iStare

Part 3 of 3

Sunday was spend sleeping, doing homework, and floating around the house in general. And, by floating, I mean I was almost-literally flying.

I think my father was pleased to see me so happy, because he, too, beamed the day away. I knew it was very hard for a busy man like him to have the time to raise a daughter on his own, but he always managed to be around at crucial moments, when I desperately needed love and support.

My mother had been a patient at the hospital where my father worked during the early years of his career. She had had a rare heart defect, which made her a regular patient at the hospital. They met one day in the elevator, when she had been headed for a walk around the grounds, and it was pretty much love-at-first-sight.

They had married despite protests on my father's side, and I had been born soon after. Unfortunately, her heart could not hold up too long, and she had passed away months before my seventh birthday.

However, not even depressing thoughts like death could push away my cheerful mood that day. My mood was even better when Skyler text messaged me in the afternoon.

"Chastity says my feet are hovering above the floorboards," his message said.

I laughed and wrote back. "Make sure your ego hasn't inflated and lifted you up some."

"Ouch, that hurt my feelings. I think my feet just touched the ground at that!"

"Aren't you supposed to be at some business party of your father's? Focus, boy, FOCUS."

"I feel rejected. What happened to the girl who romanticized everything last night?" I could almost picture him pouting.

My father passed through the living room, raising an eyebrow when he saw me texting on the phone. I waved at him and went back to my screen. "You kissed me dry. Again: FOCUS. I'm not responding to your next message."

"Since I'm not with you, I suggest you get to bed and let Morpheus deal with you. No, you sicko, I meant let him influence your dreams so that you can have me with you in them. Dream of me, chica. Kisses. Oh wait, you're all out of them! Heh. See you tomorrow - staring contest at Ky's?"

Sorely tempted to respond, I forced myself to close the phone and head back upstairs.

"Delta?"

I stopped at the top of the stairs and looked down. "Yeah daddy?"

"Do you have time to talk?"

I waved him up. "Did you draft up your new speech already?" I teased, leading him into my room.

He smiled and sat on my bed. "I just wanted to know how last night went. You seem happy. Glowing, even."

"I really like him, daddy." I sighed and leaned into my father. "It feels so fast, but I really do! I've never felt like this with anybody else - not even after my date with Jeff, and he's one of the most sought-after guys at school!"

My father coughed. "That's because Jeff was a dumbass," he said, making me grin at the word. "I don't see anything weird about you loving him so fast - I fell in love with your mother in a time span of ten minutes."

I was pleased to note his voice didn't get too emotional when he spoke of her. Sure, she was my mother...but she was gone, and my father deserved to have peace of mind.

"I'm not in love with him," I said. "Well, not yet anyway. I think." Pleading eyes looked up at him. "I don't know what love is! Maybe I'm in it and I don't realize?"

My father ran his hands through my hair. "It's different for everybody," he said. "You're a smart girl - you'll realize it when you're ready."

We sat there silently for a little while - me with my head against his shoulder, and he with his hands running through my hair.