Accident Prone |h.s|

Chapter 25: Bottled

Harry continues to look at my face in silence like I've just spoken Latin or something.

So I just awkwardly look around the room and wait for him to respond.

"So... what you're saying is... what you want to do is," he starts as his thumb and forefinger pinch the bridge of his nose "you want absolutely no one to know that we are having a baby? How exactly is that going to work?"

"I haven't exactly thought out all the details but essentially, yes. I want it to be a complete secret. And while we're talking about things that are uncomfortable, I really don't think the baby and I should live here full time." I finish my sentence quickly, the words spilling out of my mouth in a rush.

The blood seems to drop from his face and his expression morphs into one of confusion.

"You're kidding, right? Please tell me you're kidding." His words coming out desperately as he leans closer to me, placing a large hand on my knee.

I begin to explain, the words shooting out of me like they've been bottled, shaken up, and exploded.

"I don't know what I want right now. This is all so confusing. But I can't see me living here for any degree of permanence. I can't let you put the rest of your life on hold while I play house and pretend I have any right to this kind of lifestyle. Like, what if you bring someone home and you have to explain to them that the girl and baby that live down the hall are just hanging out. Or heaven forbid I start dating someone and I have to bring them to the mansion I don't own and my famous best friend/father of my child. It just doesn't make sense. We can't go on living like we are more than what we are. Especially now, with the baby. I want him or her to have both parents but I can't let them be confused as to what mom and dad are to each other. And not to mention, you're on tour for a whole year at a time. I'm not gonna be alone with our child in this house. I can't.  I'll go crazy. I don't know what the answers are. I just-"

"What the hell are you talking about?" He interrupts me angrily. "I'm not putting anything on hold. None of that matters! Do you honestly think I care about someone's opinion? And this IS your house. I don't know how to convince you of that. Not having you here and having our child grow up somewhere else, would be the worst thing for all of us. I think we just need to play that all by ear. I want you to be here and I want to grow with you as we go through this." His voice trailing off towards the end as the emotion bleeds through.

"Alright." I agree after a moment, mostly because I can't take how heartbroken he looks right now. "We'll see how this goes but the minute it starts to change for the worse, we need to rethink it."

He takes a relieved breath as his hand pulls through his long hair. "Thank you. That's all I ask. So can you explain how you expect no one to find out?"

"So the way I look at it, no one has to know. I'm not famous. And everyone in the world is stuck at home so there no reason for anyone to see me. Quarantine is literally the most ideal time to be impregnated by a famous person." I joke hoping to lighten the suddenly very heavy mood. But just as I begin feeling confident about my plan, Harry says one word to break my resolve.

"And Kim? What about her? Are you gonna keep this huge part of your life from your best friend?"

Crap.

It would kill Kim if I didn't tell her. She's my closest friend and we tell each other everything.

"I could just tell her it's someone else's? She thinks I slept with that guy from the bar, anyway. It could be his." I say without thinking. The words spilling out as my brain tries to find any kind of solution.