Escort

Chapter 51

Anders pulled me back into his office rather than upstairs and to his bedroom.
He sat me on his desk then took the chair in front of it.
His arms rested on his thighs as he leaned forward and looked up at me.

"Are you okay? What's going on?" he asked me.
"I'm okay."
"Are you sure? Because I've hardly seen you this week other than before bed and you were practically in tears a few minutes ago. Just talk to me. Is it about your dad again?" He sounded so genuinely concerned.
I shook my head. "No, it's not about my dad."
"Okay, is it something I did? Let me know because I'm honestly lost and if you don't tell me I'm going to fuck up and do it again. Tell me what I did please."
"Nothing." I sniffed. "My problem is that you did nothing wrong."
"I don't understand." he said truthfully.

I looked up at the ceiling.

I couldn't say it.
I could not bring myself to say it.

It's a different kind of intimacy that I don't think I'm ready for.

"I don't want to talk about it right now, please. But you didn't do anything wrong. I promise. It's something I need to work on, it's not your fault." I explained.
"Okay." He stood up and walked to me. "If I do, I want you to tell me, okay?"
I nodded.
"Is there anything else you don't want me to do?" he asked.
"No, you can kiss me."
He snickered. "Are you sure? You seemed pretty adamant on me not doing it earlier."
"I changed my mind again. This time I mean it. I want you to kiss me. Kiss me."
He gently held my face again. "If you insist." he smiled and leaned in.

I pulled back and he stopped.

I snickered. "Just kidding."
"Yea, you're stressing me out." he stated and I laughed as he kissed my lips twice then my cheek.

My phone vibrated next to us and I grabbed it.
It went off three more times. Then four more.

"What're you, a celebrity?" he asked.
I opened the notifications. They were from Casey.

"I found these in a shoebox under my old bed before I left and I was finally free enough to go through them. Remember that span of years when I wanted to be a photographer?" she texted.

It was a bunch of pictures from when we were younger. My dad was in all of them with us.

"What is it?" Anders asked.

I pulled him closer so he could see too.

I clicked on the first picture.

It was the three of us licking ice cream and sitting on the sidewalk.
Casey took it without us paying attention and my dad was cleaning my hands with a napkin while Cameron was having a staring contest with a squirrel.

Anders chuckled. "Did you think the cone was going to fly away?"
"I had very small hands and kept almost dropping it." I explained.

I swiped.

Next was a picture that Casey set the timer to and we all sat on the stairs for the picture she demanded we take. Pictures were the only time we saw Casey excited for anything and wanting us all together so my father prioritized them. Everyone had to stop what they were doing if Casey ran downstairs with the camera in her hand.

"Who's the little boy?" Anders asked.
"That's Casey. This was taken before she started transitioning. I think she was about 7 whenever she started telling our father to stop cutting her hair and she'd always come downstairs in one of Cameron's old dresses. When she reached nine, our dad sat us down and told us to stop saying Casey was our brother. She was our sister and our dad had three girls."
"I see." he replied.

"God, why did my father do my hair that way?" I laughed.
"I think you look adorable." Anders shrugged.
"My pigtails are levitating." I snickered.
"But look at how big your smile is. How old were you in this? Like four?"
"Four or five."
"I wasn't nearly that cute when I was four."
"That's definitely a lie. It has to be. Everyone's cute at four."
"No, I was a menace at four. A little demon. I used to beat up kids twice my age. And I looked like it too. My hair was never done, I liked wearing my shirts backwards, for some reason I was never in pants."
I laughed.
"I think I scared adults when I was four. I wasn't cute." he stated.
"Well I think you're beautiful now." I replied.
"Do you?" he smiled and looked at my lips.
"I do."
"Mm. If you wanted another one you could've just asked, you didn't have to seduce me." he joked and I giggled as we kissed again.

Our lips parted and I looked back at the picture.

"Weren't your parents together here? I thought they didn't divorce until you were almost a teenager."
"They did."
"Where's your mom?" he asked.
"Um...In her room. She never really joined in on anything downstairs. Except dinner but even then she'd bring it back upstairs and eat alone. My dad would try to call her down and she'd ignore it. He'd see the sadness on our faces and would try to get us happy again, said we'd just surprise her with a picture of us. So we took it."
"I'm sorry, angel."
"It's okay. My dad played both roles well enough." I responded.
"Yea, I can see the bond." said Anders.
"Hm?" I asked.
"Between you and your father. Your sitting on his leg. You're both smiling the same. You even have on the same color shirt." he scoffed.
"Yea..." I smiled.

Casey sent something else.
I scrolled down and it was a video.

"I downloaded everyone's birthday parties and a few other vlogs I did when we were younger so I could play them in a celebration video for him at the reception but you and Cameron left earlier than I expected." she explained.

It was my sixth birthday party.

I was sitting at the head of the table with a tiara and in a large princess gown. The biggest triple layer chocolate cake stood in front of me. I can still remember how delicious that cake was.

"Everyone together!" I heard my dad say behind the camera as they yelled the happy birthday song.
My cousins, aunts, uncle, grandmother, and sisters sat around the table singing.

The camera panned up and showed my mother.

"There she is." I told Anders. She was smoking a cigarette as she leaned against the kitchen counter. Not singing.

"She might be a questionable mother but she's beautiful. You two look alike." he stated.
"Yea. I hope looks are the only thing I got from her. I wish I could ask my dad about her personality. The only one who might know the best and is still alive is Cameron. I'm definitely not asking her."
"What about your grandmother?"
He lit a light bulb in my mind.
I turned and looked at him.

"If this warrants another kiss please know that I will not decline." he stated.
I snickered and kissed him one more time.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABYGIRL!" My dad shouted over everyone else's same cheering and I looked back at the video. "Make a wish and blow out your candles." he encouraged.
I closed my eyes and thought hard.

Then blew out the candles.

Everyone cheered and I giggled in response. My dad walked over and bent down to put the camera on both of us.

"Tell me what you wished for." he smiled at me.
"I can't or else it won't come true!" little me responded.
"What if I gave you a dollar?" he asked.
"A dollar doesn't cost nearly as much as a wish coming true." I replied sassily.
"You've got a point." he said and I laughed. "She's too smart, guys." he told the camera.

I could feel the warm tear slide down my cheek as I continued to watch.
I sniffed.

Anders wiped it with his thumb and kissed the cheek closest to him.
"I miss him." I said softly and watched the clip of him angling the camera down to me smiling up at him while holding his hand as I walked in my dress and tiara.
"I know, angel." He hugged me and I hugged him back.