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“What’s wrong?” She furrows her brows as if she’s concerned.
“Can you just tell me why you needed to meet?” I snap. I’m irritated by the day, by her, by everything, and all I want is to crawl into bed with my girl and sleep the day away.
Her eyes widen and her lips form a straight line. “Fine, excuse me for caring. Listen, my parents want to meet you.”
Fuck. I let out a breath. “Like…now?”
“Yes.”
“I mean is it necessary…like now?”
“Everett, I’m pregnant. They are a bit curious about the guy who contributed to that.” Bile rises in my throat just like it always does when I think about what I did. What we did. I swallow it down and take a deep breath.
Why the hell did I not wrap it up? “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about it before now, but Leighton is just always…there.” She turns her nose up in the air and rolls her eyes in a circle.
“Alright, enough,” I tell her. “The digs about Leigh are getting old. Your issue is with me, not her.”
“It’s about both of you. It’s about the fact that I knew something was going on, and you would lie right to my face. It’s about the fact that you were cheating on me…with her!”
I swallow guiltily. “I know, Alli. Trust me, I feel like shit.”
“Do you? A guy that feels like shit, a guy that’s even a little bit humble wouldn’t berate me for not liking the girl he cheated on me with.”
“I’m not berating you, but I’m not going to let you insult her either,” I warn her. “Cut that shit out.”
“Whatever. Will you come to brunch on Saturday or what?” Her hands fall to her hips and she cocks her head to the side.
“Brunch?” I’m fairly certain a woman in her condition shouldn’t be having brunch.
She lets out an annoyed breath. “Not like a boozy brunch, obviously. Contrary to popular belief, brunch does exist without mimosas.”
Said no college student, ever.
“Fine, brunch.”
“Okay, so pick me up at like eleven?”
“Pick you up? Alli, it’s not a date. I’ll meet you at the restaurant.” I don’t even wait for her to protest before I’m walking away from her and back up the hill towards campus. “Text me where,” I call over my shoulder.
I slam my front door closed, grateful that I don’t see Pat or Dave in their usual spots on the couch and toss my backpack to the floor in front of the door. I’m so over this shit. I feel like my head is spinning between practice and Alli. It feels as if my entire life is going up in flames and to top it off, my relationship with Leighton is so fragile, I’m scared to breathe. I trudge up the stairs, prepared to take the longest nap, knowing that Leighton is still in class when a familiar perfume surrounds me. I push my door open to see Leighton sitting on my bed, cross legged and staring at the door like she’s waiting for me to come in.
“Well, this is a nice surprise.” I smile at her as my legs eat the distance between us and press a kiss to her lips. “I thought you had class?”
“Canceled,” she whispers, “and I wanted to be here.” I’d sent her a text after practice letting her know that I had been benched and after a string of sad face emojis she told me she’d see me later and she’d make it all better. I sit on the bed next to her and she immediately climbs into my lap before wrapping her arms around my neck. “I’m sorry.” She peppers kisses down my cheek and neck and I grab her jaw to look at her.
“You have nothing to be sorry for.” I press a kiss to her forehead and hold her tighter to my body. “I’m so glad you’re here.” I pull her hair from her high ponytail and submerge my face in it, letting the smell of her tresses calm me. “This day has just been so shitty.”
“Why? What else?”
I take a deep breath as I prepare myself for a potential argument. “Alli wants me to meet her parents.”
She tenses in my arms and just as I rub my hand down her bare arm to calm her, I feel her pulling away and out of my arms. I try to hold onto her, but she’s out of my grip and sitting next to me. “Why?” She scrunches her face together and wraps her arms around herself.
“Leighton…”
“Why do you need to meet her parents? Is she introducing you as her boyfriend?”
“No! No way. She knows I’m with you.”
