Bree’s POV
Dominic pulled into the house and parked as we finished talking. I was about to open the door but as usual, Dominic was already out of the car and by my door as he opened it for me to get down.
As I got down from the car, I could not help but put on a big smile at how gentle and sweet he was. The date was even much better than the first one and I was amazed because I had never had so much fun with a guy without it being sexual or it leading to something sexual. He was just so different. He was fun, exciting, attentive, funny and he always had the right things to say, he was just… perfect. I had thought he had been pretending after the first date but boy was I wrong. I didn’t want to go out with him again either. But now? I was definitely glad I did.
“Thanks again for tonight,” I said, standing by the car door as he looked at me with that easy smile of his.
“No problem at all. I had a great time,” Dominic replied, his voice soft, matching the cool evening air.
Before I could respond, the front door of the house swung open, the sudden creak pulling my attention away from Dominic. I turned to see who it was and my heart fell into my stomach.
“Fuck! I didn’t expect him to be back home yet,” I whispered to myself as I rolled my eyes. The smile on my face disappeared as I turned to face my dad. He was standing by the door with a stoic expression on his face and I knew things were about to get messy, if not worse. I tried to read him and figure out what he was thinking but his face was blank. I said a silent prayer for everything to go well as he started walking towards where we were standing.
“Who is that?” Dominic whispered, leaning in a little closer to me, his curiosity evident in the way his brow furrowed.
“That is my dad,” I said to him quietly as I tried to keep my voice calm. Dominic looked surprised at my words and I didn’t blame him.
My dad didn’t look his age. It was funny because he was actually pretty young but people still saw him as younger than his actual age.
Dominic immediately gathered himself and became neutral as he wore a polite expression. I could not blame him though, he had just come to drop me off and was not prepared to see my dad but here he was.
Dominic stood straight as he gave my dad a small, slightly nervous smile and when my dad finally got to us, he raised his hand for a handshake but my dad ignored it so he dropped his hand to his side awkwardly.
“Good evening, sir.” he greeted him politely.
My dad didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he looked at Dominic then at me before looking at Dominic again. Everywhere was silent and it was starting to get awkward and it felt like there was no end to it. Finally, my dad spoke, but not to Dominic. His voice was firm, directed solely at me.
“Bree, go inside.” he basically ordered.
I blinked, taken aback by the command.
“But -” I began to say but the look he gave me shut me up. The look was more than any words he could have said and I understood immediately.
That classic Jason look that left no room for arguments or negotiations. My stomach flipped with frustration.
Ugh.
“Now,” he added, cutting me off before I could protest any further.
I threw Dominic an apologetic glance but he only smiled in response.
“I am so sorry,” I whispered to him before I reluctantly turned and walked to the house. As I walked farther away from them, I could feel the nervousness radiating off Dominic and the tense air getting thicker.
I so badly wanted to calm down and believe that my dad would not overreact or threaten Dominic and I wanted to believe he wouldn’t say anything to scare Dominic away. But knowing him, that was a little too optimistic.
I opened the door and walked into the house but instead of walking in any further, I went to one of the windows and started peeping through the blinds so I could see what was going on.
“Bree?” Andy called my name, her voice soft and quiet. The sound of her voice brought me out of my thoughts as I turned to look at her. She was sitting on the couch and she looked confused.
“How was the date?” She asked, narrowing her eyes at me.
“As always, the date with Dominic was amazing,” I replied absent-mindedly as I turned back to the window.
I looked outside as the knot in my stomach became tighter.
“But erm… I am way more concerned about what is happening out there.”
“What is going on out there?” she asked.
I let out a sigh as I crossed my arms across my chest.
“It’s my dad. He's out there with Dominic and I don’t know what he is saying to the poor guy. He didn’t even really acknowledge him. Just told me to go inside, like I’m five years old,” I said as I looked out the window again.
I still could not figure out what was happening between them.
“I really pray he does not say something to scare Dominic away.” I said.
Andy got up from the couch and walked to where I was standing and placed her hand on my shoulder as if to calm me down.
“Don’t worry too much about it. Your dad is probably just being his usual protective self. You know how dads are.” she said and I sighed.
But I don't. He just started being more of a father to me, so these things are still slightly odd.
I turned to her and nodded in agreement.
“Yes I know but Dominic is a good guy and I just don’t want him to have a hard time” I said.
Andy gave me a soft smile, but I could tell she was trying to hold back a comment.
“Look, even if your dad is being overprotective, Dominic seems like the kind of guy who can handle himself. If he really does like and care about you, he won’t be scared off that easily by your dad.” she explained.
I really wanted to take her word for it but I still had this doubt at the back of my mind. What if my dad said something completely embarrassing or worse? What if he threatened Dominic and told him never to come close to me? I let out a groan as I leaned against the wall, my head swirling with different thoughts.
“I just don’t get it,” I whispered to myself.
“Why is he even doing all of this?” I asked, more to myself than her.
Andy squeezed my shoulder gently. “Because he’s your dad, Bree. He is always going to be like this- overprotective, especially if it involves men, he’s one you know.”
I let out a frustrated sigh as I stood straight. “Still, I just want him to trust me to make my own decision myself whether it’s concerning a man or not. I’m not a kid anymore.”
“I know,” Andy said softly. “But maybe he is just worried about you, he knows how much you have been through you know,” she added before pausing for a minute. “And maybe he just wants to make sure whoever you're dating is not a total dickhead”
“Fine. Whatever,” I murmured as I finally calmed down. Andy was right, he was just making sure I didn’t make a decision I would regret.
“Good,” Andy said as she threw me a smile and I could not help but smile back at her.
“Why don’t we go sit down so you can tell me all about the date. I’m dying to hear all the details,” she said as she dragged me to the couch, successfully changing the topic.
I hesitated, glancing back toward the window one last time before sighing in defeat. “Okay, fine. But if Dominic doesn’t text me back later, I’m blaming my dad.”
Andy chuckled and led me over to the couch. “Deal. Now spill. Was it as good as the last date?”