Everything Unexpected (12 page)

“This one is my favorite,” Cal points to a lone shot of Natalia. I can’t disagree. She looks amazing in it. She’s lying down on a bed of rumpled sheets. She changed into a black corset and panty set with white accents. She’s stares up into the camera, lust and sex written all over her face. I can’t say it didn’t affect me a little, standing above her, her entire body filling my lens.

It felt like every photo I took of her, we were having a silent conversation. She was hinting at her wants and I was hinting at mine. An agreement that if we were both up to it, we could have some simple fun—no strings attached.

I obviously need a distraction, maybe she does too. Maybe her’s is as simple as not wanting to be alone on Valentine’s Day. As long as she’s good with this being nothing serious and just a bit of fun, why pass it up? Some entertainment that can jump start me back into regular life. Life before I had sex with Leah Kessel.

The sounds of footsteps and laughter come from behind us. The girls are getting ready to leave but I notice Natalia hang back. I look back to Cal who is still skimming through shots on the laptop.

“Pack up everything and put it in the van. I’ll meet you in a couple of hours,” I tell him, grabbing my jacket.

He looks up at me, eyes narrowing. “Where are you going?”

“I’ll see you in a couple of hours,” I repeat, walking away.

“I’m supposed to pack all this up myself?” he calls out after me.

I turn back and smile. “You’re the intern.”

I hear him grumble a few words, looking around at all of our equipment. A small part of me does feel bad leaving him to do all the packing on his own, but it’s quickly forgotten when I meet Natalia near the exit of the studio.

“Heading out?” I ask.

Her lips form a knowing smile. “You too?”

I lean in closer, raising an arm against the door frame. I watch her eyes skim my outstretched skin before making their way back to my face. She says nothing, waiting for the invite she knows is coming.

“You want to get a drink? Celebrate a day well shot,” I ask, my lips curling into a grin.

Her smile disappears as she leans in, closing the gap between us. “I think we can celebrate in another way,” she says slowly in my ear.

I lean back a little in order to get a better look at her before I nod once, opening the door.

“After you.”

I’M SITTING ON my couch watching the game. Or at least trying to watch but failing miserably. As soon as my flight from New York landed, I had a text waiting from Leah asking if she could come over tonight. I immediately replied, letting her know to come over whenever she wanted. That was four hours ago. I’ve been sitting and waiting for her since.

Throughout my trip, there was a distance between us that had nothing to do with me being across the world. It was strange. Uncomfortable. I’m hoping that with this visit we can put the distance behind us. Maybe she’ll tell me about her date and maybe I’ll tell her about Natalia. We’ll talk, just like we used to. It will be just like it was, like I promised it would stay all those weeks ago.

If there is one thing these weeks have told me, it’s that Leah Kessel means more to me than almost anyone, and I will do anything to make sure she stays that way. I miss the way we were before my birthday. As incredible as that night was, if that means I need to forget about a few hours in our past in order to have many years in our future, I’ll do it.

When the knock at the door finally comes, I jump and am opening it too quickly to come off as casual. But I don’t care. I’ve missed this girl, and I know seeing her will immediately put me at ease.

“You’re exactly what I needed to feel home,” I say smiling, opening the door wide.

Her smile, on the other hand, barely makes a dent in her cheeks. She brushes her hair behind her ear, a telltale sign she’s nervous. “Hey.”

And that’s all she says.

No “I missed you too” or “I’m so glad you’re home.” She shifts from one high heeled shoe to the other. She must have come straight from work because she’s dressed in a form fitting gray skirt and a cream blouse. Not the usual shorts and t-shirt I’m used to seeing her in. She’s rubbing her palms up and down her thighs, not even noticing the repetitive behavior. She also hasn’t been able to look me in the eye for longer than a fleeting glance.

This is not exactly what I was expecting.

I open the door wider, inviting her in. She makes her way slowly to the center of the room, her purse dropping from her shoulder and falling to the chair.

“You want a beer?” I ask.

Her face lights up for a brief second at the offer before pressing her lips together and shaking her head. “Water?

“Sure.”

I grab a bottle from the fridge and walk over to her. She still hasn’t taken a seat. Offering her the bottle, she accepts it but barely smiles. Turning to the sofa and falling into it, I thought she’d follow suit but she continues to stand, now tapping her fingers against the bottle.

Everything about this feels wrong. She seems so uncomfortable and unsure of herself. I’ve never seen her act this way, not even the night before I left for my trip—and those circumstances were way more awkward.

“You want to sit?” I offer.

“Where’s Bryan?” she asks.

I raise my brows at her question, surprised. “He went to Kendall’s.”

Now it’s her turn to look surprised.

“Don’t ask. I’ve long given up figuring those two out.”

She nods but seems even more nervous now knowing we’re alone. Was she hoping he’d be here so she wouldn’t have to be alone with me? God, I hope not. Or maybe she was hoping he wouldn’t be here, give us more privacy. But for what?

“You’re making me fucking nervous,” I tell her, sitting up straight. “Would you sit down?”

She looks over at me and holds my stare. This is the longest she’s looked at me without glancing away.

“Could we…go to your room?” she asks, almost shyly.

Those words throw me for a loop. First she won’t look me in the eye and now she wants to go to my bedroom? She is completely kicking me off balance. I don’t understand what—

Then a thought hits me.

Is it possible she’s looking to…go at it again?

My mind takes off with thoughts, most of which are why this would be a bad idea. After the first and only time, it took days before she’d even talk to me. The thought of us maybe having sex only to be followed by silence is not something I want to go through again. Then I remember how we were that night. How in sync we were. How amazing it was.

Speculation that her Valentine’s Day date must not have gone well makes a brief appearance in my mind. Mine with Natalia, on the other hand, was very simple. We didn’t even go out for that drink. We went back to her box sized apartment and did exactly what we knew we’d do. But I quickly push those thoughts aside, not wanting to think about them right now.

I look at Leah and see how vulnerable she seems. How nervous she looks, waiting for me to respond. But I also notice how beautiful she looks, how sexy she is in her work clothes, and I know my decision is made.

I stand and walk towards the bedroom, Leah following right behind.

I slowly close the bedroom door and watch her as she briefly glances at the bed.

I take a step forward but she takes an equal step back, stopping me from moving closer.

“Maybe you should sit down,” she says, her tone serious.

Confused, I stay put. “I thought—”

“Please,” she says quietly.

The soft pleading tone of her voice make my feet move and I sit at the edge of the bed, watching her as she begins to pace the room.

“Comb—” I start but am interrupted right away.

“While you were gone, something happened. It actually happened before you left but I only found out about it later. I would have told you sooner but it was a shock. A big one. Not one I ever saw coming and am positive not one you saw coming, but it’s here and I need to figure it out.
We
need to figure it out. This wasn’t something I wanted to tell you over the phone or through text, so I’ve just been waiting for you to come home. Waiting for days for you to come home. I don’t know what I’m going to do—what we should do—but we need to do something. Because time is ticking.”

Her words and her pacing aren’t making any sense to me. “Time?”

She stops midstride, turns and looks at me. I watch as she grabs her purse from the bed, not even noticing her bringing it in. She opens the flap, reaching inside and pulls something out. Pulls several things out and places them on the bed beside me.

I’ve seen these before. In television commercials or in a store because they are always beside the condoms. But I’ve never seen them this close. Or out of their boxes. And never with small positive pink lines marked on them. Even though I know what these are and I know what those pink lines mean, I can’t put together what she’s trying to tell me.

I look up at her and see her eyes darting from me to those sticks over and over, terrified. I want to ask her of what. The white plastic sticks? The pink lines? Me?

“Say something, please,” she whispers.

I blink a few times and look back down at the sticks. Understanding of what she’s saying begins to creep in, but I must be in shock or denial because the only thing that comes to mind is she peed on those sticks and they are now on my bed.

Gross
.

I hear a sharp intake of breath and realize I must have said that last bit out loud. I look back up and see her eyes begin to glisten with unshed tears.

Shit.

She hastily picks the sticks up off the bed, shoving them back into her purse, clearly upset at my choice of words—word. I reach out and place my hands on top of hers, stopping her from grabbing more sticks.

“Stop, stop,” I say gripping her hands tighter, fighting her to keep from moving. “STOP!”

She looks at me and it kills me to see how frightened and…disappointed in me she looks. If Rocky Balboa were to throw a punch at me right now, I’d have an easier time getting up from it than from the look on her face. This is a punch I’m not sure how to get up from.

I close my eyes for a second before opening them again. Hopefully, this time something better will come out of my mouth.

“Are you sure?” I ask.

She snorts, lifting whatever sticks are in her hand up to my face. “Pretty much.”

“Aren’t those things constantly wrong? I hear that all the time. Maybe you just did it wrong or—”

“I’ve been to a clinic,” she cuts me off. “Blood test was positive.”

My shoulders fall, my breath stuck somewhere between my lungs and lips. I sit in silence for a few minutes, unsure of what to say. This news could not be further from what I expected to hear or happen tonight. If a purple elephant came crashing through my window and started to dance, it would not shock me more than this news has.

She’s waiting for me to say something but my mind is blank. I know I need to say something, try and comfort her but my vocabulary is at a standstill. Words of support aren’t seeming to form either. I’m at a complete loss, and I hate how incompetent it’s making me feel.

“You said something about time?” I finally speak, clearing my throat.

She takes a breath and sits next to me, staring straight ahead just as I am. “To figure out what to do.”

It takes me a minute to understand her meaning. “You mean…”

She nods.

“Wow,” I say.

“I have an appointment in a week. To go over options. I can let you know what they say—”

“I’ll go with you,” I rush out.

She turns her head so we are facing each other. I see a small wave of relief flash across her eyes, and it pains me to think she thought for one second she’d have to do this alone. I would never leave her to face this alone.

“I’ll go with you,” I say again before taking both her hands in mine and kissing her fingers.

“Okay,” she says quietly, her voice shaking.

I pull her closer and wrap an arm around her shoulders. I keep her there, holding her for I have no idea how long. I feel one of her tears fall and land on my arm but I do nothing to wipe it away, too scared I’ll startle her and she’ll look up and see what I’m trying so hard to hide. So I continue to stroke her hair and the length of her back, praying she doesn’t look up and see the pure unimaginable terror in my eyes.