It wasn’t every day you woke up in your boyfriend’s bed due to the sound of a slamming door and opening your eyes to see a small baby peering curiously into your eyes. I uttered a small scream of surprise, sitting up immediately, and grabbing the baby so he wouldn’t fall off the bed. Chris sat up immediately, sending Milkshake in a furry tumble down his abdomen. When his eyes landed on the small child in front of us, he blinked. “Paul?”           

            “I think now’s the time you tell me if you have an illegitimate baby,” I stated dumbly, staring at the child I was holding.

            Chris frowned. “Holly!” he suddenly shouted, throwing the comforters off himself. “Holly!”

            “What?” I asked, staring at him in confusion. “You don’t need to yell—”

            “Yes, Chris?”

            My head snapped to the bedroom door, where my doppelganger was standing. She smiled brightly at me. “Hey Holly! I didn’t know you and Chris slept in the same bed—”

            “What is Paul doing here?” Chris demanded, cutting her off.

            “You’re babysitting him today,” she said casually.

            Chris froze. “What?”

            I recognized the baby now. Paul was Holly’s stepson.

            “It’s okay, isn’t it? Andy is working and I just got called in. Holly, you’ll watch him for me right?” Holly asked, turning her pleading eyes on me.

            “Uh… Sure?” I responded, throwing a confused look to Chris.

            “Thank you!” she chirped, grinning widely. “I’ll pick him up around seven o’clock! I left some of his toys and stuff by the door. Oh, and Chris, if you have to go somewhere I left his car seat in your car. You know, you should really lock your door...”

            Chris scowled at her. “Holly—”

            “Bye bye!” she called, disappearing from the doorframe.

            Chris and I exchanged looks. I smiled widely saying, “I love kids!” the same time he sighed muttering, “I hate kids.”

            An awkward silence passed between us, only broken when Paul started babbling nonsense. I quickly returned my attention to him, bouncing him up and down on my lap. My mind was racing. Chris didn’t like children? That was unexpected. If he didn’t like children, why would Holly drop Paul off here?

            Paul suddenly let out an over flow of drool onto my stomach, making me groan in disgust. “Eww!”

            “Don’t you dare wipe that off on my covers,” Chris warned threateningly. “I already have enough drool on my bed because you like to drool while you sleep.”

            Flushing, I glared at him. “I do not!”

            “The stains on my pillow say otherwise,” he remarked with an amused twinkle to his eyes.

            I glowered at him, my embarrassment increasing ten-fold. He smirked smugly back at me. “I hate you,” I finally muttered.

            “No you don’t, and I never said you drooling was a bad thing. It’s cute.”

            “I’m going to change my shirt,” I notified him, pushing myself out of his warm bed.

            He chuckled, climbing out of the bed as well. “Okay. I’ll start breakfast. When you’re done, you feed the kid.”

            I swiveled around to frown at him. “Why do I have to feed him?”

            “I don’t know how,” Chris responded simply.

            “You’re kidding me. Haven’t you babysat Paul before?”

“Nope.”

“All you have to do is give him a bottle!”

            He nodded at me, impressed. “See? You know what you’re doing.”

I grabbed a clean shirt from my bag before entering the bathroom, ignoring his last comment. His loud laughter sounded through the closed door, reaching my ears. I set Paul near the door, opening the bathroom closet and pulling out a washcloth. My nose wrinkled in disgust as I peeled the wet shirt off of me. Gross.

When I finished cleaning myself up I hoisted Paul into my arms again, carrying the giggling child back into Chris’s room. “Holly! Over easy or scrambled?” he called from the kitchen.

            “Over easy!” I called back, placing Paul on my hip.

            My loud voice must have scared him, because he began to cry. Loudly. Panicking, I held him out at arm’s length, looking around wildly. “Hey! It’s okay! Shh!” I hastened into the kitchen, giving Chris a desperate look. “What do I do?”

            He made a face at the crying baby. “This is exactly why I don’t like kids. They’re annoying when they cry.”

            “That’s all they know how to do!” I replied, speaking loudly to be heard over Paul’s wails.

            “Just feed him.”

            I nodded, stumbling over to the fridge. “Do I warm it up?”

            “I don’t know.”

            I smiled wryly at him. “We’d make such awful parents…”

            “Good thing we don’t have to worry about that,” he chuckled, flipping the egg in the frying pan with ease.

            I kept my mouth shut, opening the fridge. What did he mean by that? He didn’t want to have kids? My stomach twisted uncomfortably at the thought. I wanted to have children when I was older… Paul’s incessant bawling pulled me from my thoughts and I snatched the bottle from the fridge, handing it to the wailing infant. To my surprise, he could actually hold it himself.

            “Chris! Look!”

            Chris turned to me, cocking an eyebrow. “Yes?”

            “He’s holding it himself!”

            “He’s been able to do that for a few months, Holly.”

            I stared at Paul, impressed. “Really?”

            “You’ve never been around a baby, have you?” Chris questioned, folding his arms over his chest.

            A sheepish smile appeared on my face. “Ah ha ha… No.”

            He nodded. “I thought so.”

            “Kitty kitty!” Paul abruptly cried, pulling his mouth off the bottle, and pointing at the ground wildly with his hand.

            Milkshake was tottering into the room, nearly stumbling over his legs. My heart nearly stopped. “He’s so cute!” I gushed, wishing I could scoop him up and pet him, but unable to do so because of Paul.

            The kitten went right up to Chris, meowing as loudly as his little body would let him. “Can’t find your food?” Chris inquired, squatting down to pick him up. “It’s by the trash can, come on.”

            I couldn’t help but to smile at the pair. Chris may not have liked children, but he definitely seemed good at taking care of small, living things. He said he hated cats. Ha. Paul wriggled in my arms and I placed him on the floor, making sure he still had a grip on his bottle.

            “Go check what Holly left for Paul,” Chris ordered, placing Milkshake in front of his food and water dishes. “Maybe there’s something we can keep him busy with.”

            “Okay.” I ambled out of the kitchen and into the living room, where two diaper bags and an odd contraption were resting. Curiously, I bent down in front of the weird invention, examining it. There was a space in the middle for a baby to sit, and surrounding it were an assortment of rattles, buttons, and a tray for food. I hesitantly pressed one of the blue buttons; jerking back in surprise when the thing began blasting Mary Had A Little Lamb. My butt landed hard on the ground and I grimaced, muttering a curse under my breath.

            “You good, Holly?” Chris called from the other room, a hint of amusement in his voice.

            After pushing myself back to my feet and brushing off my bottom, I gave him an affirmative response. Heaving the diaper bags over my shoulder, I grabbed the baby plaything and dragged it into the kitchen. Chris cocked an eyebrow at it.

            “I don’t know, so don’t ask,” I stated, dropping the diaper bags onto the floor. “Maybe we put Paul in it…”

            Paul looked up at me when he heard his name. A grin broke out on my face when he waved. He was so cute!

            “I need to go to the grocery store,” Chris muttered, twisting the knob to the stove to shut it off. “Before lunch.”

            I frowned. “Are you taking Paul?”

            “We are taking him,” he said firmly, narrowing his eyes at me. “I’m not doing this by myself. I’d shoot myself.”

            “Chris,” I protested, folding my arms over my chest. Did he really not like children that much? Didn’t he get along with Jeremy’s sisters? Well, Jeremy’s sisters weren’t exactly babies…

Chris ignored my objection to his words, scraping the finished, over easy eggs out of the frying pan and putting them onto two separate plates. My gaze shifted to Paul, who was still happily drinking his bottle. Our gazes met and he waved again. I waved back, unable to stop myself from grinning.

            “Holly, weren’t you supposed to call your mom last night?”

            “I was supposed to what?” I questioned, too distracted by Paul to comprehend his words fully. When I did, I caught my breath. “Crap! I forgot!”

            He chuckled, ruffling my hair as walked by me to place one of the plates on his small, dainty kitchen table. “Sit down and eat. I’ll grab your phone.”

            “You will?” Since when did he do stuff for me?

            He gave me a flat look. “I can be nice, you know.”

            I looked at him thankfully, taking a seat at the table. “Okay. It’s in my bag.”

            “I know.”

            Picking up my fork, I took the first bite of his famous cooking. A contented sigh left my lips as I relished the taste of the eggs. It’d been too long since I’d last had his cooking. It wasn’t fair that he was such a good cook. I wanted to be able to make him a delicious breakfast too. The master cook himself came back into the room a few seconds later, tossing my cell phone onto the kitchen table. I looked up to thank him, but my voice caught when I saw what else he had in his hand.

            “What’s this?” he inquired, waving a small, wrapped package in my face.

            “Nothing!” I cried, attempting to snatch the gift out of his hand.

            He smiled teasingly, yanking it out of my reach. “It looks like a present to me. Maybe a present for me?”

            “It’s your Valentine’s Day gift,” I confessed, feeling my cheeks warm up. “I couldn’t afford anything close to what you got me—”

            “Not that I expected you to,” he said quickly, rolling his eyes. “You’re a high school student.”

            “Still…”

            Before either us of could say more, Paul’s wailing began again. Immediately I bounded up from my chair, hopping the few steps to the little boy. After raising him off the ground, his crying ceased. “Aw, Paul! Are you sad because we weren’t paying attention to you?”

            He gazed up at me with his round, green orbs, a tiny hand reaching for my hair. “Mommy.”

            Chris snorted from behind me as I gaped at the boy. “I’m not your mommy,” I blabbered, my eyes widening. “Oh, but I must look like your mom, huh? I guess that’s understandable…”

            “Holly, help me put this on.”

            I glanced back at Chris, who was holding out the gold chain necklace I’d bought him as a gift. My mouth dropped open as a smug expression crossed his face. “Hey!”

            “What?”

            “I didn’t tell you to open that!”

            “It’s mine, isn’t it?”

            I shook my head. “No! I mean yes, it is! But… You don’t have to wear it. Isn’t it too girly?”

            “Nope,” he responded simply. “I used to wear chains all the time during my first years as a gang member.”

            “That makes me want to give it to you less.”

            He sighed, gesturing for me to go to him with a finger. After a few seconds of hesitation I finally obeyed, placing Paul in his little baby holder. He seemed to enjoy it a lot, automatically hitting the blue button I’d pressed earlier. Chris held out the chain to me and I took it, unclasping it. My hands shook as I brought my arms over Chris’s shoulders in order to wrap the chain around his throat. Did he really like it? Or did he hate it and lie to make me feel better? When I clasped it back together again, I dropped it so it hung limp on his neck. He turned toward me, lifting an eyebrow. “How do I look?”

            “H-handsome,” I mumbled, my embarrassment getting the best of me.

            “No surprise there.”

            “Narcissist,” I muttered.

            He smirked, placing a swift kiss on my lips. “Thank you, Holly.”

“Oh, it’s um, no problem,” I responded, feeling embarrassed again. “It’s Valentine’s Day after all…”

“I’m glad I got to celebrate it with you,” he told me, taking a lock of my hair and wrapping it around his finger. “Even if we got a surprise this morning… Will you shut that thing off?” he suddenly snapped, turning to Paul.

            My eyes shot back to his face, flickering to Paul for a moment. He was still playing peacefully. “What’s wrong?”

            “That noise is what’s wrong. It’s annoying.”

            I almost laughed when Chris jerked his head toward Paul. “Chris, it’s a baby toy.”

            “Another reason I don’t like babies,” he stated stubbornly.

Pursing my lips, I dropped my gaze. “You can get other toys, you know.”

“I don’t need to,” he told me, strolling back over to the oven to pile his breakfast down on his plate. “Eat breakfast. I want you to come to the grocery store with me, and I’m going to leave soon.”

I peered at him curiously, but obeyed and sat down to eat. “Why?”

“I want to eat lunch,” he told me slowly, raising an eyebrow. “Weren’t you listening earlier?”

I opened my mouth to retort, but closed it quickly, dropping my gaze. “Might’ve mentioned it…”

“I did,” he replied, scooping a spoonful of eggs into his mouth. “Are you going to eat?”

Grumbling under my breath, I picked up my fork, and started to eat the meal he’d prepared for me. “Before we leave I want to shower.”

“Me too.”

I looked up at him. “I don’t think you’ve ever taken a shower while I was here,” I commented thoughtfully.

A smug expression crossed his face. “That’s because I’m always afraid you’ll come barging in—”

“I would not—!”

“Kidding,” he cut me off, his eyes glittering with amusement. “I just wait until you leave.”

“Why?”

He shrugged. “Just because.”

“Oh, I know why,” I started in a joking tone, “it’s because you didn’t want to waste the precious time you had with me, right?”

“Yup.”

His response threw me off guard and my mouth dropped. As he took in my expression, a smug one crossed his face. Just as he opened his mouth to say something— most likely some egotistical comment— I spoke. “That’s cute.”

“That’s my line,” he protested, his smile faltering.

I shrugged, trying to keep my face casual, and the blush that was threatening to creep onto my face from my bold actions off. “Whoops.”

“Go take a shower.”

“I’m not done eating!”

He stared intently at my plate, where only a few scrambled eggs lay. “Just go.”

Rolling my eyes, I placed my fork on the plate. “Fine! Make sure you keep your eye on Paul! And text my mom for me!”

He shooed me with his hand. “Okay.”

I made an effort to smack his head as I walked by him, but he easily blocked it. When I went to pull my arm away, he quickly grabbed it, yanking me toward him. Startled, I lost my balance and fell onto him, my face bashing into his. A groan of pain left my lips and I tried to pull away, but he held me fast, placing a swift kiss on my lips. Blushing again, I attempted to pull myself away again and this time he let me go, chuckling as I escaped to the bathroom.

After a ten-minute shower I forced myself out from under the relaxing flow of water and onto the cold bathroom floor. Paul was crying again, so I dressed briskly, drying my hair carelessly. He was still crying as I jogged into the kitchen five minutes later. Chris was awkwardly holding him in his arms, looking completely aggravated. As soon as he noticed me, he shoved Paul into my arms.

“I’m showering,” he enlightened me, brushing by. “Watch him.”

Frowning after him, I hugged the baby boy to my chest. He wrapped his arms around my neck, quieting down. My mind was in turmoil. How could Chris not like children? What would he say when he found out I wanted children? Would he be angry? Would he want to break up…?

I shook my head violently. There was no way he’d break up with me because of that… Paul suddenly yanked at my wet hair, making me yelp in pain. He giggled, putting the end of it in his mouth. “Don’t do that!” I scolded, tugging it away from him. “It might be clean now, but it’s still gross!”

He giggled again. I sighed.

By the time Chris returned from taking a shower, I’d settled on the couch with Paul, flipping through the T.V. He collapsed next to me, shaking his soaking hair. I wrinkled my nose as a few drops landed on me. When I turned my head to glare at him, my breath caught in my throat. He looked too good with wet hair. He caught me staring and flicked my nose.

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer.”

“I-I don’t need one!”

“That’s because you already have some on your phone.”

I ducked my head. “So do you…”

He laughed quietly. “I do, yes. Are you ready to go? Or are you going to be a girl and put on make up?”

“I’m not going out in public without it,” I stated firmly, putting Paul on the floor so I could stand up. “That’d be so embarrassing.”

Chris grasped my arm again. “Why?”

“My face is really boring without it.”

“I don’t think so.”

“That’s because you’re my boyfriend.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “No, that’s not the only reason I’m saying it. You have natural beauty, Holly. I would say you don’t need to cover it with all your make up, but you hardly use any.”

“Well, I don’t want coon eyes,” I joked, picturing some of the girls in my grade that wore a half an inch of eyeliner around their eyes.

“Sometimes when I see those girls, and guys, it feels like I’m looking into an endless black whole.”

I laughed at his joke, shaking my head. “You’re not allowed to say that.”

“Why?

“Because you’re a teacher.”

He grinned. “I’m not allowed to be with you either, but I am.”

“It’s different,” I mumbled, trying to look away from his piercing eyes.

“Try not to take too long,” he implored. “I’ll meet you in the car.”

“Can I drive—”

“No.”

I huffed, storming off to the bathroom. He never let me drive. After applying some eyeliner and mascara, I locked the door to Chris’s apartment and headed for the outside. A chilly wind nipped at my cheeks the moment I left the building. Shivering, I pulled my coat tighter around me as I descended the stairs that led to the apartment parking lot. Swearing was carried in the wind and I didn’t have a doubt about who the curser was. As I’d expected, Chris was muttering swears under his breath as he tried to put Paul in his car seat. “Need help?” I questioned, stopping behind him.

He moved backwards, sending his bottom into my gut roughly. I gasped, having the wind knocked out of me. “Sorry,” he apologized, the corners of his lips twitching up.

“You have a hard butt,” I wheezed without thinking.

He looked pleased. “Thank you.”

My face tinted red when I realized what I’d said. He snickered as I pushed him aside, aiming to strap in Paul correctly. Chris had almost gotten it— aside from plugging in the actual seatbelt. After I was finished I moved around to the passenger side, sliding into the idling car. Without further ado, Chris pulled out of the parking lot, and onto the busy street. He took my hand from my lap and put it on the gearshift, putting his hand over mine.

“I change my mind. You’d make a good mom,” he told me casually. “It’s surprising, actually.”

“How so?”

He glanced at me briefly. “You said it yourself. You’ve never been around babies.”

“Oh,” I responded lamely, turning to gaze out the window. “I guess it’s just motherly instinct… But I don’t know if I want to be a mom.” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. I wanted to smack myself. Why was I lying to him? Was it because I was afraid of what he’d say if I told him the truth?

“Really?”

“Really,” I murmured, biting my lip.

“Mm…”

My eyes never left his face. An odd feeling spread throughout me. Was that relief washed across it? I chewed on my lip, turning to look out the window. Out of all the times he could have believed my lie, it had to be now didn’t it?

An awkward silence settled in the car after that, so I turned on the radio, putting it to a low volume so it was just background noise. The trip to the grocery store was a long one, and I found myself playing peek-a-boo with Paul, who found it the most interesting thing since the melon air freshener that hung from the rearview mirror. By the time we arrived, Chris was irritated again. I tried not to laugh as I did one more, loud, extravagant peek-a-boo.

“Holly, do you mind getting him out of the car seat?” Chris requested, glancing at me as he unsnapped his buckle.

“I guess I can so you don’t kill him…”

“Haha.”

Paul wiggled uncontrollably in my arms as I pulled him out of the car seat and onto my hip. Chris frowned when he attempted to take my hand, but found it occupied with Paul. I bit my lip to keep from smiling as he scowled to himself, deciding to place a hand on my lower back instead. “Are you sure it’s a good idea to come here, Chris? Ms. Elliot shops here.”

“It’ll be fine,” he assured me, moving his hand to the top of my head. “Just keep your eyes open.”

“That’s relieving.”

He rolled his eyes. “Just walk.”

A burst of warm air met my face as soon as I stepped into the food market. Chris went to fetch a carriage while I stood awkwardly with Paul still in my arms. A few passersby gave me peculiar looks, but I couldn’t blame them. It was weird to see an eighteen year old alone with a child, setting aside the fact my baby face made me look even younger. They probably thought Paul was my baby and I was a teen mom. The thought made me smile wryly. That would make Chris the dad…

“Put him in here,” a low voice commented from my right.

I nearly jumped, whirling around to see the devil standing right behind me, a carriage in front of him. “O-okay.”

When Paul was settled, Chris took my hand in his, dragging me toward the back of the store. It was hard to steer the carriage with one hand, so I tried to pull it back. He held it tighter. I frowned. When he noticed me frowning, he cocked an eyebrow. “What?”

“I need my hand to push Paul.”

“Too bad,” he responded casually.

“Are you jealous because I’m spending more attention on Paul than you?”

He snorted, giving me a sardonic look. “Oh, yes, Holly. I’m jealous of a one year old.”

“You are!” I accused, my eyes widening. “That’s why you’re being meaner than usual! Why?”

“This was supposed to be me and you time,” he told me flatly, setting his jaw. “Holly ruined it.”

I couldn’t help but smile at his bitterness. It was sweet. “We can still have our time.”

“Aren’t you going home tonight?”

“You could come over,” I suggested. “My mom wouldn’t care.”

He moved his head closer to mine, a hand finding its way onto my lower back again. “Or you could stay at my house again tonight,” he murmured in a low, persuasive, seductive voice.

“I’ll never get my homework done.”

He sighed lightly. “Is it bad I’d rather have you spend time with me than have you get good grades?”

“Just a little,” I responded, nudging him in the side with my elbow.

“I could always help you with your biology homework,” he suggested.

I laughed. “I’ll stay until Holly picks up Paul, but then you’re driving me home.”

“Fine,” he reluctantly agreed, stopping in front of the egg section. “I hope she’s not planning to do this again in the future.”

I kept my mouth shut, deciding it was best not to say anything at all. If I agreed with him, he could notice I was lying. If I disagreed, he could get angry— which I didn’t want. To make it look like I hadn’t heard him, I decided to tickle Paul’s feet. He tried to move them away, a happy smile spreading across his face.

“Holly, do you like chicken noodle soup?”

“Yes?”

“Okay.”

I glanced at him, furrowing my eyebrows.

He cocked his head to the side. “What? I can’t ask you what you want to eat?” he inquired teasingly.

“Y-you can!” I responded quickly, turning away from him. “I was just…”

“Hey!”

My heart skipped a beat at the sudden, booming voice that appeared behind me. A few of the shoppers by us turned to look at something behind me. Chris looked too, a wary expression crossing his face. I already knew who it was without having to look.

“Chris! What are you doing with my fiancé and my son?”

“Jeremy,” Chris started in a warning voice.

Seconds later the blonde bounded into my vision, throwing a muscled arm over my shoulder and squeezing me tightly. “It’s okay, Holly. I’ll make the bad man go away.”

I shrugged out from under his arm, scowling. The shoppers were still watching as I went to smack Jeremy. He quickly moved out of my way, grinning like a maniac. “Stop making a scene!”

“But you’re cheating on me with this… this monster!” He feigned a horrified look. “If it was just you, it’d be one thing, but we have a baby now, Holly. You can’t just do tha—oof!” He doubled over in pain, clutching his stomach where Chris had nonchalantly laid a heavy blow with his fist.

Now the bystanders watching us scurried away. Jeremy groaned, erecting himself. “Dude, uncalled for.”

“Stop being a brat,” Chris retorted, narrowing his eyes. “You’re too dramatic.”

Jeremy shrugged. “Hey, I have to amuse myself somehow.”

“Well leave me out of it!”

He winked at me. “Can’t do that, Holly. But anyhow, why do you two have Paul?”

“Holly,” Chris and I stated simultaneously.

“Ah. That sucks.”

“I know,” Chris said the same time I responded, “not really.” Our gazes caught again and I quickly looked away.

Jeremy raised an eyebrow. “Well, he’s not too much of a handful. She likes to drop him off on me last minute too.”

“I don’t think he’s that bad,” I told him, ruffling the baby brunette’s head.

He nodded appreciatively. “Right?”

“Jeremy!” someone yelled from behind him. I looked over his shoulder to see a young, dark haired man glaring at his back. “Stop prattling and help me unload these boxes!”

“Coming!” Jeremy called back, sighing heavily. “Guess I have to go do my job. You two have fun! Mom… Dad.”

Chris moved toward Jeremy, but Jeremy quickly bounded away, laughing loudly. I shook my head, grinning at his stupidity. “He’s something…”

“Something irritating,” Chris said under his breath.

I laughed. “Sometimes. Come on; let’s go get your groceries. The longer we stay here, the more of a chance we have of being caught.” Paul giggled, like he thought the idea was funny. I gently flicked him on the forehead. “That’s not funny.”

“He can’t understand you,” Chris told me in an amused tone.

“You never know.”

“Right.”

“Let’s just get your groceries.”

He pushed on my back again, leading me to the frozen food area. “Whatever you say… Mommy.”

________________________________________

Yeah, I rewrote this- it's not rewrotten if you're reading on an app, so you'll have to look on a computer. Hopefully it's not confusing. For future reference, you don't just say "this chapter was confusing". That doesn't help me. You need to say why it's confusing, that way I can go change it and make it less confusing, okay?

OH OH! I MADE IT INTO APPLIED ECOLOGY! I knew my biology teacher loved me :3 I thought I didn't get in because he hasn't been smiling at me and Avarie lately (we were beasts in bio last year) so I thought we didn't make it. But I checked today and we got in! Woop!

Today's song is Rescue by Breathe Carolina! :D

Facebook in external link, como siempre.