Waiting For You

Chapter Thirty-eight

"Falling in love with you is the second-best thing in the world. Finding you was the first".

~via herz-bluten (tumblr)

Hunter

"At least, I can go to the party," I said as we walked into our apartment. My Dad rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, you can go to the party but don't you think for a second that Alex won't be with you every breathing moment. And if you even as much as break a sweat, you're coming right back home," my father replied as I reached down to pet Philip.

I rolled my eyes and we headed toward the kitchen. Alex had turned into somewhat of a guard dog in the last couple of weeks. Ever since I woke up he left my side only long enough for me to use the bathroom. I was lucky enough if I showered alone!

Matt's trial had gone good for us, which was to be expected. But as Holden had said, Matt was only charged with a two-thousand dollars fine, which his rich daddy had paid off. Sadly, because graduation was less than three months away, he wouldn't be changing High School. But thankfully, due to the restraining orders my father had requested, Matt wouldn't be coming near me at all.

I hadn't been back to school yet –not that I was complaining- but Monday morning I would be back there. I jumped onto the kitchen counter and watched as my Dad fixed up some coffee for himself –since I wasn't allowed to drink some yet.

"Is Alex coming to pick you up?" he asked me as he sat down by the table. I nodded, reaching over to grab a cookie from the cookie jar. "And the party is at Calla's place?"

Once again I nodded and I heard him sigh. Turning my eyes to him, I frowned. He wanted to tell me something. Every time he had that look, he wanted to tell me something. He was gnawing on his lower lip, two wrinkles formed between his eyebrows and he was running his fingers over the carved markings on his mug.

"What is it?" I asked him suspiciously.

"Eh... we need to talk, Hunter," his serious tone made me jump down from the counter and go and sit down beside him.

"Dad, whatever it is..."

"I have never stopped loving your mother". Immediately I shut up, confused at the turn of the conversation. "Ever since I can remember I have loved her. Watching her play in her front yard with her dog; having swimming competitions with her in our pool; modeling for her drawings; reading her my stories. I never stopped loving her, even when she had a manic episode, even when she was very depressed. None of that mattered to me. I have loved your mother for years. And the grief I felt when I lost her was devastating".

"Dad, I know all this... why are you telling me this again?"

"Let me finish. Please..." the way his voice cracked made a tremble go through me. "The state in which you saw me, when we lost your mother, the drunken nights, falling asleep on my desk or on the kitchen table or the couch, crying in our bedroom... the state in which you saw me has made me so angry with myself. I am your father. I'm the adult who was supposed to take care of you. But I couldn't. And I will never forgive myself for that".

"But...?" I dragged when he didn't say anything for a few moments.

"There's no but. I... I just want to know if it is okay with you and Aurora to let myself find another soulmate".

"Dad..." I couldn't help control the sting of tears in my eyes. "Of course you can find another soulmate. How is that even a question? Love is not something you should ask permission for. I didn't ask to love Alex. Calla didn't ask to love Fabian. Noah didn't ask to love Lucy. But here we are. Happier than ever before. I mean sure, Alex's and my love story was bumpy and bruised and sometimes tiring, but in the end, love is love. And the fact that your soulmate is out there waiting for you, just like I was waiting for Alex... to me that is the cruelest thing possible".