I love him; I always have. However, having kids or not, having kids is something you can't compromise on. I don’t want him to miss out on that part of his life if it’s something he truly wants, but I also don’t want to give in if it’s not something I want.
I want him. I know that.
However, I can’t promise him that someday I’ll want to start a family, and that wouldn’t be fair to him.
“Brin’s still not here?” Maia sits down next to Avalon in the booth, Ember and I sitting across from them.
“No, she hasn’t even sent a text in the group chat.” I lean forward, resting on the table.
I told the girls I needed advice, but I wanted to get all of their input at once. Mainly so I don’t have to rehash the situation more than once.
The bell rings above the door, but Brinley doesn’t enter. Instead, a frantic Declan enters.
“Declan?” Ember’s eyebrows furrow. “What are—”
“I need you to not say anything,” he begs.
“Say anything about—”
The bell rings again, and this time Brinley enters. She brushes by Declan, acting as if he’s not even there, and squeezes in next to Maia.
My eyes are instantly drawn to it, the purplish-black bruise surrounding her eye.
“Hey, Brin, happy you made it.” I can’t stop staring at her eye.
“I’m not an idiot, goober; I know you warned them about it before I came in. You running into the diner was not at all subtle.” She glances up at Declan, who’s running a hand through his hair.
“Have I told you lately how amazing you are?” He clasps his hands together, rocking back on his heels.
“Don’t even.”
“What the hell happened to your eye?” Ember reaches out, almost like she plans to touch it, but then pulls her hand back.
Brinley doesn’t say anything; she just looks up at her brother.
“Oh my god, Declan hit you?!” Ember jumps out of the booth, ready to beat the hell out of her boyfriend.
“With a door.” Declan holds up his arms to try to block Ember’s hands, which drop the second he says that.
“A door?” Her head tilts.
“How did he hit you with—” The realization strikes before I can finish my sentence. “Oh, your door.”
“Yeah, the door I was told WAS FIXED!”
“It was a miscommunication.”
“Miscommunication?” Maia glances up at Declan.
“Jaxon texted me asking if I fixed Brinley’s door, but I missed the question mark in his text. So, I read it as ‘the door’s fixed’even though he just said ‘door’s fixed’ because I missed the question mark,” he repeats that last part with a hint of disappointment in his voice.
“So, I didn’t even bother to check my door when I went in to do my skincare this morning. Next thing I know, I can’t get out of the door, and I have a final to take in less than an hour.” She glares at Declan. “I called Alex even though I knew he was in a final, and then called my amazing brother.”
“So, how did the black eye happen. How did the door give her a black eye?” Avalon rests her head against her hand, fully invested in the story.
“I got to Brin’s place and was trying to run into her door, hoping it would open, but I couldn't get it to budge.”
“It took all of us the last time it got stuck.” I shrug, motioning around the table.
