Page 51 of Doyle

"Sorry, I appear ungrateful, don't I?" I asked him.

"No," Doyle said, resting his hand on my cheek.

His smile was gentle and filled with understanding. I leaned into his touch, finding comfort in his presence.

"With everything that’s happened, it's only natural to be worried,” Doyle added.

"Can... we stay like this a little longer?" I asked, hating how vulnerable I sounded.

Doyle kissed me on the mouth, and suddenly all my fears evaporated.

It was a gentle and reassuring kiss, a promise that everything would be okay.

"For as long as you want," he whispered against my lips.

What would I do without you? I silently wondered. Eventually, I finished packing.

As Doyle and I returned downstairs, I noticed my dad was still where we left him.

He stood in the kitchen, gazing out the window, looking distant. My doubts returned.

“Dad, will you be okay?” I hesitantly asked.

My dad blinked, as if he only just noticed we were there.

“Michael, of course. You should worry about yourself first,” he said.

My dad flashed me a strained smile that wasn’t the least bit convincing.

“You could come with us to Sky Stead, Matthew,” Doyle suggested.

“Then I’d feel like a third wheel,” my dad said jokingly, then his face turned serious. He shook his head.

My dad continued, “I can’t just pack up and leave. I have a shop to run, cars to fix. Customers I can’t disappoint.”

“Very well,” Doyle said, and I appreciated that he asked.

A honk sounded outside. "That must be Ivan," Doyle said. "I'll go on ahead."

Doyle kissed me on the cheek, giving me some privacy with my dad.

“You take care now, son,” my dad said.

“Dad…” I ventured, unsure of what to say.

Realizing I didn't want to leave with any lingering tension between us, I gathered my thoughts.

“Dad,” I tried again, “I just want to say thank you, for getting me a job, for helping me settle in, and reminding me how to be normal.”

“Sure, Mike, but it wasn’t enough, was it? I can see you putting in effort every single day, but you weren’t happy. That get-together party I arranged when you first arrived, it was a bad idea,” he said.

“It was,” I admitted. “It was just... too overwhelming, too much too soon.”

“I get that now. When things calm down, I'd like to try again, if you give me a chance,” he said.

“Of course, Dad,” I said.

“Come here, son,” he said, pulling me into a hug.

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