The divorce had been incredibly messy with Nathan’s wife taking the lion’s share of everything, despite the fact that she had been the one cheating. Their marriage had been a rocky one with very few positive points to take away from it. Nicole was one of them. 

“Did you check every cupboard, Sweetheart?” Nathan called out to his eighteen-year-old daughter, as he stuffed another suitcase into the back of their hired moving van. 

“Twice.” Nicole replied, as she carried the last of their belongings out to the car. He’d lost the house in the divorce proceedings, but that didn’t bother him too much. This was his ex-wife’s city. She loved the hustle and bustle, while he had yearned to be back in the countryside. 

Nathan reached out and took hold of the bags his petite daughter was holding, and slid them into the small space left inside the van. Sometimes he felt like his years of religiously playing Tetris had made him a pro at judging the space required for objects, or maybe it was just luck.

“Can I just… Have one last look?” The eighteen-year-old asked her father, and he of course gave her a solid nod.

“Of course, Sweetheart. Take all the time you need.” He replied, as he reached into the front of their hired van, and opened up both windows to let some of the growing heat out. 

Summer was probably the best time to move from the state. Nicole was going with her father to support him through the difficult betrayal, by a woman she now refused to call her mother. But she was also travelling with him to be closer to the university she would be attending in late September. It’d be worth making a saving on accommodation if she could just live with her father and give him a little of her loan to cover her basic living costs.

Nicole was upstairs in the house now, trying to fight back the tears she felt as she looked around at the empty rooms. Despite her parents always arguing, there were definitely some memories to cherish in this house. Her mother had always been a calm, and outgoing individual who had been very focused on giving Nicole a loving upbringing. Her heart of gold harboured secrets, however. Other partners. Lovers. The final, and obvious discovery had been the growing roundness of her stomach. Nathan knew it was not his baby growing inside of her.

Their only daughter had made a very simple decision in moving with her father, even if it did mean leaving behind cherished friends. Her mother’s attention was now elsewhere, it seemed. On another family. Another child. Nicole felt a certain sense of loss when she considered that she’d no longer feel the love of both her parents, but her mother’s actions had forced her hand.

The eighteen-year-old took one final look around her old room before she looked out of her window onto the street below, and saw her father smiling up at her.

He’s really quite handsome in this light… She mused to herself, as she returned his kindly smile with one of her own. Nicole then blinked, wondering why she’d even considered such a thought. He’s your Dad. Stop thinking those things. The eighteen-year-old thought, before she rushed downstairs and stepped out of their old house for the last time.

“Ready Daddy?” She chirped, seeming much happier than she was when she first found out they were moving away. It seemed the idea had grown on her with each passing day. That made Nathan a lot more comfortable too, knowing he wasn’t uprooting his only child against her will

She’s not really a kid anymore though. She’d grown into a gorgeous young woman. Her legs alone were… What the fuck? She’s your actual daughter, I know you haven’t had any in a while, but seriously?! He scolded himself silently for ogling the way his daughter’s legs looked in her small denim skirt. 

“Ready Sweetheart. Let’s go start the new chapter in our life. I tell you what, let’s take the south exit, and grab an ice-cream on the way out?” Nathan remarked, having thought of the idea as he realised the van’s air-con unit felt more like the breeze coming from the crack in a door, rather then a gust of cooling air. 

“That’d be really -ice-, Daddy!” The red-haired girl replied with a sweet giggle, before she climbed into the passenger seat of the van, and buckled up for the journey.

Nathan chuckled at her ‘Dad’ joke. She’d learned from the best, so he really expected nothing less from his little princess. No matter her age or maturity, she would always be his princess. No matter what happened to them on their journey, or where like took them after their move, she meant the world to him, and was what he was most proud of in the world.

As he placed his hand down on the gear-stick, she rested one of her own down on top of it, and gave it a tender squeeze. 

Why aren’t you letting go? She thought to herself, finding her freckled cheeks had started to darken a little. 

Why isn’t she letting go…? He asked himself back, not that he wasn’t enjoying the softness that came with an eighteen-year-old’s skin. Neither of them knew why the other wasn’t pulling away out of embarrassment, but as her father began driving away from their old family home, she found herself holding tighter. Offering him support through her touch.

The pair didn’t exchange words or looks as they headed into the centre of the city, towards the authentic Gelateria where they’d had plenty of happy father-daughter times. It was their go-to place after hard days, or award ceremonies, or long drives. Any excuse to take them there did. It was one of Nicole’s happy places.

It was only as they pulled up outside the shop that they realised their hands were still connected. Their touch completely maintained even during the silent car journey. Neither of them quite understood the shared gesture, or considered the implications that might well have been heading their way further down the line.