Chapter 56: The Date

**Michelle**

He was standing behind us with his face set in a stone expression. His eyes went from Vincent to me, back to Vincent before they finally settled on me.

“Michelle, i was just on my way to look for you, your mother and I were worried about you since you didn't come home last night, are you okay?” He asked, stepping closer to me.

I didn't fail to see how he hid a beer bottle behind him, and he reeked of alcohol too. The headache that was in my head since I woke up doubled up.

“I'm fine, can we go home now?" I said after a while, trying to match up with the pretense in my father's voice.

His eyes remained on Vincent, even when he was talking to me. He kept looking at Vincent and his car, it was almost like I wasn't there anymore.

“And, who are you?” My father asked Vincent, glancing slightly at me.

"Is he someone I should know about?" He asked, turning to look at me eventually.

“Uh, no. He's just someone that offered to take me home because I was stranded." I said immediately, hoping Vincent would leave now as I wasn't ready to talk further than this.

“Yeah…? I'm sure the young man can answer for himself.”
Vincent cleared his throat first, “I'm not someone that important, Michelle said it all already. I guess I'll leave now that she's home safe." He said.

He sounded different, but also normal, just nothing like the Vincent that was talking to me in the car earlier.

“No, I'd like to personally invite you to our home to specially thank you, it wouldn't be nice if you went without having a drink or two.” My father said with a tone of urgency.

I know where this is going, it's not going to end well at all, i needed to do something. I didn't hsve to say anything though, Vincent butted in himself.

"That won't be necessary, I have work to attend to.” He butted in.

My father's face deflated, “Maybe some other time then, I wouldn't want to intrude that for you." He sounded nothing like the man I know and wake up to.

I turned when I heard Vincent retrace his steps, he walked towards his car without sparing me another glance, it was after he got in and before he rolled up the windows that our eyes met.

That wasn't for long though as he the car's windows blocked it and he drove off. Now that he was gone, the next problem was facing my father.

“Who is he?" Was the first thing he said when we were left alone.

“I already told you who he is, he helped me home because I was stranded.” I replied him.

"Right, and you expect me to believe such a lie, I'm not a kid, Michelle. You were with him all night and he's dropping you off, that has to be it. Why are you lying?”

Not again, not now that all I want to do is just to sleep and wake up in the evening or something.

“That's not it." I said simply.

“That's all you do, lie and lie. Anyways, that's your problem, I believe your mother and I tried already in bringing you up in the best way, you're the one who preferred to be wayward."

There are a lot of wrong things about that sentence, it's not just the lying part but that one where he said he raised me together with his wife.

"I've decided to not stress myself too much over you, it's up to you to do whatever you like.” He said and walked away.

That's all? I stood for a few seconds in shock and only jolted back to reality when someone who also wanted to use the walkway brushed my shoulder with theirs.

Maybe I'd think about what just happened later, all I want to do right now is sleep. And i did just that when I got home.

~

I was woken up by pounding on my door. The door was being shaken so hard that it looked like it would fall off anytime soon.

I rushed towards it before it could, it was the only thing that served as the barrier between the whole house and I.

The door was opened before it could fall off its hinges. It was none other than my father there, and he looked so pissed with his hands up like he was about to hit the door again before i opened it.

“Why was your door locked? You've been sleeping for hours, are you pregnant?”

The last wuwation made skeep vanish from my eyes immediately, pregnant? That's not even possible.

"What? No.” I rushed out the words.
"Some boy called Martins is downstairs looking for you.” He looked at me pointedly as i tried to rack my head on who it could be.

That sleep was really long with how sluggish my brain was being.

Right, Martin from that night, he asked for my number when I went to the mall.

“Are you coming to attend to him or you'd keep standing there?" My father's voice brought me back to reality.

I sidestepped him, going downstairs immediately with questions on why Martins could be here running through my head.

It's probably a bad idea to come downstairs this way, I could perceive my own scent on myself, I'm still putting on the clothes from yesterday as I couldn't even bath when I came home.

“Hey there." Was the first thing I heard when I opened the door, the setting sun's reflection was on my face that it was kind of hard to see his face and I had to squint so i could get used to it.

“Hi." I said back, stepping outside fully.
Martins stepped back so I could come out and i slammed the door shut.

"Did I wake you up? I'm really sorry, I had no idea that you were sleeping, I came by when your phone wasn't going.”

Right, the device would be dead by now, the last time I put it on charger was yesterday.

“It's dead, is there anything you want?"
“Go on a date with me."