GREEN (RL Harry Styles fanfic)

47. Clear Blue

I busied myself making breakfast, though the only acceptable food in the house was peanut butter on toast. I desperately needed to make a trip to the grocery store. Just as I had finished jotting down my shopping list, the phone rang and Louis' face popped up on the screen. His blue eyes sparkled in a crossed eyes expression and his tongue poked our from his mouth. I chucked before answering.

"Hey Louis. How are you," I asked.

"I'm alright love. How about yourself?"

"I'm fine. Getting back to reality," I sighed.

"Yeah, reality is a tough one. That's sort of why I called. I, uh, well you see..." He couldn't seem to form a sentence. Louis at a loss for words was not something I was used to.

"Lou, what's up? Just spit it out already." I figured a little teasing might help ease the mood.

"Well then. I guess that's the best way to go about it." Louis paused and sucked in a deep breath. "I'm going to be a father. I'm expecting a baby." Louis let out any remaining breath into a weighted sigh.

"Woah! Not expecting that, but that's exciting Louis." I was shocked but tried to play it down. I assumed Louis was internally freaking out, as most guys did in this situation. I had a ton of questions, but I decided to let him lead the conversation.

"Yeah, or scary as shit!," Louis said honestly. "Sorry Liv. I'm still trying to figure this all out. It was unexpected."

"It's okay Louis. You can be scared. How long have you known?"

"Just about a week now. I talked to H and me mum about it, but I needed some input from someone who's not baby crazy." Louis chuckled. I wondered how Harry took the news considering he had asked me to consider having a baby and I turned him down. "Plus a bit of female advice is always needed in these sorts of situations. I'm lost." 

"Well I'm happy to help you sort through it all Lou. Thanks for thinking of me." I pondered for a moment on how I could be of help. I liked giving advice and friends always asked me. Probably because I always weighed the options and approached things logically. "Can I ask what exactly you're afraid of?"

"Yeah. It's a lot of things, honestly. I'm scared of what the reaction to all this will be. I'm scared it's not mine, and a little scared it is. I'm scared for her, for Brianna. These fans can be ruthless. I'm scared of not being ready for any of this."

All of Louis' fears had merit, but as his friend I still wanted to help ease them.

"Louis, it's alright. Sure, the reaction of the fans or media might be crazy, but think of all the other crazy stories, true or not, you've handled already. Don't let that stuff get to you. You and the boys are all pretty good at handling the shit that's thrown at you, so just keep doing what you're doing there."

"True, true," Louis agreed and I could almost picture him nodding his head.

"As for if the baby is yours or not, that's tricky, but you kind of already know how you feel about it. You said you're more scared it's not yours. Sounds like you're much more prepared for this than you thought Lou. And the fact you're concerned for Brianna's wellbeing speaks volumes for your character. You're already being a protective father, and you didn't even realize it. I don't know if you two are together or not, but supporting her is important. She's probably scared too. You may think you're not ready, but it sounds like you're well on your way Louis." I meant every word I said to him, he truly was showing maturity in the situation, especially for having only just found out.