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I nod, and he takes my elbow, steering me outside and down the block. We head into the diner, and he leads me over to a booth in the back.
“Can I get you something to drink?” The waitress asks in a bored tone.
“Ginger ale,” I say right away, and Anson frowns.
I never used to be able to stand ginger ale or even Sprite, but I can’t seem to stop drinking it now.
“Pregnancy. Morning sickness,” I tell him, and understanding dawns on him.
He ducks his head, looking ashamed that he didn’t already know that, and I glance back out the window and over to the Veteran’s Hospital.
“Just a water, please.”
She nods, ambling away, and I look back to Anson.
“So?”
“I can not tell you how sorry I am, Lottie.”
“You’ve told me.”
“I know, but that doesn’t make up for what happened. I handled all of this all wrong. I’m not used to being in situations like this. You were… you were my first, and it was the best moment of my life… until I thought about telling Rhett.”
I swallow hard. I’ve been trying not to think about our night together that much, but I have to admit that I never once thought about things from his perspective.
“I didn’t know that you were a virgin, too,” I whisper, and he nods.
“I’ve only ever wanted you, Lot. No one else was ever good enough.”
I can feel myself softening towards him, but I can’t have that. He disappeared for weeks. He doesn’t get to just say sorry and everything goes back to normal. I steel my spine, straightening my shoulders as I try to stare him down.
"I know that it might not seem like it after what happened,” he continues, and I snort.
“We were friends. We werefamily,” I stress. “And you ghosted me!”
“I know. I’m not explaining this right at all. I really did panic. I was afraid that you were going to wake up and say that you were drunk and you’d be upset that we slept together, maybe even regret it. Then Rhett would be pissed at me too. I thought I was going to lose both of you, and I guess I ran so I wouldn’t have to face that happening.”
“It wouldn’t have.”
“I know that now,” he says. “I almost came back that night, but by the time I worked up the courage, I had to report to base. I wasn’t intentionally avoiding you that first week. I was in training and barely had time to eat or sleep. I swear,” he says, and I nod.
“That doesn’t explain all of the other weeks, though,” I point out, and he sighs.
“I just… it was like too much time had passed. I didn’t know how to make any of it right.”
The waitress comes back, dropping off our drinks. She takes one look at us and doesn’t bother asking if we’re ready to order. I wonder if she can sense the tension between us and is figuring it’s not worth it.
“How’s the pregnancy? How have you been feeling?” He asks, trying to change the subject.
I can see that he’s nervous to ask, but he looks excited about the baby. I start to soften towards him again, and I grit my teeth. I’m not forgiving him that easily.
“The morning sickness has been rough.”
He nods, seeming so excited about our future together, and that’s when I start to get really angry.
He’s acting like everything is fine between us. Like he can just say sorry and we’ll go back to… well, to whatever.
Maybe it’s the baby hormones or maybe I’m just overtired. Either way, I find myself fisting my hands under the table and glaring at him.
