter of factly making me roll my eyes as I lick a bit of purple icing off my finger.

"I don't need to be with him every second of everyday" I argue. "Good" my subconscious retorts, "because once he gets a record deal you'll never see him."

"What's bugging you kiddo?" my dad asks, noticing the change in my facial expression at my depressing thought. "You've seemed off since you got here on Friday. I thought it was just missing your man and your mom but I don't think that's all of it. Something we need to talk about?"

I sigh, dropping the tube of icing and bracing myself against the counter. "I'm being ridiculous. That's all."

"Kiddo I doubt that" he argues. "What's going on?"

I lift my gaze to him and turn around to lean my back against the counter. "Do you remember when you asked me what I'd do if I had to choose between Josh and dancing?"

"It rings a bell" he replies, crossing his arms over his chest as he looks down at me intently. "Why?"

I reach behind me for a cookie and bite the head off the snowman before responding. "There are tons of important people coming to his show on New Year's. I thought there was going to be time before he got a record deal. I hoped I'd at least be able to finish school with him."

"But now you think that he's going to get a record deal soon and you're not ready to make a decision between dancing and him" he guesses and I nod. "Kiddo" he sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. "I know I made you think you had to choose but maybe you could have both."

"Ha" I laugh. "Having a relationship while he's traveling the globe and I'm studying twenty-four seven will be impossible."

He smiles sadly, shrugging his shoulders. "Then I guess in the end you'll just have to follow your heart. Your mom and I worked our asses off to get you into that school but if I learned anything from losing your mom it's that life is way too short to be doing anything less than what you love and being with people that love you. Follow your heart kiddo. It's the best advice I can give you."

I smile, reaching forward and pulling him in for a hug. "Thank you dad."

"Anytime."

Tuesday December 25

"Oh my god" I exclaim as I open my Christmas present while my dad and I crowd around our small tree. "New ballet slippers?" I gape. "Dad these must've costed you a fortune."

"A small one" he agrees with a soft chuckle. "When your mom and I visited I did notice more than the boy attached to your hip. Your slippers are worn out and I know they're broken in and you might not be able to use these until next year but-."

"Dad I love them" I argue. "Seriously thank you" I insist, reaching forward to hug hum. "And here is your present" I smile, handing him the small box I had wrapped before I left campus.

He unwraps it carefully, pulling the lid off the box and I watch as his eyebrows furrow in confusion. "Is this a memory card?"

"You remember the camera you gave Riley when we were thirteen?"

"On Christmas" he nods.

"Well" I smile. "Over the years we've been filling that camera and thus that memory card with pictures of us. I think there's over ten thousand on there at this point" I chuckle.