Opposites attract

The visit

I got home at around 10:30 that night. My mom was fast asleep. She never freaked out when I was out late because she knew I was most likely either at the library or studying somewhere.
As usual, I couldn't sleep. I just stayed up until I thought it wasn't completely crazy to get out of bed.

I went downstairs and made myself a coffee. That was all I really lived on, coffees were the only thing that kept me from going crazy. I went back upstairs then decided to work on my assessment.

At around 7am I got a text. It shouldn't have been a big deal but the only person that ever texted me was Emma and she would not be up that early.

I didn't recognize the phone number, but the text pretty much gave it away.

Thanks again for the ride last night...wow that sounds oddly a lot like a text I've sent before, just in different context.

I rolled my eyes and wrote a quick reply.

Didn't need to know that. You're welcome.

Last night had by far been the weirdest night I'd had in a really long time. I actually liked Lucas. I enjoyed his company, and I could've imagined us being friends. I knew it was a one off though.

I spent the whole day trying to study but the house made it difficult. I couldn't sleep or study and that was basically all I ever did. I had to settle for watching a movie, I went with an old classic.
The notebook.
Alone, in my room, cold.

Sometimes I thought it'd be nice to have someone who loved you so much in that way. I'd never thought much about boyfriends, I had more important things to do, but watching movies like the notebook made me wonder what I was missing out on.

The closest thing I'd ever had to a boyfriend was in grade 2, when Henry Oliver and I touched hands. He pushed me and told me he didn't want cooties, but it still kind of counted right?

There was a knock on the door interrupting me from my movie and thoughts about my many boyfriends.
I got up and went to get the door. It was my dad.

"Hi honey" he smiled awkwardly.
"You have a key, this is still your house too. Why'd you knock?" I asked ignoring his greeting. "I guess I didn't want to be rude, with all that's going on...how are you?"
"I'm fine" I said walking into the living room. He followed after me and looked around like he was in a strangers house, "is your mother home?"

"No, she went grocery shopping" I answered.
"Right" he nodded sitting across from me on the chair that'd been informally known as his since we got it.
"Dad, why'd you come here?" I asked. I wasn't in the mood for small talk with him.
"I wanted to see you and hopefully, maybe talk?"
"About?"

"Well" he sighed, "I was hoping your mother would be here too for this, but...basically Blakely, I want you to move in with me".
I stared at him with a blank expression as I waited for him to tell me it was just a dumb joke. He never did.
"Me? Live with you?" 
"Yeah" he nodded, "I can't bare the thought of seeing you only on weekends, or holidays. I know I messed up but that's only more reason for you to live with me, we will never be able to restore our relationship if we never get to see each other".

I shook my head as I thought about what he was proposing. I would be leaving my mom who was obviously hurting right now, but it was so hard for me to do anything in the house I was in, my schoolwork and even sleeping.

I stared at him with my thumbnail between my teeth. I wasn't going to say yes without my mom here, I wasn't even going to consider it until I heard what she thought. "Dad that's a really big deal" I sighed.
"I know, I want you to think about it. Take your time" he placed his hand on my knee but I shuffled back in my chair and crossed my legs.

I was still mad. He broke our family, we were all happy but then he decided my mom and I weren't enough.
"Do you think your mom will be home soon?" He asked ignoring my rejection. I shook my head, "mom always takes at least 4 hours when she grocery shops, you know this".
"I do" he laughed.

"I'll tell her you came over" I promised.
"Ok" he nodded getting up from his seat, I followed, for some odd reason I felt like I should walk him out.
"Bye sweetie" he leaned in for a hug. I didn't want to be rude so I let him hug me then pulled away relatively quickly.

I felt awful looking at the heart broken expression he had on his face as he walked to his car. I'd seen that expression a lot in my family recently, on my dad, my mom, in the mirror. I shut the door and went back into the living room. I suddenly didn't feel like watching a movie anymore. I just wanted to cry, I didn't, but I wanted to.