Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad-Chapter 990 : Next to Normal

*Bianca*

I sighed heavily as I walked across campus to meet my friends. I had just finished class and the morning sickness chose that day to be especially bad. Thankfully I hadn’t thrown up since I left home earlier that morning but I was still feeling extremely nauseated and fatigued.

Thankfully, I was almost out of this first trimester and hopefully that meant that I would be done with this misery.

Leo told me over and over again that I didn’t have to do this, that I could quit school so that I could rest and focus on my health. I shot him down before he could even finish, reminding him that in case I wanted a career after the baby, I had to do this.

He was so sweet and understanding that I shouldn’t have been too surprised when he relented and even apologized for trying to get me to stay home.

“I just worry about you,” he said earlier that morning. “You’ve already been through so much this year and you’re pushing yourself so hard and I don’t want you to make yourself sick.”

He had said this so sweetly that I couldn’t resist rising up on my tiptoes so that I could give him a kiss that was just as sweet.

It was days like today when I kind of regretted making the decision to finish my degree on time. Kids took breaks from school all the time, even taking a year off to travel and whatnot. That wasn’t me though. I was too afraid of never going back if I didn’t set out to do what I planned to.

That was just who I was.

I waved as my friends came into view. Amara and Isabella waved excitedly back, skipping the rest of the way to me and engulfing me in a three-way hug.

“Let’s get to the cafeteria!” Isabella squealed. “I’m starving!”

Amara and I laughed at her exaggerated desperation. We were about to turn that way to head there when I spotted Darion from across the quad. I blinked, noticing that he was holding a sheet of paper in his hand and had a slight bounce in his step. I smirked and then turned to my friends.

“You guys go ahead,” I said, not taking my eyes off of Darion. “I’ll meet you guys at the cafeteria. Save me a seat!”

They blinked in confusion at me for a second before following my gaze to Darion.

Amara tilted her head. “I’m glad that you’ve forgiven him,” she said.

I shrugged, a little embarrassed for some reason. “He’s really trying to be a good guy,” I said. “I might not like him but I’m willing to be friendlier due to his efforts.”

Amara nodded and grinned before taking Isabella’s hand and pulling her away. “See you in a bit!” she said.

I waved after the two before turning to approach Darion. He looked a little surprised to see me coming toward him, his eyebrows flying upward.

I hesitated briefly. I definitely wouldn’t call us friends but he was still kind of important to me in an indirect way. He was hopefully going to be taking over for Leo and so was doing me a huge favor. I gave him a friendly wave. “How’d you do on the final?” I asked, gesturing to the piece of paper he held.

He recovered quickly and grinned at me, a smirk toying with the side of his mouth. He held up the paper. It had an eighty-five scrawled on top with red ink.

“Wow!” I gasped. “Nice job. It was a hard final. I had to study for hours for it.”

Darion grimaced and nodded in understanding. “Me too,” he admitted. “And finding the time has not been easy since that fiance of yours is set on being a slave-driver for the foreseeable future.”

I winced with sympathy, knowing that Leo could be kind of harsh when he wanted to be. “He’ll ease up soon,” I said consolingly, even though I didn’t really believe that.

I felt the need to at least try to make him feel better because although I wasn’t going to admit it to Darion, I was impressed by how hard he was working now. It showed in the fact that even though he cut a lot of classes at the beginning, he was able to catch up and pass the final. That not only showed dedication but intellect as well. He was clearly smarter than I gave him credit for.

I just assumed that anyone who was willing to buy their way out of having to attend class was incapable of doing the work.

“I’m going to the cafeteria to get lunch with Amara and Isabella,” I told Darion. “You’re welcome to join us if you want.”

Darion didn’t hide surprise very well, at least in front of me. His eyebrows once again shot upward as he blinked at me. “Thanks,” he finally managed to say. “But I just grabbed a quick bite with some guys from my physics class.”

I couldn’t fight back a smile at that. He looked almost embarrassed to admit that and his boyish expression kind of reminded me of Leo when my fiance caught himself being extra soft with me.

Darion was so standoffish when he first started at this school and now he was opening up to people and making actual friends.

I shook my head in amazement, bemused that this guy was actually able to live like a real person now. Leo really was getting through to him it seemed.

Darion has humbled a lot since he first arrived. I had been worried after he got officially cut off by his parents. He moved around like a zombie, eyes empty and unfeeling for a while. Now, there was color back in his face and he actually seemed almost happy.

Darion was giving me an odd look now. “What’s that face for?” he asked. He quirked a thick eyebrow. “You look like this is the first time you’ve seen a pompous idiot pass a test.”

I laughed loudly, surprised that he worded it like that. “I don’t think you’re an idiot,” I told him, rolling my eyes. “But this is my first time seeing someone improve so quickly and in a short amount of time so yeah, I’m a bit taken aback I guess you could say.”

Darion shrugged. If he was embarrassed by my statement, he refused to show it. “Don’t be too amazed,” he said after a moment. “Believe it or not, I was a good student while growing up. My parents expected me to excel in everything I did and that included my studies.”

His tone dropped to a bitter one at the mention of his parents but he recovered quickly, a smirk appearing on his thin lips. “Sometimes I feel like paying off my professors was a way to get back at them,” he said finally.

I didn’t know what to say to that. I was surprised that he was opening up to me in this way. He seemed to just realize it as well and shook his head slightly. “So, what’s your deal? You’re studying business or something, right?”

It was my turn to look surprised as he asked the question. This was probably the first time he was taking an interest in something about my life. “Yeah,” I said finally. “It always seemed like a good fit for me. I want to do something more creative like marketing but my brain seems to be fairly decent in the more nitty gritty finance stuff.”

Darion nodded, digesting this. “Aren’t you going to have a baby soon?” he asked. “With how much money Leo makes, you probably don’t have to work right?”

I probably would have been offended if anyone else asked me that but I didn’t have to remind myself who I was talking to. I didn’t expect him to understand, especially since it didn’t sound like he was raised the best.

“I probably don’t have to work,” I confirmed with a nod. “But I want to work. It’s just who I am. I enjoy talking to people and helping them. It was what I was born to do.”

He made a grunting sound as he considered my words and I could tell he was taking them and applying them to himself, wondering what he was born for.

Before Darion could come up with a response, his phone rang and I didn’t miss the way he grimaced when he glanced at the screen. “Leo.”

I couldn’t hear what my fiance was saying but it was clear by his tone that he was impatient.

Darion’s expression didn’t change as he answered Leo’s question. “I just got out of class,” he said. “I was on my way but then your fiancee showed up out of nowhere and demanded we make tiresome small talk.” He smirked at me and it took me a moment to realize that he was teasing me.

I rolled my eyes and took the phone from Darion’s hand. “Hi, Leo,” I chirped into the phone.

“Bianca,” he greeted tersely but then his voice dropped to a much softer one, the one he reserved just for me. “Are you really keeping my protege from doing his job?”

I smirked. He was just asking to be teased. “Actually, I think I’m helping him with one of them,” I said. “I was just chatting with him about how he passed his final with flying colors.”

Leo was silent for a beat and I could almost hear him rolling his eyes. “Impressive,” he said flatly, his tone sarcastic. “Please tell the scholar to get his ass down to the warehouse. He’s got a tough training session that he’s due for.”

I glanced at Darion before turning and lowering my voice. “Go easy on him,” I requested. “He seems pretty tired.”

Leo snorted. “No can do, love,” he said. “You better be getting home soon. I don’t want you out too late.”

I smiled fondly at my overprotective man. “Yes, Dad,” I teased.

He chuckled. “Be safe,” he ordered. “I love you.”

“You be safe too,” I told him. “I love you too. So much.”

We hung up and I handed the phone back to Darion. “You’d probably better head out,” I told him. “Leo sounded a little surly.”

Darion sighed heavily but nodded seriously. “Yeah, he seems to get that way with me.” He waved casually before hurrying down the path leading to the parking lots.

I had a nice lunch with Amara and Isabella but was still exhausted from the morning sickness so decided to head home right after. Leo did mention he wanted me home earlier anyway.

I smiled fondly as I put the key into the doorknob of the compound.

I swung the door opened and jumped when Taylor nearly ran into me. His eyes hardened and he grabbed my wrist, pulling me inside and slamming the door shut.

“Taylor?” I said in alarm. I dug my heels into the floor when he started to pull me further into the house. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“The warehouse is under attack,” he said in a low, panicked voice. He continued to drag me along. “We need to get you into the panic room. Now!”

A lump filled my throat as my eyes widened, my chest filling with dread but I obeyed and allowed Taylor to usher me into lockdown.