accidental love • n.maloley「✓」| EDITING

four

anderson

nate's words leave me speechless and practically frozen in my spot. i guess i really didn't understand after all. i mean, out of all the possible outcomes, i just never really expected her to be pregnant. i open my mouth to say a joke about how he should've wrapped it before he tapped it, but i immediately close it back, deciding that that's probably not the best idea right now. and just like that, i'm left in silence, neither of us knowing really what to say. or at least i don't know what to say, he's probably just waiting on me to respond.

"ain't you gonna say anything? give me advice, tell me everything's gonna be okay, or just tell me that i'm royally fucked, i don't care, just please say something."

"i - i don't know what to say, nate. i've never helped someone through a situation like this so i don't really know what advice to give, besides just to tell you that you should talk it over with the girl and her parents. i don't know if you want kids or not, but you need to step up and be the dad. drunk or not, you helped make that baby. and if her parents are wanting to press charges because she's pregnant, the only way to stop them would be to tell them that you want to be there for her and that you wanna be the daddy that the baby will need when it's born. or, i mean, there is other alternative routes. if both you and her don't want the baby she could abort, or even wait her pregnancy out then give it up for adoption. you really just need to talk to her."

"y'know, for someone who claimed to not know what advice to give, you sure gave some damn good advice," nate jokes with a chuckle, despite how serious this situation is.

i let out a quiet laugh as well, pushing myself off the railing before making my way over and sitting down in one of the chairs that me and emily placed out here. "but i'm serious nate, the only way you can figure any of this out, is by talking to her."

"i know, and i'm going to tomorrow. i just gotta make sure they don't press charges and send me to jail, i can afford to lose the career i'm building right now," he sighs.

"what career are you building?" i question, wanting to change the subject at least for a few minutes. give him something a little less stressful to talk about.

"a rap career," he tells me, and i find myself raising my eyebrows a bit in surprised. i guess i just didn't really expect that, out of the possible careers. "i'm not exactly big right now and i'm still doing everything on my own since i'm not signed to any record labels, but i do have some ride or die fans that mean the world to me."

"that's nice," i say. "and i'm sure even if you did go to jail that they'd show up at the jail house, still supporting you. especially if they're ride or die fans."

"they probably would," he agrees. "what d'you do for a living? like, what's your career?"

"oh, as of right now i'm in cosmetology school."

"that's like, hair and make-up, right?" he asks, a little unsure.

"yes, that's hair and make-up." i grin in amusement.

"thought so," he says. "but um, i'm gonna let you go so i can call jessica and make plans to meet up tomorrow." jessica must be the girls name.

"course, make sure you call and tell me how it goes," i say. "with her, i mean."

"of course."

"alright, well i'll talk to you tomorrow then," i tell him.

"bye, anderson."

"bye, nate," i say, before pulling the phone away from my ear and ending the call. i lock my phone before pushing myself up out of the chair and entering the apartment, glad to be out of the late summer heat.

"you were on the phone with him for quite awhile," emily says, still laying in that same position on the couch, but this time cooper is asleep on her belly and she's on her phone. "what did y'all talk about?"

"the same thing we talked about the last time. his accidentally sleeping with an underage girl problems," i tell her, tossing my phone onto the recliner before heading towards the kitchen for a drink.

"what's new?" she asks. "with the whole underage girl ordeal, i mean."

"she's pregnant."

"oh, double yikes," she mumbles.

"yeah, that's what i said."