Chapter 15 Unspoken truth
JAXON’S POV
The night went by really fast.
I figured that out the moment my alarm went off, and I opened my eyes to see the pale light of dawn creeping in through the open crack of the curtains.
For a couple of seconds, I couldn’t make a move from my bed.
Lying there, I thought about how weird it was, how weird my dream was.
It was the strangest and most ridiculous thing that had happened to me in a while.
And it didn’t make any sense that the subject of my dream was my daughter's best friend, Nancy.
“Unbelievable,” I muttered to myself as I dragged my hands over my face to further expel sleep.
The dream had felt too real, and the content…I couldn’t even say that aloud without feeling like I was some piece of shit.
Determined to expel the lingering images from my mind, I got up and headed into the shower.
Cold water helped. Just the cool feel of the icy water splashing against my face did wonders.
And by the time I finished dressing up and preparing for work, I had successfully convinced myself that dreams meant nothing.
It was just the result of prolonged stress and unavoidable proximity.
Downstairs, I made myself a cup of coffee and leaned against the counter, watching the entrance as if anyone would walk in at any moment.
I was right.
Diana walked in a couple of minutes later, without a hint of surprise on her face at seeing me,
“Good morning, Dad.”
“Morning,” I muttered with my cup still held to my lips.
She arched a brow at my response, “That wasn’t quite what I expected, but I’ll take it.”
I cast a glance at her but didn’t respond.
She walked past me to the coffee maker and began to brew some for herself. While doing that, she folded her hands and watched me with undisguised curiosity.
“Diana, what is it?” I asked when I could no longer stomach her piercing gaze.
“Dad, are you okay?”
“Why do you ask?”
“You don’t look like you slept well,” She pointed out, then took a step forward in my direction. “See this line right here, you get it when you’re stressed.”
I frowned and touched my hands to my creased forehead, then muttered again, “I’m fine. Summer has barely started.”
That meant that I hadn’t done much work just yet, and it also meant that I had no reason to be fatigued.
“It’s not like you took a break. Everyone else gave themselves one, even Mr. Thompson.”
“If only you had any idea what the students call you…”
My ears perked up at that.
“What do they call me?” I pulled my cup away.
She probably wasn’t expecting that I would ask her that because she startled, then squeezed her lips briefly before responding, “The workaholic.”
“And how did you find out about that?” I stared straight at her, knowing no one would have said that to her face unless she was an active participant in such discussions.
She held my stare for a minute, then winked, “I have my ways.”
That made me chuckle, “You should consider being a detective.”
I took another sip of my coffee, then halted when the sound of footsteps walking through the hallway reached me.
My grip on my cup tightened unexpectedly.
As expected, Nancy appeared in the doorway a moment later, no doubt just waking up.
She had on pink pyjama bottoms and a cropped tee that exposed her narrow and slim waistline.
My gaze dropped to it, and I traced the curve of her waist. For the briefest second, the most unhinged thought came to me.
How would it feel to have my hands wrapped around them? Surely I could grab the entirety of it with both of my hands.
I caught myself just in time before my thoughts could run wilder, and to hide the discomfort I felt towards my own thoughts, I took a huge swig of my coffee, ignoring the slight burn of the liquid trailing down my throat.
That was some kind of punishment for my unwarranted thoughts.
My gaze shifted back to Nancy’s face.
“Good morning,” She said.
Her greeting was meant for both Diana and me, and Diana but she was staring at me only.
“Good morning, my beautiful friend with the hair of a hornet nest,” Diana teased.
Nancy’s eyes widened, and then she hurriedly raked her fingers through her hair, trying to fix the problem Diana had mentioned.
“Silly girl,” Diana giggled as she swept to her side and grabbed her hands, “your hair is just fine.”
Nancy exhaled in relief, and her eyes swerved to me for the briefest second before she looked away.
I don’t know if it was my illusion, but there was a faint tinge of red on her cheeks and the tips of her ears.
My brows raised.
Could she be…blushing?
No, she was probably just embarrassed because of what Diana said.
“Come on, let’s make breakfast,” Diana grabbed her hand and began to pull her towards the stove. I was standing right next to it, and Diana positioned herself before it, and that pushed Nancy into a space that was just an inch away from me.
I got a faint whiff of her feminine scent, and my breath hitched.
Diana didn't smell so nice in the morning.
Recovering, I pushed myself off the counter and headed for the sink, quickly washing my used cup.
Afterwards, I walked forward and grabbed my keys off the dining table.
The jingle made both girls look back at me.
“Dad, won’t you have breakfast?”
Nancy seemed to be asking the same question with her gaze.
I shook my head, then turned around and walked out.
By the time I arrived at school, the hallways were already filling with students.
Summer sessions were smaller and quieter than the regular semesters, but there was still enough noise to keep the building lively.
I walked past a few of my colleagues and greeted them before arriving in my office.
There, I exhaled loudly, then headed to the window to pull it open.
I stood there for a while, thinking.
I wasn’t so much of a fool that I couldn’t identify the strange tension that had been building between me and Nancy since she arrived.
It didn’t help that I knew exactly what it meant.
And the unspoken truth was that I had to find a solution to it, and fast.