Stepping closer, I push an ear up to the space. My breath quiets as I listen.
“Don't lie to me. I saw the picture on your fridge.” I can hear the stress in the man's voice.
“I’m not lying, Jared. It’s not yours,” Allison insists in a high-pitched voice.
My hand is poised to push open the door, but Jared’s next words stop me.“The timing fits, Allison.”
What. The. Fuck.
“It's not yours," Allison insists. The pitch in her voice is higher now, desperation leaking through.
“I don't know who you think that baby belongs to, but whoever he is didn't spend a weekend fucking you. And I don't think you need to be reminded that we ran out of condoms halfway through.”
“Shut up,” Allison screeches. “Just shut up.”
“I’m giving you twenty-four hours to tell whoever he is the truth. If you don't, I'll find him myself and tell him.”
Footsteps come closer. I step away and hurry down the hall, turning my back toward Allison's place and pretend to be waiting in front of someone else's door. Behind me, I hear Allison’s door close and those same footsteps stomp down the hallway to the elevator. A moment later the elevator announces its arrival with a ding. I wait a few more seconds, then turn around. Jared is gone.
Slowly I walk to Allison's door and knock.
She answers with her face already arranged in an expression of anger. The anger vanishes, and shock takes its place.
“Aidan? What are you doing here?”
“Is that really the question you want to ask, Allison? Don't you mean to ask me if I heard you and Jared?”
She takes a step back, her hand coming up to cover her open mouth. “Aidan, I…” She shakes her head. “I…”
“Why, Allison? Why?”
Tears pour down her face. "I'm sorry. So sorry. Jared… he's my ex. He's not very nice, Aidan. I don't know if he's the father, or you are. I swear on everything, that's the truth. But I do know who I'd rather it be.” She looks at me so pitifully, so sorrowfully, but it doesn’t displace any of my outrage.
“So you were just going to let me believe I was the father when you didn't know for certain?"Un-fucking-believable.I’m such an idiot. I should’ve pushed for a paternity test the second the words left her lips that day in the cafe.
She nods, shame coloring her cheeks. “I know how awful that sounds, but I just wanted to pretend that the father wasn't somebody like Jared. If he is…” A shudder moves her shoulders. “I don't know if I can handle it. Haven't you ever wished something weren't true?”
“Of course I have. But that doesn't give you the right to mislead me. Not only that but, Natalie.Natalie.” I rub my face with my hands. It's hard to say at what point I realize I'm standing in the wrong place. I know I shouldn’t be here anymore, and it's like bricks raining down upon me.
“How soon can you get a test?” I ask, my voice intense.
“I’ll ask the doctor today,” she says tearfully. “It’s just a simple blood test and—”
“That’s enough,” I tell her, backing out of her apartment.
She follows, her arm outstretched. “Aidan, I—”
“Bye, Allison.”
I hurry to the elevator. As I wait for it, I look back. Allison stands in her doorway, one hand on her stomach and her eyes squeezed shut.
The doors open and I step on, willing the damn thing to go faster. Glancing at my watch, I see it's only mid-afternoon. That means Natalie is still at work. I have an idea, and I hope to hell she comes straight home after work today. But if she doesn’t, it doesn’t matter. I'll wait all night for her.
* * *
I've done it.I've been uptown, downtown, and everywhere in between. My arms are loaded with Natalie's favorite flower, ice cream, dinner, drink, salsa, and perfume. My final stop is at a store that sells random junk. I came in here once to buy a bottle of water and noticed a basket of heart shaped rocks on the check-out counter.
I push aside the rocks until I find the best one.
