Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 606 -

*Four Years Later* *Caterina*

I stopped in front of my mom's front door and took a deep breath. It had been two years since I had last been inside, and it hadn't been easy for my mom to convince me to come back for Thanksgiving this year.

She'd been guilt-tripping me for months trying to get me to agree to come home this year instead of our usual arrangement of her coming to see me, and I had finally relented. But now that I was here, about to walk in the door, I was second- guessing everything.

Now that I was older, I could look back and recognize that everyone had just been trying to help me stay on the right path as a kid, but it had been exhausting to be constantly looked after, especially by Elio.

I felt guilty when I thought of how I'd ghosted him when I first moved to college, but I knew the separation was needed. I'd been so resentful of his presence in my life that it was impossible for me to be objective about the fact that he'd been really helpful to my mom.

I knew that part of the reason my mom had wanted me to come back for Thanksgiving was so that she could force me to see Elio again. He had texted me sporadically for the past couple of years, but he'd finally given up after it became obvious that I wasn't going to keep up my end of the relationship. That still never stopped him from sending me a birthday card every year, which only made me feel worse about my behavior.

I took one more breath, grabbed the doorknob, and walked in. As if my very thoughts had summoned the man, Elio was crouched underneath our dining room table with some tools, tightening one of the legs that had come loose. He had hung his dress shirt over one of the dining room chairs so that all he wore was a white tank top with his work slacks. The muscles in his arms tensed as he tightened a screw, and I found myself staring at his hands and forearms as he worked.

What the hell? Was I seriously looking at him like that?

He turned his head slightly to get a better look at whatever he was doing, and I saw that he had grown out his facial hair to be a slight stubble.

Yep, I was definitely looking at him like that.

Finally, he noticed me standing there gawking at him. His eyes widened and he quickly came out from under the table, arms held wide for a hug.

"Caterina! You're back!" he exclaimed before wrapping me up in his muscular arms.

I returned the hug, still too shocked by my feelings toward him to say anything. His body felt amazing pressed against mine, and I had no idea how to feel about that fact.

He gripped my shoulders so that he could pull back from me and get a look at my face.

"Wow, you're beautiful," he said, then immediately let go of me.

I knew I was blushing profusely, but I tried desperately to play it cool. "Um, hey, how's it going?" I asked, feeling like an idiot.

He looked like he was feeling as uncomfortable as I was now that he'd gotten a good look at me. Was it possible he was feeling the same way about me as I was about him? No, surely, he wasn't.

He probably saw me as the same stupid kid who'd left here a couple of years ago.

"Oh, you know, just working," he said, raising his hand to the back of his neck in a way that made his bicep bulge.

Damn, what was wrong with me? Why was I noticing his biceps? And his beard stubble? And the way his tank top had ridden up slightly, revealing an inch of his chiseled stomach just above his waistband?

I coughed, trying to cover up the fact that I was literally staring at him like he was a piece of meat.

"Um, do you have any bags or anything that I can grab?" he asked awkwardly, seeming like he was working hard to avoid making eye contact with me.

"Yeah, sure. I set it outside the door." I was grateful that I could give him something to do other than stand way too close to me.

He went and grabbed my bag at the same time that my mom came down the stairs. She shrieked when she saw me standing there and practically broke her neck trying to run down and pull me into a tight hug. "My baby!" she exclaimed as she attempted to pick me up off the ground.

"Mom, stop! You're going to hurt us both," I joked, but I secretly loved it.

No matter how standoffish I acted, my mom always knew that what I really needed was her love. She'd always been such a gentle soul, and I hadn't really known how lucky I was to have her until I'd gone off to college and had to live without her.

I had to admit, I was glad she'd convinced me to come home, even if things with Elio were... different. It would be a great visit. I was sure of it.

Elio walked in holding my bag as if it weighed nothing, even though I had struggled to get it out of the cab and pull it to the door. Seeing him manhandle my bag made me wonder what it would be like to have him manhandle me. Oh, my god, what was I thinking?!

I felt like I needed to go take a cold shower. My thoughts were getting ridiculous.

"Elio, can you believe how much older she's gotten?" my mom exclaimed, turning me to look at him.

To my horror, I started blushing again as he looked me up and down with a smirk on his face.

"And she's so sophisticated too! I just love your haircut." Mom ruffled her fingers through my hair as she said it.

"Your haircut looks great," Elio agreed with her, which only added to my embarrassment and confusion. Why was I getting so flustered over him, especially when he'd already complimented me earlier?

"I already ordered delivery from your favorite pizza place. I knew you'd be tired and hungry," Mom said, cutting through the strange tension that only I seemed to be feeling. "Elio, do you want to join us for dinner?"

"Definitely! I finished up with your table. Let me wash up and get my shirt back on, and I'll be right back."

He pulled a small screwdriver out from under the table and set it on the counter before grabbing his shirt and heading to the bathroom. When he left the room, it felt like I could finally breathe again.

I cursed myself for not staying in touch with him while at college. It was obvious that our lack of contact and sudden reconnection was causing my fucking brain to misfire or something.

"Go ahead and take your stuff up to your room. It's just like you left it. I couldn't stand to change a thing." Mom said, getting a little teary.

"Aw, Mom, you didn't have to do that. You could've turned it into a craft room or something. I hate thinking of you passing it every day and wishing I was in there."

She dabbed at her eyes with her pointer finger, a habit she'd had as long as I could remember. Not for the first time, I wondered if she was hoping I'd move back home after college. As great as it felt being back home with her, I just couldn't see myself giving up the independent life that I'd grown accustomed to.

I loved my mom, but I also loved being an adult and making my own way in the world. As amazing as she was, I had felt stifled growing up just me and her, with Elio popping in, of course.

Thinking about Elio again made me turn and grab my bag before she could see the look on my face. My mom knew me too well, and I was terrified that she would notice that I was acting weird around him. I grunted as I picked up the heavy bag and went to haul it up the stairs.

When I opened my door, I was shocked to see that my mom wasn't kidding. It was just like I'd left it. I was immediately transported back to being a frustrated teenager, desperate to get out and experience something new.

I hadn't even known what I was so desperate to experience. I just knew that I couldn't get it living here in my mom's house. If I could go back and talk to the younger me, I wondered if she'd be proud of who I was now. I suspected she'd be disappointed that I didn't have a nose ring, but proud that I'd stayed away for so long.

Although now that I was examining my choices through a more adult lens, I wondered if it wasn't bravery that had kept me away like I'd initially thought, but instead cowardice. Maybe I'd stayed away for so long because I'd been afraid to come back and confront these memories.

I walked over to my bed and flopped back on it, staring up at the ceiling that had been so familiar to me after years of sleepless nights. I smiled to see that the tiny, 'Fuck this' that I'd written on the ceiling was still there.

That was a particularly hilarious act of rebellion considering I'd made sure to write it too small for anyone to be able to see it, other than myself. I supposed the satisfaction of knowing I'd gotten away with something, albeit something tiny, was enough. I allowed myself a few more moments to lay in bed and reacclimate myself to being at home before I forced myself to get up and head back downstairs. There was no reason to feel so off about everything, I reminded myself. It was just my mom and Elio, after all.

They had seen me at my worst and loved me through it, although maybe that was part of the problem. Now that I was an adult, it was weird to see Elio and know that he'd been around for several of my more embarrassing moments. I walked downstairs to find them both sitting at the table, chatting like old friends. I wondered how often he came over to see my mom now that he didn't have me to help look after. They both stopped talking when they noticed me, which led me to think they'd been discussing me.

I felt a little twitch of anger deep in my gut, just a tiny reminder of how it felt growing up knowing they were discussing my misbehavior behind my back. I forced that feeling away. It was ridiculous. I was a grown woman, and I didn't need to feel insecure about walking around in my own home.

I sat down across from my mother, but quickly realized my mistake at sitting next to Elio instead of across from him. He smelled so good.

Had he always smelled good? Why did I care?

His arm brushed against mine and I scooted over, holding myself rigidly so we wouldn't accidentally touch again.

When the pizza arrived, Elio got up to greet the delivery driver. I used the opportunity to move my chair over farther away from his.

I didn't know what was going on between us, but I had the distinct feeling that our relationship was very different from how it used to be.