I’m doubly pissed because this is actually typical Cyrus behavior. When I was still living at his penthouse, he’d barge into my room without knocking, as if I was a little kid. Plus, he used to visit me unexpectedly when I was living in the dorms, although now I suspect he was only doing it to get a glimpse of my roomie, Josie. It annoyed me to all hell, but they’re married now so I guess his surprise visits had a deeper purpose.
Still annoyed, I pick up my bag from where I dropped it. Good thing the pregnancy test is hidden inside one of the pockets because honestly, it’s none of Cyrus’s business. I’m an adult now and don’t need him peering over my shoulder, tracking every move I make.
But my father doesn’t apologize, nor does he turn to leave, so I put my hands on my hips and glare.
“Okay, why are you here, Dad? What gives?”
Cyrus stares at me, those blue eyes ice cold.
“Actually, it’s you I’m worried about,” he growls. “What are you doing, Alyssa?”
I furrow my brow. “Me? I’m totally fine. Why are you here, in my apartment unannounced?”
His expression is frigid.
“If you must know, I was in the area and needed to use the bathroom. I figured since I had a key, I could just pop in quickly and go. No harm, no foul.”
I roll my eyes.
“Yeah, but that takes two minutes, so why are you still here? Or did you finish up right when I walked in? I’m really confused, Cyrus. Seriously, you look like you’ve been on that couch for hours. Have you? What’s up?”
He merely shakes his head grimly.
“I need to talk to you, Alyssa. About what I found.”
I stare at him.
“Okay, what? What do you mean?”
For once, my dad looks uncomfortable.
“Well, you know I was using your bathroom, and you have a garbage can in there. Well, I happened to look down and saw used condoms.”
My face pales, but then I feel disgusted and a rude snort escapes my nostrils.
“Dad, I’m sorry to offend you or whatever, but I’m a twenty-five year old woman who lives with her boyfriend. You know I’m not a virgin. I can’t possibly be, right? Of course, Liam and I have sex because it’s what adults do! I know it’s not a great thing to find out, and I’m sorry if it’s like, scarred you for life or something, but remember: this is normal. In fact, it’d be more weird if we didn’t do it.”
Dad shakes his head, his expression unreadable. “No, that’s not what I’m talking about.”
I squint at him.
“Then what is it? Of course that’s what we’re talking about! Why were you pawing through our trash, anyways? That’s just disgusting, Dad. Seriously, you’re crossing so many boundaries and I don’t even know what to say.”
He shakes his head.
“No, the rubbers were just lying on the top of the trash, Alyssa. As in they were just used this morning.”
This is so gross, but it’s better to be forthright even if my words are brutal.
“I’m sorry, Cyrus, but I’m a grown woman and I’m going to throw away my trash any way I like. You can’t control me, and I know you would rather not know that your daughter is having sex, but this is a part of being a healthy adult woman. Please accept it.”
Curiously, Cyrus’s expression is still unreadable.
“I know you’re intimate with Liam, and that’s not what I’m worried about Alyssa. But tell me this: why did I see multiple condoms of different sizes in the trash? They were all used too, so don’t tell me that you were just trying things out for fun and games.”
My eyes widen. What the hell? My dad must have peered pretty closely into the bin if he figured out the condoms are different sizes. The fact is that Liam uses Magnums while Bart uses Magnum XLs. It’s not that Bart is literally bigger, but he likes a different fit and finds that the XLs slide on easier because of their special ribbed texture. But still. Did Cyrus literally pick the rubbers out of the garbage and compare the two types? Oh eeew, that’s so gross and my mind shuts down with disgust.
But Cyrus shakes his head.
“I use Magnums too, so I know exactly what that line of condoms looks like, Alyssa. Now why the hell do you have used condoms of two different sizes in your garbage?” he demands angrily. “What the hell is going on?”
My mind races as I try to figure out what to say. My heart is pounding in my chest, but at the same time, I don’t want Cyrus to judge me for the choices I’ve made. Dang. Maybe I should have told him about this relationship sooner. If I had, then we certainly wouldn’t be in this situation.