Hollywood

Xander

A little over an hour later, we were parking the car in an overpriced lot. I took her hand in mine and we found ourselves almost immediately absorbed in a crowd of people. After about an hour of mingling with the crowd, we broke off and found a small café for us to grab a snack and a drink.

“I’m glad you and your dad are talking again. I hated thinking you guys were at odds because of me.”

“We’re good,” she said. “Trust me. I don’t want to pry, but can you give me a hint about what happened between you and your dad?”

“I was born,” I said dryly.

“Stop,” she said. “For real, what happened? Were you especially rebellious in high school?”

“Not really. I’m serious. I cannot name any one specific moment in my life that led to his dislike for me. It was kind of a gradual thing from the moment I was born. That is the honest truth.”

“You are not a bad person,” she insisted. “I don’t get it.”

“I truly believe it is because I didn’t want to go into the military. He had this idea in his he