Chapter 9 My father

ARIA

I was home alone after thursday's classes. Everyone was anticipating who the new class assistant would be.

I sat on my bed, my legs crossed, surrounded by half eaten snacks.

I was on my laptop.

I was supposed to be studying, but instead, i was on my laptop watching a video on youtube that says: how to read a man's body language.

Not like i needed that specific knowledge.

And it's totally not because i was trying to figure out if professor Carter's jaw clench and look yesterday meant anger or something else.

I sighed and removed my socks from my leg and threw it on the bed. The sock bounced and landed on the pizza box from last night.

"God i really need to get my life together" i groaned and rolled on the bed.

My phone beeped and i checked, it was a text from Laura... i mean who else do i really know?

Laura: Are you alive? Or buried under textbooks... call me.

I smiled softly but i didn't reply to her text immediately.

I leaned on my bed frame.

"Why wouldn't i just fall for a normal guy?" I muttered to myself.

'Wait. Fall?'

'Did I say fall? That's impossible'

I can't fall for professor Carter. He is my... professor.

Was that my only excuse? So what if he wasn't my professor, would i fall for him then?

No no no.

Ugh.

I closed my laptop and headed downstairs because i thought i heard voices.

Maybe it was Laura and the maids trying to put food in my fridge.

But when i got there, i was met with a warm look, red eyes... eyes just like mine.

The only other person i've seen with red eyes... my father.

"Dad?" i managed to say.

"Aria, my dear" he said as he hugged me tightly.

"Oh my God, dad, what are you doing here?" i asked, stunned.

"I came to see my daughter after 5 years and she's asking why i'm here', i'm a little hurt" he smiled.

"No dad, that's not what i meant" i said, hugging him again, "i'm really glad you came"

"I have missed you Aria" he said with his hand on my chin, "you look just like your mother"

"You always say that, but i took your eyes" i said holding his hands.

"Please come upstairs dad, there's plenty of rooms, i'll arrange one for you immediately" i said and was walking away but i stopped in my tracks when he said,

"I can't"

My heart broke, i knew that he couldn't. The reason he was here was because of... saturday.

The anniversary of my mother's death... five years ago.

But he never once went to see her at the real date. He always came earlier.

He seemed like he was hiding, or hiding something. He never told me where he was, he never calls. Just occasional indirect messages and a bank account filled with money.

"Dad, why are you doing this?" i said, hurt.

"It's not something you should worry about, Aria. And maybe in due time, you'll find out"

"Dad..."

"I have to go Aria. I love you." He said already walking out.

I followed him.

"I love you too dad" i replied in a slightly higher tone.

He turned back and smiled at me. The he went into his car.

He has a lot of body guards... too many. What were they protecting him from?

It feels like i would never find out.

I went back upstairs and slept on my bed.

Everything was too overwhelming for me. I lost my mother five years ago, and my father pretty much went into hiding.

I tried to think of what it could be. What the problem was, but couldn't.

I might be smart academically, but i didn't have foresight.

'I can't go into the past and find out what happened'

'I can't read my father's mind either'

"This is all so frustrating and infuriating" i groaned but my eyes stung a little.

I tried to blink the growing tears away.

I tried not to think too much about the whole situation, but sleep finally took me in.

*

*

*

"Aria" i heard someone call my name.

"Aria"

"Wake up" the hands tugged on me gently.

I slowly opened my eyes to see the intruder.

"What do you want Laura" i asked my voice hoarse.

"Let me sleep" i whined, pulling the sheets up my body.

She pulled the sheets back down and dragged me off of the bed.

"What do your want" i groaned.

"Wake up, i'm bored" she said in a pitiful tone.

"You woke me up because you're bored?" i asked, but she only grinned at me.

"What happened to your boyfriend... Jack"

"His name is Diego, Aria... DIEGO"

"Whatever, leave me aloneeee"

"If you don't get up, i'll go downstairs and take all the boxes of clothes and shoes i spotted on my way up" she said.

"Wait, what?"

"You didn't know, did someone break in?" she said with a worried look, "Wait, no... that isn't right. Do you have a secret admirer?"

"I highly doubt that" i muttered, more to myself than her.

I stood up and rushed to the bed again.

"ARIA!!"

"You can go pick anything you like in there, they're from my father. He came earlier" i said half asleep.

"Woah, he did? Your dad is so mysterious"

"I know right"

"Anyways, can i use your laptop?"

"Sure" i said absentmindedly.

Then it dawned on me. I didn't close my search tab. Once she opens the laptop she is going to see what i was googling.

I sprang from the bed and went for the laptop before she could reach it.

She looked at me with suspicious eyes and asked what i was hiding.

I opened the laptop and quickly deleted my search history.

"Wait, were you watching porn?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at me, then her phone dinged.

"Is that Jack" i said teasingly.

"Diegooo. Check your phone, they posted in our class forum that professor Carter has chosen his new class assistant"

I rushed to get my phone and clicked on our school's app, then scrolled through the forum to find who he had chosen.

The name was written in caps lock.

ARIA GIOVANNI.