SHATTERED

sixty-nine

saylor

i opened my front door after there was a knock on it. i smiled as i saw that it was alex.

"hey, darl—" they started to greet with a smile, but they abruptly stopped their self as they looked at what i was holding in my arms. "what the fuck is that thing?!"

"it's a baby, alex," i deadpanned as i looked up at them. "what else would it be?"

their face scrunched up as they took a small, but noticeable, step back. "why?!"

"one of my friends needed a babysitter last minute, so i offered to keep her," i smiled down at willow, who was sleeping peacefully in my arms.

sometimes i forget that i'm at the age where some of my friends have been married for years already and have had or are having babies.

"why?!" alex repeated. i looked back up at them, and they seemed absolutely horrified.

i blinked at them. "don't tell me you don't like kids..." i trailed off.

"why should i?!" their eyes widened. "those vermin can stay the fuck away from me!"

i gasped. "they're not vermin. babies are adorable!"

"even when they throw up on you, and you have to change a shitty diaper?" they asked rhetorically with a disgusted face. they glanced down at willow skeptically.

i rolled my eyes. "dramatic ass. are you coming inside or not?"

they looked conflicted as they glanced down at willow again, then back to me. they walked inside, but they made sure to stay as far away from willow as possible while they did so.

"she's not kryptonite or some shit, you know?" i couldn't help but laugh as i walked over to sit on the couch.

when i sat on the couch cushion beside alex, they hopped up and moved to sit in the chair instead. i stared at them in disbelief.

"baby, calm down. she's literally three months old; i promise, she's not going to hurt you," i told them. "she couldn't even hurt a fly."

"i don't fuck with babies," they huffed. "you know, they do a whole lot of staring for someone who can't throw hands."

"why do you have beef with babies? what did they do to you?!"

"they just sit, and they cry, and they eat so much, and they're just there," they threw their hands up. "you see, if i did that, it'd be a problem!"

i stared at them blankly. "well, you don't have much room to talk about eating a lot," i muttered. "babies aren't so bad, you know? i mean, look how adorable willow is!"

alex peered down at willow skeptically for a few seconds. their face almost seemed to soften for a brief second before they looked away. "you clearly haven't seen the girl on tiktok with the list of reasons to take birth control," they rolled their eyes. "there's at least three hundred reasons on it!"

i shook my head. "why don't you just hold her? i'm sure she'll change your mind," i proposed the idea with a grin.

"hell no," they immediately declined.

i sat up, and i started to move towards them. "just for a minute? c'mon."

they hopped up from the chair, and they backed away, until they were in the kitchen. "keep her away!"

i frowned. willow stirred in my arms, and she soon started crying. i tried to calm her down as i put her pacifier in her mouth.

"why is she crying?! what the fuck?!" alex's face paled as they looked over at us in horror. "i didn't sign up for this shit when i said i wanted to come over!"