"I love you, too, Arlo."
"Marry me."
Her eyes widen and quickly connect with mine.
"What?"
I gulp, realizing that I shouldn't have said it like that or in this way, but I cup her cheeks into my palms regardless and gently tilt her head back before speaking seriously.
"Look, I know it's not the sweetest or best fucking proposal in the world with my dick buried deep inside you, but I only say what I mean, and I want to marry you, Wren."
Her eyes are loaded with a variety of emotions. Shock, excitement, doubt, and hesitation all run clearly through her thoughts, but she remains mute and speechless, and her breathing has become heavier.
I close my eyes gradually, knowing that I've just screwed everything the fuck up. What the hell was I thinking?
She suddenly speaks.
"Arlo... I..."
When I open my eyes, I gaze straight into hers again, but she still can't seem to get any words out, so I lower my hands to her neck and do the talking for her.
"You don't have to say anything right now. You deserve fucking better than that."
I tilt my head and press my lips firmly on hers, letting her know that I'm not disappointed that she didn't give me an answer right away. We get lost in it again when she opens her mouth to let my tongue enter before I start fucking her against the glass.
It's the night we go to dinner with my parents, and I'm standing naked in the bathroom. The hot shower is running, causing a slight steamy mist to cloud the whole room.
My hands tremble as I stare down, a thin coating of tears obstructing my vision, and when I blink, a tear cascades down my hot cheek, allowing me to clearly read the pregnancy test results in my unsteady palms.
When I hear the bathroom door unexpectedly open, I'm too stiff to move or do anything but I can sense it's him.
As his gaze pierces into me from the doorway, my heart pounds, my breathing quickens, and my body becomes overwhelmed with anxiety. I raise my wet eyes hesitantly, and I see him staring at the test in my hands, forcing me to swallow hard.
His eyes meet mine swiftly, and I can't read his expression. It's dull and flat, just like the first day I met him, and he isn't giving anything away, refusing to let me figure out how he's feeling right now.
I carefully pull my wet eyes away from his, returning my gaze to the pregnancy test, where two lines are sharp and unmistakable.I'm pregnant.
The only sounds in my ears are my own struggling breathing and the scorching shower behind me. My palms begin to sweat as I catch a glimpse of him slowly approaching me out of the corner of my eye.
I avoid making eye contact since I'm not sure how he'll react. Will he be happy or furious? With Arlo, you never know.
When I see him standing right beside me, I take a trembling deep breath and keep my eyes fixed on the test. He lifts his tattooed hand and gently removes it from my palms. I continue to keep my head low while I observe the movement, and he holds it between his finger and thumb while clearly reading the results.
But Arlo isn't a fool; he could probably tell by the look on my face that the results were extremely obvious. He didn't need to look at the tiny stick to see that we were having a baby together.
He finally decides to speak after a while of stillness.
"Why are you crying?"
I remain mute and do not look at him until he softly lifts my face up to look at him by taking my chin between his fingers and thumb.
He stares into my eyes, attempting to read me as much as I am attempting to read him.
"You're not happy."
He didn't pose that as a question; he said it matter-of-factly, so I sigh before responding.
"No, it's not that. I'm just shocked, that's all."