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Chapter Five

Doug told me to go shower and that he would clean up the mess. I scooped up my clothes, got my overnight bag by the front door, and went to the washroom without another word. I stood under the water for a long time, trying to calm myself down with the gentle stream cascading down my chest. I finally washed myself off, then got out of the shower and put on some sweats and a plain T-shirt. I'd spent almost half an hour under the water.

I brushed my teeth (for the second time that night), washing away the taste of sex. I felt a pang of disappointment for cleaning it out, but at the same time I felt guilty that it had been there in the first place.

When I came out of the bathroom, I walked shyly towards the living room. Doug was dressed again, and he was on his hands and knees, scrubbing a spot on the carpet. He didn't hear me approach, so I tried to sneak up closer to see the damage. I wasn't quiet enough, though, and he looked up at me as I came into the room. I glanced at the carpet.

*quot;Is it coming out?*quot; I asked.

*quot;Yeah, just takes some work,*quot; he said, returning back to the stain.

I stood there awkwardly for a moment before I went to the kitchen to get a rag. I plucked one from out of the linen drawer, then went back to the living room. He had a bucket with carpet cleaner solution Escort Kız inside, so I dipped the cloth in the suds and squeezed out the excess water before I blotted it on the carpet.

Doug slowly stopped his scrubbing, then put his hand over mine. I froze, caught off guard by his action. *quot;Don't worry about it, I've got it covered.*quot;

He didn't take his hand off of mine, though. I stared at him pointedly while he averted his gaze.

*quot;Do you really regret it that much?*quot; I asked. As hard as I tried, my voice still quivered slightly from anger and disappointment.

Realization slowly grew on his face, and he slowly looked up at me sympathetically. *quot;It's not like that, Sarah. It's just that... you're a kid. My friend's kid, an'... this sort of thing shouldn't happen.*quot;

I was still a little miffed, but I couldn't help but agree with him. I couldn't see us fucking again, as much as I would have loved to. The taboo feeling was just too much to endure. What should have been an afterglow was an aftermath.

I nodded and shrugged. *quot;Thanks, though.*quot;

He took his hand off mine, then lightly held my chin between his forefinger and thumb. I looked at him questioningly, and he smiled warmly before he softly kissed me on the lips.

*quot;Just a one time thing. It was fun, though.*quot;

I gave a short laugh and smiled back. *quot;Yeah.*quot;

When he let go of me, I knew that was the seal to the deal. No more physical contact, let alone sexual contact. He went back to scrubbing at the stain, and I helped him. When it was done, I got a dry hand towel and blotted the wet spot dry. By the time I was done, the carpet was stain-free and clean; it looked as if nothing had ever happened at all.

*****

I spent the rest of the night in my room, reading a book. By about a quarter after eleven, I heard the front door open and close. Doug's and my dad's voices hummed from behind my door. I put my book down and went out to see him.

When I stepped out of my room, my dad was just hanging up his jacket. His cheeks were tinted pink and his thin brown hair was ruffled from his hard hat.

*quot;Hey, honey!*quot; he said softly, waving at me. He was usually more friendly and enthusiastic towards me in the first five minutes of our visits. *quot;Doug didn't give you much trouble, did he?*quot;

My smile almost faltered, but I didn't glance over at him. *quot;No.*quot;

*quot;That's what he told you to say, I bet,*quot; my dad said, chuckling and bending down to unlace his boots. I dared a look over at Doug then, and found that he had dared a look at me, too.

*quot;Sorry I'm so late guys,*quot; my dad began, pulling off his left boot then working on the right. *quot;That was a right mess down at the site. I barely just got it finished before I jumped back into the car and hoofed it over here.*quot;

*quot;It's okay,*quot; I said, finding that I was genuine in my words. Not only because his absence allowed me to have about a half-hour long, satisfying sexcapade, but because I realized that my dad really did want to be here on his birthday. I suddenly realized that I had a new-found appreciation for him.

*quot;Well, I'm still sorry,*quot; he said, putting his boots away and stepping into the room. *quot;So, where's my birthday present?*quot; he said, holding his arms out.

I laughed. *quot;You mean the pizza? It's in the fridge,*quot; I said, motioning over to the kitchen.

*quot;No, no, no, no,*quot; he said, waving his hand about and coming towards me. *quot;I want my real birthday present.*quot;

He stepped up to me and wrapped his arms around me, squeezing me tight. I squeaked a bit in surprise; my dad always tried to hug me, but he was always waiting for me to deny him the hug first. He just went right ahead and ambushed me this time.

But I found that I didn't want to turn down his hug. In fact, having my dad's arms around me was the most comforting thing I'd felt in weeks. I smiled happily and wrapped my arms around him too. I could just see over my dad's shoulder, and I saw Doug watching us, smiling warmly at me.

I rested my head on his chest and said, *quot;Happy birthday, Dad.*quot;