My hand grabs my door frame for support and he moves again. This time closer to me. He’s back in my space and his hand lands on my waist. He steadies me as his damn eyes burn a hole through me.
He finally speaks, voice low and eerily calm, baffling me even more. “I thought you were on the pill?” I don’t know how he’s feeling at all.
“I am.”
“And I strap up every-fucking-time.”
“You do.”
“Then, how the fuck?”
“Neither method is a hundred percent. Condoms are only ninety—”
“Kill the nurse talk,” he says, cutting me off mid-sentence. His words are still low and calm, but void of anger. “I just don’t know how,” he says and this time I don’t say shit. “Damn. It’s so much going on. Fuck! Finals, graduation, the draft. Mick and Paxton. What the hell I’m gonna…a baby. I didn’t see that shit coming.”
“Hell, me either,” I whisper while shaking my head. “I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
“What!” His voice is definitely loud and clear this time.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” I repeat.
“Whatweare going to do,” he asserts, stressing the hell out of the word we.
“It’smybody, Tyriq,” I snap back.
He destroys the little space between and gets all the way up in my face. His hand moves under my chin and he lightly pinches it between his thumb and pointer finger. After lifting my face so my eyes meet his, he leans in, pressing his forehead to mine.
“What body? Your body that I had pinned up against your wall while I was deep inside? Your body that I had running all over your sectional? Your same body that I pressed up against your shower wall while I made you scream my name? Your body that climbs on top of mine and fucks me till my balls dry? That same fucking body?” he spits. “Yeah. We not doing that. You carrying my child. We gon’ do whatever together. Please don’t try me, Tee.”
“This is a lot. I’m still in the ER. You haven’t even earned your degree yet,” I sigh.
“Next month,” he says.
“What about the draft? Your agents? Your sponsorships? You said that shit yourself.”
“What did I say?”
“I don’t know exactly. When I first told you, you started rambling shit off. Hell, I don’t know. It’s just a lot and I’m still processing this shit myself. I came into work to cover a shift and am leaving with a baby in my belly. I just…I don’t know,” I sigh and my entire body tenses up. As if this shit isn’t real already, it somehow feels realer as I talk and the weight of it all is heavy. “I just need to go home, get out of this, clean up, crawl in my bed, and try to sleep. We can talk about this tomorrow.”
“Facts we are but I’m going with you tonight.”
“Tyriq. We can talk tomorrow.”
“I know. When you wake up, Imma be right beside you ready to talk.”
As if his words are final and mine don’t mean shit, he leans in and tenderly kisses me. Before I can even wrap my head around that, he grabs my hand and leads me to the passenger side of my Jeep. After moving my bags to the back seat, he practically lifts me and places me inside.
“Riq, come on. Didn’t you drive here?”
“Yeah,” is all he says before he closes the door. He walks over to the driver side, adjusts the seat all the way back, then gets in. He toys with the seat more, letting the back down, then adjusts the steering wheel and mirrors to accommodate his frame as best as he can.
“I can drive and what about your ride?”
“Tee, I’m driving and my shit is fine. I’ll get it in the morning.”
He holds his hand out for my keys and I take my fob out of my scrubs pocket and drop it into his. He starts my Jeep, backs out of the parking space, then heads to my space. I thought the night was silent when I was waiting on his initial response but this ride is quiet as hell. I don’t even bother to turn music on and neither does he.
When we finally pull up to my townhouse, I release a heavy sigh of relief but it’s short lived when I remind myself that he’s going inside with me. After killing the engine, he gets out, walks over and helps me out, then grabs my bags. Together, to my dismay, we go inside.
