Chapter Twenty-Nine

Mike blasted into the room, throwing himself at Keanu. His fist slammed into the side of his jaw and Alice screamed as Keanu fell backwards. She hurried to cover herself with the sheets while she tried to put herself between the two of them but Keanu pushed himself from her, launching off the bed.

"Mike, calm down! I can explain everything!" Keanu said.

"MOTHERFUCKER!" Mike shouted as he threw another fist across Keanu's cheek. He fell to the ground, clutching his face.

"Dad! Stop!"

Mike pointed a finger at her. "Put your clothes on."

She hastened to dress herself. Keanu tried to get to his feet, but Mike sent a kick into his stomach and he ducked towards the ground again. Mike fell towards the ground, holding onto the side of Keanu's cheek as he punched him over and over again. Keanu held one hand up to shield himself, but he didn't strike back.

"Please! Stop!" Alice screamed.

Mike stopped, his hands dripping with blood. Scrapes lined his knuckles, cuts from Keanu's teeth. Keanu's nose bled profusely and Mike let go of him. Keanu fell to the ground, his hand covering his nose.

"I treat you like a brother, and you fuck my daughter?! I thought you were one of the good ones, but you're fucking messed up!"

Keanu propped himself up on his elbow. "L-Look, you don't know the full story."

"In what world is fucking your best friend's daughter the right thing to do? She just broke up with your son too!"

"I'm not saying it's right," Keanu said. "It's just - I know it's wrong, and I'm sorry, Mike. But - "

Mike glared at her. "You! You should've known better!"

Tears left her eyes. "No! It's not his fault. I wanted him first."

Mike fisted Keanu's hair and raised his head up to him. "You brainwash her too?"

"I respect every thought and word that comes from her, more than Leonard ever could," Keanu said.

"Don't you hear how messed up that sounds? You brainwashed her into fucking you, you tell yourself you love her, and at the expense of your own blood!"

Keanu kept silent as Mike let go of him and he reached a hand up to his mouth to wipe the blood of his face.

"Please, stop hurting him! Leave!" Alice screamed at her father.

"Since when did you start hiding things from me?" Mike asked her. "You were a prize of a daughter, but now you dare betray me like this!"

She cried. "It just - It just happened. We didn't plan it. You don't understand."

"I don't understand? Fine, why don't you guys fucking explain it to me then?"

Alice dropped to the floor beside Keanu and picked him up in her arms, holding him close to her and covering his nose. "I was always having trouble with Leonard, and whenever I talked to you about it, you were always telling me that Leonard didn't mean what he did or said, and to stay by his side. It was like you wanted me to be with him because of your friendship with Keanu. So I went to Keanu for help and he was frank with me about what he thought about the two of us. Not once did he give me advice with ulterior motives. I was the one who started having feelings for him and he realised that. He also felt the same way and things just got out of hand. But I don't regret what happened at all. I'm sorry."

"Let's say that is what happened," Mike said. "You realised her feelings for you, and you decided to let my daughter act on it? Why don't you man up and be the responsible adult and tell her it's not right for you guys to be together?"

"I am an adult, for Christ's sake!" Alice said.

"I'm not talking to you," Mike snapped.

"She's right, Mike. Alice is not a kid anymore. She knows what she wants and she can make good decisions for herself," Keanu said.

"And the good decision for her is you?" Mike said, scoffing.

Keanu paused as the words sank in. Silence hung in the air until finally, Keanu sighed.

"You're right, I'm not the right decision for her."

Alice's jaw dropped as she looked at Keanu in disbelief that those words had come out of his mouth. "What?"

"You're correct, Mike," Keanu said. "I made a huge mistake. I shouldn't have messed with Alice. She was vulnerable, and I - I - "

"Now you're making fucking sense!" Mike spat.

"No! What - "

"Vow to me," Mike said. "Tell me you'll never touch her that way again, that you'll never even spare one thought about her in that way. Tell me you'll give up on her. Stay the fuck away from my daughter!"

"No - "

"I won't," Keanu said. "I'll stay away from her. I'm so sorry, Mike."

"Today never happened, you hear me?" Mike said. "You're never to prey on her again, when you know better! Alice, I want to hear you promise me too."

"I won't!" Alice said, then looked at Keanu in horror. "You can't - "

"Alice, I'm sorry," Keanu said. "Just forget this ever happened."

"But - " she said, her eyes brimming with tears. "But I love - "

"Forget it," Keanu said. "I don't feel that way for you. I was just using you, that's all."

She didn't say anything. Mike stood there in silence, looking at Alice from Keanu.

"I'm sorry, Alice," Keanu said. "Can we go back to the way things used to be?"

She cried in silence, staring at her lap.

"Alice?" Mike said.

She sighed. "Fine," she said. "Let things return the way they were."