Zenon's Game Chapter 278

He kissed me harder. He pulled me up, so my legs wrapped around his waist and he walked us towards the couch, kissing my lips and my jaw. His other hand was somewhere up my shirt and all I felt was a tingling sensation wherever he touched.

He brought us both down onto the couch and held both sides of my waist to stop me from falling sideways. He adjusted my position on his lap, one leg on either side of him. His hands lowered to my thighs as he leaned forward to meet my lips with his.

He was about to pull his shirt off, when he paused. "Sorry, I need a second to get the image of our dads out of my head."

And that killed the mood right there.

I sat back and breathed heavily. He was the best distraction from the drama around us. I rolled off him and sat beside him on the couch. He was already leaning back and we both processed how much our dads had scr*wed us up.

Zenon had his hand against his head and he lowered it, resting it across the sofa's back, behind me.

"So, what do you think your dad said to mine?" I asked him, almost afraid to hear the answer.

For some reason, it felt scarier to hear coming out of Zenon's mouth. I don't know why. Maybe because I trust Zenon so much, I love him so much, that it's like hanging on to every word...

Zenon's head was resting against the back of the couch and he slowly turned to watch me.

"My dad's a narcissist," he said point blank, "He called your dad to make himself feel better about his life. Either that, or he didn't want to feel so alone in his sins."

I turned my head to face him as well. We were so close to each other, staring into each other.

"Go on," I urged him to continue.

"My dad thinks he's atoning for his past by bringing Jake into our home. He's starting a new chapter and, by telling your dad, it may have inspired him to do the same."

I felt the tears well up in my eyes again. I hated that I was crying again. I was so sick of crying; it felt like a never ending, heavy stream of tears. Dehydrating.

Maybe my dad's coming home.

Maybe he's living his best life somewhere. The world is full of possibilities when you don't have much baggage to carry around.

"I think I know how Jake feels," I whispered quietly, resting my hand over Zenon's wandering one and squeezing it tight, "When the guilt eats at them and they come back to 'do the right thing', we are the objects that make them feel better about themselves. What if we don't want their help? What if we don't want to atone them?"

Zenon didn't say anything, but he leaned his head forward to watch my face. He gently removed a strand of hair that was covering my eye.

I continued, "Like Jake said, we're underage so we don't have a say."

"Jake says plenty," Zenon muttered.

I couldn't help but smile. I pinched Zenon's stomach and felt the hard abs he had underneath that shirt. That playful instinct lifted the heavy weight of anger and bitterness.

Zenon laughed, and didn't shy away from my touch. He softly pinched me back, leaving his hands on my skin. I rocked my head onto his shoulder and pressed my finger softly on his chest, drawing circular motions.

Zenon smiled, "So, your dad 'cursed like a horse' when he found out about us."

I laughed, "What does a cursing horse even sounds like?"

"Maybe it's a good thing," Zenon joked, pulling me closer against him, "What's your dad's like? I get the feeling he wasn't a nerd."

"Hmm," I murmured, feeling so content drawing shapes over his chest, "He sort of was."

"Do you think your dad wants to beat me up?"

I almost choked from the unexpected laughter. "I don't know. I don't know my dad at all, but I'm still shocked the guy who knows him best around here is yours."

"I didn't see that coming either," Zenon muttered, lowering his lips onto my head to give me a kiss.

"You know what's funny?" I reflected back, feeling lighter now in Zenon's arms, "I actually felt bad for your dad at one point today. That part where he apologized to Jake and looked like he was about to cry. He made sense there for a little bit."

Zenon's arms tensed around me, but he didn't say anything. After a moment, he pulled back, "I'll get us water."

"Oh, ok," I nodded, watching him get up. He didn't look back, so I said, "I'll go to the bathroom to clean up a bit."

~Zenon's POV~

I watched the glass fill up with water and let the water filter tap keep running. It spilled over into yet another mess.

I knew this was Candace's story. I knew it was Jake's story too. They suffered more than the rest of us. But I still felt guilty.

I betrayed my dad.

We used to be so close, before this year started. The strongest bond. He backed me to the end of the world. He took me to every practice, picked me up every time I faltered and now...

Now that I was actually living the dream we built together, I turn my back on him?

The one man who would never turn his back on me.

I know he's not been a nice guy, but he's my dad. He's made mistakes.

I heard the pain in his voice before he walked out of that room. He apologized to Jake. He said I changed - and I have. We used to be close, but now we fight all the time.