Loving Mr. Cary

Chapter 7 : Older man crush

*Della*

Rat-tat-tat.

The knock on my door woke me up. I stared at the door without saying a word, waiting for whosoever was there to respond.

“Della, my little rabbit, are you awake? Please open the door and let's talk," my father uttered.

I sighed and turned to face the window. “Go away, Dad," I grunted.

“Della, please. My flight leaves in an hour. I need to talk to you. I know you're mad at me and you hate me, but please, I am very sorry, okay? This is an important trip for me, and…"

“All of your trips are always important! Just go," I responded angrily.

“Della…" The tone of his voice dropped and I heard him sigh.

“Ever since your mother left us, I have always wanted to give you the best. She left us because I wasn't making enough to take care of the house, and she was the backbone. I don't want you to suffer, Della. I want to do everything to make you comfortable and if possible forget her for leaving you."

I gulped hard. The memories of those hard times came rushing into my head and I got teary.

I stood from the bed and slowly walked to the door.

“I know I haven't been a good father to you, Della. But, I promise to make things right. Once I get back, I promise you'll have me all to yourself."

I exhaled loudly and turned the door knob. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I opened the door. Before he could say anything, I threw my arms around him and hugged him tightly. I wept in his arms, and he patted my head until I was calm.

“You made a promise, Dad. You can't break it this time," I mumbled against his shoulder, and he nodded his head.

“I promise, pumpkin. I won't. I'll get things sorted and we'll spend more time together. If I don't go on this trip, I may never be allowed to be around you like we both want. This is a trip that will promote me to a level where I don't have to work so much," he further explained.

I disengaged from him and wiped away my tears with my palm. I nodded and let out a faint sigh of relief.

“Okay. I wish you a safe trip, and please call me when you get there, okay?"

“I will. I promise. I love you, Della. Never doubt that. And if you need anything, you can always call me."

“I wouldn't want to disturb you at work. I'll be fine. The money in my account is enough to keep me going for three years if I spend lavishly," I answered, and he chuckled.

“Well, I wouldn't hesitate to add more. I spend on you and you alone. No one will ever leave you because you don't have enough. I promise you." His countenance turned sad as he spoke.

I exhaled. “You should get going now. You don't want to miss your flight."

He smiled and planted a kiss on my forehead. “I'll call you, okay? Bye, my little rabbit." He waved at me as he walked away.

I stared at him until he was out of sight before I turned to walk into my room again. I heaved a sigh and slammed into my bed. I picked up my phone and saw a message from Mr. Cary.

I eagerly and curiously opened it with a wide smile.

'I've got nothing to say, but it's okay. Good morning, good morning.'

I chuckled hard as I read his text. It was simple, but it melted my heart knowing he cared to check up on me early in the morning.

'Good morning, Mr. Cary. I hope you had a good night's rest. Thank you for last night. Because of you, I slept like a baby. I'm looking forward to more of these kinds of nights with you.'

After sending him the text, I waited to see if he was online, but the message didn't deliver, so he wasn't.

I excitedly threw my phone on the bed and jumped down. After having such a sensitive chat with my father, I knew I shouldn't be this excited, but I was.

Why wouldn't I? I read Mr. Cary's good morning text. It wasn't new, but it hit differently and I wasn't sure why it did.

As I prepared to go to school, I began to sway my hips and body to unheard rhythms. I could feel it. “Today is a good day!" I cheered.

In the shower, I let myself think about Mr. Cary as I freshened up. His smile always melted my heart, his eyes always stared deeply into my soul, and his pink, attractive lips. I couldn't stop asking myself how a man in his early forties' could be that hot. He was the definition of a silver fox.

I continued to smile, unable to get him out of my head. When I got to school, I couldn't help checking my phone every few seconds to see if a new reply had come in from him.

In class, I plugged in my earpiece and played 'Happier Than Ever' by Billie Eilish. While listening to the song and staring at my phone, my good morning message was finally delivered. My eyes widened in excitement as I anticipated his next text.

'I did sleep like a baby too, you know. Even though I'm forty-three. How is that even possible?'

I giggled at his response.

'Because you spoke to me before sleeping?' I replied almost immediately after his text popped in.

'Lol, I think that is it. Talking to a baby before you go to bed will result in you sleeping like a baby.'

'Really? So are you trying to call me a baby?'

'You are my baby.'

My heart thumped against my chest as I read his text. Is he… flirting with me?

I stared at his text for a few seconds, not knowing what to reply with, and then he started typing again.

'You are James' baby. James is my best friend. More like a brother, so that is what makes you my baby.'

“Oh," I muttered under my breath. I couldn't believe I thought my father's best friend was beginning to see me more than his best friend's daughter.

'That is so stupid of you, Della,' I thought and began to text him back.

'Lol. Pretty much true.'

'So how did it go with James? Did you get to talk before he left?'

'Yes, we got to talk. It didn't go as badly as I had pictured in my head. He made some promises and I hope he will stick to them.'

'That's great news! I told you he can be a pain in the ass but he's actually sweet and he loves you so much.'

His reply made me chuckle and beam widely. Well, almost everything he does makes me happy.

“Hey… Hey…" someone uttered in front of me.

I looked up to see who it was and it happened to be Sarah, smiling weirdly at me.

“What?" I furrowed my brows.

“What's up with you? I've been watching you for a few minutes, and you haven't stopped smiling at your phone. Who is making you so happy?" she asked curiously and sat in front of me.

“No one, Sarah. I don't know what you're talking about," I answered, hiding my phone in the pocket of my pants.

“C'mon, don't lie to me. There is no point in denying it. You've been smiling so sweetly and happily at your phone, I almost thought you were getting engaged to your favorite person over the phone."

I scoffed and shook my head. “Nothing like that, okay?" I feebly grinned.

“Well, I'm happy to see you smiling so brightly after what has happened. You're a strong woman, Della. I like that. It's high time you got over that douche. I mean, there are many hot dudes out there, wanting to be with Della Avary!"

I laughed softly and nodded my head. “Thank you for the words of encouragement. They mean a lot to me."

“Of course! It's what friends are for. I bet you must have noticed that I haven't been around Richard and Emma since I found out what they did to you. I want you to know that I'll be here with you, no matter what, okay? I love you so much, and I want you to know that you can trust me."

I smiled at her and nodded. “Thank you very much, Sarah. I appreciate it," I said with sincere gratitude.

“Della? Hi," Dave greeted me as he approached.

“Hi, Dave. Good morning," I answered with my face still lit up with a smile.

“Hi, Dave," Sarah greeted him nervously, and he looked at her and greeted her too.

“We haven't met before, right? I'm Sarah," she added, and Dave nodded his head.

“Nice to meet you, Sarah," he answered and looked at me again.

“You look better today. That is nice to know."

“Err… Yes, thanks," I answered.

“Yeah. See you around," he added and turned to walk away.

“Bye, Dave," Sarah said in almost a whisper, staring at him as he walked to his desk.

I creased my brows and giggled at her drooling over him.

“Sarah," I said, yanking her out of whatever she was cooking up in her pretty head.

“Yes?" she answered and looked at me.

“Are you into Dave? Don't try to deny it because it is so obvious you like him because you got so nervous when he was close, and you couldn't take your eyes off him."

She heaved a loud sigh and placed her head on her table weakly. “How can a man be so hot? Isn't he gorgeous?" She sprang up and looked at me.

I flinched and broke into laughter. “Of course, he is. Dave is, no cap."

“Yes! He is. Since he first came to our class, I've been so crazy about him but I'm too scared to tell him. He's like a man straight out of a romantic novel." She stared into space as she revealed her desires.

I laughed and shook my head. “Well, I don't know. If you like him, you should get to know him first, then let him know how you feel. You know… I'm not really in the best position to give you any relationship advice."

She scoffed and shook her head. “You're doing great! I'll think about it though. If he rejects me, it will be the end of me," she muttered, and I laughed.

I looked at Dave and caught him staring at me. When our eyes met, he smiled softly and I smiled too. All I could see was Mr. Cary on his face.

Having a carbon copy of my older man crush in my class isn't a bad thing, is it?