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I clench my jaw, wanting to argue, to tell him that friends will never be enough for me, but I know he doesn’t want to hear it. No matter what I say, he will never believe that my family will accept him just as he is. I simply nod in agreement, still not meeting his eyes.
Dan watches me for a few long moments as if he’s waiting, almost anticipating that I will say something more, but I don’t give him the satisfaction. His rejection hurts too much.
Finally, he sucks in a deep breath. “Well, I guess, on that note, I’ll be going. Thanks for the hospitality, Elise… and happy birthday.”
“Thanks,” I mumble under my breath, watching him walk away in my peripherals. It hurts, a lot actually, but I’d rather let him go with my head held high than beg him to reconsider. At least now I still have my pride.
I flee to the terrace once Dan departs, wanting some fresh air and time to myself. Unfortunately, privacy isn’t in the cards for me today, because Dad is there too, reading a book with his feet kicked up on an ottoman.
He smiles when he sees me, relaxed and in his element. So much different from how he is at work, I can’t help but notice.
“Elise! Come sit with me and enjoy this fine weather.”
I hesitate, but figure there really isn’t much else for me to do, and go to sit on the loveseat with him. Dad watches me, frowning as I grow closer as if he can see how tortured my thoughts are just from the expression on my face.
“Is something wrong, dear?” he asks as I sit.
For a second, I almost consider telling him the truth about Dan and me. If I opened up about how hard things are for me right now, maybe he will ease up on all his demands from me at work and understand a little better how I’m feeling. Plus, just sharing what’s going on with someone, anyone really, would be such an enormous relief.
But when I look at my father’s face, and the genuine concern there, I can’t do it. If by some chance Dan is right, and Dad wouldn’t accept him, it will shatter my heart, and that’s just something I can’t handle today. So instead I search for the next biggest problem I’m dealing with, something I know he’s going to discover anyway. After all, dozens of people witnessed it happening, so it’s not like it can remain a secret.
“Dad… Andries and Roxanne showed up after you and Mom went to bed. I let them in the gate.”
His face clears, and he waves dismissively. “Oh, I knew that already. We have cameras out there after all.”
My mouth falls open. “Really? And you aren’t mad?”
“Well, I’m not thrilled he thinks he can still just show up here whenever he wants, but I understand it was your birthday and you wanted to see your big brother. It’s okay that you let them in, El. Just don’t let it happen again.”
Even though I wasn’t overly concerned about what Dad thought about Andries’s visit, I’m still relieved. It's one less argument between us in the future. “Thanks, Dad. It was just so nice to have him here, almost like everything was back to normal…”
“Except it’s not,” he scoffs, shutting his book. “Because he brought that prostitute with him, and everyone saw it. You’re still working out a way to split them up, aren’t you?”
Karl’s plan passes through my mind, and it makes my stomach clench. I really, really don’t want to get involved, but I know the answer that Dad wants, so I give it to him. “Y-yes. I’ve got a plan that I’m going to execute before we go on holiday.”
He smiles proudly, but I don’t feel like I’ve done something good at all. The only thing on my mind now is what Dan said earlier, that my dad will never approve of him, even though he literally just invited him to our hunting trip.
“If you want to invite Dan to Lake Como, I wouldn’t oppose.”
My eyes widen in surprise and I even suck in a breath. “Really?” And just like that, I knew that Dad wouldn’t treat Dan like he did with Roxanne. Sure, Dan might have been a player in the past, but he’s respected by my parents and has been accepted as part of this family for years now.
“Of course, I already invited him to the hunting trip, so if he wants to join us in July to go to Italy, why not?”
“Thank you so much for the offer, Dad. With Andries being so… occupied lately, Dan doesn’t get to go out and do as much as he usually does. It will be a fun time I think.”
“I think so, too,” he agrees, nodding. “And feel free to share this news with your brother, as well. He needs to see that no one is missing him here.”
With those words, Dad’s real intentions become clear, and my face falls a little. He isn’t inviting Dan because he enjoys his company, even if that is a little bit true. He’s doing it to punish Andries. Fucking unbelievable… My chest tightens with the knowledge of that.
“Dad,” I say in disbelief. “Please don’t tell me you’re trying to do all these things with Dan just to piss off Andries…”
Dad smirks, setting his book down on the table beside him and folding his hands behind his head. It’s all the answer I need.
“That’s really petty,” I tell him, utterly disappointed.
“Maybe. But it’s too satisfying to stop.”
I have to turn my face away, just in case, he can see how disgusted I am with this entire thing. I continue to be manipulated into playing this part, making other people miserable, just to further my dad's interests. I don’t want to do all this anymore. If it continues, I won’t have any friends left by the end of it.
