FALLING AROUND YOU ➵ DANIEL SEAVEY ➵ SEQUEL

19 ➵ One Last Chance

"Really?" I mean, that's your dad."

"Yeah, but he treats parenting like a business. I wish he would stop thinking like that and for five minutes be my dad for once." 

I tried understanding where he was coming from, and it was so easy for me; I was in the same boat as he was. My parents were never around when I was little. My two siblings and I had a handful of nannies or babysitters to the point where seeing my parents were none existent. As my siblings started pursuing their own lives, I was stuck alone. The house became emptier and I slowly stopped needing a nanny by my side when I grew older. 

I started thinking that maybe the reason I was so bashful in love was because I was never given it in the first place. It's not like my family left me, but they kind of did. Although my heart pained me to say this, I knew that both my parents weren't right to be parents. They were much to dedicated to their careers to get sidetracked into family. 

I looked at him, "I know."

"Are you really leaving after this week?" Charlie shifted the subject. 

I nodded slowly putting my gaze to the floor. "You're staying for the celebration though, right?" 

I looked back up at him. He could tell by my questioning expression that I had no idea there was even a dance to begin with. "There's a big celebration downtown this Saturday for a bunch of artists. The company got invitations to give out to each of their clients," Charlie explained. 

It made sense. Technically, I wasn't one of their clients anymore until a few moments ago. 

"Are you going?" I asked unsure if my appearance there would be appropriate. 

"Yeah," he smiled effortlessly. "I'm sure a lot of people aren't going to be there. It's hosted by this other corporation I forgot the name of, but they sent out a bunch of invitations to a lot of artists. It's suppose to be an insane gathering," he chuckled. 

"Sounds exciting," I spoke intrigued. "It's a ball, you said?"

"Yeah," he sounded a bit more enthusiastic. "A masquerade ball that is. You should really come. I don't go to many of these things, but it would be nice to have a familiar face there, especially since this could be one of the last few times we'd see each other for a while."

I nodded my head, "Okay, I'm in." 

_

It occurred to me that the walls surrounding me didn't feel like home. This wasn't the same walls that I lived in when in the states for the past few months, but I knew that my home in London would never share the same comfort as it did before. I didn't know where my home was, but I had a good idea where to look. 

The abrupt knock on the door startled me a bit, but a quickly looked at myself in the mirror before going to open it. It was a simple green wrap dress with long sleeves. My hair was waved as it has been this whole day, and I tried keeping my makeup simple. I closed my eyes preparing myself before I opened the door. 

"Hi," I said shyly. 

"Do you want to take a walk?" the blue eyes didn't even care for an introduction. 

My heart shattered before nodding slowly. 

We didn't bother taking a car. The hotel I would be staying at for the next few days was engulfed in the city enough. Just walking out the hotel doors, I was met with the personality of the city: wild and energetic. It had been one of my favorite things about staying here for the last few months, and it easily brought a smile to my face that I couldn't ignore.