Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 57 -

A few days later, I felt much better than I had when I left Miami. Neal was far wealthier than I realized, and when he brought me to his place, it all but took my breath away.

Tall vaulted ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows, exotic plants... The list continued with no end to the lavish things he had in his upscale New York penthouse apartment. It was his pride and joy though, and when he first showed it to me, his eyes I had forgotten how much I missed New York until I was back home.

lit up.

Now, I enjoyed the South. The only problem was you still had to drive everywhere for everything.

Being in New York City, I didn't have to.

I could simply walk out of the building down to the bodega to grab something if I wanted, or even grab something to eat at one of the vendors on the corner. You never really know how much you miss something until it is no longer available to you.

Slipping on my tennis shoes, I made my way from Neal's apartment, heading to the bodega to grab a drink and a bag of chips. The past few days, I was addicted to a specific food I had put down due to stress. Flaming Hot Cheetos and green tea.

Thinking about those now, my mouth watered with anticipation. The delicious crunch and flavor of the Cheetos caused my stomach to growl in longing.

As soon as my feet hit the pavement outside, I was met with the loud sounds of New York. The familiar rush of gasoline and sweat would be gross to others, but to me, it felt like home weirdly.

Before I could reach my destination, my phone rang as it had done many times over the last few days. Glancing down at it, I hesitated as I saw the one name I wasn't ready to talk to.

James had repeatedly asked me to call him over the last few days, but I couldn't.

The pain of everything was still so fresh in my mind, and as much as I wanted to tell him I was sorry for leaving, and blame everything on myself, I couldn't.

It wasn't my fault, and in the end, I had every right to be upset. Yet, no matter how mad I was, the growing pain of missing him was very prominent.

Letting out a sigh, I slowly hit the green button on my phone and answered the call. "Hello?"

"Becca. You finally answered. I've been so worried about you," James said with a breathless response.

"Why are you worried about me? I thought you made it clear I was no longer your problem when I left. You seemed to want your life simpler, so why are you calling me?"

I hadn't meant to snap at him, but my frustration with everything finally slipped through, and anyone who heard me could tell I was more than pissed off.

"Becca, please, just let me explain," he replied.

"Yes. Please elaborate, because I am entirely confused about everything. I'm not some girl that can just be messed around with. From the beginning, I told you I didn't want to be someone's one-night stand. I wanted a relationship, but I wasn't ready."

It wasn't entirely true. Yes, I wasn't ready for a relationship, but in the beginning, I didn't know what I wanted. The only thing clear to me from day one was I wanted to have him f*ck me senseless, and I didn't want Tally to replace out. He accomplished one of those aspects, but the second one he failed on purpose.

"Look, I understand how you feel. From the very beginning, I didn't think I wanted anything either, but the thought of you leaving things unsettled between us... it's killing me," he sighed into the phone, causing my heart to clench at his words.

Hearing him explain how he was the one suffering with my absence, and how everything was left off really tore at me. He sounded like he was trying to make himself the victim, when in reality, I was the victim in all of this. Granted, I hadn't been the easiest person to work with. I was an adult, and I was responsible for my own actions, but he knew what was going on with his ex-wife and his daughter. None of them would have ever found out had he not purposely set it up so they would replace out.

"So, you only called to try to make things better between us so you could turn around and feel better about yourself and about what had happened?" I asked in confusion as I tried to understand what exactly it was he wanted to say. "No, it's nothing like that. I just don't want there to be bad blood between us. I do care for you, Becca. More than you realize." The tone of his voice sounded more than exhausted.

"If you cared for me, you would never have let Tally replace out the way she did. If you cared for me, you would never have let Allison treat me like scum. If you, honestly, cared for me at all, you would have come after me and told me you were sorry in person, and not just over the phone."

A groan of irritation escaped him on the other end of the line. "Becca-"

"No, James. I don't know what it is you're looking for, but unfortunately, I have plans today, so I'm going to have to let you go. I hope you replace the closure you're seeking. It just won't be with me," I explained as I quickly hung up the phone. Standing on the sidewalk, I took a deep breath, closing my eyes as I let things sink in. I wanted to call him back and apologize for the outburst.

But I couldn't. I wasn't crazy, but he made me crazy.

Never had a man, or anybody, ever complicated things in my life to the point of a mental breakdown, until I met James Valentino.

Groaning with irritation, I grabbed what I was needing at the bodega and paid for it, quickly making my way out, ready to recluse back into Neal's apartment.

However, as soon as I returned to the apartment half an hour later, I found a suitcase sitting just inside the door.

A smile crept upon my face as I turned the corner to replace Neal standing there, staring out the window.

"Oh, my gosh!" I squealed with excitement. "I knew you were coming home today!"

He laughed as I wrapped my arms around his waist, giving him a hug. I didn't mean to seem overly excited, but Neal and I had grown close over the time we spent together since I met him in Miami. "Yes, I was trying to surprise you, but when I got here, you weren't here."

"Sorry," I said sheepishly. "I ran down to the store to get a snack, I have been craving these Hot Cheetos."

"Hot Cheetos?" he replied with a raised brow. "When did they make them hot?"

"Oh, my god. Are you being serious right now? Open your mouth," I demanded, wanting him to try my favorite chips.

"No way. I will just take your word for it," he laughed, shaking his head.

It was nice to be back on familiar ground with him. I had missed the banter we had the first two days we were together before he left for London, and now that he was back, I was curious to how long he would stay. "So, how long do I have you for before they snatch you away again?" I tease as I move towards the kitchen to get a glass of ice.

He was quiet for a moment, and when I turned around, I saw the way his blue eyes stared at me as if he was lost deep in his thoughts. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I was just thinking about something."

"Oh, yeah?" I grinned. "Who has your mind all fogged over? Are they cute?"

Laughter escaped his lips as he shook his head no. "I'm not dating anyone right now, Becca. I already told you that before. Stop trying to play matchmaker for me."

"I'm not, I'm not." I giggled. "Just saying "

"You're merely acting like my sister, Becca," he quickly added, causing me to sigh and roll my eyes dramatically with a smirk.

He was right, though. I was trying to play matchmaker, but only because I didn't want to see him alone. He was quickly becoming one of the sweetest men I knew, and I wanted him to end up with the right person. "Why don't we do something fun tonight?" I suggested as he dragged his suitcase towards his room with me following behind him.

"Fun? I don't know. I was kind of hoping that we can sit here and order in food or something," Neal said as he pulled the items out of his suitcase, and put them where they belonged. "I'm here for about a week. So plenty of time to hang out." Hearing he was here for at least a week made me smile. I had to head back to school next week and being able to spend time with someone rather than be alone sounded nice.

"Movie and a pizza it is, then," I said, causing him to laugh. "No f*cking pineapple on the damn pizza, though, Becca!"

"I'm sorry... did I hear you wanted extra pineapple? Okay... yeah, extra pineapple."

Picking up my phone, I looked over my shoulder just in time to see him coming running out the door at me with a smile on his face. Screaming with laughter, I moved quickly but not fast enough before he caught me wrapping his arms around. my waist.

"No, damn pineapple woman," Neal almost growled in my ear, and the sound itself did something else to me I wasn't expecting.

Freezing in his arms, my heart racing, I bit my bottom lip, refusing to look at him.

He seemed to get the gesture, and quickly he let go of me and ran his hand through his hair. "Sorry about that."

"Don't be silly, it's fine. I'll make the call, and you finish unpacking?" I asked as I peered up at him, slightly unsure.

"Sure thing." He didn't waste another moment as he turned and headed back towards his room. I found myself slightly confused by the way he was acting, but overall, I shook it off as overthinking.

Neal was a good friend to me as well as being Allegra's brother. There was no way the situation would be weird between the two of us. He knew where I stood with everything, and he saw me as nothing but a friend.