Quote:
David Miller had gotten to spend some time with his daughter between classes and he was still a bit steamed. He could understand why he was never told about the boy but it hurt that she just flat out lied to him. That anger couldn’t be dealt with at the time since his students were just starting to filter in and Abby had class of her own to get to. He would be having a very long discussion with his daughter after classes tomorrow but right then he had a bigger fish to fry.
The tall teacher waited patiently outside one of the campus buildings, waiting for one particular person. He was working on classwork when the flood of students marked the end of class and David put his work away. It wasn’t easy but he spotted his target, “Clifford Barnes, I need to talk to you young man.”
The tall teacher waited patiently outside one of the campus buildings, waiting for one particular person. He was working on classwork when the flood of students marked the end of class and David put his work away. It wasn’t easy but he spotted his target, “Clifford Barnes, I need to talk to you young man.”
Quote:
Classes felt never-ending, especially given that he still had papers to work on even after they were over, but the hell that was lecture was at least over with for the day. It was such a heavenly day, he thought as he exited his last class for the day and was just about to text Abby when the idea of heaven just...suddenly felt so nonexistent.
"Mr. Miller," he said as respectfully (and miraculously without a stutter) as he could manage. He absently fixed his posture, as though that would somehow help to remedy the shitstorm he felt was about to come. "Um, sure, sir. I'm free 'til practice, sir, so um…" he swallowed the lump that had so quickly formed in the back of his throat and hoped he could cut all the "sirs" out.
He fiddled with the ball that he took in his hands as they walked off to the side a bit, then cleared his throat again. "Um, so...what is it, sir?"
"Mr. Miller," he said as respectfully (and miraculously without a stutter) as he could manage. He absently fixed his posture, as though that would somehow help to remedy the shitstorm he felt was about to come. "Um, sure, sir. I'm free 'til practice, sir, so um…" he swallowed the lump that had so quickly formed in the back of his throat and hoped he could cut all the "sirs" out.
He fiddled with the ball that he took in his hands as they walked off to the side a bit, then cleared his throat again. "Um, so...what is it, sir?"
Quote:
“Come, walk with me.” Hazel eyes surveyed the young man, judging him without revealing what he was thinking. David turned and started to walk away from the building, away from the prying eyes and perked little ears of the remaining curious students. He knew Cliff would follow, so when they were a suitable distance away the teacher didn’t turn to face the boy but just started to talk. “I had a most interesting conversation this morning with my daughter.” He absently stood at attention, staring off into the campus, his hands locked behind his back… channeling all the old military actors and their bearings. “As you are undoubtedly aware, I am not pleased with the information I have just found out about.”
He turned to face Cliff. “I have known you for years.You were friends with my daughter. I have watched you grow up with my daughter. I have even watched you have a crush on my daughter when you were just a boy. And I have watched my daughter being oblivious to your feelings for years prior to you returning so color me amazed when I am informed by my one and only daughter that you two are dating,” His voice had gone from a more casual conversational tone to a harder one, revealing just how unhappy he was to have just been informed of this situation, “for the last several weeks. I do not appreciate learning about this from neither parties involved directly until now, but rather through the rumor mill that is this campus.” He paused and took a breath, a calming, bracing breath, before allowing the boy to talk. “Well… What do you have to say for yourself?”
He turned to face Cliff. “I have known you for years.You were friends with my daughter. I have watched you grow up with my daughter. I have even watched you have a crush on my daughter when you were just a boy. And I have watched my daughter being oblivious to your feelings for years prior to you returning so color me amazed when I am informed by my one and only daughter that you two are dating,” His voice had gone from a more casual conversational tone to a harder one, revealing just how unhappy he was to have just been informed of this situation, “for the last several weeks. I do not appreciate learning about this from neither parties involved directly until now, but rather through the rumor mill that is this campus.” He paused and took a breath, a calming, bracing breath, before allowing the boy to talk. “Well… What do you have to say for yourself?”
Quote:
Cliff, like Mr. Miller, stood at attention as soon as the man found a suitable spot for them to have their little chat. As the speech went on Cliff felt himself getting smaller and smaller, as though he messed with the wrong guy (and honestly he had no doubts that he had, but at the same time no regrets) and was only now realizing it. Incidentally, each time the man said ’my daughter’ he flashed back to a scene from the previous night that he was having with his daughter and he felt just that much more guilty.
When it was finally his turn to speak he couldn't quite find the right words at first. What could you say to something like that, anyway? All the wisdom of a man who'd raised a daughter all by himself, who had a career and his life mostly together, versus a 19-year-old who was barely keeping it together with his busy college and practice schedule, never mind the added duties of a good boyfriend very recently thrown into the mix. So he stood there dumbly for a while, fiddling with the soccer ball in his hand as he tried to will the words to come out.
Unfortunately they never did, so after a while he gave up thinking and just spoke exactly as he felt.
"First off, Mr. Miller, I'm honestly really, really, incredibly sorry about how you found out. We meant to tell you, really, it just...I guess we kept putting it off 'cause we didn't wanna stress the sudden change and...stuff." He paused, a hand absently reaching up to run through his hair to kind of straighten it out a bit. "And I know she said we weren't dating but we talked right after that and, even though it's really late, we wanted to confirm it with you and make it all official...and...um..."
He had to clear his throat again before continuing. "Look, I really care about your daughter. I mean, I really care about your daughter, and I made a promise to always be there for her no matter what happens. That whatever happens with this relationship, good or bad, I'm not going anywhere. I made that promise and I honest and truly intend to keep it, but that doesn't mean that I won't fight and do my damndest to make this work, sir. I care about your approval and your blessing, sir, but...no disrespect, but I care more about how your daughter feels about the relationship than how you do...sir..."
When it was finally his turn to speak he couldn't quite find the right words at first. What could you say to something like that, anyway? All the wisdom of a man who'd raised a daughter all by himself, who had a career and his life mostly together, versus a 19-year-old who was barely keeping it together with his busy college and practice schedule, never mind the added duties of a good boyfriend very recently thrown into the mix. So he stood there dumbly for a while, fiddling with the soccer ball in his hand as he tried to will the words to come out.
Unfortunately they never did, so after a while he gave up thinking and just spoke exactly as he felt.
"First off, Mr. Miller, I'm honestly really, really, incredibly sorry about how you found out. We meant to tell you, really, it just...I guess we kept putting it off 'cause we didn't wanna stress the sudden change and...stuff." He paused, a hand absently reaching up to run through his hair to kind of straighten it out a bit. "And I know she said we weren't dating but we talked right after that and, even though it's really late, we wanted to confirm it with you and make it all official...and...um..."
He had to clear his throat again before continuing. "Look, I really care about your daughter. I mean, I really care about your daughter, and I made a promise to always be there for her no matter what happens. That whatever happens with this relationship, good or bad, I'm not going anywhere. I made that promise and I honest and truly intend to keep it, but that doesn't mean that I won't fight and do my damndest to make this work, sir. I care about your approval and your blessing, sir, but...no disrespect, but I care more about how your daughter feels about the relationship than how you do...sir..."
Quote:
David held his tongue, keeping his thoughts to himself as Cliff explained himself. The boy at least had the decency to call the lie a lie unlike his daughter who informed him that she did not actually lie, only that she was fulfilling the letter of comment not the spirit of it. He mentally sighed and wondered if Abby should have gone into law not journalism with the way she sometimes twisted things around to suit her.
“Good.” He continued to watch Cliff but he seemed to relax some, his shoulders weren’t so stiff nor was his stance even though he kept his hands behind his back. “You put my daughter first. I’m glad you care about my approval because I can make your life a living hell but you care about her more. That’s good.” The teacher sighed and looked away, studying the green plants around them. “She is my world, Cliff. She has been since the day she was born. She knows this and can get away with just about anything but you do not have this protection. If you hurt her… In any way…” He trailed off letting his threat remain unsaid. “Let's just say, ‘don’t hurt her’ and leave it at that.” The eyes he turned on the young man were hard and showed that he meant business.
“Good.” He continued to watch Cliff but he seemed to relax some, his shoulders weren’t so stiff nor was his stance even though he kept his hands behind his back. “You put my daughter first. I’m glad you care about my approval because I can make your life a living hell but you care about her more. That’s good.” The teacher sighed and looked away, studying the green plants around them. “She is my world, Cliff. She has been since the day she was born. She knows this and can get away with just about anything but you do not have this protection. If you hurt her… In any way…” He trailed off letting his threat remain unsaid. “Let's just say, ‘don’t hurt her’ and leave it at that.” The eyes he turned on the young man were hard and showed that he meant business.
Quote:
Every fiber of his being thought the hammer was about to fall right on top of his head, so with what her father said next he nearly collapsed under the sudden relief that washed over him. He cleared his throat and listened carefully to what the older man had to say, nodding along as necessary, before a bright smile cracked his previously nervous expression.
"I fully intend not to, sir," he said, bobbing his head like one of those toys. "You have my word on that. Thank you, sir." It was so tempting to even bow like he saw in some anime he'd seen where someone was fervently showing their gratitude, but he fought the urge and instead pointed in the direction of the library. "Um, I have some papers to work on now but um...I'll see you around campus"
And just like that Cliff kinda-sorta bolted for the library, though he tried to act as casual as humanly possible. It probably didn't work, but the effort was definitely there.
Practice was hazy at best, though not so much that his coach noticed, but definitely some of his teammates did. Not that Cliff could explain what was throwing him off, so all he could do was apologize and try to really get his game face on. By the end of it most of them figured he got some sort of stomach bug, gave him a clap on the back and told him to take it easy before they all hit the showers.
Ah, the easy life.
The brunette headed for the bleachers and grabbed his water to take a few long swigs from the bottle to re-hydrate. There was no sign of Abby yet, at least not that he could see, so he relaxed for a moment and actually laid down on the bench-portion of the stands. Mercifully he'd gotten nearly all of his homework for the next day done during lunch, so tonight all he had to deal with was another ten math questions and he could just relax and clear his head.
And he really had to clear his head.
"I fully intend not to, sir," he said, bobbing his head like one of those toys. "You have my word on that. Thank you, sir." It was so tempting to even bow like he saw in some anime he'd seen where someone was fervently showing their gratitude, but he fought the urge and instead pointed in the direction of the library. "Um, I have some papers to work on now but um...I'll see you around campus"
And just like that Cliff kinda-sorta bolted for the library, though he tried to act as casual as humanly possible. It probably didn't work, but the effort was definitely there.
Practice was hazy at best, though not so much that his coach noticed, but definitely some of his teammates did. Not that Cliff could explain what was throwing him off, so all he could do was apologize and try to really get his game face on. By the end of it most of them figured he got some sort of stomach bug, gave him a clap on the back and told him to take it easy before they all hit the showers.
Ah, the easy life.
The brunette headed for the bleachers and grabbed his water to take a few long swigs from the bottle to re-hydrate. There was no sign of Abby yet, at least not that he could see, so he relaxed for a moment and actually laid down on the bench-portion of the stands. Mercifully he'd gotten nearly all of his homework for the next day done during lunch, so tonight all he had to deal with was another ten math questions and he could just relax and clear his head.
And he really had to clear his head.
—
Quote:
Abby’s class had run just a hair late but the day had been a productive one. Since Cliff begged off on their working lunch, which she could completely understand, she had gotten all of her homework done except for the new stuff. She had also informed her dad of their relationship while he was between classes so she was able to slip out of the lecture she knew he wanted to give and she was able to get a short practice session in. One very productive day meant that barring Cliff being swamped they could just relax and enjoy a few good movies… or more. Even the thought of further bedroom antics had her heart throb hard a few times as tingles raced through her like bubbles in champagne.
Practice was over, and had been, by the lack of any real number of players hanging around, by the time Abby made it to the field. The closer she got the more she scanned the area only spotting Cliff once one of his teammates pointed towards the bleachers. She frowned slightly as she saw him stretched out on the bench, just laying there not moving or anything. She could at least see him breathing which was a good thing. Approaching quietly Abby cleared her throat once she was relatively close so she didn't startle him, “Cliff are you ok? You feeling ok?” She gently felt his forehead, brushing his hair out of the way but he didn’t feel flushed. Could he just have been overworked between classes and practice?
Practice was over, and had been, by the lack of any real number of players hanging around, by the time Abby made it to the field. The closer she got the more she scanned the area only spotting Cliff once one of his teammates pointed towards the bleachers. She frowned slightly as she saw him stretched out on the bench, just laying there not moving or anything. She could at least see him breathing which was a good thing. Approaching quietly Abby cleared her throat once she was relatively close so she didn't startle him, “Cliff are you ok? You feeling ok?” She gently felt his forehead, brushing his hair out of the way but he didn’t feel flushed. Could he just have been overworked between classes and practice?
Quote:
As soon as he heard her voice he felt practically his entire body just suddenly relax, and a weak smile spread across his face when she touched him. He didn't say anything at first, just reached up and took her hand in his, pressing a kiss to her palm before he finally opened his eyes to look up at her from where he lay.
"I'm fine," he said perhaps a bit unconvincingly, but other than feeling drained in a few different ways he was feeling alright. Without unlinking their hands he sat up and tugged her toward him for a proper kiss, part greeting and part because he just needed her as a means of comfort right that instant and he wasn't ashamed to show it. "Just a little tired, I guess." Another kiss, and he heard a whoop from the other end of the field, which got a smirk out of him. "And I missed you today." Another kiss. "And I'm sorry I ducked out of lunch…"
He almost hesitated before sitting back to give her a bit of room to meet his eye. "I'll tell you when we get to my dorm? Or did you not wanna come over tonight?"
"I'm fine," he said perhaps a bit unconvincingly, but other than feeling drained in a few different ways he was feeling alright. Without unlinking their hands he sat up and tugged her toward him for a proper kiss, part greeting and part because he just needed her as a means of comfort right that instant and he wasn't ashamed to show it. "Just a little tired, I guess." Another kiss, and he heard a whoop from the other end of the field, which got a smirk out of him. "And I missed you today." Another kiss. "And I'm sorry I ducked out of lunch…"
He almost hesitated before sitting back to give her a bit of room to meet his eye. "I'll tell you when we get to my dorm? Or did you not wanna come over tonight?"
Quote:
“You don’t look fine,” Abby was mentally arguing with the butterflies that decided to clutter her tummy when Cliff had taken her hand and kissed her palm. Now was not the time or place for serious displays of affection but he looked so out of it she let it pass at least until he sat up and pulled her close. The first kiss was sweet, nothing they hadn’t done before although Abby was quite aware of their audience. The second one had her butterflies just dissolve in tingles, their audience all but forgotten, it was still sweet but it seemed to have more behind it, what exactly she didn’t know. Cliff didn’t stop there, he sneaked another kiss in between his explanations that had Abby just wanting to kiss him back, to hell with the audience that even now were tossing cat calls, telling them to get a room. Finally he pulled back and the young woman sat down with a thump, trying to get her mind to work properly. Trying not to focus on his taste or the way he kissed. They had kissed before, damn it, why was this different?
Swallowing, she mentally reviewed what he had said, what she had caught of it at least, and after a moment of wrangling her heart beat back into a reasonable semblance of normal she shook her head. “I won’t come if you don’t want me to but I figured we could at least watch a movie or two. Just relax, you know. But if you're tired it might be best if you just call it an early night.” She reached out and brushed his hair out of his face, only to watch it flop back in place, making her chuckle softly. “It’s ok really. Sometimes it's better to work alone and I understand that. We might be dating but school comes first.”
Swallowing, she mentally reviewed what he had said, what she had caught of it at least, and after a moment of wrangling her heart beat back into a reasonable semblance of normal she shook her head. “I won’t come if you don’t want me to but I figured we could at least watch a movie or two. Just relax, you know. But if you're tired it might be best if you just call it an early night.” She reached out and brushed his hair out of his face, only to watch it flop back in place, making her chuckle softly. “It’s ok really. Sometimes it's better to work alone and I understand that. We might be dating but school comes first.”
Quote:
His own stomach had done flips with each instance that their lips met, which was why he pulled back when he did. He sighed a bit, watching her as he fiddled with her hand that he was still holding. Just her being there was a comfort in and of itself, and if he could just spend a bit more time with her that night he would, so he gave her hand a squeeze before ultimately letting go with a small but brighter smile than earlier.
"I always want you to come over, Abs," he said with a chuckle. "Besides, I could use the company while I do my math homework. It shouldn't take too long anyway, you can even play a movie while I get it done." With that he slowly stood up, a groan escaping him as his muscles, sore and heavy from the hours on the field, protested the sudden movement. "Lemme grab my stuff first. I'll just get cleaned up at home."
"I always want you to come over, Abs," he said with a chuckle. "Besides, I could use the company while I do my math homework. It shouldn't take too long anyway, you can even play a movie while I get it done." With that he slowly stood up, a groan escaping him as his muscles, sore and heavy from the hours on the field, protested the sudden movement. "Lemme grab my stuff first. I'll just get cleaned up at home."
