If I Ever Fall In Love Again

《chapter 5》

A.N- This chapter is unedited. Sorry for any mistakes made here.

"Can somebody tell me how to get things back the way they use to be? Oh God give me a reason I'm down on bended knee..." - Bended Knee - Boyz II Men

 "Daddy, can we go to the park?" Kalea asks, gently tugging at her father's sleeve as he closes the front door with a sigh.

"Kalea, we just got home. I've had a long day, can't you just relax?" Bruno whined. He didn't want to talk to his daughter that way, but he was exhausted. He experienced his wife's funeral, got called out by his sister, and got cussed out by his mother-in-law all on the same day.  He wanted to just lay down in the guest room, even though there was the nagging thought in the back of his head telling him that he wouldn't get any sleep.

He glanced at his son, who had taken off his shoes quietly. He walked passed his father without saying another word, and ran up the stairs. The slamming of a door could be heard after a few seconds.

Kalea gave him a sad look that made Bruno's heard wrench in his chest with guilt. Without another word, she also walked pass her father and trudged up the stairs, her tiny hands holding up her dress, even though it wasn't past her knees.

Sudden fatigue overcame Bruno and he leaned against the door. He ran a hand over his clean-shaven face and blinked back the sudden blurriness that covered his eyes.

He wasn't going to cry. 

Where was that going to get him?

He let two tears slip down his cheeks anyway.

He jumps a little when he hears the shrill sound of his phone ringing. He answers it without looking at it and walks to the couch, collapsing on it. He suddenly felt dizzy.

"Hello?" It was Phil.

Bruno let out a sigh and leaned his head against a cushion. "Hey Phil."

There was a long pause on the phone, followed by a sigh. Phil knew when he wasn't wanted, and he obviously wasn't wanted right now. "Are you busy? I can leave you alone if you want-"

"No, it's fine, Phil. What did you need?"

"Just... checking up on you, I guess."

"You guess?" Bruno raised an eyebrow and absentmindedly twirled a curl around his finger.

"Well, yes-"

"Phil, why did you really  call?"

Phil let out an annoyed sigh on the other side of the line. 

"Quit breathin' like that, I can smell your hot breath through the phone." Bruno said flatly.

Phil let out a humorless chuckle. "Oh, you got jokes now?"

"Phillip, I kinda have some kids to take care of right now. What did you need?"

"Nothing, I was just checking up on you-"