Page 29 of Her Exception

He pulled out rapidly, allowing his seeds to fall onto the floor. I rubbed his back slowly as I came down from my high. His hands pushed my arms from around him, and confusion filled me.

“That was too close. That pussy felt so good I almost couldn’t pull out.”

“It’s okay, Mec. I’m on birth control.”

“Good, because I don’t trust you with my seeds. The last time I gave them to you, you played me.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” I asked, jumping off the counter as he casually headed toward the shower.

“You acted like you wanted to have my baby, then you got an abortion. I’m not trying to go through that with you again.”

Scoffing, I gripped his arm and kept him from walking inside. “No, we’re going to settle this right damn now.” As sticky as my thighs were, I refused to let either of us get cleaned up until we had this conversation once and for all. “I’m tired of you acting like this was my fault.You’rethe one that broke up withme. You told me to get the abortion. So I’m not understanding how you can stand there and act like you’re upset that I gave you exactly what you asked for.”

“What the hell are you talking about, Shalom? I never told you to get a fucking abortion. Why would I tell you to get an abortion after promising you that I would find a way to take care of you both?”

“I don’t know! But you did! And you did it in a fucking letter!” The tears began to fall before I could stop them. “After everything we’d gone through…” Chuckling, I took a step back as my chin trembled. “You didn’t even have the decency to break up with me to my face.”

“Baby…” Mecca grabbed my hands as he chuckled with watery eyes. “I didn’t break up with you, and I for damn sure didn’t write you a letter. You wrote me a letter breaking up with me. You told me you were going to get an abortion and wanted nothing to do with me. I even went to your house, and you were gone.”

“Well, yes, I left early, but that was because you left first. I called you but my calls didn’t go through, so I figured you blocked me or changed your number.”

Silence found us as we processed what the other had said.

“I didn’t block you. My parents suggested I leave my phone at home while I was gone. I didn’t change my number until I came back, got the letter from you, and called you to learn you’d changed your number. So you’re saying you never wrote me a letter?”

“Yes, Mecca. And you’re saying you didn’t write me one?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. I didn’t want you to have the abortion.”

“You didn’t?” I asked quietly.

“No, baby. That’s why I was so upset with you. I wanted you and our baby, but you left me.”

“Only because you left me first and said all those mean things in that letter. You even left money for the abortion.” Groaning, I ran my fingers through my hair. “Well, obviously not you, but someone.”

“This is crazy.”

“So someone wrote us both letters to break us up.”

“From the sound of it, yeah.”

Lightning fast, Mecca turned and punched the shower door before I could even prepare for it. He grabbed his clothes and stormed out of the bathroom, almost running me over in the process. I quickly jumped out of his way before following behind.

“What are you doing, Mecca?” I asked calmly, watching as he tried to put on his clothes.

“Someone set up our breakup and the abortion. It was one or all of our parents, and I’m going to find out who.”

“I-I agree, but now’s not the time.” Dropping his pants, he looked at me.

“The fuck you mean it’s not the time?” He released a humorless chuckle. “They broke us up and ruined every-fucking-thing we were building and you’re talking about it’s not the time?”

“No, Mecca, it’s not.” I walked over to him and took his hands into mine. “It’s after midnight and my dad is in the hospital possibly with heart issues. I do agree that we need to get to the bottom of this, but not right now. Right now, I just want to settle in the fact that you didn’t write that letter and break my heart the way I thought you’d done for all these years.”

His body softened, and I was grateful for that.

“It’s been fifteen years, love,” I continued. “Fifteen years of us hating one another for something we didn’t even do.”

His head flung back, and he pulled me into his chest. “Fifteen years of us grieving a child we both wanted to have.”

---