affectionate - Chapter 5: Chapter 5
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FALLON
Against my better judgment, I followed after him into the direction where I thought he went.
The woods that surrounded Melrose had never scared me, even when I was a kid. But now, as I took cautious steps into them, I was more than a little afraid. The light from the sky was dimming rapidly and the moon wouldn't be enough to guide me through the thick, unforgiving brush and tall trees. Everywhere I looked, darkness stared back at me and overhead, tall oak loomed over me, reminding me that I was all alone out here.
I wasn't stupid. I wasn't going to search through the dark woods in hopes of finding him and risk my life. This wasn't a movie and I'd be dammed if something happened to me because I decided to chase a boy out of all things, into the woods. I was merely...curious. He left so fast and hadn't answered my question. But I wasn't going to find him like this. Not here and not now. I stomped back into town and found myself on the sidewalk again.
I needed to get home. My mother was probably worried sick and my father was probably pacing and looking out the window every five seconds.
I groaned inwardly as I ascended the steps of my porch. I was tired, and another argument with my father while all my mother did was cosign was the last thing I wanted to do. I knew there was no one else to blame but myself, I shouldn't have let him drag me into that alley and I definitely shouldn't have tried chasing after him into the woods. I didn't know what it was, but when it came to him it was like the logical side of me that made smart and safe decisions was kidnapped by the dumb, touch starved side of me who wanted nothing more than to give herself up to him, allow him to bend her at his will. I blamed his eyes. His excruciatingly, beautiful eyes. They were like melted diamonds and every time I looked into them my knees went weak and I felt like crying in the best way possible.
What was happening to me?
I cursed under my breath as I unlocked my door and stepped inside my house. Heat welcomed me in open arms and held my face in its hands, wiping the dreary November cold off and submerging me in itself. My house was eerily quiet. The kitchen was "closed" as my mother liked to say. The lights were off and even though I know she made dinner that night the dishes were washed and everything had been put away. That was fine by me, I wasn't hungry after what went down earlier. All I wanted to do was sleep and forget any of it even happened.
The lights in the living room were off too. The only light that was on was the chandelier that hung quietly over my head in the foyer, it had obviously been left on on purpose. I kicked off my uggs and hung my tote and jacket on the coat rack next to the door. I tip toed upstairs and down the hall to my room. It wasn't even late, a quarter to eight but if my parents were already down for the night then I didn't want to wake them. I would just have to deal with them tomorrow which was fine by me because at least by then my thoughts would be in order and I'll have come up with a good lie.
I nudged open my door and before I could even react to my lamp being on when I know for a fact I turned it off this morning I saw my dad sitting on my bed, hands folded across his lap and eyes already fixed on me. I gasped in shock and fell back against the door, successfully closing it but trapping myself in my room with him.
"Daddy! You scared me," He didn't say anything, only stood up and stalked towards my crumpled form against the door.
I think I could count the amount of times in my life that I have ever been scared. Once, when I was seven my class went on a field trip to the aquarium and I did not like the sharks at all. Long story short my mother I had to pick me up early and took me home where I refused to take a nap because I was scared that the sharks were going to eat me in my dreams. Then there was Halloween when I was ten, it was my first time trick or treating without my parents and since I didn't have any friends, I was scared the entire time. The decorations, the fact that it was dark, and the lack of parental supervision had me only visiting three houses before I was running down the street in my princess tiana costume scared out of my mind.
There were definitely more instances but all I could think about right now was how this would definitely take the cake. My father had never looked so angry before and maybe if I knew what it was that he was so angry about because I knew it couldn't be me getting home so late, then maybe I would understand. But I didn't. I was twenty fucking years old, me getting home at eight instead of seven should be the least of his goddamn worries.
"Where have you been, Fallon?" I rolled my eyes, outwardly this time because I wanted him to know that I was just as irritated as he was.
"Walking home, dad. You know th-" He breathed in harshly before slamming his hand on the wall next to me making me jump and look at him like he was crazy, because he was.
"Do you think I was born yesterday, Fallon? Hm? You gon' learn to stop lyin', I ain't raise no liar." I narrowed my eyes at him and crossed my arms over my chest.
"That's real rich coming from you. You think I can't tell that you and mom are keeping something from me? Have been for my whole life?" At this, he recoiled and took multiple steps away from me. I smirked in triumph. I knew it, I knew they were fucking lying.
"No one is keeping anything from you, Fallon." I scoffed and closed the distance between us.
"Then why all of sudden is it 'come straight home from school, Fallon.'. Why is it that you have tons and tons of books on supernatural beings in your study and a whole ass grimoire. And why on earth can you smell things on me? Huh? Please, daddy, if you weren't keeping things from me then I wouldn't have to ask you these ridiculous questions." I knew it was probably a bad idea to reveal the fact that I had been in his study and sticking my nose in places where it most definitely did not belong but I didn't care. I was tired of being out of the loop. For as long as I could remember I've been left out of things, I constantly pushed people away because I knew relationships with people, whether they were platonic or not, would just end badly. I did it to myself and I was fine with it because at the end of the day my feelings would be spared and self deprecation would be avoided.
But to have my own parents leave me out of things, it hurt.
My father was silent for a few moments before clearing his throat and opening the door. My mother stood on the other side, disappointment etched onto her soft features. A tear slipped out from my eye and as quickly as it fell, I wiped it away.
"You can't even tell me..." My father didn't look back at me as he walked down the hall to my parents' shared room. I looked at my mother, who suddenly was directly in front of me with her arm outstretched as if she was going to touch my forehead. I flinched but she touched it anyways. I couldn't register the burn that I knew her fingers would inflict upon my skin. Drowsiness engulfed me and my eyes felt heavy as they closed. My body slumped forward into my mother's arms. She caught me and for once it didn't hurt, the pain felt faraway, buried under this sudden onslaught of fatigue.
I didn't remember anything else after that except the feel of my mother's plush lips against my forehead.
Against my better judgment, I followed after him into the direction where I thought he went.
The woods that surrounded Melrose had never scared me, even when I was a kid. But now, as I took cautious steps into them, I was more than a little afraid. The light from the sky was dimming rapidly and the moon wouldn't be enough to guide me through the thick, unforgiving brush and tall trees. Everywhere I looked, darkness stared back at me and overhead, tall oak loomed over me, reminding me that I was all alone out here.
I wasn't stupid. I wasn't going to search through the dark woods in hopes of finding him and risk my life. This wasn't a movie and I'd be dammed if something happened to me because I decided to chase a boy out of all things, into the woods. I was merely...curious. He left so fast and hadn't answered my question. But I wasn't going to find him like this. Not here and not now. I stomped back into town and found myself on the sidewalk again.
I needed to get home. My mother was probably worried sick and my father was probably pacing and looking out the window every five seconds.
I groaned inwardly as I ascended the steps of my porch. I was tired, and another argument with my father while all my mother did was cosign was the last thing I wanted to do. I knew there was no one else to blame but myself, I shouldn't have let him drag me into that alley and I definitely shouldn't have tried chasing after him into the woods. I didn't know what it was, but when it came to him it was like the logical side of me that made smart and safe decisions was kidnapped by the dumb, touch starved side of me who wanted nothing more than to give herself up to him, allow him to bend her at his will. I blamed his eyes. His excruciatingly, beautiful eyes. They were like melted diamonds and every time I looked into them my knees went weak and I felt like crying in the best way possible.
What was happening to me?
I cursed under my breath as I unlocked my door and stepped inside my house. Heat welcomed me in open arms and held my face in its hands, wiping the dreary November cold off and submerging me in itself. My house was eerily quiet. The kitchen was "closed" as my mother liked to say. The lights were off and even though I know she made dinner that night the dishes were washed and everything had been put away. That was fine by me, I wasn't hungry after what went down earlier. All I wanted to do was sleep and forget any of it even happened.
The lights in the living room were off too. The only light that was on was the chandelier that hung quietly over my head in the foyer, it had obviously been left on on purpose. I kicked off my uggs and hung my tote and jacket on the coat rack next to the door. I tip toed upstairs and down the hall to my room. It wasn't even late, a quarter to eight but if my parents were already down for the night then I didn't want to wake them. I would just have to deal with them tomorrow which was fine by me because at least by then my thoughts would be in order and I'll have come up with a good lie.
I nudged open my door and before I could even react to my lamp being on when I know for a fact I turned it off this morning I saw my dad sitting on my bed, hands folded across his lap and eyes already fixed on me. I gasped in shock and fell back against the door, successfully closing it but trapping myself in my room with him.
"Daddy! You scared me," He didn't say anything, only stood up and stalked towards my crumpled form against the door.
I think I could count the amount of times in my life that I have ever been scared. Once, when I was seven my class went on a field trip to the aquarium and I did not like the sharks at all. Long story short my mother I had to pick me up early and took me home where I refused to take a nap because I was scared that the sharks were going to eat me in my dreams. Then there was Halloween when I was ten, it was my first time trick or treating without my parents and since I didn't have any friends, I was scared the entire time. The decorations, the fact that it was dark, and the lack of parental supervision had me only visiting three houses before I was running down the street in my princess tiana costume scared out of my mind.
There were definitely more instances but all I could think about right now was how this would definitely take the cake. My father had never looked so angry before and maybe if I knew what it was that he was so angry about because I knew it couldn't be me getting home so late, then maybe I would understand. But I didn't. I was twenty fucking years old, me getting home at eight instead of seven should be the least of his goddamn worries.
"Where have you been, Fallon?" I rolled my eyes, outwardly this time because I wanted him to know that I was just as irritated as he was.
"Walking home, dad. You know th-" He breathed in harshly before slamming his hand on the wall next to me making me jump and look at him like he was crazy, because he was.
"Do you think I was born yesterday, Fallon? Hm? You gon' learn to stop lyin', I ain't raise no liar." I narrowed my eyes at him and crossed my arms over my chest.
"That's real rich coming from you. You think I can't tell that you and mom are keeping something from me? Have been for my whole life?" At this, he recoiled and took multiple steps away from me. I smirked in triumph. I knew it, I knew they were fucking lying.
"No one is keeping anything from you, Fallon." I scoffed and closed the distance between us.
"Then why all of sudden is it 'come straight home from school, Fallon.'. Why is it that you have tons and tons of books on supernatural beings in your study and a whole ass grimoire. And why on earth can you smell things on me? Huh? Please, daddy, if you weren't keeping things from me then I wouldn't have to ask you these ridiculous questions." I knew it was probably a bad idea to reveal the fact that I had been in his study and sticking my nose in places where it most definitely did not belong but I didn't care. I was tired of being out of the loop. For as long as I could remember I've been left out of things, I constantly pushed people away because I knew relationships with people, whether they were platonic or not, would just end badly. I did it to myself and I was fine with it because at the end of the day my feelings would be spared and self deprecation would be avoided.
But to have my own parents leave me out of things, it hurt.
My father was silent for a few moments before clearing his throat and opening the door. My mother stood on the other side, disappointment etched onto her soft features. A tear slipped out from my eye and as quickly as it fell, I wiped it away.
"You can't even tell me..." My father didn't look back at me as he walked down the hall to my parents' shared room. I looked at my mother, who suddenly was directly in front of me with her arm outstretched as if she was going to touch my forehead. I flinched but she touched it anyways. I couldn't register the burn that I knew her fingers would inflict upon my skin. Drowsiness engulfed me and my eyes felt heavy as they closed. My body slumped forward into my mother's arms. She caught me and for once it didn't hurt, the pain felt faraway, buried under this sudden onslaught of fatigue.
I didn't remember anything else after that except the feel of my mother's plush lips against my forehead.
End of affectionate Chapter 5. Continue reading Chapter 6 or return to affectionate book page.