The Guy on the Left (The Underdogs 2)

“Don’t move means don’t move!”

He frowns. “You’re bossy.”

“Sorry,” I gag again. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay. You’ve got this,” he encourages, covered from head to toe in Old Spice body wash and shit. He looks over to me with a trust very few do, and inwardly, I melt at his eagerness to please me.

“Thanks,” I say as I pull my sponge from the rack and begin to scrub him down. After a few minutes, I finally have him shit free, and get him out of the shower before I start toweling him off.

Dante stands still, lifting his arms up and down to assist me, wiggling when my fingers dig into his armpits. “Ticklish, huh?”

We give twin-like smiles to each other in the mirror. His laughter fades as he takes notice of our similarities. “Heyyy! You look like me!” His statement strikes me right in the chest.

“I was here first, so maybe you look like me.”

“People could think you’re my daddy.”

My face is the picture of control when I ask him the question I already know the answer to. “What do you know about your daddy?”

“I don’t know my daddy.”

“You don’t know anything?”

“Nope. Are we going to play Xbox again?” He’s already over the conversation, while inside, I’m fuming. He begins dressing as I pull out my phone and shoot off a text.

Troy: We need to talk.

Clarissa: Kind of in the middle of something.

Troy: I’m aware, but we need to talk. Soon.

Clarissa: Is Dante okay?

Troy: Fine. He has diarrhea, but I don’t think he has much left in him.

Clarissa: Is this what we need to talk about?

Troy: Of course not. You think I would interrupt your date to talk about diarrhea?

Clarissa: Aren’t you?

Troy: Jesus, no. Can you cut me a break? I’m doing you a favor.

Instantly, I know that was the wrong text to send. I’m his father. Watching him is not a favor. I just cut my own nose off to spite my face.

Troy: I didn’t mean that. I’m happy about this. Spending time with him.

Troy: Clarissa?

Troy: Please don’t go postal. I didn’t mean that.

Clarissa: I’m on my way.

“Shi…crap,” I grunt as I dial her number, and she doesn’t answer.

“What’s wrong?” Dante asks.

Troy: Please don’t do this. I want my time with him.