"FP!" Alice whispered, finally getting annoyed at his ignoring her on their walk through the woods on a back road. "We're gonna get caught."
"Oh, come on, Alice." He looked over his shoulder at her, continuing to drag her along. "We've done this a million times. Remember that old abandoned factory we would sneak into? The Morningside Diner when it was closed at night? You were never scared back then." He chuckled to himself, moving a branch out of the way and holding it up for Alice to step underneath.
"I was different back then." She stopped walking, letting go of his hand and he turned around to face her.
"I don't think that's true." He stepped super close to her, putting his hands around her waist and leaning over a bit to be at eye level with her. "I still see that little spark in you that's been there since the day you convinced me to replace Mrs. Keil's whiteboard markers with permanent ones in eighth grade. You just need to light it again." FP let go of her waist and stepped back with his arms up as if presenting himself. "Let me be your match."
Alice rolled her eyes, attempting to fight a smile that grew upon her face anyway. She sighed. "If anything, you're more like my ticking time bomb, FP Jones." She giggled, finally giving in and following him further through the woods.
"As long as it's a good thing, I'm okay with that." He said, letting her go on ahead of him as they came to the edge of the woods, approaching the back of an abandoned building.
They made their way across the parking lot, FP looking on ahead with more than a hint of nostalgia while Alice stared down at the cracked concrete where bumps and divots surrounded their every step. They walked carefully, knowing the place had to have been last repaved decades ago as they recognized many imperfections from their teen years.
"How are we supposed to get in, Mr. Cool?" Alice crossed her arms over her chest as they reached the back door.
"You do your thing." FP stated, matter-of-factly.
"Are you serious?" She chuckled. "I haven't done it in years. What makes you think I still can?"
"Come on, you used to tell me it was as easy as riding a bike....Maybe it's just as memorable as riding a bike." He winked at her.
"I don't have any hair pins." She tried to point out, hoping he'd give up on this plan.
"Use the underwire from your bra." He answered so quickly, Alice began to believe he'd been thinking about this longer than she expected. "Come on." He whispered, putting his hands on her hips. He gave her a small peck kiss and grabbed the hem of her shirt, slowly lifting it as he bent his knees to squat a bit, his eyes parallel to her stomach.
FP's hands leisurely slithered up her slightly lifted shirt and found their way to her bra. He fiddled with it a little bit, his eyes looking up at her every now and then as she pretended not to be bothered by his actions although a sheet of comforting goosebumps covered her arms and legs. Her heart pounded like a nervous adolescent and she did her best to act as though she weren't slightly aroused. Finally, his nimble fingers succeeded in removing the underwire from her brassiere and he pulled it out like it were no big deal. He straightened his posture, handing it to her and she did the typical Alice thing and rolled her eyes at him while she took it from him.
After a few attempts at picking the lock, Alice was finally successful and FP made it known that he 'told her she could do it.' With another long sigh, Alice followed him inside the old, closed down roller skating rink.
FP shut the door and they were engulfed in the darkness of the empty building. Alice stood still, a few feet away from the closed door and FP stood behind her. She jumped a little at his touch as he held onto the back of her hips in the void. The silence inside made it known that all they had to rely on was each other's touch. "I'll go find the lights." FP felt compelled to whisper in the ominous place as Alice felt the opposite.
"No. Wait." She said aloud, taking hold of his hands upon her hips from behind. Her fingers slid between his, intertwining them before she guided them to hold her stomach. She leaned back into his chest, letting her head fall to his shoulder in the dark. FP's head tilted a bit, leaning against hers and they took in each other's presence, absorbing the other's energy. Even though she was already blind to everything around her, she closed her eyes, feeling every breath he took behind her and feeling his heart beat against her back. They swayed together for a moment as if they heard the same song in the silence. She felt butterflies in her stomach as a bit of nausea collided. "I'm pregnant." She finally spoke it into existence, the suspicion she had had for a few days now.
"What?" FP chuckled, feeling a bit of denial to what his ears heard and as if she were just making a bad joke.
"I took three tests this morning." She fiddled with one of his sleeves on her stomach.
FP stopped swaying with her and soon she did too. "Wait. You're being serious?"
Alice expected to be upset with the test results that morning, but she wasn't and a part of her missed pregnancy and babies in the first place. She turned around in his arms to face him in the pitch black building. She didn't need to see him right away. She had his body memorized as did he. And she could picture his reaction, knowing him to be noble and more in love with this idea than Hal ever was. Her hands found their way to his cheeks above her and she now longed for the lights to be on. "I'm serious."
FP couldn't see her, but he heard the smile in her voice when she said it and his heart warmed up as he felt pride and excitement in the pit of his own stomach. "Alice." He said with a wide grin, though she couldn't see it, she also knew. "This is amazing! I mean...you're not too....I mean, we're not too....I mean-" He stopped, not wanting to say something offensive all of a sudden.
"Too old, you mean?" She asked, wrapping her fingers around his neck. She felt him nod and she giggled. "I thought so too at first, but then I realized....no one's ever too old for anything." She rubbed his neck with one hand. "Besides...I don't think we're that old. We haven't even hit 40 yet." She laughed and so did he. "So...you're okay with this?"
"Am I okay with this?" FP kept his right hand on her lower back as his left hand moved to rest upon her stomach. "I can't wait to meet the little guy....or girl." He bent over, kissing her tummy in the dark as Alice let herself cry when he couldn't see her.
A/N: Hey, guys. Are you as much of a sobbing mess as I am now? Lol Let me know in the reviews. MWAH!
