Extinguisher (A Sequel to Firefighter)

Chapter 31

                   

Chapter 31 Extinguisher

Alexa's POV

As I tried to make my way up the stairs, my sock feet hardly making any noise, I heard my dad's deep voice, calling me.

"Lex, get in here!" his voice boomed causing me to halt my movements, turn around, and descend back down the stairs.

I fisted the sleeves of Noah's flannel in my palms, keeping them low as I made my way into the kitchen. I found my dad and mom both leaned against the island countertop, arms folded in front of their chests. I knew them well enough to know that something was bothering them, the unsure expressions on their faces ultimately giving them away. My heart pounded in my chest as my fists tightened, nails pressing harshly against the skin of my palms and my jaw tightening.

"What's going on?" I asked, looking back and forth between the two of them, searching their eyes in hopes to figure out why they were being so strange.

My dad was the one who stepped forward, clearing his throat avoiding my eyes for a moment before he finally met them. He smiled a small smile, the corners of his mouth just barely turning up as his large hand pushed back hairs that had fallen in front of my face.

"You know you're our princess, right?"

"Of course dad, but what's going on?" I questioned, my hands continuing to tightly grip the sleeves of Noah's shirt.

"Look princess, we don't want to upset you. Your mother and I know that the last few weeks haven't exactly been easy on you. The last thing we want is to make it worse but..."

"Dad, come on." I prodded, stepping closer, searching his eyes.

"Your mother invited Nick, Cassie, and Noah over for dinner tomorrow night."

His eyes regarded me with hesitation, taking a step back as I glared at my mom. I knew my dad had thrown her under the bus but I didn't care about that. I only cared about the fact that just his name made my heart break even more, made me dig my nails into my palm even harder. My eyes burned, tears threatening to make an appearance once again.

"No honey, don't cry. You don't have to stay here." My dad said, quick with his words, enveloping me in his strong arms as tears continued to burn my eyes.

His muscular arms wrapped all the way around my body made me feel so safe and the familiar scent of his musky cologne calmed me. It flooded my scenes, making me forget about everything wrong in my life. I momentarily forgot all of my bad decisions and my poor choices, focusing solely on my loving father who couldn't begin to help me even if he wanted to. I pushed away the one person who tried to fix me.

I'm not worth fixing. I'm better when I'm pretending to be fine.

"Lex, I'm sorry honey. Your uncle Nick wanted to get together and I just agreed. You can go out, Lex. You don't have to stay here. You and Saw can take Aaron out for ice cream or..."

"No, I'm staying here." I nodded, wiping at my eyes as I dug my keys out of my purse and made my way to the front door.

Ignoring my parent's hushed whispers, I opened the door, slamming it shut behind me. My breathing was heavy when I climbed behind the wheel, turning my key twice before getting the engine to roar to life. I wasn't mad, not at my parents. I was upset that I would have to endure a family dinner with Noah, but I knew I'd just have to suck it up and deal with it. I had been around Noah countless times and deep down, I knew that I didn't mind being near him. It's hard for me to admit it, even to myself, but I know it. I know that every time I see Noah, I sigh in relief that he's healthy and okay. He annoys me. He even maddens me at times but if something happened to him, I'd have absolutely nothing to live for.