“Hi,” he whispered once he opened the door and there was a tentative smile playing on his lips.
“Hi?” I matched his whispered voice as I stepped into his room, forcing him back inside. “All you can say ishi?”
His face instantly fell, losing the little happy light that he had in his eyes at the sight of me.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered and for some reason, our faces were too close for me to be able to think straight. “I know that doesn’t—”
“No,” I said, cutting him off. “Why are we whispering?” I asked but shook my head and went on before he had a chance to answer. I needed to get all of it out right now. So I went on, still keeping my voice soft but somehow I was still able to pull off an edge to it. “I thought we shared something. I gave you a part of me that night. A big part. It wasn’t easy and sure, it wasn’t like it was my first time, but it kind of was. Do you understand that?”
“Ingram,” he said trying to stop my rant but I wasn’t having it.
“I’m serious, Mouse. I gave you something that I thought was special. I chose you because I feel deeply for you and when you took it, I thought you felt the same. Then you just like turn ghost on me and leave me feeling hurt and angry and confused.”
He tried to hold back a chuckle but the tail end of it slipped out. It only made me madder. How could he laugh at me at a time like this? I was laying my heart out here for him.
“I think you mean ghosted?”
“What?” I asked him, my face going from harsh to confused.
“I ghosted you— you know what, that’s not the point.” He shook his head. “May I talk now? I would like to explain a bunch of things to you.”
“Fine,” I blew out softly. I figured I’d gotten most everything out for now.
It was then that I saw the dark circles under his eyes. I couldn’t help but to reach out and brush my thumbs over them while I cupped his tired and sad looking face.
It didn’t go unnoticed by me how his body relaxed under my touch as he let out a deep breath almost as if he’d been holding it in forever.
“Let’s sit.” I continued to whisper, for some strange reason. He was doing it, so I guessed my mind thought I needed to as well.
As I stepped around him, I noticed that his room looked very different than the last time I’d seen it.
There were a bunch of things that hadn’t been there before.
I was pretty sure I gasped as I saw the playpen sitting next to the bed. And with the diapers and big boxes of formula sitting next to it, I knew these things weren’t for Chry. Not that he used a playpen anymore.
“Yeah,” he said and I felt his body right behind mine. I spun to face him again. “My life has kind of been turned upside down.”
“I-is there a baby in there?” I asked dumbly and my voice was shaky even to my own ears.
He slipped his hand into mine and hesitantly pulled me across the room. I didn’t have to go far before the little tiny bundle appeared.
“Her name is Sparrow. She’s five days old and she’s… she’s my daughter.” His hand was sweaty in mine and that told me that he was nervous.
Well, at least now I understood the whispering.
She jerked and then her mouth fell open with a tiny squeak. Her eyes blinked open and she looked around like she was trying to focus. As her face scrunched up, I knew what was coming next. Oh, I knew it all too well. And a moment later she was crying out with discomfort.
“Well, that’s one way to greet someone,” Mouse said trying to joke, and then he let his hand slowly slide out of mine as he moved to her.
Stunned into shock and something else I couldn’t explain, I stood there frozen and watched as he changed her diaper like he’d been doing it all his life. When he was done, he gently picked her up and cradled her to his chest. Then he walked the couple of steps back over to me.
“Ingram, I’d like you to meet Sparrow. Sparrow, this is the other special lady in my life,” he said looking at his little girl.
There were tears that filled up my eyes and I wanted nothing more than to hold the cute, little baby.
“Can I… hold her?” I asked and my arms were reaching out already.
“Yeah?” He sounded both surprised and hopeful.
