One Night...

Chapter 19

It was 9 am on a Sunday morning, and Andrew sat nervously in his car, parked outside Scarlett's apartment. He hadn't called her to tell her he was coming, but he knew she'd be awake. She never slept in, too intent on meeting her daily goals. She was Type A through and through, her lawyer mind always racing, jumping ahead to think of everything that could possibly go wrong in a situation, obsessing over every detail. It was the personality trait which had gotten her to the top of her class as USC, that which had gotten her a spot as the only first-year associate at one of the most prestigious law firms in Los Angeles. It was also the personality trait which had gotten them into this situation they were in, where neither would be honest about their feelings, too concerned with the liabilities of hurting each other.

It was the night after Morgan had spilled everything Scarlett had told her about her feelings for Andrew. He had tossed and turned all night, thinking of what he'd say to her, how to make sure he didn't blow it, how to ensure nothing would happen that would hurt his chances of spending time with his daughter. But then he stopped, realizing that all of the obsessing over the consequences had gotten them nowhere. That wasn't Andrew's style. He was nervous and cautious, that was for sure, but he generally followed his heart when it came to most things in his life. It was the reason he moved to L.A. in the first place after college, rather than getting the sensible MBA his parents had preferred. It was why he took the leap and started to work with Shane, throwing himself fully into Shane's visions, rather than continue working freelance editing videos for the Vlog Squad. And it was why he met Scarlett that day at the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, even though he was nervous and embarrassed and not sure what her cryptic message would bring.

As he sat outside the door of the girl who was carrying his daughter, the girl he'd spent the better part of the last five months thinking about, the girl he was almost positive was the love of his life, he considered his options. It would be easy to walk away, to go back to being best friends with her, to pine away silently for her while they continued the awkward dance between them. Or he could go in there and tell her how he felt, and if he was lucky, maybe she'd feel the same way too. If she didn't, or if she wasn't ready or whatever it was, it was better than the alternative, and he braced himself for the possibilities, telling himself that if she wasn't ready, he'd be a man about it and work something out. But he had to try. He knew he'd regret it forever if he didn't.

Andrew walked slowly up to Scarlett's door, relieved to see that Kelsey's black Jeep was not parked in the lot. He knocked quietly on her door, silently praying that she would answer and she wasn't out walking or something. After a few seconds, she opened the door, poking her blonde head out curiously, as she wasn't expecting anyone. When she saw Andrew standing there, she smiled immediately before biting her lip.

"Hi," she said softly, nervously twirling her hair. "Hey Scar," he answered just as quietly, clearing his throat. "Are you OK? It's early, especially for you. What's going on?" she asked him, and he scrunched up his brows before answering. "Um... can I come in? And you know, talk to you?" he asked gently. She nodded and opened the door wider, and he followed her inside, sitting down next to her on the couch.

"Do you want something to drink? I could make you a coffee?" she asked, and he shook his head, smiling a little at how thoughtful she always was. "No, no, I'm good. I just, well..." he paused, looking at her before taking a deep breath, and she looked at him with a raised eyebrow, as if inviting him to go on.

"Scar, listen, I... I came here to tell you something, and I want to just get it all out. You know how I am, I'm not the best with expressing myself in words so... I just want to, like, lay it all out there, OK?" he said quietly, and she nodded, looking at him intently, her ocean blue eyes a little glazed over, and he could tell she'd been crying. His heart broke a little looking at her, thinking of her sobbing alone in her room, but he shook it off, pushing forward.