Page 36 of Shattered Hearts

“Why not?”

She blinks, the moisture returning to her waterline before she pushes open the door. My heart sinks, knowing she’s running from this. That if whatever is bothering her is too much for even me to know, it must be awful.

“Please.”

Peering over her shoulder, Laynie whispers, “Soon. I promise I will tell you soon, G.”

She goes to leave, and I grab hold of her wrist. Her skin wrapped in mine sends tingles through me, but I can’t focus on that sensation. “Why can’t you tell me now?” My voice cracks a little like a vintage vinyl. “I hate seeing you this way.”

Laynie sniffs, face turned away.

“Laynie—”

“Because I did something stupid,” she cuts in. “Something I wish I hadn’t done, but I can’t take it back now!” I blink at her as her face scrunches. “I can’t do anything about it. I ruined everything.” Her legs give way a little, and I pull her towards me. When I think she might push me away again, her fingers dig into my jumper, tears dropping onto my top as her body shakes with sobs.

“You didn’t ruin anything,” I tell her, attempting to calm her down.

“I-I—” she stutters, her throat wheezing. “I’m pregnant, Gray.”

I feel the earth shatter around me.

Chapter Fourteen

Laynie

When I was in primary school, I remember begging my parents for a pet. It wasn’t fair that the Lawson’s had a ranch with sheep, cows, horses, goats, and chickens. They even had alpacas at one point, who were adorable if they weren’t spitting on you.

One day, I came home to see a fishbowl in my bedroom. There was one tiny goldfish, who I named Goldie. I know, so original… I kept him alive for almost two years, and was even sad when he died, even though he didn’t do much. Every day I would come home, and he would just be there, staring at me with wide eyes and an open mouth, waiting for me to feed him.

That’s how Grayson looks right now. Like Goldie. Mouth in an O shape. Eyes so flared it looks almost painful, and he isn’t blinking.

The rush of adrenaline sears through my blood as I fold my arms over my stomach, attempting to control their trembling, but it’s useless. My entire body shivers as tears burn the back of my eyes. I can’t remember what Charlotte told me to do in this sort of situation. I can’t really remember anything right now. Not with the way he’s looking at me, as if he doesn’t even recognise me.

“Gray…” I choke out.

He blinks, as if realising that this is real. That I just spilt my secret. Right here. In the bathroom of his family home.

“You…” he breathes, trying to string a sentence together. It dies on his lips, just like the possibility of us being something more than friends. Dead.

I had to watch the earth-shattering moment when he realised the truth, twisting my gut like briars and cutting through my lungs like thorns. My breath catches as I struggle to suck in any air. Is it hotter in here?

I can’t stop the quivering of my lips, the erratic thumping of my heart as I step away from him, the rest of the world swimming around me as I cling to the bathroom doorway.

His gaze, unmoving from mine, is sharp and shocked, much like the rest of him. “You…” he repeats, unable to get anything else out, and it hits me right in the heart as bile rises in my throat.

Choking on a breath, I spin and vomit in the toilet bowl. My pulse hammers in my ears, hands shaking uncontrollably as tears prickle my eyes. Holding onto the wall, I try collecting myself. My anxiety rages inside of me like an untamed tidal wave.

I feel his hand on my back.

“Laynie.”

Turning to face him, my hand covers my mouth as a sob wracks my body. Grayson kneels beside me, one hand on my back, the other holding onto the wall as I break apart.

“I didn’t—” I hiccup. “It wasn’t—”

“You’re… p-pregnant.”

My cries turn ugly, and all I can do is nod. Body crumbling, I fall to my butt, weakened from the jarring situation. Grayson catches me. His arms are strong and forceful, holding me as I continue to crack. Sweating and shivering, I choke on oxygen as he silently holds me, still too stunned to speak.