Hunter or Hunted

Chapter 18- Well This Is Nice

Melrose’s P.O.V

A knock at my door had me stopping what I was doing. I had the mascara brush halfway between my left eye and the mirror. My dad’s head popped around the corner of the door.

“H-hey Melrose.”

I groaned, “Dad don’t call me that.” I stated bluntly, carrying on with my make-up.

Tonight we were going out for a meal. All seven of us. Brianna, Cc, Aubrey, Logan, Beau, Juno and I. It was in aid of Brianna moving tomorrow. I was not looking forward to that.

My dad carefully walked over to my bed and sat down.

“What do you want?” I asked, with slight venom lacing my voice. Dad placed his hands in his lap. I noticed that he was straining to speak; as if he couldn’t find the words.

“I-I want to speak to my d-daughter.” He replied shakily.

Grown men don’t normally suffer from struggling to speak. Especially not to their own sons or daughters. Once I had finished with my make-up and sat next to my dad.

“Dad you never speak. What’s gotten into you?”

My dad looked blankly ahead. He seemed like he couldn’t even conjure the words to say to me. “Where you a mute as a child?”

That question had bugged me ever since I knew what the word meant. Like I said before, he never voluntarily spoke and when he did it sounded like he hadn’t spoken in years. His voice was always the same- hoarse and quiet.

“Y-yes I was.” He paused, seeming to think of the next words. “B-but I am trying to s-speak. It’s h-hard but I will try for my b-babies.” He told.

He looked saddened with the harsh reality of it. It made sense as to why he would never say bye when they left for business trips. Because he couldn’t.

The realisation hit me like a ton of bricks. I reached forward and tightly grasped my dad into a hug. It took him milliseconds to respond. I sighed with the relief that my dad actually loved me.

There was one person I would never like in my family. My mom. She always acted as if she cared but in reality, it was all fake. I had heard her speaking to dad sometime back. She was saying how she wished she never had us because it was hard to love us.

That had really got me mad. I mean I was only twelve when I heard that. Imagine hearing your mom talking about how she didn’t love you. How she loved her work more than us. However, my dad had just stood there.

At the time, I thought he agreed but now I realised that he couldn’t speak so he couldn’t tell her that she was wrong.

“I-I love you.” My dad whispered quietly. I could tell he was trying his hardest to make the words sound normal.

“I love you too dad.”

I could tell his love wasn’t fake. I was grateful that at least one parent loved us.

“Rosey Posey.” Juno called, in a singsong voice.

I groaned, slamming my front door shut. I heard Juno chuckle from the car. “Never call me that again.”

He smirked as his lips curved to speak. “Rosey Posey.”

I huffed, crossing my arms. If he kept calling me that, I would just ignore him. Juno didn’t like being ignored and I didn’t like being called ‘Rosey Posey’ so we both win and lose.