Bruises ↛a.c.m

eighteen.

Word Count: 1428

| A U S T I N|

"You're what?" I ask, the word pregnant echoes in my brain and I suddenly can't breathe.

She was pregnant. I fall numb in front of her and I try to process the simple word but my brain doesn't even try to function. I want to shout in joy but my feet sit still on the cold tile floor of my living room.

She's pregnant.

"Nothing. I have to go." Aquila says, grabbing her bag from the counter and I stop her by grabbing her wrist and I swallow a few times.

"Is it mine?" I blurt out without thinking and I notice the dark clouds in her eyes. Obviously the question hurt her and I wish I could take it back.

Aquila scoffs, pulling her wrist away from my grip. "You know what? No, it's not because I would go out of my way to have a sexual encounter with another man and let him impregnate me." She says, sarcasm clear as day in her voice.

I sigh, running a hand through my curls. "Can we talk about this? Please." I plead and she doesn't say anything, she just puts her bag down and crosses her arms across her chest.

I lead her to the couch, sitting beside her and I shift my body to face her and I sigh, not knowing what to say. What are you supposed to say?

"Look, I don't know what you want to do but I thought I was being safe. That we were being safe. But if you want this than I'm okay with it, I'll help you." I say, as sincere as I could.

"Really?" She asks, her face softens a little. "I don't know what to do, Austin." She sighs, her head falling in her hands.

I scoot next to her, a hand rubbing her back and I try to shift her face towards me and once I do, I cup her face and I peck her lips.

"We'll figure it out." I say, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear, her chest raising and falling as she sniffs. "This is gonna be huge to my mom." I whisper.

"What? No. We can't tell anyone yet." She says, pulling her head away from my chest and I stare at her. "My parents will kill me. Kill you."

I chuckle. "Baby, that can't do anything to me. Plus, you're 20, you're a big girl now." I say.

"You don't understand. This isn't what I had planned for myself. I wasn't even supposed to sleep with you, the night we met. My family is super religious, they're gonna kill me." She says, her hands on either side of her thighs as she stares at the blank tv screen.

"There's always other options, Aquila." I say, not knowing if I should even bring up that subject and she turns her head to me, almost like she was willing to kill me right there and then.

"No." That's all she says. Nothing more and I don't try to argue. This wasn't about me, this was about us and what was best but it was also her decision.

| A Q U I L A |

".. are you serious? He was cool about it? What the fuck?" Laura chuckles on the other end of the line and I smile softly as I sit against the headboard of Austin's bed.

"It's weird, I know but I couldn't thank him enough." I say.

"Where is he anyway?" She asks, a ruffling sound comes in through the speaker and I'm suddenly found online looking at newborn bassinets.