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“Couldn’t wait until morning?” Dad said in a wry tone. “Is that the best you can do?”
“Dad, you never know what’s going to happen. Sometimes you have to fix things immediately.” I slunk back into my seat. “We talked and, well, kissed. But we didn’t do anything else. You don’t have to get all…” I shrugged. “Sorry, Dad.”
“Look.” He leaned across the table, pushing the plate out of the way. “I’m not going to pretend I never snuck into your mother’s bedroom as a teen, but I need to make sure you’re being sensible and careful. If anything does happen, you can talk to me, preferably in advance, so I know you’re protecting yourself.”
“Dad, can we not?”
“Would you rather talk to your mother about it?” It was a genuine question, no judgement implied.
I considered that for a moment. I was closer to Dad, more comfortable talking to him about everything. “No,” I admitted, “and since you want to know so badly, no, I’m not ready to have sex yet.”
He winced, and I noted with satisfaction that the conversation was awkward for him, too.
“I’ll always be careful,” I said. “I know I shouldn’t have invited Dorian inside, but I had to make up with him, and it was super cold outside last night.”
“Just outside?” he asked. “Are you sure the fire did nothing to you?”
“I sensed the fire before it started, but I’m fine.” I wasn’t lying about that either.
“Good,” he said. “Well, we should head on. We have a lot to do.”
“Such as?”
“I thought you might want to pick something out to wear to Dorian’s birthday party.”
I smiled back at him. My dad could be great sometimes. No, most of the time.
Afterwards, we headed into the shops and picked up some things, including an outfit for the party. Dorian was so lucky to turn eighteen. A whole world opened up on that particular birthday, and I couldn’t help but feel envious.
We took a bus home after a quick stop in the comic book shop where I showed off my latest discoveries to my dad. He was amused until he spotted an ancient-looking comic book he insisted was his favourite as a kid. It was fun to see my dad geek out about as much as Dorian would have.
We were almost home when we happened upon Amelia who was talking to a young man around her age. She didn’t introduce us.
“I heard about the fire,” she said, without even saying hello. “Everything go well?”
“Yep,” I said. “Nobody got hurt.”
“You’re okay?”
“Perfect.”
She beamed. “We should head out for a walk again. Follow that last interesting trail.”
I hesitated. “Yeah, maybe.”
“Or Margo could take a rest for a while,” Dad said. “There’s a lot going on with the party and the holidays.”
“Maybe Margo should decide,” she said without as much as a glance in his direction.
That rubbed me the wrong way. “Dad’s right. I’m pretty busy right now.”
“I hear I’ll be seeing a lot more of you anyway,” she said with confidence. “It was my idea, but my uncle is thinking of offering up a place for your rehearsals. I guess I’ll see you then.”
She gestured at her friend to follow then strode away. I knew she didn’t mean to, but sometimes she came off as obnoxiously rude.
Dad muttered something under his breath while storming off.
“I thought you were okay with everything.” I caught up to him. “Aren’t you?”
“I am.” He adjusted the shopping bags he was carrying. “I don’t appreciate Amelia’s demanding attitude though.”
“She’s a bit impatient, but she has good intentions. She wants to protect people.”
“Then it should be easier for her to understand that I want to protect you.” His expression softened as he looked at me. “You will be careful, won’t you? Don’t push yourself too hard. I know you’re curious about it all, but there’s no rush. You have all the time in the world, so take care of yourself first.”
“I will, Dad.” I would, as best I could, but I had opened up something inside of me, and I wasn’t sure that door could be closed again. If anything, it taught me that I had to be prepared at all times because we never knew quite what was going to happen next.
Dorian and my parents would always worry about me, so perhaps it was better for all of us if I simply kept some things to myself in future.
