Sure I do. But it involves a lot of expletives and screaming, maybe even punching things, and she doesn't need to see or hear any of that. Pinching the bridge of my nose, I squeeze my eyes tight and murmur, “How am I going to tell Natalie?”
“Natalie?” Allison's eyes are wide, her face shocked. “Natalie, as in your best friend? Why do you care so much about her reaction?” Light dawns in Allison's eyes even as she speaks. She crosses her arms and looks out the window, her eyes teary.
“This isn't how I saw this going,” Allison says.
“How did you see this going?”
Allison looks back to me. Two tears have managed to escape her eyes and are rolling down her cheeks.
“We got along well, you know? We smiled, and we laughed, even if we really only met for sex. We had chemistry.” She laughs once, a vacant sound. “I had this fantasy where you were happy to hear the news. You were shocked, but you got over it. You wanted to start a relationship with me. We went to doctor’s appointments, and my stomach grew bigger.” She reaches down and rubs a circle over her midsection. “When you first mentioned Natalie, I thought it was weird you had a girl as your best friend. But after a while, I grew comfortable with that because it didn't seem like there was anything there. And then we saw her on the street that night. I should have known when you said you weren’t feeling well after we saw her.” She shakes her head. “I should've known.”
“When is your appointment?” I want to steer her away from the topic of Natalie.
“Wednesday. Four o'clock.”
“Are you sure? That I’m the father?”
Allison’s eyes fill with outrage. “You have got to be fucking kidding me,” she hisses, her eyes flashing and her top lip curling. She stands, and for a moment I wonder if she'll toss her full cup of coffee in my face. I flinch, preparing for it, but she steps away from the table.
“See you Wednesday, Aidan. I’ll text you the address. And in the meantime, fuck off.” She stalks away, the tinkling bell above the door signaling her exit.
“Fuck,” I mutter, finishing the last of my coffee and tossing it into the trash. I toss her coffee in the trash too, then put on my coat and walk out the door. I stop when I get outside, looking up at the gray sky. It continues to drop globs of wet snow, and if I wasn't so close to my work, I'd lift my hand and give the darkened sky the bird.
There is only one place I can go now, even though everything inside of me is telling me to turn around and go in the opposite direction. Pulling out my phone, I send Natalie a text. We were supposed to meet for dinner, but I've asked her to meet me at her apartment instead. Natalie won't be off work until five, and by the time I make it to her apartment, it's only four thirty. I pass her building, go over one block, and settle at the bar of an Irish pub. If there were ever a time when a man deserves a shot of whiskey, it's right now.
18
Natalie
“Why do you look so happy?”Savannah stands at the entrance to my cubicle, her forearm resting on the top of the short wall. In her other hand, she holds a cup of chamomile tea.
“No reason,” I lie, thinking of Aidan's most recent text message. I wonder why he wants to meet me at my apartment before dinner.Probably a quickie. I try not to smile under the scrutinizing glare of Savannah. Maybe right now her own phone is lighting up with a text message from Aidan, and he’s pulling a fast one on her like he did to his roommates yesterday. Even though we almost got caught, it was worth it. Rob and Jasper came back before I could get out of there, bitching and moaning through Aidan’s door about how he stood them up. We waited for the TV to turn on, and while their backs were turned, I crept like a burglar behind them. When my hand was on the doorknob, Rob noticed me. “Best, when did you get here?” he’d asked me. I turned around, glanced at Aidan, and said, “Just now.” Then I stayed for another hour.
Savannah sips her tea, her gaze going below my desk.
“I don't have it,” I tell her. I know she's looking for my gym bag.
She pouts. “I’m torturing myself alone tonight?”
“Afraid so.”
“What are you doing instead?”
“Don't you have work to do?” I ask.
“You're seeing a guy, aren't you? Is he from your dating app?”
I hold up my hands. “Guilty as charged.”
“People from those apps can be dangerous. Where are you meeting him? Someone else should always know where you're supposed to be.”
“I’m waiting for him to tell me what restaurant we're going to.”
She points a finger at me. “And then you'll tell me.”
I cross my heart, and she laughs. Savannah returns to her cubicle, and I glance at the time on my phone. Twenty-four more minutes before I get out of here and haul ass back to my apartment. I can't wait to see Aidan.
* * *
