Page 28 of You Had Me At No
As I turn the corner she made, I find nothing but a single employee-only restroom. I look around, making sure there’s no one else before I slowly push the door open. As I do, the sound of retching hits my ears.
“Oh fuck, baby,” I say as I rush in. I find the stall she’s in and push it open to find her kneeling over the porcelain bowl. I gather her hair at the nape of her neck before bending down and rubbing small circles on her back. She takes deep breaths, trying to calm herself before reaching up to flush. She pushes up and I scoot to the side before she shoulders past me. I stand and follow her to the sink. She’s gripping the edge with both hands, her knuckles turning white.
“Baby, what’s—”
“Fucking stop,” she cuts me off.
I stop talking, allowing her to say whatever she wants.
“Just stop,” she says again, her voice cracking. Tears well in her eyes. What the fuck did I do?
“You’re just always here and I need to fucking breathe. Please, just go.”
“Qui—”
“Get out, Liam,” she yells. “Just fucking go.”
My eyes scan her face, looking for some joke to be had. The tears start rolling down from hers as I take a step back and then another. She turns back around, gripping the edge again as her shoulders shake with hard sobs. I grab the door and walk out, just like she asked me to. I don’t say a word as I leave, get in my car, and drive home.
We need to talk.
I’m sorry about what happened.
I just…
Can we meet? We really really need to talk.
It’s been a few hours since she yelled at me to leave. I’ve been staring at the ceiling, trying to think about where I went wrong.
I stare at my screen as I try to process what I’m seeing.
Quinn: Where?
The beach?
Quinn: Sure, I’ll see you in a little.
Quinn
I make my way down the walkway to the beach and find a bench to sit on. I shoot Liam a quick text, telling him where to find me.
I have never been this nervous about anything in my life. I’m literally about to tell a man that I’m pregnant, with his baby.
I have decided that no matter what his response is, I’m going to be the best mom I can be.
I know Liam is a good guy. He’s funny, sweet, and charming. He’s the type of person who would give you the clothes off his back. He would be an amazing partner and father, but he might not want this right now. So, I’m going into this with an open mind. It’ll probably hurt if he says he doesn’t want to be a part of our lives, but we’ll be okay.
“Hey, beautiful,” I hear beside me. I look up and Liam sits down next to me. Tears are already starting to pool in my eyes. “Hey, hey, hey. What’s wrong?” He wipes a tear from my cheek.
“I have to tell you something,” I whisper through a sob. “I’m just terrified of what your response will be.”
His face falls. “It’s someone else, isn’t it?”
“No-no. I’m not seeing anyone else.”
“I know we haven’t put a label on this, but please don’t tell me you are breaking up with me already.” He looks down at the ground, cupping the back of his neck.
“That’s the last thing I want to do, Liam.” I take a deep breath.
