~Daddy's Old Friend~

As Dolores clambered the short stairs up to the front door of her home, she thought endlessly about the revelation that Nicolas' Dad had shared. That man had been living inside that house for years but espite the many hours she had spent with the siblings, she never found out. During those times, she thought the siblings were orphans who were allowed to have an apartment because of Nicolas' age. Turned out all her assumptions were wrong. Nicolas had a father who was still alive and well.

She had come to terms with the recent development since the moment they started playing out but she would never understand why he kept so many basic things hidden from people... Even her.

He had a lot of unanswered questions from her. Questions of why he really hid Aurora's existence, his own father and some other things that were yet to come to the light. She needed to know she was not being roped into something dangerous. Not to mention the weird bromance he used to share with his former friend, Carlos. She decided to take it upon herself to find out the exact cause of their sudden separation. However, she was not ready to call him yet for the gritty dirt of those details. Her mind needed a break from all that happened today.

She crossed the threshold from the long corridor into her large room, falling into her bed with a deep sigh of contentment. Her brain and body needed the soft comfort from it. Placing her phone on silent, she fell back into her bed and her eyes slowly fell to a close before she could help it. The door opened and,

"Amor? Oh, you're still asleep? Are you okay?"

Dolores peeled her eyes open one after the other to scan around the room for the source of the disruption of her siesta time. She found her Dad with his body poking halfway through the door as though he didn't want to come in fully.

"Oh, no. I'm up now. I just--" An unladylike yawn escaped her lips before she thought to get a grip on herself. "I didn't even get enough time to snooze."

Damian stepped in fully with an amused grin. "What do you mean? You've been out for two hours already. I thought you were ill and couldn't come down for dinner."

"What? Two hours? Time sure flies fast." She dragged her tired limbs off bed, walking towards her father who wrapped an arm around her shoulder as they both walked down the corridor.

Adelina was seated in the dining room by the time they arrived at the bottom of the stairs. Her eyes were glued to the screen of her phone as she spooned chunks after chunks of frozen yoghurt in her mouth. It was quite unusual of her to do such but it always happened when she was way past the worrying phase.

"What's with you, Lina?" Dolores asked, leaving her father's side.

Adelina slowly raised her eyes to look at her friend before they went back to the screen of her phone. "I'm fine. Just tired. The whole thing with my parents saying they're on their way and then changing their plans as always."

Dolores sighed. "You know what? I think you should stop worrying about that. Let them bid their time, alright?"

Adelina nodded, her eyes misting for a brief moment before she blinked it away. She pushed the now empty cup of frozen yoghurt out of her sight, grabbing a plate of well seasoned, deep-fried beef closer. Her actions had Dolores and Damian staring with bewilderment.

"Anyway," Damian brought out a chair from underneath the table, settling in it. "How did it go with your visit to Aurora? How is she feeling?"

Her eyes never leaving the upset eater by her side, Dolores replied. "She's great, really. In fact, I spent the entire time talking her ear off about what happened in school and how her attacker got paid in her own coin. It was fun watching her listen attentively. She seemed elated for the most part so yeah, it's safe to say she is doing well."

She opted for a steaming plate of spaghetti and sauce with salad and chicken slices as opposed to shoving meat down her throat like Adelina was doing. There were enough veggies in her salad to not be heavily criticized by a vegan if they were present at the table as well.

The chair scraped against the floor as Adelina stood up. Two pair of eyes around the table fell on her as she grabbed her phone. She merely pointed towards the direction of Dolores' room, implying that she was leaving the dining to get some rest. If the telltale signs of stress weren't visible enough on her face, her obvious weight loss was proof.

"Go on, Lina. You really look like you indeed need some rest." Damian seemed to resonate audibly the words Dolores wanted to say but couldn't as a result of the other overpowering thoughts in her mind. Absentmindedly, she clinked her glass with the tip of her fork.

After he watched Adelina leave, Damian served himself. Dolores who was playing with her cutlery had long lost interest in her food. She stopped the clinking long enough to clear her throat and get his attention. "Dad?"

He raised his eyes to watch her with his mouth opened to receive the spoon of food on its way in. "Yes, amor?"

"Yesterday, I--" There was hesitation in her voice as she paused for a heartbeat. She tried again. "Yesterday, I met someone."

He cocked an eyebrow, suddenly developing interest in the discussion. He swallowed, setting his fork down on his plate. "That seems fun. What about the person you met?"

She fiddled with the cutlery once more with her eyes pinned on the patterned table cloth. "His name's Isaias De León and he is Nicolas' father."

The abrupt bombshell had Damian choking on his saliva, sputtering wildly and reaching for his glass of water which he chugged down in three long gulps. After bringing his coughing fit under control, he wiped his mouth with a serviette, his eyes pinned on his daughter in incredulity.

"What did you say?" He didn't mean for her to repeat her statement but his facial features showed that the news was almost too impossible to believe.

"I met your old friend, dad. He's been ill for years since-- It's not my story to tell but I do know he wants to see you. I could tell from the tone of his voice that he misses you a lot."

"I thought he was dead. We thought he was dead- Mateo and I. He just seemed to disappear into thin air with no traces of either him or his wife. No one." Damian turned to look at his daughter with a fazed expression, then left his chair to meet her, engulfing her in a wide embrace.

"Thank you, amor. If it wasn't for you and your friendship with Nicolas, I wouldn't have found my old friend."

Dolores found the appreciation from her father really awkward as she sat stiff in his arms, unsure if to give him a pat on his back or offer words of encouragement. What was she even going to tell him?

He pulled away shortly after with the brightest smile almost splitting his face in half. "Thank you. Sorry for rumpling your shirt."

"It's okay, Dad. I'd feel this same way if Adelina went away and I finally find a way to meet her after a really long time. It's understandable." Dolores said, picking up her cutlery and digging it into her plate of the now warm spaghetti. Twirling pasta onto her fork, she raised it into her waiting mouth, finally finding the appetite to down the meal.

"When do you think I should meet with him? You did mention he was ill so when will he be free to leave the hospital?"

He didn't know the part where the man was being treated inside his own home and not the hospital like he thought. Dolores cleared her throat lightly then lifted a glass of water to her lips.

"He, uh, he's currently being treated at his home. I could take you there when you have the chance to but for now, we enjoy our meal. Alright, Dad?"

He nodded tersely. "Yes, yes. That'll be alright."

No other words are exchanged as they fell into a comfortable silence, enjoying their meal in the serenity that followed. There was no tense emotions swinging around in the air since Dolores revealed the thoughts of her mind. Adelina was the next untreated topic but that could be handled after she was done spending the limited time available with her father.

~~~{•}~~~

I've got no words now. School work can be exhausting
But I'm good to update more chapters now.
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~~Chignature~~