Coffee, Brownies and the Ruthless CEO (MxM)| FILLING THE VOID series, BOOK 1

29. Chapter - Pictures

VICTOR's POV

Today wasn't a good day. I was supposed to go shopping with Alison, and that in itself was a torture. But the main reason I was in such a bad mood was the promise I gave her the day before.

We were discussing our supposed wedding, and how much we hated our fathers for rushing us, when she changed the subject and forced me to talk about Oliver. I didn't really want to talk about it as my mind was still too messy for me to actually make sense, but Alison was Alison. There was no way to run away from her when she wanted to talk about something. If I really hated something, I could, of course, just leave and ignore her, but I considered her my close friend, so I didn't do that often.

"So, what are you gonna do about the fact you have a kid? I mean, it's not every day you find out you are a father. What's your plan?" she suddenly started, her face all serious for a change.

I was quiet for a while. I really didn't know what to answer as I didn't have enough time to think it through, but there was one thing I was one hundred percent sure about. I wanted to meet the little guy. I wanted to meet him and spent time with him on regular basis. I couldn't really tell I loved him yet, I just found out he existed for Christ's sake. But I sure as hell wasn't going to pretend I didn't know. Having a child was a big deal, and I wanted to be part of his life. Knowing there was a boy with my blood running through his veins wasn't something anyone could ignore.

"I don't know. All I know is I want to be in his life. I want to get to know him. I have a right to know my own child, right?" I grumbled, not really sure about anything anymore. Voicing my thoughts was making everything even more real, and it was making me sick.

Alison was looking at me without saying anything, taking her sweet time to respond. The words that left her lips seconds later made me reconsider my intention to share my feelings with her. I should had fled the moment her expression turned serious.

"Why don't you talk to him about it? From what I gathered, you didn't really talk about it that much the last time. You know where he works. What are you waiting for?" she asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

Just the imagination of talking to Oliver again so soon made me feel all kinds of negative feelings. I wasn't ready. Seeing him would probably make everything worse.

"You know what, don't answer that. Let's make a deal. I'll stop butting in and asking you about it if you go and see him one of these days. Whether you think it's necessary or not, you need to talk it out. Prolonging this uncomfortable silence between you two will result in more awkwardness and hurt feelings."

And that was what led to my bad mood today. We were currently walking down the aisle in a shop with shoes, Alison excited to get a new pair or two. It was decided I would be going to see Oliver after we finished, and just the imagination of it made me scowl. There was no way the confrontation would go smoothly. He would get defensive the moment he saw me, and I was definitely going to get pissed off for one reason or another.

"Are you done yet?" I called out, irritation slowly making its way into my voice. If anything, I needed to relax before going there. Meeting him already in a bad mood wasn't really a good idea.

"Oh, come on! We just got here." She turned around, eyeing me with her "are you serious" eyes, as if I was stupid or something.

I sighed, shaking my head. This was definitely hopeless. I was doomed for another hour or two, stuck in a shopping mall with one crazy woman.

A sudden snapping sound woke me up from my momentary inattention, Alison grinning while holding her phone.

"Sending this to Nels." She laughed, her fingers moving quickly as she kept on typing. The mention of my best friend's name took my mind a day back, deep lines appearing on my forehead under the pressure of the frown I couldn't surpass. Just hearing his name made my eyes twitch.