The Sullivan Sisters

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Nerve-wracking. That was the only term, Quinn surmised, that could be used to describe the daunting situation in which she found herself in.

It had only been a few days since Ross had escorted her to the doctor to take her pregnancy test and every day since had been practically unbearable. She hadn't anticipated that she'd have to wait for the results of the test or more appropriately termed, the possible demise of her future.

The not knowing was by far the worst, waiting while the thought of her possible fertility hung over her head, tarnishing any pleasant thought within seconds.

Quinn lifted her chin, granting Charlie more access to her neck. Unlike usual, she found it easy to keep her dull eyes open. She ensured that the distant look that was apparent in her gaze rested elsewhere, never meeting her boyfriend's piercing green eyes.

His fingers grazed across her stomach and she fought the urge to jerk away from his gentle touch. While just a week ago the feeling of the boy's hands against her sensitive skin made her wither and squirm in delight, with each passing second, the lies that she fed Charlie weighed heavily on her, not allowing even the smallest part of her to relax.

A piece of her couldn't help but wish that the simplicity that once came with her lies would return and grant her some relief, but, ever since she began seeing Charlie she found it infinitely more difficult to feed him, or anyone, even the smallest of fabrications.

It wasn't until she felt the kisses, that the other teenager was trailing up and down her neck, cease that she noticed Charlie's eyes fixed on hers. Even so, it still took the boy two tries to get her attention.

"Hey."

After a moment, the redhead snapped her eyes to his, he chuckled in response.

"What were you thinking about?" he whispered.

Once the tingly feeling, she typically inhibited at the feeling of her boyfriend's bare skin against her own, failed to arise, Quinn shrugged her shoulders and forced a small chuckle, "I don't know. Nothing I guess."

"Nothing?" Charlie muttered with the playful roll of his eyes. "You were definitely thinking about something, I mean, you weren't thinking about...this." He motioned between the two of them before grinning, his cheeks dimpling in the process.

Quinn swallowed thickly and mentally cursed herself for being so transparent. "Yeah, I'm just, uh..." She pressed her hands against his chest, forcing him to sit up and create some space between them.

Charlie creased his brow once the girl slipped her shirt back over her head and shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm not that into it," she admitted timidly. "Sorry."

Charlie nodded his head in understanding while absentmindedly running his hands over his pants. He studied the redhead carefully. Quinn buttoned her salmon colored polo in its entirety before pulling her legs close to her chest and granting the boy a tightlipped smile.

Her boyfriend cocked his head, his narrowed eyes accompanying his perplexed expression. "What's wrong?"

Despite the inquisitive look plastered on his face, Quinn was still taken aback by his direct question. She fought the urge to fidget under his relentless gaze and instead keep her voice steady.

"Nothing," she assured, however, she couldn't help but grimace at her own lies. She failed to even convince herself.

"This is about my grampa firing you," Charlie challenged with the vigorous shake of his head. He scooted away from the girl and uncrossed his legs in attempts to rise from the bed. "I'm gonna fix this." It wasn't until he felt Quinn's familiar small hands firmly grip his wrist that he actually stopped in his tracks.