accidental love • n.maloley「✓」| EDITING

fifteen

anderson

"celebratory drink tonight?" emily asks, looking over at me with a grin.

"it's not finished yet, though," i remind her, confused. she wants to go celebrate the opening of my very own salon, yet i still have at least a months worth of work to do to it before i can open it.

"so, we can still celebrate," she shrugs.

"you're just looking for an excuse to drink, ain't you?" i ask, raising an eyebrow at her. she simply grins at me though, causing me to laugh. "why am i not surprised?"

"hey, you'd be the same way if you were twenty-one," she defends, causing me to roll my eyes.

"i doubt it."

"i said the same thing, but look at me now!" she laughs. "now c'mon, let's get this finished so we can go get that drink."

××

"i can't wait to graduate so i can work at the salon," emily says. emily started cosmetology school a few months after me, so she still has a couple months before she graduates. the salon should be opened by then, and we've decided that we're just gonna work the salon together. plus, carrington wants to be a cosmetologist as well, so once she graduates high school and then graduates cosmetology school, she'll probably work at the salon as well. as for emily's little sister, elizabeth, i don't know what she wants to do.

"i just can't wait until it's finally open," i say, and emily nods, refilling her cup. as emily had said, she went out and bought us some alcohol to celebrate, well nothing, with.

"true." she nods. "wanna see who can get drunk first?" she then asks, changing the subject.

i shrug. "let's do it."

××

"good god," emily groans, smacking my arm. "answer your damn phone or turn it off."

with a groan myself, i turn over and grab my phone, muting it without even checking it first. a few minutes later it begins ringing again, and this time i simply answer it, closing my eyes as i bring the phone up to my ear. "hmm?"

"anderson?" nate's voice comes through the phone and i wince, pulling the phone away from my ear a bit so it's not as loud.

"mhmm," i hum.

"are you drunk, andy?" he asks, the nickname immediately catching my attention. i've been called andy before, by friends and even some family, but most people simply call me anderson.

"not drunk," i tell him, that being the first actual words i've said all morning. "but i am hella hungover."

"look at you being all rebellious and drinking before you're twenty-one," nate jokes, chuckling. i roll my eyes but don't say anything as i roll over onto my back and drape an arm over my eyes, blocking the light. "drink you some water and take an aspirin, you'll feel better. also, eating a banana will help."

"you say that like you have a lot of experience," i murmur, letting out a breathy laugh and immediately regretting it as it makes my head hurt. maybe i should take nate's advice now instead of later.

"trust me, i have plenty of experience with hangovers," he chuckles. i grin in amusement as i push myself off the couch and head into the kitchen to get a bottle of water and some aspirin. neither of us say anything as i take an aspirin, putting the bottle of water back in the fridge afterwards.

"so tell me, any specific reason you called or did you just call so you could talk to your favorite person?" i teasingly ask.

"well, i actually called just to chit chat since i'm currently waiting alone in the studio for my friends to get back with food, but i do have some news about the baby to tell you," he says.

"okay, and what's the news?" i ask, leaning against the counter.

"i finally figured out what the baby's name will be."

"ooh, tell me, tell me," i say, smiling in excitement.

"nope," he says, my smile immediately falling. "i'm not telling you."

"what?"

"it's a surprise, you'll find out when the baby's born," he tells me, and i can almost hear the grin in his tone.

"oh c'mon, you can't do that to me, nate! the baby won't be born for another month and a half!"

"well, i guess you have a month and a half to wait then."

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next chapter the baby will be born :)