Strings Attached (Sequel)

First Day Back

Faye Calinao

"You're pregnant Faye," Lei spoke lightly. Even though I had no idea what happened, looking at Lei made me upset as if he had done something to mentally hurt me. I felt quite emotional and to hear this from him wasn't helping.

"Wh-what?" I comprehend what he's saying.

"You're several weeks along now." I looked towards him to see he was a mixture of terrified and nervous of what he just said or for my reaction.

"No," I said lightly. That can't be. If Lei and I... we would have been careful. There wouldn't be any reason I'd purposely let this happen. How can this be?

I slept with Hauze Lei?

"No?" He questioned. It was hard to believe Lei would have done something like this. It's hard to believe we were dating when I knew from high school he had never said a word to me.

"We slept together?"

"I know you don't remember, but I'm just as shocked as you Faye. We were always careful."

"Clearly not if I'm pregnant," I said out of frustration that I can't remember a single thing and there's a big gap in my mind, but I have a little human inside of me. "I-I need to see Ximen," I said shakily, feeling a bit panicked. "Is he here?"

"What? Faye, you can't tell Ximen yet," Lei tried to reason with me seeming alert. "Please don't tell him yet. I understand you're upset, but Ximen will kill us both and I need to figure out a way to tell him."

"Fine."

"I'll get your father and tell him about your gap in memory." I folded my arms and continued to avoid eye contact with him. I did not say anything as I handed his phone back to him and he stood up to leave the room.

///

Present day

January 19

"Here we are," Ximen said as he parked his car in the student parking lot of MingDe. My eyes wandered around the openness of the campus. Getting out of the car, I was about to go grab my backpack before Ximen stopped me. He shook his head displeased. I'd try to take my bag when my right arm was in a cast. "Sometimes it seems like you don't care if you have a broken arm." I smiled faintly and punched his arm with my free hand.

"I'm capable of carrying my own backpack. It isn't too heavy. The cello on the other hand..."

"Which you won't be playing for another six weeks." 

"I can still practice without my bow hand."

"Faye..." Ximen spoke with an all serious look indicating I knew what he was talking about.

"I know. You can't forbid me from my cello. I'll be careful."

"Unless Lei, Cha, Gu Weiyi, or I are around, then no. We want to make sure you don't break your cello."

"Fine," I sighed. After Lei had walked out of the room that day, my father came in with a few other doctors to speak with me about the missing gap in my memory.

Not long after he told me Ximen and a guest were waiting to see me in the waiting room. I wasn't expecting to see Cha Eunwoo enter the room with Ximen. I wasn't expecting to hear all of the Astro members were spending the holidays with me. That was exactly what I did when I was discharged from the hospital. I spent the rest of my winter break with all of the members and a great portion with Ximen.

"Speaking of Gu Weiyi," I started. I felt nervous meeting what seemed like new people to me. "You said he is my lab partner for physics, I do research with him, and he's like a close friend?"