Page 51 of Only for Tonight
“That’s who she was,” I state when the name clicks into place. “Dylan and Christopher’s sister.”
“Also, my father’s best friend’s daughter.” She puts her hand in front of her on the counter. “We’re going to have to talk about that.”
“What about?” I put my plate in the microwave, shutting the door and pressing the time.
“Well, she asked me what I was doing here.”
“What did you tell her?” I lean back on the counter, extending my arms to the sides as I cross my legs in front of me.
“I didn’t tell her anything. Zoey said we were banging each other.” I tilt my head to the side.
“She’s not wrong there.” I chuckle and see she’s not sure of what to say next. “We are definitely doing that. Very well, I might add.” I wink at her.
“Listen, I don’t know what this is,” she starts and the uncertainty in her voice has my blood going cold. “We probably wouldn’t even be here if I wasn’t pregnant.”
“You don’t know that.” I quickly stop her. “That one night we shared something.”
“Yeah, and then we went our separate ways,” she points out.
“Well, we live literally at the opposite ends of the country from each other,” I rebut. “If you lived closer, I would have called you.” Fuck, I thought about her enough in six weeks that I definitely would have caved and called her.
“Stop it.” She rolls her eyes. “You would not.”
“We’ll never know.”
“Exactly, we have to deal with the cards we were dealt and that is that we’re having a baby together.”
“We are.” I nod my head and she just looks at me. “What are you asking me, Ari?”
“I don’t know,” she responds honestly. “I don’t even know if there is a label we can give each other.”
“I mean, we’re together,” I remind her and her face goes into confusion. “Do you not think we are together?”
“That’s the thing, I don’t know.”
“Are you seeing someone else?” My finger taps the counter nervously as I feel this rage seep up into me. “Do you have someone else in New York?” I know she doesn't and even asking her the question is a bit insulting. Fuck, if anyone else should be doubting the other person, she should be doubting me. She showed up here and there was a woman wearing my T-shirt.
“I’m not even going to justify that with a fucking answer, Jaxon.” She pushes away from the counter. “I guess this answers the question, then.”
“Yeah, and what answer did you come up with?” I say angrily.
“That we’re friends”—she gets off the stool—“and we’ll leave it at that. We’re friends who are having a baby together. We aren’t the first ones to do it, and we aren’t going to be the last ones either.”
“Friends,” I repeat the word, and it tastes like bile in my mouth.
“We should make a plan to tell our parents,” she mentions and I nod my head because I don’t think I can say anything to her.
“You have to wait for the twelve weeks, don’t you?” I remind her. “And you are what, eight weeks now?”
“Not sure, I’m guessing I’m about maybe nine weeks.” She puts her hand to her stomach and her face goes white.
I stand up and watch her face as she turns and flies out of the room. I run after her as she gets to the bathroom and throws up. “Fuck,” I hiss, walking toward her.
“Can you give me privacy, please?” She puts her head on her arm on top of the toilet bowl as she vomits again.
“Absolutely not,” I finish as I walk out of the bathroom and head to the kitchen to grab her some water, listening to her vomit again. I grab a bottle of water and rush back to her, catching her in the middle of vomiting. “I got you some water.” I squat down beside her as she turns her face, and I see tears running down her cheeks. “Rinse out your mouth, baby,” I offer softly, the tightness in my chest making it feel like I have a noose around my neck that is getting tighter and tighter.
She grabs the bottle from me and I get up, grabbing one of the small towels in the bathroom, putting it in the sink, and turning on the water to wet it.
