Single Dad

** Eli **

Could a day get any worse? Eli squinted up at the blazing sun as he emerged from the exclusive lobby of the lounge, wondering if the answer should be no, it couldn't possibly be.

He should've seen it coming though. All it took was the right questions to ask, the right person to run into, the right revelation to hit. After spending an entire week processing all the complicated and confusing feelings in his head, he shouldn't be surprised that this was what he arrived at — the reality he had been too much of a hypocrite to admit to himself all along …

"Eli!"

His steps halted at the familiar voice. What was Harper doing, still coming for him after all that shitshow?

"Eli," she called again, this time making him turn around in his tracks. She jogged up to him, and she looked … worried, so utterly different from that excited girl painting a silly bird on his face mere moments ago.