Tattooed On You

XVIIII: High AF

Waking up with a huge hangover even though I didn't have that much to drink last night must be a talent. My eyes are swollen and feel dry, my throat is somehow sore, and my head is drumming at the beat of my heart. I've certainly had better Saturday morning wake-ups.

Doing as my eyes almost beg me to do, I close them again, hoping that the swollen and dry feeling disappears. After what feels like only a minute though, my phone vibrates, and I blindly reach for the device, curious who's texting me.

When I open my eyes, I first need to get used to the bright light. The hard white is making my headache even worse, and before I can do anything, I have to adjust the brightness of my screen. And after I did that, I see that it was Mia who sent me a message.

Mia: Why do perfect guys always have a past? Talked to Coop, and now I desperately need to talk to you. Don't worry, Coop and I are okay. X

I frown while reading her message. She doesn't give me much, yet something tells me that whatever she needs to get off her chest is big. I'm immediately awake, and while I sit up, I call her so she can spill.

"Hi," she answers after the first tone. I think she expected me to call.

"Hi," I say, noticing how her voice is soft. "Can you talk?"

I hear some noise in the background before a door shuts, and then Mia speaks again, a little louder. "Yeah, Coop's still asleep. I'm in the living."

She sounds tired, and I guess that she didn't sleep much. It makes me wonder what the hell is going on even more, and therefore, I can't wait any longer. "Okay. So, what's happened?"

Mia blows out a long, heavy sigh. "Gosh Jo, it's such a mess. His ex is insane."

"That's always the case, bimbo. Exes are bitches." Trust me on this one, I can know.

"But this one is insane. Like if there were an Olympics for insanity, she would win the gold with a world record."

I try my hardest to not giggle at her example. Typically Mia. Jesus, do I miss her. "What did she do?"

"Well, she's pregnant. And like, heavily pregnant. Ready-to-pop-pregnant. And now she's saying Cooper is the father," she tells me, surprisingly steady.

I, on the other hand, couldn't be more confused. This is definitely not the plot twist I expected.

"What?" I ask, mostly because I need more. I need more to this because, in my head, this does not add up.

"Coop and I are dating for almost eight months now," Mia starts, thankfully understanding that I need some background information. "He'd just ended things with his ex when we got official. His ex is now thirty-nine weeks pregnant. Cooper says there is only a small chance that it's his because they hardly had sex during the last weeks of their relationship, but because he is such a fucking good guy, he agreed to meet with her and hear her out."

"Oh my God," I gasp. I did not see this coming. "But what if it is his?"

On the other end, I hear Mia sigh again. "I don't know, Jo. I'm so fucking confused and torn. I love him. I love him so so much, I don't want to be without him. But I want him for myself. And if this child is his, I'll always have to share him. Not only with the kid, but also with her. She will always have a connection with him, and I hate that idea."

"Okay, hold up," I stop her just as she takes a deep breath. "We're getting ahead of things. First of all, it's weird that she only tells him now. If she's so sure that it's Cooper's, she would've reached out sooner. It sounds weird to me, Mia. Also, the fact that Cooper told you all this, and right off the bat too, tells me he didn't know until yesterday either. Try to be in this together until you know for sure, okay?"