RARE (THEROCKAFELLABOYSSERIES#1)

"What are we doing here?"

Luke Holland

There isn't a night for the past seven days where Zoey hasn't slept in my bed. We do nothing but cuddle and that's absolutely okay with me.

What isn't is the way she treats me outside of this bedroom. It's as if I'm invisible to her, not even on her radar at all. It's sad, but I spend my days looking forward to the nights to feel butt hurt when she rolls out of bed without as much as a good morning.

The telltale signs of her wriggling about signals her imminent departure of the bed, a shocked gasp escaping her lips when I reach over to drag her back here.

"It's only early," I say into her ear, pressing a gentle kiss against it. "Nobody is awake yet."

"I need to test out some new products for my latest paid advertisement," she says, stiffening up.

I let her go, not about to hold her against her will. She grabs her dressing gown, turning to give me a look of longing when she reaches the door before slipping out of the room.

I release a frustrated sigh, resting my arms on top of the duvet. We need to talk. I need to know where we both stand, because if the way she clings to me every night is anything to go by, we're heading in a very promising direction.

It's quarter past six on a Sunday morning, there's no way I'm getting up just yet. I do my morning gratitudes instead, checking in with my sponsor who is currently away on her honeymoon.

I don't expect a response from her, making it pretty clear when we last spoke that she better not look at her phone once while she's away, but sending the email settles me.

There's a knock on my door an hour later, Leo's voice floating through here. "You up for a run?"

"Yeah," I shout back, rummaging around for my workout clothes. "I'll be five minutes."

Leo is waiting for me downstairs, hiding his face with the brim of his cap. I shove a beanie hat on my head, pulling my hood up to shield myself.

"Let's go for five miles," he says, jogging ahead of me.

I speed up to match his pace, letting him have his silence. The past week has been hell for him, watching the woman he loves suffer in so many ways.

"I think our baby was a girl," he pants when we reach the lakes, leading us down the cobbled track.

I let his words sit in for a moment, struggling to come up with the right response. "I think she would of been a daddy's girl."

When he laughs it's a nice sound. "Aye, she would."

"I can't imagine the pain you feel right now," I pant out.

His trainers skid against the ground. "It kicks you in the gut. Destroys you."

Our pace suddenly slows, my hand resting against his back in an attempt to soothe. The ducks on the lake quack at us, swimming over here to see if we have anything to give them. It shocks me when Leo pulls out two small bags of seed from his pockets.

"I have demanded a paternity test. It's being set up with my doctors next week. Kate is still deciding whether the risks of it are worth it," he says, handing me a bag over.

I stick my hand in there to throw the seed for the ravenous ducks. "Kate's the girl claiming it's your kid? Shit, bro, you went on a couple dates with her."

"I know, Luke," he says, and the anxiety he feels is real from the panic in his eyes. "That's why I need for this test to happen."

"Then you did sleep with her? You been lying to me?" I respond, grabbing the back of his jacket when he turns to walk away.