Unpredictable • cth

44

As the words fell out of my mouth the image of my mother and 6 year old Ryder licking pinkies that is forever engraved in my mind flashed across my eyes. The words sounding as if they were being whispered in my ear.

"I pwromise Auntie, I love her lots." Ryder Hemmings  nodded as he locked pinkies with Vanessa Hood, Ella's mother.

"You promise to love her forever?" She teased, but taking it seriously as the Hood's never break or mess around when pinky promises are involved.

"Of course, I will always wove Ella, forever and ever." Ryder smiled at up his Auntie, swaying back and forth on his heels with his head turning to see Ella Hood standing at the end of the hallway.

Vanessa nodded before unlocking her pinkie from the young boys, patting his back telling him to go off. She watched as Ryder ran toward her daughter with open arms.

His arms wrapped around Ella's smaller frame, his lips puckering up to plant a kiss to her cheek before he looked back at Auntie V.

"I promise, I will wove her." Ryder spoke before turning to Ella. "I prwomise I love you."

I brought the phone back up to my ear, listening to Ryder still mumbling 'yes' under his breath in utter disbelief. I smiled at his small words, I smiled more at the thought of him nor breaking the promise to my mother, though he was 6.

My attention was then pulled away from Ryder who was now talking my ear off as he heard my breath come back to the line. A loud slam came from around the vicinity of my house. Me not being sure if it was outside or my front door. I lifted my body up off the bed but quickly felt my body falling back down to the mattress, spending up and down as it settled.

My eyes turned over to my bedroom door that Mali had shut on the way out after she left, hoping that maybe being alone would help me calm down over the issue. No one was seeming to come through so I assumed it was nothing until I heard a giggle, a very specific giggle that only my father has and he only has it with duke.

My eyes lite up, my whole body finally feeling at one with the world. Ryder could tell someone happened as his voice trailed off from the other side of the line. A breathy laugh coming through the speakers before he went to speak.

"Go talk to your dad baby, I love you." He spoke sweetly, knowing I was already as giddy as a horse.

"I'll see you before school?" I questioned as my body slowly lifted off my mattress, which much more strength.

"I'll see you then." He spoke.

"I have to kiss my girlfriend eventually." He added additionally, I can almost hear his wink as I giggled and the footsteps of clunky shoes grew louder.

"I love you." I spoke, my thumbs barely having time to hang the phone up before my bedroom door flung open.

My eyes fell on my father who was wearing a hoodie and sweats, his normal airport attire. He was sporting a smile, his arms wide and full of luggage. Duke was padding around at his feet, barking up at my father who was no longer giving him his full attention, rather it was on me.

His luggage fell down, half in my room and half in the hallway, with a thump before my father kicked his vans off happily. One shoe went flying backward and the other near my vanity as my father started to sprint my direction. Before I even had time to realize what was happening my father's body crashed into mine, both of our bodies falling back down on the mattress.

I did have to say my father smelled like cigarettes, most like having a smoke before or after the stress of the airport, but his gold cologne was doing a fairly good job of masking the scent.

My arms wrapped around my fathers torso as he slowly started to lift us up off my bed. My legs dangling down as we are now fully upright, them swaying back and forth as he started to jump up and down and spin me around in his arms.

"I missed you so so much flower." He muttered into my hair, his arms gripping my body tighter.

"I missed you more dad." I spoke with the same amount of endearment that he used in his tone.

My arms tighten around his own torso, my legs swinging back and forth as he was not letting up on swinging my body around like a rag doll. He normally is excited to see me but we've only been apart 2 weeks and he's acting like I died and came back to life. Not that in complaining, I missed my dad very much and he's back, even if it's just for the day.

He finally set me down, my legs feeling numb from the lack of blood flow due to how hard his grip was around my torso. My feet tingled as they reached my carpet, my toes curling as I looked up back to my father who had a shit eating smile spreading across his face but somehow grown largely within an instant of actually looking at me.

"Your glowing." He poked at me.

"Well yes my life is going good and my best friend is home." I smiled genuinely as I spoke genuinely.

"No, that's not it." He laughed, turning his back to walk over to my nightstand. "It's because of him." He stated simply as he picked up an old photo booth strip of Ryder snd I.

"He's part of it yes." I murmured with heat rushing to my face and my father spinning back around to face me, his arms our wife for me to walk into.

His arms wrapped around my body yet again, softer this time around as he swayed us back and forth. I know for a fact Mali had called him about my episode but seeing my reaction now he wasn't going to bringing it up. So he swayed us back and forth, with his cheek pressing down against the top of my hair for a moment before starting to speak again.

"So when are you gonna tell me that your no longer single?" He joked, my hand quick to push my father away from my body with heat rushing to my face and my father smiling largely enjoying every second of it.

"Dad!" I whined, a smile covering my face in either embarrassment or joy.

"I'm your best friend Ella, I know you better than you know yourself." He spoke, pulling me back into his arms. "Tell me about him, the real him."

I smiled to myself as I wrapped my hands  back around his torso, hugging him tightly with my head nuzzling into into his chest. His hands rubbing my back in a soothing, fatherly way. He was humming some melody of a song; a new one I was assuming as he rocked up back and forth.

"I'd be happy to." I nodded before pulling away and setting my father and myself down on my bed.

So here we are, a father and his daughter being best friends, at 4 am, gossiping over the boy who was making me glow. My father finally seeing Ryder they way he used to, the way my mother used to.

Maybe my life wasn't so unpredictable after all, maybe my life was finally falling into place.

Or maybe I was just as wrong as I've been every other time I thought my life was finally become predictable and constant.

Maybe it was just about to get interesting.

a/n 
another shorter chapter butt her ya go ;)