Silver Lining

four.

"Pregnant?" he whispers the word for the third time, and I nod again, "I, um..."

I'm half convinced he's going to be the one throwing up next, not me.

"I didn't come here to mess things up with your life, I just thought you deserved to know before I leave, I don't expect anything from you," I say, making sure he knows; I only came to tell him about it, not to ask him of anything.

"Fuck, you're leaving soon," he runs his hands over his face, "Iris, I'm so sorry this has happened."

"Me too," I whisper, "It's my fault, the condoms must have expired or something."

"Don't blame yourself for that, it's a mistake anyone could make," he tells me, still somewhat staring and in shock. "Are you keeping it?"

"I'm not sure, I want to-"

"You should then," he says, and I laugh.

"It's not that simple, Nathan, I'm sleeping on my friend's couch and I'm moving home to my parents who certainly won't support me," I feel myself getting emotional again, I can't cope with these hormones, "And you have Laura, nothing about this can work."

"Laura, what about Laura?" he frowns and I curse myself for letting that slip, "Please tell me you don't think she's my girlfriend or something?" After a beat of silence, he laughs, "Iris, she's my sister."

"Oh," I whisper. Now I feel like a clown; well done, Iris, you've been holding a grudge over his sister.

"You really thought after I slept with you and while still in your bed I would answer my phone to a girlfriend?" he asks and I sheepishly nod, "That explains the messages then."

"Sorry," I whisper again, "I didn't know and you can't blame me for that, you say a woman's name and then you tell her that you love her, what else am I supposed to think?"

Silence flows between us until he speaks up, "I don't want you going to Montanna yet, if you need a place to stay you can take my spare room until you can find an apartment in the city."

"I can't do that, Nathan."

"Why not?"

"I don't even know you, I can't just move in," I stress, because he's quite literally a stranger, "You don't know who I am, hell, not even my last name."

He sighs, "You're pregnant with my baby, so we'll be getting to know each other pretty quickly anyway, and you leaving to live across the country right now isn't good timing."

"You don't think I don't know that?" I snap involuntarily, but surely he doesn't think so, "I don't want to move either right now, but you are a stranger, Nathan. Having sex with someone and living with someone is an entirely different ball game."

"I know, I do, but your room will be on the second floor, it has a bathroom and closet, and you'll barely see nor bother us-"

"Us?" I immediately question, hoping to God he doesn't live at home with his parents.

"I'm a dad already, Iris," he murmurs, and my heart stops, my eyes filling with tears at the words. I'm a homewrecker now too. "Please don't cry."

"I'm not," I whisper, a tear falling.

"It looks like you are," he says.

"It's the hormones," I choke out before taking a sip of my drink, "I just didn't expect you to say that."

"I have three girls," he adds, shocking me once more. "They're called Elise, Addie and Nova, their mom died two years ago, it's just us."

"Fuck, I'm so sorry for your loss."