Unfinished Business

Chapter 4: Talking About the Future

Lena leaned against the counter, tryin' to process everything. Que was here, in her house, finally ready to talk, but now that the moment had come, it all felt too big. She wiped her hands on a dish towel, tryna buy herself some time, but Que wasn't waitin'. He had that look in his eyes—serious, no time for games. This was real now.

He hadn't moved since he touched her belly. His voice was calm, but she could see the storm brewin' inside him. "So what's the plan, Lena?"

She blinked, caught off guard. "The plan?"

"Yeah, you know, with the baby. You been tryna reach me for months, now I'm here. So what's up? What we doin'?"

Lena bit her lip, her hands shakin' a little as she thought about all the nights she spent wonderin' how this conversation was gonna go. Now it was here, and she didn't even know where to start.

"Well," she started slowly, "I'm gonna keep the baby, obviously. I'm already almost four months. I'm tryin' to figure it all out, Que. It's a lot."

Que nodded, but his jaw was still clenched. "You gon' stay out here? Or you comin' back home?"

Lena sighed, feelin' the weight of that question. She hadn't really thought about it, but now that Que was here, it hit her hard. "I don't know yet. I just got out here, Que. I'm tryna focus on school, but now everything's different. I don't know if I can just go back home."

Que was quiet for a moment, lookin' down at the floor. "I ain't askin' you to drop everything. I just wanna know what you want. I know I messed up by not bein' there from the start, but I'm here now. And I'm tryna figure out how we gon' make this work."

Lena felt a tear slip down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it away. "I don't even know, Que. I been out here by myself, tryna figure it out alone, and now you show up, and I don't even know what to say."

Que sighed, runnin' a hand over his head. "Look, I get it. I'm sorry I wasn't there. I was mad. I was hurt. But I ain't about to run no more. I'm here, and I'm ready to step up, but I can't do this alone."

Lena's heart clenched at his words. He was tryin', she could see that. But this was bigger than just showin' up and sayin' he wanted to be involved. There was a lot of hurt between them, and the baby was only part of it.

"I know you wanna be there," Lena said softly, "and I want you to be there too. But it ain't gon' be easy. We're not together anymore. And I don't even know where we stand."

Que stared at her, his dark eyes filled with an emotion she hadn't seen in a while. "I still care about you, Lena. You know that. This baby don't change that. But I ain't tryna force nothin'. I just want us to figure out what's best for the kid."

Lena nodded, her chest tight. "We will. But we need time, Que. We need to figure this out slowly. I can't just jump back into everything like nothin' happened."

Que stepped closer to her, his voice low. "I'm here, Lena. And I'm stayin'. I ain't about to leave you alone in this."

Lena felt the warmth of his words, but there was still so much left unsaid. She wanted to believe him, but the pain of the past few months was still fresh. The image of him with that girl at the party haunted her. She couldn't forget how quickly he seemed to move on after everything they shared.

She looked down at her hands, tryin' to hold it together. "I know you mean well, Que. I know you wanna do right by me and the baby. But we gotta take this slow. I'm still hurtin'. We both are."

Que nodded, his expression softenin'. "I get that. I ain't tryin' to rush nothin'. I just wanna be there for you and the kid, that's all."

They stood there in silence for a moment, the weight of their situation hangin' heavy in the air. Lena knew they had a long road ahead of them, but for the first time in months, she didn't feel so alone.

A Plan in Motion

A few days passed, and Que stayed true to his word. He was there, helpin' her with groceries, askin' how she was feelin', and makin' sure she had what she needed. It was weird havin' him back in her life like that, but it also felt right. They were still keepin' things simple, not rushin' into any deep conversations about their relationship, but it was clear that Que was tryna make up for lost time.

One afternoon, they sat together at the kitchen table, papers spread out in front of them. They were goin' over the basics—doctor's appointments, schedules, and how they were gonna manage everything with Lena still bein' in school.

"So, you stayin' out here?" Que asked, glancin' at her.

Lena nodded. "Yeah. I don't think it makes sense to come back home right now. I wanna finish the semester at least, and then we'll see."

Que nodded, respectin' her choice. "Alright. I'll be flyin' back and forth when I need to, but I'm gon' be around as much as I can."

Lena smiled softly. "Thanks, Que. It means a lot."

He met her gaze, his expression serious. "This baby's ours, Lena. I ain't about to be a part-time dad."

Lena felt a warmth spread through her chest at his words. For all the uncertainty they still faced, she knew one thing for sure—Que was committed to this. And that meant more to her than he knew.

The Past Creeps In

As the weeks passed, Lena started to feel more settled. She had a routine—school, prenatal appointments, and Que checkin' in regularly. They weren't back together, but they were co-parentin', tryna figure out what was best for the baby. And that was enough for now.

But as the baby grew, so did the memories. Lena couldn't shake the image of Que at that party, his arms wrapped around another girl like she was nothin'. She kept tellin' herself it didn't matter. They weren't together when it happened, and she had been the one to break things off. But no matter how much she tried to push it down, it still hurt.

One evening, after Que had left, Lena sat on the couch, her mind wanderin'. She knew they had a lot to figure out, but part of her wondered if they'd ever be able to fix what was broken between them. Could they really co-parent without all the old feelings gettin' in the way? And if they couldn't, what would that mean for their baby?

She sighed, rubbin' her belly as she thought about the future. No matter what, she had to stay strong. For the baby. For herself.

But the more she thought about it, the more she realized this was only the beginning. There were still so many questions left unanswered, and deep down, Lena wasn't sure if they were ready for what was comin' next.