Chapter 3: What If They Are Dating?

Two days later, there was a knock at the door. Kelly, hearing the sound, creaked it open to find Lucy standing outside. When he saw who was knocking, his face immediately hardened with a haughty expression, and he questioned arrogantly, “What the hell are you doing here after blocking my number?”

Lucy replied calmly, “Is your dad in?”

Kelly stared at her in disbelief. His lips twitched as he realized Lucy was unnervingly calm—too calm, which made him feel uneasy. He crossed his arms aggressively and sneered, “You now realize your mistake. Trying to get my dad to talk to me won’t make me forgive you easily. You’ll have to buy a new phone, then some movie tickets, and maybe then I’ll consider forgiving you.”

Having made his outrageous demands, he lifted his chin proudly like a peacock.

Lucy looked at him with disgust. She thought she must really be out of her mind to have fallen for Kelly. It made her feel sick that she often went along with his ridiculous tantrums and requests just to keep the peace.

Without saying a word, she took a step forward and walked past him, ignoring his shocked face. Kelly snapped, “Lucy, if you dare involve my dad, I’ll never forgive you. And I’m breaking up with you—you’ll never be my girlfriend.”

Finished speaking, he turned and strode into his room with an air of arrogance, locking the door behind him.

He muttered to himself with a smirk, “She’ll come and beg. Hehehe.” This tactic had always worked before—whenever he threatened to break up with Lucy, she’d usually do whatever he demanded to avoid losing him.

He sat on his bed, waiting patiently for her to knock or for the doorknob to turn. But neither happened. After three minutes, he glanced at his watch and realized Lucy hadn’t come. Usually, she’d be running after him, begging.

Annoyed, Kelly stood up to check on her. But as he approached the door, he hesitated.

“I’m getting too impatient,” he muttered. With a confident sneer, he added, “I’ll make her regret wasting my time. I’ll ask her to get me more stuff.”

He rubbed his palms together in anticipation and sat back down on the bed. But after five minutes, something felt off. He got up again, this time more cautiously, to see what was going on.

Kelly hesitated at the door, hearing laughter from his dad’s room. Suddenly, he overheard his father’s voice, which sounded unusually affectionate.

“Babe, I bought the movie tickets. Since you’re here, let’s go and watch it together,” his father said warmly.

His eyes widened in disbelief, and his mouth fell open as Lucy responded, “Alright, baby, let’s go together.”

Kelly’s mind raced. Doubt crept in. That can’t be Lucy’s voice, right? And she’s calling my dad "baby"? he wondered.

Despite his internal struggle, his legs moved of their own accord. Before he knew it, he was standing at the door.

His face flushed with embarrassment. He hesitated, uncertain whether to open it or not. Suddenly, the door creaked open.

What he saw made his jaw drop. His father, Mr. Andrew, and Lucy emerged from his room, arm in arm. Lucy leaned comfortably against him, as if they were a couple in love.

Kelly’s eyes widened in shock, and his mouth parted in disbelief.

“Kelly, since you’re here, I’m going out with my girlfriend,” Mr. Andrew said with a smile, patting Kelly’s shoulder. “Take care of the house while I’m gone.” Then, he and Lucy left, stepping out the door.

Kelly stood frozen, stunned. He watched as they drove away, the car disappearing down the street.

He raised his hands and rubbed his eyes, pinching himself as if to confirm he wasn’t dreaming. The reality was hard to accept.

His face remained clouded with doubt. Driven by a mix of shock and anger, he rushed outside, chasing after the departing car.

“Dad!” he yelled, desperation in his voice, but the car didn’t stop.

He kept shouting, “Dad!”

Desperate, he broke into a sprint, trying to catch up, but the car sped ahead, vanishing around the corner.

Breathless, sweat pouring down his face, Kelly finally slowed to a stop. Frustration and fury flooded him.

He kicked an electric pole beside the road, grimacing as pain shot through his foot.

“Ouch!” he cried out, wincing. His eyes filled with bloodshot rage as he watched the car turn down another street.

With clenched fists, he cursed under his breath, “Fuck!”

Turning around, he went back inside the house, changed clothes, locked the front door, and then took a taxi directly to Jude's house.

After he had recounted what had happened at his home to Jude, they sat inside Jude's room. Jude stared at him with his mouth hanging open, unable to say a word for an entire three minutes.

His silence irritated Kelly, who impatiently rebuked him, "What’s with the wide mouth and dumbfounded look? Say something, dude. Are you just going to stare at me all day?"

Jude snapped out of his shock and apologized. "Sorry, but… is what you’re saying really true?"

Kelly, looking embarrassed, retorted, "Do you think I’d come here and make up such lies? I couldn’t believe it myself either. But it really happened — Lucy called my dad 'baby,' and my dad addressed her as his girlfriend."

Frustrated, Kelly pulled at his hair, got up, and paced around the room. He walked over to the window and said, "I’m going crazy."

Jude then suggested, "Maybe they’re not really a couple. Maybe your dad is upset with you for cheating on a good girl like Lucy, and he’s trying to make you jealous by coming up with this plan?"

Hearing this, Kelly’s eyes lit up. He nodded in realization, laughed, and gave Jude a thumb-up, praising him. "Man, you’re a genius. I never thought of that."

But then Jude suddenly asked, "What if they really are dating? What are you going to do then?"