by Layla Wilde
I was surprised to see a man who looked vaguely familiar. He had long blond hair tied back into a tight man-bun. His pale blue eyes teemed with excitement. He smiled down at me, the look of recognition apparent in his eyes.
“Hello?” I said, a little unsure, my hand tight around the door.
“Victoria? Is that really you?” he asked with a smile.
“Um…” I stared at him a little harder, as if his sharp nose and hollowed cheeks would trigger my memory. He looked familiar, but that was about it. I couldn’t remember where I knew him from. “Yes…?”
“It’s me, David! Don’t you remember? We used to go to high school together! Hell, we even dated for a little bit there, didn’t we?” he joked, as if one could forget something like that.
David? I stared at him, and then it dawned on me. He had lost a lot of weight and packed on muscle to replace it. His hair was dyed from its natural ginger color to a bright blond. He had even tanned. “What are you doing here?” I asked, a little breathless. I hadn’t seen this man since high school.
“Well, I work as a nutritionist and personal trainer. Norma is one of my clients, and we have an appointment for this afternoon.” He glanced down at his fitness band that doubled as a clock. “I’m a little early.” He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “Is she home?” he asked, his almost beady eyes looking down at me, taking in my figure. I had also changed quite a bit since high school.
“Yeah, I think she’s upstairs. Wait a sec, I’ll go get her,” I said, trying to be polite. I turned to step inside when he grabbed my arm, pulling me back. He had a sly grin on his face.
“There’s really no need to do that just yet. I am early, after all. Why don’t we take this opportunity to catch up? I’d love to hear how you’ve been doing these last couple of years.” He flashed me a pretty-boy smile, as if that would make me more prone to agree.
Before I could respond, he pushed inside. In the living room, he plopped down on the couch. He leaned back, a pleased expression on his face. Since there was no other seating in the small living room, I sat down next to him. A spark ignited in his eyes as I did so.
“Oh well, I’ve been studying for the most part. Spent a few years here, then transferred to Ohio, but that didn’t really work out…” I whispered, giving him few details. I hadn’t seen this man in over two years. I didn’t want to get too personal. I looked away. David had taken me to both junior and senior proms. Hunter didn’t want to go, and David had a huge crush on me. It had been fun, but I had never been into him. I tried dating him at one point, but he simply couldn’t make my heart flutter the way Hunter did.
“Oh?” he asked, moving closer. “What happened?” he asked curiously. “You can tell me.”
I always knew David to be trustworthy, but I didn’t think it was appropriate to tell him I was pregnant when the father of my child didn’t even know. The sound of a ringing phone could be heard upstairs.
“Looks like Norma is indeed upstairs,” David commented, pointing to the ceiling where the padding of her feet echoed.
A few minutes later, my own phone started to ring, startling me. I tried to grab it when David stopped me, his hand wrapped around my wrist a little too hard. “Why don’t you just let it go to voicemail?” he said in a soft voice.
I unconsciously obeyed his command, moving my fingers away from my pocket. I felt my phone buzz with a text message I was dying to read, but David’s gaze stopped me from even contemplating such a thing.
“Anyway, why don’t we catch up a little?” He moved even closer and put his hand on my knee, making me feel uncomfortable. I couldn’t move away. It was like he had me under some sort of spell. I gulped.
“I’ve been pretty good myself. I run my own fitness company, where I give people an all-in-one service. They can hire personal trainers, order supplements, or follow our video workouts. It’s been going rather well. I have a good flow of well-paying customers. I didn’t think it’d be that successful when I first opened, but things have been looking good so far,” he droned, going on and on about his life. He had always been a bit of narcissist, but it had gotten worse with time. “But all this time, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you, Victoria. When we danced at prom, crowned the king and queen, it was the best moment of my life.”
He leaned forward, his face getting closer to mine. My breath caught in my throat and my eyes grew big. What was he doing?
Hunter
“Hello?” The crackled voice of a girl came through the line.
“Hello!” I exclaimed in excitement. It had to be her. This had to be Victoria’s friend. If she wasn’t, I didn’t know where else I would turn to find her. “Is this Norma Torres?”
“Who is this?” she asked cautiously.
“It’s Hunter.” There was a long pause on the other side. “Hello?” I asked, afraid she had hung up on me.
“I’m still here,” she answered distantly.
“Could you please tell me if Victoria’s with you? It’s kind of an emergency. She just left campus and came back to Maine, and I think something may have happened to her. I just want to find her and make sure everything is okay.” My words came out in a rush as I waited eagerly for her to answer.
“Yeah, she’s here,” she said. There was a strange noise from her side, like she was chewing on something inedible. Her voice was emotionless, and I wondered what was wrong with her. I pushed the thought away quickly, relieved that I had finally found Victoria. “Is she okay? Did she tell you why she came back?” I asked, my words slurring together.
“I think it’s best if you come over and talk to her in person.” Victoria’s friend sounded a little annoyed, like she wanted this conversation to be over as soon as possible.
“Okay, what’s your address? I’ll be right there.”
“I’ll text it to you.” She hung up.
I smiled widely, knowing I was one step closer to finding Victoria. I was a little apprehensive about what would happen when I saw her, but I just needed to focus on getting to this girl’s house and finding her. My heart raced in my chest, and I felt my palms becoming sweaty. “I’m coming, baby…” I whispered to myself, picturing Victoria’s smiling face in my head. One way or another, I would get to the bottom of this.
***
I drove up to the house in my father’s spare car. It was a small place with a tattered roof and a worn-out front door. A large window with white, drawn-back curtains allowed anyone to look inside at the modestly furnished living room. I was drawn to that window when I heard the sound of laughter. It was a deep, throaty chuckle, one I didn’t recognize.
When I looked over, I froze in place. Victoria sat on the couch with a large, tanned individual. Instantly, a rush of jealousy washed over me. Had she left Ohio to be with this guy? The thought felt like a bullet going through my mind, making me want to jump through the window and pry them apart.
I watched as their faces got closer and closer like they were about to kiss. I looked away, unable to witness it. Without thinking, I put the car back into gear and shot onto the road, letting the tires screech against the asphalt. My fingers tightened around the wheel in anger. “Damn it!” I screamed, slamming my fist into the dashboard. The radio started to play, which only irritated me further. I turned it off and drove in silence, going way too fast down the residential streets.
How could Victoria cheat on me? She loved me. Didn’t she? I thought about the night I had expressed my feelings. She had said “I love you,” too. The memory replayed in my mind. Had she been lying?
My mouth felt acidic and my stomach heavy with bile. This couldn’t be happening. The girl of my dreams had dumped me for some guy with a man-bun? I shook my head. No.
I turned the car around, doing a one-eighty in the middle of the street, leaving skid marks behind. A little boy playing on his front lawn looked at me with his mouth agape, his little Tonka truck dangling from his fingers. I paid him no mind as I hurried back to Victoria. I couldn’t let th
is happen. I had to figure out why she was doing this. If she was going to break up with me, she could at least do it to my face.
I got out of the car, leaving it parked haphazardly on the side of the road. Victoria and the man she had been with had disappeared from the living room. There was no telling what they were doing. My anger abounded, thinking the worst. I stormed up to the door and pounded on it.
A few moments later, Victoria opened the door, her eyes as wide as the moon when she saw me. I barged inside and grabbed her arms, my grip a little too tight. “What do you think you’re doing?” I bellowed down at her.
She shrank back, obviously frightened by my sudden outburst. I waited, my blood boiling in my veins. “What… what are you talking about?”
“You know damn well,” I growled. “What are you doing here? Why didn’t you tell me? What the hell were you doing with that guy?”
“What guy?” she asked innocently. “Let go of me.” She pushed me away. I could see her eyes starting to well up with tears, and my anger dissipated a bit, but I still held my ground, determined to get some answers. “And you are really in no position to talk. I saw you with that girl on Facebook!”
“What girl?”
“The blonde one.”
I stared at her. The memory slipped into my mind: the girl from the party taking a picture. Had she really posted it on Facebook? Was that why Victoria here? Had it really made her that jealous? “I didn’t do anything, I swear.”
“That wasn’t what it looked like,” she said quickly.
“I swear,” I repeated. “Now, tell me what’s going on because right now, I don’t know what to think about this whole thing. Why’d you just leave without telling me? I’ve been so worried about you.”
Victoria bit her lip nervously and looked down. “I… I don’t know where to begin.”
“From the beginning, then.” I could tell she was troubled by whatever was going on with her. Feeling sorry for having lashed out at her, I took her hands in mine. “Just tell me. Please. Don’t worry about hurting me, I just need to know,” I pleaded with her.
“Let’s sit down,” she suggested. I nodded.
Once we sat down together, Victoria refused to look at me. I still held her hands, feeling her fingers shake ever so slightly. “Come on, baby… you can tell me anything.” My voice was gentle though desperate.
She nodded. “Do you remember our time in the moving truck?”
Her statement caught me a bit off-guard. I wasn’t expecting her to start with that. “Yeah.”
“Well… the day before, I forgot to take my birth control, and for the past few days, I’ve been getting sick in the morning. I looked up the symptoms online and… well… I'm pregnant.”
The word pregnant fell between us like a bomb, ticking softly as if it would explode at any moment. Victoria was pregnant? I stared at her as if she was telling me some sort of a joke. I waited for the punchline. I waited for her to laugh, but she didn’t.
“You’re pregnant?” I said, my voice barely a whisper. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. “Yeah.” She refused to look at me.
I sighed and lifted her chin gently so I could see her beautiful brown eyes. They were watery, and a few tears spilled over onto her cheeks. “Is that why you left? Is that why you called me?” She nodded, a look of defeat on her face. More tears rolled down her sides. My heart tightened at her anguish, and gently, I ran my thumb across her cheek, wiping her tears away. “Don’t cry.”
“But my life is ruined! I can’t go back to school if I’m pregnant. Everyone will judge me… I don’t want to deal with that.” Shame painted her face. I frowned, wrapping my arms tightly around her.
“No one will judge you,” I whispered in her ear to make her feel better. I rubbed her back gently, and she nuzzled into my chest, sobbing. I held her tightly for a while, losing track of how long we stayed in that position. “We’ll figure this out, I promise.”
“But…”
“No more buts,” I told her, placing a finger on her lips. “Now, you’re going to listen to me. I’m not going to let you stay here and go through this alone. If you’re pregnant and I’m the father of that child, then I’ll take care of you. You’re coming back with me and living with me, and we’ll do this together.” I pulled her away, cupping her head in my hands, feeling her warm, blush-covered cheeks.
“Really? You aren’t mad?” she asked, her voice breathless.
“Why would I be mad? Unless you were doing something with that guy I saw through the window?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
She shook her head vehemently. “No! That’s David.”
“You mean the David who always followed you around like a puppy in high school?” She nodded. “What was he doing here?”
“He came by to see Norma—he’s her personal trainer or something. He tried to make a move, but I pushed him away. I only have eyes for you. I’ve only ever had eyes for you…” she said, moving closer to me, hoping I would trust her.
I broke into a smile, knowing she told the truth. Without thinking, I leaned down and kissed her hard, pressing my body into hers. I pulled her close, never wanting to let her go as our lips danced together with pent-up passion. I was so relieved to have her in my arms again. Her soft skin. Her fiery hair. Her intoxicating scent. She was mine, and I vowed to never lose her. I couldn’t go through that sort of anxiety.
Finally, when were both out of breath, I pulled away, gazing into her warm brown eyes. I kissed her nose and smiled warmly. “Now, if you promise not to run off on me again, I can tell you some good news.” My hands slid down her body, resting on her hips as she sat on my lap. My fingertips ran slowly over her stomach, wondering if there was indeed a baby growing inside. I couldn’t quite grasp the idea that I was going to be a father, but in time, I would grow into the role.
“What is it?” she asked.
I grinned at her. “I’m playing in next Saturday’s game. The NFL scouts are going to be there,” I said excitedly.
Her whole face lit up with surprise. “The coach is actually putting you in?”
“Yup!” I exclaimed happily.
“Oh, that’s wonderful!” She giggled and hugged me tight, causing me to gasp as she brushed against my wound. She pulled back quickly. “What’s wrong?” I sighed, knowing I had to show her. I pulled up my shirt slowly, and she gasped at the wound’s state.
“Oh my God, Hunter… We have to do something about this.”
“I know, and this time, we will,” I said. “If I go to a hospital here, they won’t tell the school.” I smirked smugly. She just rolled her eyes at me but smiled nonetheless, hugging me gently this time. I sighed in contentment, glad that the wild goose chase was finally over.
“I love you, Vic,” I whispered.
“I love you, too, Hunter.” I smiled, rubbing her back, knowing that everything was right with the world.
Chapter 21 (Victoria)
My mind spun as I sat next to Hunter, my head resting on his shoulder. We were on a plane flying back to Ohio. Hunter had bought our tickets, even though I had tried to protest. He, however, wouldn’t take no for an answer, so here I was, traveling first class for the first time in my life.
The seats were insanely comfortable, but the cushions felt like a cloud under my body. Plus, the reclining feature made the trip a million times better. There was ample leg room for me to stretch out my legs. The TV posted to the seat in front was playing a movie in HD. The central air was set to the perfect temperature, making it very comfortable to cuddle up against my boyfriend.
“I can’t believe you’re playing in the game. I’m so proud of you,” I whispered.
Hunter looked over at me and grabbed my hand, squeezing it firmly. “And I can’t believe you’re pregnant and I’m going to be a father.” He smiled and kissed the top of my head. Since he had heard the news, Hunter couldn’t keep his hands off my stomach, as if he was still in a state of denial.
I chuckled and reste
d my hand on top of his. “Are you excited?”
“Of course I’m excited. Who wouldn’t be? I’m going to have a baby with the girl of my dreams.” He pulled me onto his lap, letting my body rest on his. “It’s going to be amazing. I have no doubt you’re going to be the best mom in the world,” he murmured into my hair, his fingers running up and down my spine, making me shiver happily.
“I hope so,” I whispered, thinking of my own mother. All I could ask for was that I gave my child a much more loving environment than what I grew up with.
“You should get some sleep,” Hunter advised. “You look exhausted.”
