“I shouldn’t have let you come in here,” he muttered. He exhaled a shaky sigh and ran a hand back through his hair, messing it up. “I didn’t want you to see…”
“Jake, what’s going on?” I demanded. “You have to tell me the truth.”
His eyes flashed. “Don’t raise your voice at me.”
“What? Jake, I just want to know what’s happening with you - and this.” I gestured to the trash can where the pills lay.
Jake’s mouth went tight. He paused for a moment, like he was mentally beating himself up for leaving things out in the open, but then he turned his ferocity on me.
“You have to calm down and listen, or else I’m gonna get too frustrated to tell you. Especially if you freak out at me like that,” he growled.
How could I not be freaking out?I thought silently. But I didn’t want Jake to run away, like he was so prone to doing.
“Okay,” I said. “Let’s both calm down. I’m listening.”
Jake crossed his arms. He wouldn’t meet my eyes now. “So, the other night. I didn’t have any morning-after pills. I ran out. But I didn’t know that until the next day.”
His clipped words made it clear he was quite anxious.
“Then what happened?” I encouraged.
Jake bit his lip. “I went to buy more, but the pharmacy ran out. Don’t ask. It was fucking stupid.” He swallowed hard and rubbed his arm, as if to soothe himself. “Then…”
When he trailed off, I asked, “What? Then what happened?”
“Um.” He shook his head. “It was fine, I went to a different place. I got the pills.” He stopped again. I noticed he was tapping his foot.
If Jake had bought the pills on Sunday, and the tray was still completely full…
“You didn’t take one?” I asked.
Jake froze. “No.”
The weight of disbelief settled on my shoulders, crushing me down. It became difficult to breathe.
“You didn’t take a morning-after pill,” I repeated, a statement instead of a question.
“No, I didn’t,” Jake confirmed quietly.
Jake could have been pregnant.
Stars swam in my vision. My eyes clenched shut and I backed up until I hit the wall.
Jake, who didn’t want a serious relationship. Jake, who apparently hated the idea of babies and pregnancy. Jake - the omega I’d had unprotected sex with only days earlier, and who didn’t immediately take a morning-after pill.
All I could manage to say was, “Why?”
Jake stared at the floor. “I don’t know.”
“When were you planning on telling me this?” I asked.
He flinched. “You said you weren’t going to raise your voice at me.”
“This is serious, Jake,” I said. “You could be pregnant right now. Do you know how long the threshold is for taking a morning-after pill? It’s something like five days maximum!”
His lips curled into a snarl. “Don’t you think I fucking know that? What is wrong with you? I thought you’d be happy to know I didn’t take one!”
I stopped like I’d been struck. “Why?”
