Ashley tapped her nails anxiously on the marble kitchen counter, her untouched tea going cold beside her. Her mind was a storm. She hadn't told anyone not her mother, not Clara, not even herself in full honesty.
Pregnant.
She whispered the word aloud, like it might disappear if she said it softly enough.
"Pregnant."
It didn't vanish.
She picked up her phone, hesitated, and finally typed:
[Me → Clara]
I need to see you. It's serious.
Clara replied almost instantly.
[Clara]
I'm on my way.
Ashley exhaled. For now, it was her and Clara against the world.
Twenty minutes later, Clara burst through Ashley's side entrance, panting slightly and holding an iced coffee.
"You're pregnant," she said bluntly, not even waiting for Ashley to speak.
Ashley blinked. "What—how—?"
Clara lifted her brows. "Girl. You vanish for one night, ignore me for days, and then text 'it's serious'? Of course you're pregnant."
Ashley stared at her. "You're terrifying sometimes."
Clara sat across from her. "Okay. Tell me everything. Do you know who the father is?"
Ashley looked down. "Yes. I mean… I think so. It was the guy from the bar. Darren."
"Darren," Clara echoed, mouth pulling to one side. "Okay. So… what now?"
"I have no idea. I don't know his last name. I don't have his number. He doesn't even know where I live."
Clara frowned. "Do you at least remember where he said he worked or lived?"
Ashley shook her head. "We didn't talk like that. It was… just that night. And then I left before he woke up."
"You ghosted him?"
"I panicked, Clara. I didn't think it'd matter!"
Clara sat back in her chair. "Well, now it matters."
Ashley nodded slowly. "I need to find him."
Across the city, Darren sat in the small corner booth of his usual café, sipping black coffee and trying to focus on a book he wasn't really reading. His phone buzzed.
[Ryan]
Bar again tonight? Third time's the charm?
Darren rolled his eyes and typed:
[Me]
I'm done with that scene, man.
Ryan replied with a shrug emoji.
Darren put his phone away. His mind drifted again to her. He didn't even know her full name. But she'd felt familiar. That strange kind of comfort you don't expect from strangers.
He stood abruptly, unable to sit still, and headed back toward the bar from two weeks ago. He didn't know why. Maybe just… to remember.
Ashley and Clara pulled up outside the same bar minutes later.
"Are you sure he'll even be here?" Clara asked as they stepped out.
"No," Ashley said honestly. "But it's the only place I know to start to search for him."
The neon sign buzzed softly overhead as they walked in. The music, the lighting, it was all the same, but Ashley's stomach twisted with every step.
And then she froze.
Across the room, near the bar counter, stood him.
Darren.
Her heart leapt to her throat.
"That's him," she whispered.
Clara followed her gaze, lips parting. "Damn. That is a solid mistake."
Ashley didn't smile.
This was real now.
"I have to talk to him."