Cherry on Top Ch. 11

All characters are at least 18 years old.

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Cherry

"I think he forgot."

"Eh, give him some time," Stef said, tossing another french fry into his mouth. "We guys are deceptively thoughtful."

"Very true," Drew agreed, speaking around a bite of burger. "Well, okay, we can't speak for all guys. Actually, I think most guys are pretty dense."

"'Pretty dense' is still putting it generously," Brie chimed in with an eye roll and a smirk.

"Point is," Drew continued, "you shouldn't be stressing out about it. You wait until tomorrow, see how it goes, and if he really does forget, then you get upset. Unless you're gonna be dropping hints to him today. Hm, but then what if that ruins any surprise he has planned?"

"We wouldn't want that, would we?" Lexi said with a wink.

I sighed, my food untouched as I wondered about how Valentine's Day would go. I knew it shouldn't have been a big deal. If dad didn't make plans of that sort, it was fine. It's literally our name, though. It was fine. What was a big deal was my friends talking about romance between my dad and I as if it was a casual night out. I looked over at Lexi, the girl who had orchestrated... well, everything. She raised her eyes questioningly, but I only smiled and shook my head as the conversation continued, with Drew spinning off to wonder at the connection between my lineage and the original saint.

"But Valentine was Italian, so if you're actually related then you'd think you'd have darker skin," he remarked. "And yet you're positively porcelain, Squirt."

"Yeah, but how long ago did he live?" Stef pointed out.

"...Third century."

"See? Plenty of time to contaminate the genes."

"Why is it that everything you say sounds filthy?" Brie groaned.

"Yeah, but you like it," Stef replied with a crooked grin, tipping his chin up at her. She grumbled, blushing a bit and turning back to her food without protest.

"My mom was a redhead too," I interrupted.

"See?" Stef turned to Drew. "Doesn't matter how far back that Italian blood goes if she's half..." He turned back to me. "...Irish?" I nodded, adding a shrug for good measure.

"Recessive genes though," Drew protested.

"She won the fifty-fifty. Or maybe you could just do one of those ancestry tests, Cherry."

"No! Those things are just designed to build a genetic database of anybody they can sucker into it. You send your saliva in and the next thing you know, they're building androids that look exactly like you. Fucking flesh robots!"

Brie shook her head and shot me a smile as the boys bickered about tin foil conspiracies. I turned to look at Lexi again, but she was staring off into the distance, an uncharacteristic melancholy on her face.

"Hey," I said.

"Hm?" She looked at me, seemingly genuinely caught off guard.

"You okay?"

Her trademark vulpine grin returned seamlessly. "Never not," she replied. I stared at her, scrutinizing her, amazed. She had no tells, absolutely no indication of the lie she just told. And it made me sad. The Girl with the Plan. Her friends had the utmost respect for her, but how often did they catch her when she was vulnerable like just now? Or maybe they all had at one point, yet none of them could do anything about it. Didn't hurt to offer though.

"I owe you one for helping with dad," I murmured.

"A big one," she supplied.

"Right. And you probably don't even need it, but if you ever need help... you know you can ask, right? I'm sure we'd all be ready to."

"Oh, I'll collect my dues. You can be sure of that." She smiled devilishly, and apparently decided that was the end of the conversation because she switched gears. "So, did he say yes?"

"He said he'd think about it."

"Probably the most we can expect from him," she sighed. "Makes sense. Compared to the other three, you have the most taboo to cut through."

"What makes you say that?"

She turned around on the bench so that she was leaning on the side of the table. "Brother, sister. Mother, son. Father, daughter. Typically men are viewed as the initiators when it comes to sexual matters."

"But I initiated."

"Won't affect people's perception. Men have the dicks, ergo men hold the power to aggress and instigate. Of the three relationships I listed, fathers hold the most duty to protect their corresponding partners. And, well... let's just say what's happening between you and your dad isn't what most would consider 'protecting.' Quite the opposite, as you can imagine. All that just paints the picture that your dad took advantage of his power over you, and your small stature really doesn't help that fact.

"I just want to remind you of the gravity of the choice you're making here," she went on, leaning close with a solemn expression. "You're very goal-oriented, which is great. But you're more impulsive than the others. You gotta think things through. Worst-case scenario shit. If you're caught by a less sympathetic party, are you ready to have your dad sent to prison on an array of charges, some of which may not even be true?" I paled. "You need to think about these things, Cherry. We're all damaged goods here, and that includes Drew's mom and your dad. As much as we hate to admit it, our parents aren't always going to make the best decisions. In those cases, the tables turn and it's your duty to protect him.

"I can sweep a lot under the rug, but there's only so much I can do to protect you guys." She paused, and a few seconds later a group of students passed dangerously close to our table. Lexi watched them walk away before continuing. "I'm working on a better system to cover your asses, but it's gonna take time. Until then, you can't fuck up. And even then, there's stigma. Legality isn't the same as social acceptance." She turned to me again. "Talk to your dad about it. If you're both ready for the risks and fallout, that's when you can decide to proceed."

She was a fucking goddess. Perfect honey blonde locks, stormy grey eyes, and a mind as sharp as an obsidian dagger. Next to her I felt like nothing more than a skating, dancing doll. I nodded, staring down at my hands and feeling miserable. She patted my head like a big sister, and I looked up to see a kind smile. A rare sight indeed.

"It's gonna be okay, Cherry," she murmured. "You see what happened to Lauren? Ol' Lex got ya covered." She flashed me a cheeky grin, and I nodded again, feeling a bit better.

"What did you even do, by the way?" I asked. "That was a total reversal. I got whiplash."

"Trade secrets," was all she said, her vulpine grin returning.

I looked back to our friends, feeling more at home than ever before. And I told them my plans for community college.

—

The others didn't have any sports practice anymore, and we all decided to hang out at Lexi's house for the afternoon. I was having so much fun with them that I didn't even realize it had been days since I'd really spoken to my other friends outside of school. The five of us shared such a deep secret that it seemed to strengthen our bond. Of course, I also genuinely liked them.

"You know those content houses? A bunch of friends all living together, filming skits, streaming video games? We could do that." Drew slumped into the sofa and propped his leg up, and when Drew props his leg up, it goes across your lap too.

"Oh man, that sounds fucking awesome," Stef sighed, his arm around his sister. "Too bad I don't think the girls are really into games though."

"You're also forgetting something else," Brie said coyly to Drew. "Both you and Cherry would also want to bring some 'special guests' to live with us."

Both Drew and I blushed, and he scratched the bridge of his nose. "Right. Dunno how I forgot about that."

"More of a sex house at that point," Lexi remarked. "Which would especially suck for me, since I'd be the only one not getting laid."

"And that's for lack of trying," Brie muttered. "You've shown interest in almost everyone, yet at the same time none at all. I'm starting to wonder what you're even into."

"Isn't it obvious?" Stef laughed. "She likes to watch."

There was a slightly uncomfortable silence as we all turned to look at the matchmaker herself, and she blinked back at us with feigned innocence. Finally she sighed.

"I swear I don't have any recordings whatsoever of your heinous acts. Furthermore, I have not personally spied on said acts with my own eyes," she declared.

"Ah ah ah, there's the discrepancy!" Drew crowed, wagging his finger at her. "'Personally' and 'with my own eyes!' She got somebody else to do it!"

She scowled, knocking her head against her seat back. "Jeez, I really need to work on my reputation. What do you guys take me for?"

"A perv who teases at stealing her friends' sexual partners," I replied, supported with nods all around.

"Ugh, fine! Fair enough. But leveraging jealousy is my specialty." Instantly, her scowl dissolved into a grin. The rest of us groaned, but we were all soon laughing again.

"Still, Drew and Cherry could pretend to date for the sake of appearances," Brie suggested.

"And what about you two?" Drew responded to the twins. "Don't tell me you guys already forgot about Tuesday."

"Hm. Alright, how about this," Stef said. "Drew and Brie are a fake couple. Cherry and I are a fake couple."

"I hate that idea," Brie said immediately, glancing my way. She truly was notoriously jealous, which I found cute.

"Trust me, so do I." Stef stared daggers at Drew, who gave him an unamused look in return.

"You know by now that everything back then was an act, right?" he prompted.

"I don't think any of us are a fan of this arrangement, but it's to avoid detection," I finally said. There were grumbles of agreement from everybody.

"Don't you get handsy, you hear?" Stef snapped at Drew, jabbing a finger in his direction.

"I'd never," Drew replied before addressing Brie. "No offense."

"None taken," she said.

Lexi was watching the entire exchange with a wide grin. "Oh my God. You guys grow up so fast." She pretended to wipe tears away, which was met with unamused expressions from all of us. "You guys are even planning out orientations for double and triple dates. I'm so proud."

Needless to say, Lexi was verbally thrashed for being a facetious smart ass. But hanging out with the gang was just so damn enjoyable. I almost didn't want to leave when night fell.

—

"I gotta say, I'm almost disappointed at the lack of naked apron," dad said with a smirk. We were washing the dishes together, and with him so close it was hard to hide my blush.

"I didn't really have time. Came back late and had to cook dinner," I mumbled.

"Of course, princess," he murmured, leaning down and kissing me on the head.

We finished up, and I announced that I had to go shower. I showered at night now, since I didn't have time in the morning, what with our daily erotic play taking up so much time and all. I was just finished washing the shampoo out of my hair when the damn lights went out.

"Dad?" I called, turning the water off. Dragging the shower curtain aside, I waited until I heard a few light taps on the door. Thankfully I hadn't locked it, and dad came in. "Sorry, I'm just afraid of climbing out of the bathtub when I can't see."

"Of course, princess," he said, his voice getting closer. He felt his way over to me, foot tapping against the outside of the tub. I extended my arms, and he put his under mine and lifted me out. It was a bit exhilarating, to be wet and naked in his arms without seeing a thing. I took an embarrassing amount of pleasure in it.

A bit of feeling around later and I was wrapped up in a towel. "What happened?"

"I called Colette next door and her power's out too," he explained. "I'm guessing the whole block's out. "Maybe a power line got damaged or something."

"Wait, you have your phone with you?"

"Yes, why?"

"Your phone has a flashlight, dad!" I took his phone from him and turned it on, and in the residual light I could see how sheepish he looked. "Were you just looking for an excuse to touch your daughter's wet naked body?"

"No, I--"

"If you wanted to, you could've said so," I teased.

"Cherry!" he laughed.

With me still wrapped in a towel, we went out to look through our cabinets. After lighting some candles, the warm glow they gave lent a slightly romantic mood to the situation, and I told dad as much.

"Very intimate indeed," he agreed. "Do you have anything on your mind?"

"Actually... I kinda just wanna cuddle," I admitted shyly.

Dad chuckled and nodded, taking one of the candles with us to his bedroom. He undressed while I dropped the towel, and we climbed into bed together, with me snuggling up against his chest. Feeling safe in his arms was quickly becoming almost as enjoyable as some of the forbidden things we did to each other. Almost.

"Have you given it any more thought, dad?" I asked.

"Given what any thought?"

"Going to Taboo with me."

He peered down at me. "And Lexi, right?"

"Right. Of course."

He sighed. "I suppose, if it's really important to you--"

"Yay!" I nuzzled his chest, and he held me closer. Lexi's words from lunch came surging back to me, and I felt uneasy. I had a lot to sort out. Starting with... "Dad?"

"What is it, Cherry?"

"How did mom die?"

He hesitated for a long while, and I waited for him to say something. "You sure you want to discuss this now?"

"It's important," I insisted.

I felt him nod against my head, and he sighed again. "Childbirth."

I pulled away from him, eyes wide. So many thoughts were flooding my mind at once, and I didn't know how to feel. In a sense, mom was dead because of me. I'd taken her away from dad, supplanting her. I had come in her place. And now I was trying to claim him sexually, without any regard for her memory.

"Don't cry, Cherry," dad murmured. Tears had welled up in my eyes without my notice. I was too busy wallowing in guilt of all varieties. How could I have been so selfish? I was forcing dad into moving on so that he could satisfy me, when I was the root of his misery to begin with. Then an uglier notion occurred to me.

"Am I a replacement for mom?" I whispered.

"No," he said almost instantly. He'd been ready to say that. How was that to be interpreted? He cupped my face with his hands. "I love you for you, Cherry. No matter your similarities, you and she are not the same, and I know that. I love you, Cherish Valentine."

"But how could you love me?" I cried. Sobs were beginning to interrupt my speech now, stuttering my words as I heaved. "I know how much you loved mom, and I killed her."

"That's not what happened," he said firmly. "I've never seen it that way, because it's just not true. What happened was a tragedy, but... I got you. My darling daughter." He held me tight as I wept, steady as stone. "You know, bad things happen all the time. Sometimes we don't get to say goodbye. Sometimes we lose everything. But your mom managed to leave something behind." He tilted my chin up so I looked at him. "Death... is inevitable, Cherish. At least this way, your mom could give it meaning."

I nodded, getting my emotions under control. "I... I have to love you for the both of us then."

"No. Absolutely not." His words confused me, especially with how strongly he felt about it. "I loved her, and I miss her dearly. But that's not your burden to carry, baby. If I knew her at all, she would want you to live for yourself. Not for a shadow you can't escape. If your mother has taught you anything, it's that life is fleeting, and it's fragile. There's no time to waste spending it being somebody you're not." He kissed my forehead. "Besides, if you love me, is it because it's for your mom?"

I swallowed and collected myself, steadying my breathing. "No," I said finally. "I really do love you, dad. In every way possible."

He kissed me, and we held each other for a long time. We didn't do anything lewd, just taking in the moment. By the time the power came back on, I was asleep in dad's arms.