Page 63 of Bliss: Part 1
“Tia’s great, Owen,” Dash replied without hesitation. “I wouldn’t let this happen if I had any doubts.”
Dad didn’t seem entirely convinced. His brows furrowed slightly as he looked from Dash back to me. “You trust her?”
“Completely. But if you’d be more comfortable, I can go with them.”
“No,” I cut in quickly, shooting Dash a small look before turning to my dad. “I get why you’re worried. I was too, at first. But Tia’s honestly been nothing but sweet to me. I really want to get to know her better. And if Dash trusts her, I trust her too.”
Dad didn’t answer right away. He just kept studying us both, probably weighing all the potential outcomes in his head. After a few more seconds, he sighed heavily and gave a short nod.
“Alright. Fine. But if you want to come back home at any point, I expect a phone call.”
“You got it,” I said. “I promise.”
His expression softened a bit, and I stepped forward to give him a quick hug. “I’ll be okay, Dad. I’ll have fun, and tonight I’ll tell you everything.”
He rubbed my back briefly, then stepped back and scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, okay. Here…”
I watched as he walked over to the sideboard, grabbed his wallet, and pulled out a one-hundred dollar bill.
My eyes widened instantly. “Dad…wait, you don’t have to—”
“I want you to take it and get yourself something nice,” he said, holding the money out toward me. “It’s been a while since I’ve gotten you any new clothes.”
“That’s way too much,” I protested, hesitating.
“Bliss, take the damn money before I change my mind about letting you go,” he said gruffly, his tone firm enough that I knew better than to keep arguing.
I took the money with a sigh, offering a tight smile. “Thanks, Dad.”
Of course, I wasn’t going to spend it all. I knew he wanted me to treat myself, but I also knew we had groceries to buy, and with six mouths to feed in this house, every dollar mattered. Still, I appreciated the gesture more than I could say.
Before he could change his mind again, Dad walked off down the hallway, and Dash led me outside just as Tia’s red sports car pulled up into the driveway.
“Whoa.”
Dash let out a low whistle. “That’s Tyler’s Porsche.”
I glanced at him. “Isn’t that a little…over the top for a shopping trip?”
He chuckled and shrugged. “Not if you’re rich. Come on.”
We made our way to the car, and Tia got out as soon as she saw us. She smiled brightly and walked over to give me a quick hug.
“I’m so excited for today,” she said. “We’re going to have so much fun.”
And I believed her.
“I can’t wait.”
“You girls have fun, alright?” Dash said, smiling at us both. Then he glanced at the car. “Drive safe.”
“I will,” Tia replied sincerely.
We climbed into the car, buckled our seatbelts, and just like that, we were off.
I needed a moment when we first stepped into the mall. It was bigger than I remembered, and way more crowded than I had pictured. At first, that made me tense up a bit. I’m not great with crowds. Not because people are generally mean or anything, just because I’ve always felt a little out of place in big social settings. But the good thing was, everyone here seemed too focused on whatever they were doing to even notice me. That helped.
Being in a space like this made me think about how socially anxious I’ve always been. School used to be the worst. The hallways between classes, the chaos of the cafeteria, the feeling that everyone was watching when they weren’t…it was a lot. But I always managed to push through. I made it through those days because I had to.
