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Kelly paced anxiously around the sitting room, glancing repeatedly at the wall clock. It was already 9 p.m., and frustration clouded his face.
"Dad usually doesn't stay out this late," he muttered under his breath.
He went to the window for the thirteenth time, staring out into the darkness, but there was no sign of him. With a sigh of disappointment, Kelly sank back into his chair, feeling the weight of his impatience.
Suddenly, he heard the rumble of tires and the honking of a car. His eyes widened, and he shot up to his feet, rushing toward the door. His hand reached for the doorknob, but he hesitated, a flush of realization spreading across his face.
"I've become too desperate," he muttered to himself. The rumbling in his stomach reminded him he hadn't eaten all day-and it was past his bedtime. He switched off the room light mischievously, grabbed his phone with its flashlight, and sat down quietly in the dark.
Mr. Andrew's car rolled to a stop outside, humming a melodious tune as he stepped out, humming softly to himself. He was unaware that Kelly was waiting inside, hidden in the shadows. For the first time in years, Mr. Andrew felt a rare surge of happiness-thinking of his night out with Lucy, the kiss they shared, the joy that filled him.
He unlocked the door and stepped into the dark sitting room, assuming Kelly had gone to bed, as they usually turned off the lights when retiring. But as he flicked the switch on, his eyes landed on Kelly, sitting there, staring at him with wide eyes, frozen in surprise.
"Are you good, chap?" Mr. Andrew asked, raising an eyebrow.
Kelly pursed his lips tightly, refusing to respond-his frustration with his father's outing with Lucy bubbling beneath the surface.
Noticing Kelly's silence and his tense posture, Mr. Andrew shrugged and turned to walk away. Kelly's panic flared.
"Dad!" Kelly called out desperately.
Mr. Andrew glanced back, a teasing smirk on his face. "Thought you weren't going to respond? What changed?"
Kelly pouted, frustration evident. "Dad, you called Lucy your girlfriend. Why are you going out with her? She's my girl. Why are you with her?"
Hearing this, Mr. Andrew paused, his eyes narrowing as he processed Kelly's words. "Oh," he said softly, then added with surprise, "Lucy told me you both broke up. And I thought you were with Rose now."
Kelly stiffened at his words but quickly grumbled, "That's not true. I didn't break up with her, and I'm not dating Rose."
Observing Kelly's body language-his denial, his agitation-Mr. Andrew sensed he was hiding something. He simply responded with another dismissive "Oh," turned, and walked back inside his bedroom, leaving Kelly standing there, stunned.
As his father disappeared behind the door, Kelly was momentarily speechless. Coming back to himself, he hurried after him. "Dad, why did you go out with Lucy?"
But the door shut in his face before he could get a response. Frustration boiled over, and he pounded his fist against the wall. "Fuck!" he yelled, voice trembling with anger.
He stormed back into his room, slamming the door behind him, it's bound to be a sleepless night.
At school, Lucy was chatting with a group of friends-girls she was close with-about three of them. When they learned that Rose had recently slept with her ex-boyfriend, Kelly, they all agreed that Rose had made a mistake and decided to distance themselves from her.
Suddenly, Kelly approached the group without greeting anyone, his tone haughty and demanding. "Hey, Lucy. Can we talk?"
The girls looked at him, their expressions unreadable but not surprised-Kelly had always been rude and confrontational. Lucy, however, responded coldly, "You should look for Rose, not me."
Her friends glanced at each other, curious to see how Kelly would react. Kelly clenched his jaw in frustration, grumbling, "Fine. If you don't want to talk, don't come crying to me later. No matter how much you beg, cry, or crawl on your knees, I won't listen."
Lucy burst into laughter, and her friends followed suit. Kelly's face darkened with anger. His eyes flashed with fury as he turned sharply and stormed off, his mind made up-he'd never forgive Lucy if she ever came crawling back to him.
If Lucy could hear his thoughts, she'd be utterly speechless.
At dusk, Lucy stepped out of the taxi and headed to Mr. Andrew's house. When she rang the doorbell, Kelly was the one who answered.
Seeing it was Lucy, Kelly folded his arms, leaned against the wall, and asked arrogantly, "What the hell are you doing here? Thought you asked me to talk to Rose. Isn't that why you're here - to beg for forgiveness?"
Lucy shook her head impatiently and shot back, "I'm here to see your dad. Stop dreaming that I'd ever spend my time coming to see you."
Without waiting for a reply, she tried to walk past him. But Kelly grabbed her arm, pulling her back out of the house. He dragged her to a corner and pressed, "Lucy, what the hell are you doing with my dad? You both went to see a movie yesterday, and he even called you his girlfriend. What's going on between you two?"
Lucy yanked her arm free and shot him a sarcastic smile. "Whatever is happening between you and Rose is exactly what's happening between your dad and me."
Kelly's face drained of color. His eyes widened in shock and disbelief. His heart pounded in his chest, his lips trembling. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.
Lucy, uninterested in further conversation, turned and walked away. Kelly stood there, stunned, trying to process what she had just said. As the realization hit him, he stormed inside to confront her and demand an explanation.
But when he pushed open the door, his eyes widened in disbelief - there, locked in an embrace and sharing a kiss, were Lucy and Mr. Andrew. Kelly froze in place, unable to move.