One Night...

Chapter 18

Morgan left Scarlett's house at around 10 pm the night she hung out with her, the night Scarlett had dissolved into tears over Andrew's date. She'd tucked Scarlett into bed, hugging her and telling her that everything would be OK. And she had planned to go home. But she couldn't, not after the conversation she'd had with Scarlett. She couldn't focus on anything else, and she felt like she had to tell Ryland what Scarlett had said. She'd seen Andrew walking around Shane and Ryland's house like someone had died, and she couldn't stand to think about how unhappy he was. But then again, he'd gone on a date, so maybe she had it all wrong? She didn't know, but she figured she'd tell Ryland and see what he thought, always trusting her big brother's advice.

As Morgan walked into the house, she heard voices coming from the living room. Shane and Ryland were talking to Andrew, and she crept in quietly, figuring she'd wait until Shane and Andrew disappeared up the stairs to get to work before talking to Ryland.

"I don't know, I just... there was nothing there with her, guys," Andrew said in his soft-spoken voice as Shane sat next to him on the couch and Ryland paced around. "So you aren't going to see her again?" Shane asked, and Andrew shook his head. "It's OK, buddy, maybe this girl isn't for you, but someone else will be. It's a blind date no big deal, on to the next," Shane encouraged, and Ryland coughed.

"Maybe you aren't ready to date, Andrew? Maybe it wasn't a good idea to jump in so quick. I mean, you have a lot going on with everything right now. I don't understand the hurry anyway," Ryland said, and Shane groaned. "You'd think you could be more encouraging Ryland, he needs to get out there and get over this thing," and Ryland sighed. "He needs to go at his own pace, when he feels comfortable. This isn't healthy," the shorter man countered, and Andrew looked back and forth from Shane to Ryland as they volleyed back and forth about him. "I don't understand why you are so set on him holding onto everything," Shane snapped, and Andrew cleared his throat as Ryland shook his head, turning to Andrew.

"I'm not set on anything, I just..., I don't want you to feel like you have to get out there and rush into some new relationship right now just because, you know..." Shane rolled his eyes. "This is exactly the issue, everyone walking on egg shells over Scarlett, everyone acquiescing to her feelings, all because they're in this ridiculous situation, when we should be 100% focused on Andrew's needs. It's always Scarlett, her needs, her feelings. Sometimes it's just Scarlett's world and we're all living in it, holding our tongues, just because she..." he paused, narrowing his eyes, and Ryland felt defensive for Scarlett immediately. "Just because she what? Because she's emotional over the baby and everything?" he said, and Andrew put his head in his hands, head swimming with all of the back and forth.

"Enough! Both of you, I'm done OK? I can't deal with it anymore, I really can't. I'm on the edge here, I swear to fucking god." He looked Shane in the eye, running his hand nervously through his hair. "Shane, buddy, I know you care about me and want me to be happy and everything, but you can't just push me and shove me into getting over Scarlett, OK? That's not how it works. And stop bad-mouthing her, believe me, that's not helping." He turned to Ryland, biting his lip. "And Ry, she told me to start dating, alright? That's why I went, because she made it clear as god damn crystal that she wasn't going to date anyone, and I'm assuming, that included me, OK? Obviously, she doesn't feel that way about me, and I can't keep believing that she does."

He flopped down on the couch, hands over his eyes as he thought about how shitty his life had become as Morgan cowered by the doorway, listening to everything. She thought to herself about what Scarlett had told her, and she wasn't sure whether it was appropriate to say anything and break Scarlett's trust, but she couldn't stand to see everyone around her in so much pain. This wasn't a romantic comedy where the leads went back and forth a zillion times with misunderstandings and bad timing before they figured it all out and went off into the sunset. There was a child involved, and Morgan couldn't stand it anymore.

"That's not true Andrew," she said quietly, slowly making her way into the living room, sitting next to him on the couch as Shane and Ryland stared at her. "What do you mean?" Andrew said with a sigh, obviously emotionally exhausted over the whole night. "What's not true, Morgan?" he said vacantly, tired of his friends weighing in on his life. He looked at her with weary eyes as she bit her lip.

"It's not true about Scarlett. I um, well... I talked to her tonight. I went to her house because she was alone and I felt sad for her. And we started talking and she mentioned your date and the talk you guys had. It's not true, she... she does feel that way about you," Morgan stammered out, her voice cracking, and Shane and Ryland looked at her, stunned as Andrew furrowed his brows. "Morgan, what... how do you know that?" Andrew asked, voice barely audible, and Morgan sighed. "The baby kicked tonight, Andrew, and she... well, Scarlett started sobbing. She cried her eyes out because she had told you to date, and... she didn't mean it. She told me she loves you and that she was afraid she wasn't ready to give you what you need because of everything that happened with her fiancée and because of the baby. She said she was holding you back, tethering you. She's crushed and, well..."

Andrew looked at her with wide eyes as Ryland gasped, looking at Morgan worriedly. "Morgan, does she know you're telling him this? You're betraying her trust," he said quietly, and Morgan shook her head. "I don't care. I don't care, Ryland. She never said not to tell him, and honestly, even if she did, this is insane. There's a baby here, a baby who's going to be on the scene in like, not that long. A baby deserves to have two parents who love them, but like, isn't it even better if they love each other too? And these two do, and I just can't sit by while they're both obviously miserable. This is crazy." She looked at Andrew, sniffing a little.

"Listen, I'm sorry for meddling, Andrew. I didn't mean to get into your business. I went over there to be a friend to her. But if you think she's sitting around feeling great while you're miserable, well, you're wrong." Andrew looked at her his lips scrunched together in thought. "She was crying?" he asked, scratching his neck, and Morgan nodded. "Yeah, she was. A lot. She's heartbroken over this, but she says its all her fault. She doesn't blame you, she blames herself." Andrew bit his lip, feeling panicky at the thought of her upset and alone. "What did you tell her?" Andrew asked timidly, concern written all over his face.

"I told her that she should tell you how she feels. And honestly, I'm gonna tell you the same thing. I mean, I know I'm not as mature as all of you guys, but like, this seems pretty simple to me," Morgan said with a smile. "You're both so worried about protecting the other. You're worried about how it will be if it doesn't work out. But seriously, could it be more miserable than it is right now?" she asked, and Andrew shook his head. "You're right, Morg," he said softly, glancing over at her as she shrugged. "Obviously, I'm right," Morgan said with a laugh. "I'm wise beyond my years," she giggled, and the guys laughed too.

"So what are you going to do, buddy?" Shane asked softly, and he felt awful for how he'd reacted to the whole situation. "Are you going to talk to her?" Andrew nodded slowly. "Yeah, but not tonight. It's 11. In Scarlett's world, that's like 3 am." He laughed wryly, and Shane laughed too. "I guess you'll be getting the night shift with the baby then," he said with a grin, and Ryland giggled, patting Andrew on the back.

"Go tomorrow morning and lay it out there. And then you both need to stop being so angsty," he said with a playful roll of his eyes. "It's bad for the baby."