Acquiesce

Chapter 11

At first it was easy to go without Liam I was used to not seeing him for months but as promised, he sent the new album, (What's the Story) Morning Glory? I was curious to listen to it, it just looked more intriguing than Definitely Maybe.

He'd hidden another note with the booklet again.

"You like universal rock/ pop NOT britpop, right? Got even less time now but always got time for you. LG x"

Of course he wasn't going to make it easy to cut him off, I hadn't had the balls to say it, as far as he knew we were carrying on as normal.

I kept the note and gave both albums a listen, at last, not counting the times Jared had blasted it through his shitty car system. Definitely Maybe was actually very much my thing (I had to make sure that Noel never found out that I liked his work) while (What's the Story) Morning Glory? was a bit too pop. I gave the second album to Jared since I didn't want to listen to it again.

"How the fuck have you got this already?" was his reaction as he inspected it like he thought it was a bootleg or something.

"I've got contacts." I told him slyly.

"You know him, you proper know Liam and you've been a secretive little bitch all this time." he accused.

"Calm down. It's only an album, can take it back if you're gonna be like that." I wasn't having him call me a secretive bitch, he didn't know because it wasn't his business and he needed to stay out of it.

"That article was true." he realised. "You're fucking with him, aren't you?"

"No!" I flat out denied. "We're friends, alright?"

He snorted, seeing right through my lies. "No way, you don't hide friends like that."

"Believe what you want but that is not me and Liam, I am married and he's the world's biggest ego, not my type, at all." I denied again. "We're friends, barely even that."

"You can't lie to me." he insisted. "Just admit it, I won't tell Enzo or anyone else."

"There's nothing to admit, Jared." I responded forcefully, if I could convince Aaron, I could certainly convince him. "Just take the CD and be happy you don't have to spend all day in the Megastore's queue."

"Fine but just remember, I'm your brother, you're meant to tell me everything. The truth." He went for emotional blackmail but he accepted what I'd said, for now.

He took the CD without thanks, the ungrateful lad that he is but I didn't care as long as he kept his mouth shut.

...

Enzo didn't notice that I had more time for him, that I wasn't going out like I was when I was seeing Liam (I'd seen him more times in September than I'd care to remember, we made the most of his month away from touring) but it meant that there was no questions about how we'd grown distant and how we were close again.

The only thing he was concerned with was our family. It hadn't slipped his mind after the Monsters of Rock festival discussion. He'd started bringing it up loads, if there was a baby on TV he'd make something of it, stuff like that. After the festival had been and gone, we agreed to start trying.

About two months in we didn't seem to have gotten anywhere but I didn't mind, it wasn't like it had to come over night.

It'd be way too soon after Liam. I wasn't thinking about him. I didn't want to see him. I just wanted to move on with my life with Enzo, no more treating him like shit because he really didn't deserve it.

...

We spent the day at Enzo's parents', his Mum loves cooking huge meals for the whole family, Enzo, me, his Dad, his three brothers and his sister so we were there to eat a lot and luckily I was ready for all that food.

Enzo's Mum took me to the kitchen to talk privately while she was cooking, pretending she needed an extra pair of hands and only mine would do.

"Are you expecting?" She got straight to her point.

"Expecting?" I didn't know what she was talking about.

She put her hand over her belly. "A child, my Grandchild."

"Oh!" I felt a bit silly for needing the explanation but mostly surprised. "I don't think so. No."

"He told me you've been sick lately."

I thought she'd been looking at me funny the whole day like she was trying to work something out about me.

"Yeah but I'm pretty sure it's just a bug." It had passed now and I'd come to the conclusion that it was just a bug or food poisoning, no point getting excited over nothing.

"Have you taken a test?" she asked excitedly, apparently my bug theory meant nothing to her.

"No, I really don't think..."

"I can see it Haileigh." she insisted. "I'm sure."

"Okay I'll do a test in a bit." I said reluctantly. "Please don't get your hopes up cos I really don't think I am."

...

When I saw my Mum, she "felt" that I was pregnant too, of course I denied it again, I was getting sick of having to deny so much. I wasn't, I couldn't be, I hadn't had any symptoms I could think of but their theories had gotten to me so I went and bought a test.

I had no idea if I'd been safe with Liam or not, I just couldn't remember which made it so much more stressful than it needed to be.

I wanted to take the test alone but Enzo was home and he was excited when he realised what I was doing. He insisted on being there with me the whole time.

"Ma has never been wrong." he said as I started unpacking the test.

I didn't know he knew what his Mum had said, I hadn't spoken to him about it.

"Do you want her to be right?" I asked nervously.

I didn't think I'd be in a bathroom, taking a test so soon after we'd decided. It was so fast and Liam was back on my mind despite being off touring in America or something.

"Of course, you do too, don't you?" he nodded enthusiastically.

"After last time, I still don't know if I'm ready." I admitted although I was lying too, miscarriage wasn't my only worry this time.

I followed the instructions and we waited with the test facing away from us so neither could try to see the result before it was time..

"If you're pregnant, this time will be our time." he assured me confidently.

"I hope so." I kissed him.

He checked his watch. "It's been two minutes, are you turning it over or me?"

I grabbed the test and held it so we could both see together. A very obvious plus sign had formed.

"It's a big old positive plus sign! We're pregnant!" he announced and we kissed again.

"We're pregnant." I repeated as though I had to say it out loud for it to be real.

I was excited, I was terrified and I refused to believe it so I did more tests in private later. Different brands, different ways of showing it but they all agreed with the first. I still didn't want to accept it but I didn't have a choice. I wanted it to be true as long as I was carrying Enzo's child, not Liam's.

I saved the first test since there were people I had to show it to, my Mum, Enzo's Mum, Bex, Liam Gallagher...

I went to the doctor alone to have the pregnancy confirmed before I told anyone. They worked out that I was eight weeks already, putting it to the week before Liam's birthday, just great. Just when I thought I was letting go of him, doing the right thing for our marriage this comes along and I might be chained to him for the rest of our lives just because I wanted something interesting in my life.