Xander's POV
We spent the entire next day not even talking to each other despite my very best efforts. She just refused to acknowledge my presence, my greetings fell on deaf ears, the breakfast I made for her was left untouched on the table until I had to throw it all away. It made me very, very uncomfortable, but try as I did, I couldn't get her to talk.
This was the angriest I had seen her in a while. Not since, well not since as far as I can remember.
Resisting the urge to call Methis and reach out to her, I decided that a short nap was necessary while I waited for my sister to cool down so I could probably apologize and we could talk things out.
The short nap turned into a 4 hour long slumber, the first really good one I had had in a while.
It wasn't long before I woke up from the nap. Glancing at my phone to check the time, I groaned. Seven thirty pm, it was almost completely dark outside and I had only eaten once the entire day. I was starving already.
That gave me an idea. Sophia and I, outside under the fresh breeze in a park somewhere, having dinner.
The perfect conditions to fix our relationship.
Heading to the bathroom to wash my face and freshen up. I decided to go for a night walk to clear my head, maybe feel a bit better abou the whole situation with Methis. After a quick wash, I put on some clothes before sticking my head through Sophia's door way to try to get her talk to me one more time.
"Hey"
She lay on her bed, a pack of ice on her cheek, her fingers typing furiously on her phone, not even bordering to acknowledge that I was talking to her.
"I am going to take a walk," I said calmly, my eyes almost pleading with her even though my voice was as calm and casual as I could muster, "Wanna come with me? We can grab dinner on the way back."
"No thank you," she said, "I am good."
Okay, at least that was a start, she was talking again.
"You want me to get you anything?"
Silence. I could have been talking to an empty room for all the reaction I got from her.
"Pizza, Ice cream?"
She turned away from me to face the wall.
"Sophia" I said slowly, "You cannot be mad at me forever, say something."
"Just leave me alone Xander," she finally said, I noticed her voice was a bit coarse, like she had been sobbing.
With a small sigh, I backed away, "Don’t wait up for me, I will be late."
She said nothing as I shut the door behind me. I needed to fix this, somehow, but one thing was clear...
She wasn't going to make it easy at all.
Jamal's POV
I dragged myself into the house, feeling like I’ve been run over by a truck. I slump on the couch and close my eyes, wishing I could erase the events of the day from my memory.
The air is filled with the scent of something baking, or at least attempting to bake. "AUTUMN? SUMMER?" I called out wondering what exactly they were up to as I stood up to investigate.
"Close your eyes!" My daughter called out, "It's a surprise!"
"Oh, okay them." I smiled weakly, slumping on the sofa and letting out a deep groan.
“Dad, what’s wrong?” Autumn asked, sitting next to me and putting a hand on my shoulder. “You look terrible.”
I opened my eyes to see her concerned face. She’s wearing a yellow dress and a flower crown, looking like a ray of sunshine. I wish I could feel some of her warmth.
"So," I started, "Remember Xander, the man whom your mother..." I paused, not wanting to put any ideas into her head by saying something careless.
"Your mother's friend?" That was safer.
She nodded dutifully, looking at me with bright eyes, "Yes."
“I had a fight with Xander,” I said, sighing. “And I met your grandfather. He chased me out of their house.”
Autumn gasped. “What? Why? What did you do?”
I shook my head. “Nothing. I just wanted to talk to your mother. To apologize for what happened at the before. To tell her how I feel. But her father wouldn’t let me. He said I was a bad influence. He said I wasn't necessarily the best, partner. He said I should stay away from his daughter, your mother.”
Autumn hugged me. “I’m so sorry, Dad. That’s awful. He’s wrong, you know. You’re not a bad person. You’re amazing. And mom loves you. She told us so.”
I look at her, surprised. “She did? When?”
She smiles. “When she came to visit us, she didn't say anything bad about you, and she looked like she missed you.
I could tell she was only trying to make me feel better, and that she didn't have nearly enough emotional range to even begin to understand if someone felt like that, but it didn't stop me from feeling a surge of hope. “She did? Really?”
She nods. “Yes, really. She’s just scared, Dad. She needs your support. She needs you to be patient. She needs you to show her that you care.”
I bit my lip, ruffling her hair. I had decided a long time ago that I wasn't going to treat them like little kids, that I was going to talk to them like adults, build up their confidence.
“So how do you suggest I do that?" I said, squatting to look at her,
"Just talk to her"
"Her father won’t let me see her. She won’t even let me call her. And she is very, very angry at me."
"Why?"
I smiled, "It's complicated."