Under the City Lights

Daddy's Little Girl

He gave me a big hug after that.

Now that I'm 20 years old, it felt a whole lot different from when I was young and ignorant but I knew all I had to do was talk to him.

That weird gurgling feeling in my gut made it a bit difficult for me to move my feet.

My dad popped out of the kitchen with a glass of whiskey in his hands and he settled himself outside in the front porch, noticing not a strand of hair from me.

"Here goes nothing." I muttered to myself.

I peeped out from the screen door that stood in front of the wooden one and I cleared my throat.

My father looked towards me and gave me a weak smile. I stepped out and sat on the same chair where this small fuss began.

My dad took a swig from his glass and I pursed my lips and the corners lifted, giving him an awkward smile.

"How have you been?" I was shocked how high my voice got.

"I've been good." He nodded. "And you? How was school?"

"School was okay. The usual." I shrugged awkwardly.

"Fair enough." He took another swig.

I looked around anxiously. "Um, Felicity came home early." I spilled.

He looked at me plainly. "She called me at work earlier. Said she wasn't feeling well."

He pursed his lips and I think I knew what that really meant.

I nodded. "Looked like it. She's sleeping in my room at the moment."

"How is she?" I saw concern in his eyes.

"She'll be okay" was all that I could think of as a reply.

He just nodded, accepting my word.

He hadn't known about what happened in her room, and I'll keep that to myself and to my sister.

I tapped a hand on my lap for about a minute of awkward silence plus the sound of glass landing softly on wood before I blurted out the words "I'm sorry."

My dad was as startled as I was.

"Um, I'm sorry, dad." I repeated nervously. "About yesterday."

I looked down on my feet. My cheeks felt hot.

I heard him took a sip from his glass and placed it back on the table, and I felt him looking at me. "You didn't do anything wrong. Why are you sorry?" He laughed.

I looked at him, puzzled. I didn't know what to say.

He grinned. "I know you think you must have made me upset, but it wasn't your fault."

He looked at me but I still had nothing to say, so he continued.

"It was a bit shallow as an excuse to be upset with you, and I swear it really wasn't." He gave me a reassuring look. I kept listening. "And I'm sorry to have made you feel like it was your fault. It's just..."

He sighed deeply.

"Earlier that day I had a fight with your sister." He looked at me expecting some sort of reaction, but I already knew they had because it was the reason that woke me up that day. As not to be rude to him though, I nodded, letting him know I was listening intently.

He carried on.

"It wasn't really a fight. Just more of like a small argument." He shrugged his shoulders. "She told me about what happened between her and Bryce, and you know how much I never liked the guy for your sister. What he did just proved how much of an ass— I mean, how terrible he is as a person. I just let your sister decide for herself because she was happy with him, and I didn't want to ruin her life just because I didn't like the guy. I care about your sister and so I gave him the benefit of the doubt." He pursed his lips.