Chapter 2
"Boys will be all over you in school," he said, a small, subtle smile playing on his lips as his eyes lingered on me for a moment longer.
"Yeah, but I don't give them attention. I always make them know their places," I replied, letting out a soft, nonchalant laugh while flipping my hair back over my shoulder again. It was true, for the most part; most of the guys on campus didn't deserve a second glance from a girl like me.
"Where is Mom?" I asked, turning away from him and walking back toward the front door where my heavy luggage was still sitting on the cool floor.
"She went shopping. She will be back soon," he replied smoothly, stepping up behind me before I could even bend down to reach for the handle. "Let me help you with that."
He reached down, his fingers brushing against mine as he grabbed the heavy bag with effortlessly. I stepped back, letting him take over, and followed him toward my bedroom. As he pushed the door open and we stepped inside, my jaw dropped.
The entire room spotless, fresh, and perfectly arranged.
It had been over a year since I last slept here, yet the space looked as if I had just stepped out of it yesterday morning.
The bed sheets were pulled tight and wrinkle-free, the air smelled like sweet lavender polish, and there wasn't a single stray item out of place.
"You cleaned my room. Thank you very much.
" I said and I walked over to my wardrobe and pulled it open to check my clothes, half-expecting to find a layer of dust settled over everything.
Instead, they were all neatly folded, clean, and smelling fresh.
There were no traces of dust anywhere in the wardrobe.
I turned back around to face him, stepping close and wrapping my arms around him to hug him a second time.
"Thank you very much," I murmured softly against his shirt.
"How did you know that I'm the one who did all this?" he asked, his voice filled with gentle amusement as he looked down at me.
I looked up at him, meeting his eyes with a knowing smile. "You've always taken care of me since I was small. Mom doesn't wash my clothes or arrange my room. You're the one who always does all that."
It was the truth. My mother had never been the nurturing type, preferring her boardroom meetings and business trips as an office assistant, to the tedious chores of raising a child.
It was always him. He was the one who made sure my school uniforms were crisp, my room was immaculate, and my world was completely organized.
"I love you, Dad," I said, leaning in just a fraction closer, letting the words carry all the weight of the deep bond we shared.
"I love you too," he replied softly, giving my shoulders a gentle squeeze before slowly letting go. "I will be in the sitting room."
"I will join you once I'm done unpacking," I replied with a bright, reassuring smile as he turned to leave.
He gave me a final nod and stepped out into the hallway, leaving the door slightly ajar.
Now that my stepdad had already done all the hard work of dusting, sweeping, and organizing my space, there was barely anything left for me to unpack.
All I needed to do was hang up a few fresh outfits, take a long, hot bath to wash off the grime from the road, and change into something comfortable.
I unzipped my suitcase, quickly hung up my new outfits in the wardrobe, and grabbed my bath towel. After a long, steaming shower that melted away all the tension from my travel day, I dried myself off and stood in front of the full-length mirror attached to my closet door.
I opened the drawers to pick out something casual to wear around the house. My eyes landed on an old favorite casual short skirt and a lightweight, thin cotton t-shirt. I smiled and grabbed them. I deliberately chose to wear it without a bra underneath.
I loved it whenever my dad was staring at me.
I didn't know why, nor did I care to analyze the psychology behind it, but feeling his eyes on me gave me a strange, thrilling rush of validation that made me genuinely happy.
Knowing I could hold the gaze of the most important man in my life was a power I thoroughly enjoyed exercising.
I pulled the outfit on, and as I stepped back to look at my reflection, it was immediately clear that the dress was far too small for me now.
The skirt sat ridiculously high on my thick thighs, barely covering the curve of my ass every time I took a step.
The thin t-shirt stretched tightly over my chest, leaving the prominent shape of my nipples completely visible through the soft fabric without a bra to hide them.
It looked a little indecent, borderline scandalously tight, but I didn't care one bit.
In fact, it was exactly what I wanted. I smiled at my reflection, running my hands down my hips to smooth down the tiny skirt.
I loved to feed my stepdad's eyes with my hot body, and today was certainly not going to be an exception.