Loving With A Heavy Heart Chapter 155: No Reason To Be Cautious

Elle was at a loss after Abby's sudden visit. It was a surprise to her, of course, to find out that Abby had known about her relationship with Adam for quite some time. It was a bigger surprise to her that her friend had managed to keep such a secret.

"I don't think I could have acted normally if I had been the one who knew a secret." Elle said when she told Adam about it later that day.

"Aren't you the one who kept it a secret from her in the first place?" Adam teased, earning himself a playful smack in the arm.

"Are you upset she knows?" He asked more seriously.

Elle thought about it for a moment. "I'm not upset that she knows but I'm upset about how she found out. I regret that I wasn't able to tell her myself."

"I suppose we were both late in telling our friends."

"We're just quiet people." Elle said in their defence. "At first I didn't want to tell her because the relationship was so new, I didn't want to make a big deal out of it if it went nowhere, but after a while I was more comfortable with her not knowing. I don't like being in the spotlight of the conversation and I didn't want to make things complicated for her either. Besides, she's my closest friend. Things like distance and not talking often aren't enough to make us grow apart."

"Once our busy seasons are over you should arrange for us all to do something together."

"Sure." Elle said. "After our busy seasons."

The truth was that Elle had a bigger concern than Adam and Abby meeting at the moment. She had been so preoccupied with her own life that she hadn't realized what day the upcoming Wednesday was.

When she first realized she had been overcome with the guilt of having forgotten and important day. Her guilt was suddenly overcome by another feeling when she realized what she would have to do.

Elle wanted to take the day off work but doing so this close to the day of would mean she had to get permission from her direct superior, who was none other than her father.

Normally she might not mind so much; she would just bear through her own discomfort. What truly bothered her now was that she would have to justify her request which would bring up a subject she still couldn't bear to discuss with him.

Elle had decided not to tell Adam about it yet. She was unsure how to bring it up to him but she knew she could rely on him. She decided that she would tackle one uncomfortable discussion at a time.

For the rest of her Sunday Elle sat in quite antic.i.p.ation of Monday and the conversation that would inevitably come with it, until finally the dreaded moment came.

Elle had considered just sending an e-mail but had decided against it. She had decided to become a strong person. She didn't want to loose to her own cowardice.

Thankfully her courage lasted her the trip to the chairman's office b. Elle took a deep breath and then knocked on the door before her courage could abandon her.

"Come in." The stern and familiar voice replied from the other side of the door.

Elle entered the room and was immediately struck by how unfamiliar her the face before her was. She hadn't realized how long it had been since she had last seen her father until she saw him before her now.

He was her father - she recognized him plain as day and yet the face she saw wasn't the one embedded in her memory.

'Had his face always been that thin? Was his nose always that long?' Elle wondered to herself.

Parent and child couldn't help but be similar, no matter how much they may dislike it. For while Elle was wondering at how unfamiliar the person in front of her was her father was doing much of the same.

His daughter looked different to him. He noticed was that her hair had grown out quite a lot since he had last seen her and that there was more colour in her face, but even the air around her seemed different.

All of Elle's uneasiness disappeared as she entered that office. Her father had always had such a large presence in her life. For as much love as she had for him she had also always been wary in front of him. He seemed so insignificant to her now. She had no reason to be cautious in front of this person.

If anything he ought to be the anxious one, not her. With her fears gone Elle boldly took a seat in front of the Chairman.

"I need to take the day off work the day after tomorrow." She announced.

"So suddenly?"

"There's a director's meeting that day but if you can do without me I'd like to take the whole day off. If you really can't let me then I'll settle for the afternoon off."

"Why do you need it?" Her father asked tiredly. "Your department is in a busy period, can you really afford to take a day off so carelessly?"

"Did you forget what day that is?" Elle asked, venom seeping into her voice. "Actually, don't answer that. It's mother's birthday. I doubt you remembered it even when she was alive. You were always bd at this sort of thing."

Elle's father had enough shame to look embarra.s.sed. Elle watched in satisfaction as his ears turned red and his eyes looked away from her.

"I can't afford to not have you at that meeting but you can leave once it's done."

"Thank you Mr. Chairman." Elle got up and left without sparing a second glance at her father.

But even if she had looked she might not have recognized the look of remorse on his face as she left.