Me, sarcastic?

Not everyone can say they’ve been to the Big Apple, but  [ JONAS RILEY ], a [ 33 ] year-old [ MALE ] has lived in [ BROOKLYN ] for [ HIS ENTIRE LIFE ]. This is the city of dreams and [ HE ] knows it, because they came to NYC to be an [ HEAD OF IT DEPARTMENT AT MOUNT SINAI HOSPITAL]. Well, that and as an [ WANTED CONNECTION ] to [ BEA TORRES ]. Living in the city means they meet all kinds of people, but everyone always seems to think they look like [ CHARLES MICHAEL DAVIS ]. They even got away with free cab fare once because of it!

“Anytime.” Both were only children, but Luna had always felt like Jonas was her brother from another mother. He’d been the one she went to when she needed advice, or someone to vent to. Or a shoulder to cry on. She felt less alone when she had someone like him in the world. Letting the subject drop even if it was difficult to do so, a small smile trailed across Luna’s lips as he accepted the toast. Without hesitation she let some of the tingly alcohol glide down her throat, hoping to numb a little stress. “Dude, don’t tempt me. But you know I can’t leave Pops behind. I could bring him with, though. He can mix us up his famous margaritas and grill burgers.” This time it was a warmer chuckle that left Luna’s mouth before she went in for another sip. “You know, you could always do your own thing like me if work is really wearing you out. Or we could come up with another venture together. I’ve actually been considering some new investments.” 

“You could”, he smiled “I could bring my mom and we’d all live our best lives there”. What started as a joke turned into something he actually imagined himself doing and it felt ideal and perfect. Hell, he even imagined himself living away from all comfort he had here in NYC like living in a boat for example. Heartbreak really was doing things to him but as tempting as living in that kind of paradise sounded, Jonas had ties in New York and doubted going away would solve his problems. One of those was work one of them because as much as he loved his job, he also missed working with his best friend. He really wished he could do both but knew that he’d eventually have to make a choice. “I’m not sure yet. I’m not even sure I’m in the right mindset to make life changing decisions, you know? But I’d love to work with you again, that’s for sure. What were you thinking?”

you’d think it would be easy enough to choose a dish when you are really hungry, but hunger was the problem right now - she couldn’t choose and would rather have everything. "right? everything sounds so good. it’s weird that I haven’t been here yet. I can’t think clearly when I’m hungry. I want everything.“ of course that she was just joking, but she said it so seriously that it almost sounded so real. sometimes she was kind of a drama queen but in a good and not harmful way. “I think that I will go with ramen and then pad thai.” aubrey finally made her decision after a few minutes and put the menu down.  

“nine months sounds like a long time, doesn’t it? but in reality it will probably be the fastest nine months of our lives.“ aubrey commented before returning to the topic of their pregnancy announcement. “I will be happy to see her again too. how is she? and when do you want to do that? since I can’t really fully dance and attend my rehearsals, I have a plenty of time. It reminds me that I should probably think and figure out what I will do with my time now. I can’t just sit all the time at home and wait for the moment when I pop out the baby.”  

“She’s good. Trying to find something to focus on now that she lives alone again so my fridge is always full”. He was only pretending to complain because although he liked cooking, it was convenient and there was nothing better than a mother’s cooking. “What about this weekend? I don’t have anything planned”. Plus that would give him a few days to mentally prepare for the questions they’d probably get. Still, he couldn’t wait to break the news to her because he was impatient to become a dad because he knew she would be happy as well. 

The waitress came over to take their order before bringing a pitcher a fresh water to their table. Jonas poured them both a glass. “Well...”, he started. There was hesitation in his voice and it was understandable because he was about to make a move and he prayed for things to go well. “We could get away while you’re figuring it out”, he offered “Just a weekend. To get some fresh air. I feel like I’m going to go crazy here’s, you know? What do you say? That would be after breaking the news to your family of course”.

A snort of laughter left from Owen. Maybe Jonas had a point, maybe he did want to go be a hippie on a beach somewhere for a bit. Forget about work and everything else. Just lay out in the sun with a drink in hand. “You caught me there.” He grinned back, letting his hands drop once more. It was such a good idea and Owen found himself actually considering it more and more by the second. “There you go- I’ll hire you as my own personal travel agent at this point.” He felt himself to relax once more under the hands before he felt them finally come to a stop, a low groan emitting from his lips as Jonas’ hands confirmed it was in fact over. It had been amazing, to just get to lay there and have all the aches and tension massaged out of his body. “Quick, ,convince her for another hour of this.” Owen laughed, stretching out some before he pushed himself to sit up on the table. Giving a roll of his shoulders, pleasantly surprised to feel that there wasn’t any lingering tension resting there.

”I wish”, he laughed. And he really did because just like Owen, he didn’t really want to leave so it took several seconds for him to sit up. That post massage daze was a great feeling but as far as Jonas was concerned, the fact of having to leave so soon took something out of the experience. But well… all good things come to an end.

After thanking the therapists, Jonas proceeded to get dressed. Not quite sure what to expect at first, he was pretty happy with how the day turned out. Thanks to that, he’d made the conscious decision of taking care of himself or at least to take more time to do things for his body. After all, slow and steady wins the race, right? He turned to Owen “I’m hungry now. Wanna grab brunch?”

Luna sensed that Jonas wanted to drop the subject. She wasn’t always one to let things go so easily, but could see the weight that it was bearing on him. “I wish I knew how to take the pain away,” she admitted, resting her gaze on his momentarily. “You know if I could, I totally would. I’m not gonna keep pressuring you to talk about it, but you know I’m here if you ever want to. Or need to, yeah?” It was probably already an unspoken expectation, but Luna wanted to remind that they were best friends for a reason. They always had each other’s back. “Honestly, that sounds delightful. With work, I can’t even remember the last time I got to enjoy a drink and not have to worry about how it would affect my work ethic the next day.” She too reached for a freshly delivered cocktail, lips widening a bit. “To better days?” Luna offered, clinking the edge of her glass against his.

“Thank you”. He was genuinely thankful for Luna and her support. While he didn’t have the chance to have siblings, if there was someone who even came close to it, it was Luna, and as much as he hated not sharing how felt with her, Jonas thought the best decision was to stop moping and dwelling on it. Maybe that way, he would be on track to have his life back to what it was before this whole mess. “To better days”, he smiled. Clinking his bottle with hers, he then brought it to his lips. There was something reassuring about doing something casual with an old friend. Life goes on even if it doesn’t always feel like it, but it also doesn’t wait for you to catch up. “Work sucks so much sometimes”, he breathed. I’m fact, Jonas loved his job but he missed being his own boss and being creative. The more he thought about it, the more he felt like going back to what made him successful in the first place but maybe now wasn’t the best time to make that decision. “We should leave Luna. Let’s drop everything and move to Tahiti”.

location: Loeb Boathouse, Central Park

As agreed with Naomi, Jonas settled at a table at the far corner of the restaurant to wait for her. As agreed, he was wearing a yellow jacket to be recognizable. It was surreal. That woman contacted him a few days ago saying she was his sister and just like that, his world was turned upside down. It seemed that Hal wasn’t done with him just yet and kept throwing curve balls at him from the grave. He wasn’t sure why he accepted to meet her. Probably just to check if it was true but also to make sure his mother wouldn’t hear about it. Not yet anyway. She would be devastated to find out his dad had a child with another woman, especially when she remained by her side all these years, in spite of his repeated absences that caused Jonas so much pain that Hal had gone from hero to zero in their son’s eyes.

He focused on one of the small boats on the lake as if it would make time go by faster. A family of three obviously spending quality time together on a Sunday morning. It reminded him of when he and his father used to do that. No matter how much he tried to dismiss it when someone he brought it up, he missed it. But that was before his career took off.

A waiter came by, asking if he wanted to order and shaking Jonas out of his thoughts at the same time. He checked his watched and realized that Naomi would be there soon. He wondered how much she looked like Hal. All those who knew him usually said that he was his father’s twin so part of him hoped Naomi looked nothing like Hal. It was petty and probably childish but that was probably all he had left and found himself clinging to it. Part of him also hoped it wasn’t true, that she was mistaken or that she was just someone trying to get some of the inheritance. Okay, maybe that was a bit too much. “I’m waiting for someone”, he said, “she should be here soon so do you mind coming back in a few minutes?”

He didn’t expect Jonas to come out and suddenly apologize like this, at least not so abruptly. Knowing how hard it all had been on him, Tay felt bad for the position his friend had been put in, and if the roles were reversed he probably would have done exactly the same thing anyways. Still, that he was making the gesture now had to stand for something, didn’t it? “No, you don’t have to… I get it, Jonas.” Tay sighed deeply, also knowing he wasn’t responsible alone for all of this.

“Maybe not, but this wasn’t all on you either. We both know that.” So much of the weirdness currently wasn’t even from genuine anger between them, so much as it was feeling the need to stand by his sister and take a side. “I know I can’t speak for Ri, but at least for me, you don’t need to apologize, okay? It’s a mess, yeah, but it’s not just your mess to clean up though.” Reaching out, he offered a handshake to his best friend. “Truce?”

“I guess”, he answered absentmindedly. Maybe he wasn’t alone in this but he was certainly dealing with the consequences on his own and for that reason, he currently wasn’t the best version of himself. He reached out to shake Tay’s hand and smile. “Truce”. Though he found it weird to say it because as far as he was concerned, there were no ill feelings on his part. He’d just been worried about his friendship with Tay but that was obviously one of the few things that made it out that situation unscathed.

For a moment, he considered inviting his best friend for a drink but almost immediately realized that he wasn’t ready for this. Seeing people and acting if he were fine was beyond him right now but he didn’t want to close the door to that either. “I have to go... but we should do something some time. I haven’t been to the bar in forever”.

“Are you trying to take me on a date to Thailand now? First massages and now traveling abroad?” Owen signed teasing, giving a wiggle of his eyebrows as he looked over at hid friend. A shit eating grin resting on his face as well. Unable to stop himself from making the joke. Knowing hat after this, he wanted to make time to hangout with Jonas more. He truly was a great guy, someone that Owen knew he wanted in his life for sure. His body felt so relaxed, so at ease, that he found himself not wanting the massage to be coming to an end. It was the most time he had taken for himself in what to be months at this point.

“Even a weekend away would be great too. At least it’s something. Away from all of this.” Owen waved a hand, meaning the city and everything that came with it. It could be a lot of times, no mater how much he loved living here, there was no - doubt there. But also Owen knew he would never leave the city- there was no way. But a weekend away would be nice. “Now you have me thinking about getting away for a weekend. I would love to get a little cabin upstate- out in the middle of nowhere.” His mind already churning of the possibilities of doing just that. 

“Stop blaming me”, Jonas’s signed with a genuine smile “you just want to go be a hippie on the beach”. But seriously, even he was sold on the idea of that kind of trip now. Going away with not much planned, except for sleeping accommodations of course, but being carefree for the most part. Too bad that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. His time of being carefree was over as a little human being that happened to be his would be brought into this world and Jonas had every intention of being present whenever his kid needed him.

“Do it. Live your life. A little spontaneity from time to time is good”, he encouraged. “Maybe I should become a travel agent... just kidding but your plans sound nice. Just make sure o tell someone exactly where you are”, he added just before the therapist murmured that the massage was over and that they could take their time to get up. Time flies when you’re having fun, he couldn’t help but think. “Okay... Time’s up”.

“Cool, awesome, I’ll text you about it.” Rylan gave him a lopsided grin before taking another bit of pancakes. They were delicious, and she was starving for once in her life, so was taking advantage of it. He dad would be pleased about this she found herself thinking before remembering she wasn’t in the best place with him and the mouthful she was chewing seemed to literally sour. Even after they had been at odds for a while it still felt so surreal, so easy to forget for a blissful second, before it all came flooding back. Pulling a face as he asked about what had happened with Dancing with the Stars she felt that pit of guilt in her stomach because at the end of the day her actions had cut Nate’s dance career short, at least cut that aspect of it short. She lived in hope her boyfriend would get another opportunity at some point. “Remember how I was dating Lachlan…yeah that whole thing was a publicity stunt cooked up by Melina, my agent, no doubt with the help of my mom, and who knows maybe my dad had a hand in to too. I’d have said probably not before but clearly I didn’t know the man as well as I thought I did.”  Would the bitterness in her voice ever subside? It was looking unlikely at the moment. “Anyway, since it was PR and I’d told Nate that like a month before we’d been secretly dating in private that whole time. So when the article came out about my dad cheating and I saw both him and her in the audience like butter wouldn’t melt I thought fuck it. If they’re not going to pretend to be decent humans then I’m not going to be their little puppet anymore so I kissed him on live tv. Turns out the DWTS PR team didn’t take kindly to that image and even though we got through they told us we had broken the terms of contract and ’strongly suggested’ we withdraw.” The brunette used air quotes, swallowing. “So we did. And I fucked my boyfriend’s career.”

Her expression changed and Jonas wondered what was on her mind. Surely it had something to do with his question unless she was thinking about her father. They’d managed to avoid the topic so far and to make things less awkward by focusing on their own love lives but there was no doubt that they’d bring Kennedy up at some point. He brought the fork to his lips as Rylan began talking again and it all made sense. He could imagine how guilty she felt because he’d probably feel the same but also because he’d been carrying the weight of his own guilt after what happened with Aubrey for weeks. Hurting someone you love even without meaning to had to be one of the worst things in the world. “Wow... I’m sorry, Ryry”. The two were still together so Jonas assumed Nate had forgiven her, which he could totally understand because love could give that kind of superpower, that ability to forgive the other when another person would’ve turned their back of them, but in spite of that Jonas knew that it didn’t change much. Rylan still had to live with the consequences of her actions so he sympathized. “I know it doesn’t change anything but it’s their loss. Besides... you and Nate are still going strong even after that so he obviously forgave you. All I hope for is that you’ll be able to forgive yourself one day. You couldn’t know it was going to happen”. And it all came back to Kennedy just like he thought. It was weird how he could easily relate to her about these things and of course, it was far from good because it only meant that she was hurting badly, and he didn’t want that for her. “Speaking of your dad... have you talked to him?”

Rylan entirely missed the way he reacted to her word choice as she looked down at the table, taking another sip of coffee before immediately moving on to cut some more pancakes up. Into small bits, although she didn’t put anymore in her mouth, only looking up as the conversation moved onto Nate. She could talk about Nate until she was blue in the face if someone let her, and this was actually the first time she’d spoken to her uncle about him which was strange. So much had been going on in both their lives with all the cheating, him and Aubrey, how much of her mess ups had been in the press…well neither of them had managed to stop long enough for a proper catch up. Maybe that was a hidden silver lining in Kennedy not being there with them today, Rylan felt like she was able to open up to Jonas better because she wasn’t worrying about upsetting or worrying her dad. Rylan was always wary of saying something that might sent up red flags to her dad because he was so in tune with her….fuck ups. To put it bluntly. “Two months ago? Ah yeah then it was probably for tv interviews and stuff, Dancing with the Stars were riding our ass to look good on tv. Before they booted us the fuck out with no warning but whatever…” Sneering a little as she thought about the way they had been dropped from the show effectively ruining her boyfriend’s career, something she still hated herself for. “He’s…amazing. Cool kid doesn’t even cover it half way, trust me. He is sensible though, down to earth and stuff. I’m very lucky to have him. Like, especially now, seriously fucking lucky. You should meet him again properly, now you know we’re dating and all.”

“I noticed”. Not many kids nowadays really understood the value of money because they were born into a world that encouraged unlimited consumption, though Jonas had to admit that things were changing. However, Nate had long hesitated in front of those jackets because although he needed them, he seemed to know that buying them wouldn’t be reasonable and when Jonas had shared a story from his last, he’d actually listened and understood. Because of all this, Jonas had thought the kid deserved a little help. He’d gotten help from someone when he was younger and wouldn’t be where he was today without that person so even if it was different, he went for it. They were just jackets but who knows, maybe they would be a confidence boost for Nate. “I would love to meet him properly, just let me know where and when.”. After that, there was no doubt that his secret would be out but who cares? He just hoped he was able to help. With hindsight, that past meeting meant even more to him now that the kid was dating his niece and treating her so well. “What the hell happened with that show though? You guys were doing well, right”

“No…no I don’t blame her I guess. She will…she just needs time I’m sure. Finding out you’re going to have a baby is pretty fucking life changing. It takes a while to process.” She would know, but didn’t mention that little bit, Rylan wasn’t telling anyone yet. It wasn’t the time. Plus the conversation turning to Nate was something that brought a genuine smile to her face, just because of how much she loved the man, from the bottom of her heart. “You’ve met him?” Her eyebrows shot up in surprise because neither of them had mentioned it before, but it wasn’t something that filled her with any kind of concern. Her dad uttering those words might have but Jonas was less likely to enter into that kind of encounter with a protective stance like Kennedy would. Or combative. “He was shopping for a job interview?” Pausing for a second she tried to work out when that might have been, the only thing she could come up with was after they had been kicked out of Dancing With The Stars and Nate would be needing to find work, unless they had crossed wires and he’d actually been shopping for an interview for the show in some way? “Did you, when you met him did you know he was someone who knew me? Was it after we started dating?” Peppering her uncle with questions wanting to know more about this meeting she’d not heard about before today.

Her choice of words caused him to look up from his plate, eyes searching for clues on her face. It takes a while to process… his narrowed as a million thoughts crossed his mind. Maybe she was just saying that because their pregnancy wasn’t planned. Yeah it had to be that but before he could say anything, they were already onto Nate and talking about him seemed to make Rylan so happy that Jonas kept going. “Well, in hindsight he said interviews but my brain went to job interviews I guess. That was… I don’t know, two months ago?”. He picked up his cutlery again and proceeded to slice a piece of pancakes. His appetite seemed to be showing back up as hurtful topics faded in the background. “I had no idea you guys were dating back then. He just started talking about how ridiculously expensive the jackets were. And he was right”. And he was right. How was it fair that people like him could afford to buy a jackets that worth six months of this kids rent? He was mulling this over again now that they were talking about it. “Cool kid. Genuine and sensible from what I saw. And thanks to the smile on your face, I like him even more now”.

“To be fair, when I went backpacking, I stayed in little inns most of the time. No way my ass was going to sleep right in the middle of just anywhere.” Owen replied with a laugh. It was risky enough traveling, let along sleeping out in the open. Especially with not being able to hear what was going on around him. So he made sure every night he had somewhere to sleep that wasn’t out in the open. “I don’t know if I would want to go to Paris. I think I’d be more interested in going to little towns where there isn’t a ton of tourists and all of that. I feel like that’s how you get a real feel for the country. Keep it up though and you might be selling me on Thailand too.” 

Once more his hands still was the lady worked along his back and sides, making her way up to his shoulders and tops of his arms. Owen couldn’t believe how amazing this felt and wondered how the hell he had went with never having a massage before now. As she worked, he could feel the tension just melt away, could feel his body relax in a way he was pretty sure he had never felt before. The movement of Jonas’ hands caught his attention once more. “You really do. I think we get so caught up in our day to day life and what’s going on that we forget that hey, we do deserve a break.” Owen knew that he was guilty of that. “Sometimes we gotta take time for ourselves, even if it’s just a day. Get out of the city, go somewhere, do something for ourselves.” Really, maybe he should take his own words to heart. 

“You’re right. It’s so easy to get caught up in the daily routine though”. Besides, New York was so big and there was so much to do that the need to get away for while didn’t necessarily arise until he stopped to reevaluated things. “I mean, you could get more of this in Thailand”, he teased, referring to massages. And he was definitely sold on it but it wouldn’t happen before a while. Jonas couldn’t reasonably go on vacation so far away because what if Aubrey needed him at some point? There were appointments to go to, conversations to be had, adjustments to be made. He wasn’t alone anymore and would never be again. And he couldn’t wait to announce it to his family and friends.

As the massage neared the end, Jonas felt much more relaxed than when they came in. That was the point, right? He even thought he could’ve fallen asleep if they’d remained silent. “I’d start with a weekend”, he suddenly said “because a weekend away from home is still time away from day to day life”. The Hamptons sounded very appealing right now, especially since the summer crowd was now long gone.

“yeah, why not. I am starving so I will eat anything.” aubrey said, adjusting her bag on her shoulder. “we should better get going before I get into my really hungry stage in which I will turn out into a monster.” she joked as they both headed towards to the restaurant. hopefully it’s not ralph’s friend. how the medical oath actually works? he can’t actually tell him I’m pregnant, right?” asking him, they both went by their sides. “or he may find out from an innocent congratulation that he will be an uncle.” as always, aubrey was thinking out loud when there was something bothering her. “but on the other hand, he as a doctor should understand that it’s big and most of the time, the parents want to tell their family and loved ones the news. have you thought about how you tell it to your parents?“ aubrey asked, immediately realizing that it probably wasn’t something he had thought through yet. "or should we do it together? even though we are not longer together? I would want that. we could also explain them our situation.” suggesting, they finally reached the restaurant and headed inside. luckily, the restaurant was quite empty since it hadn’t been the lunch time yet. “it smells so good in here. I feel like I want to eat everything.”   

He smiled at her joke as they started walking. He did knew how she got when she was starving and found it cute. The conversation soon focused on their appointment again though, which is what Jonas expected when she offered to get a bite. “He’s not supposed to tell, not even to Ralph, whether they’re friends or not”, he answered. Hopefully it would reassure her but he could understand her anxiousness. She was worried their doc might let it slip but he sure hoped they would have the chance to tell their families. “You mean my mom”, he corrected. Then he was quiet for a moment. He wondered how his dad would have felt about being a grandfather. Would it have brought them closer? Anyway, he was all for breaking the news to their families together because it felt better than doing it on their own. “My dad died, remember? But yeah I’d like us to do it together. She’ll be happy to see you again”. They were seated at a table for two and handed the menus. Jonas’s mind was racing. He wasn’t worried about how his mother would welcome the news, in fact he was pretty sure she would be happy about her future grandchild but how were Aubrey’s parents going to react? He hadn’t seen or talked to them since he’d told Aubrey about the idea they came up with after her accident. He was only sure there was no bad blood as Ralph would have told him about it but… maybe he was overthinking and everything would be fine. “And everything on the menu looks good. Have you chosen yet”.

        SHE ARCHED her brow at his words. As if it wasn’t obvious… People goes to bar either to get drunk, or make a happy hour with friends. ❛ I didn’t mean like that. Nevermind. ❜ She wasn’t referring his obvious state. ❛ Thank you to reminds me the part that touches me. You’re such a peach Jonas. ❜ She rolled her grey-bluish hues, and back to look at her phone, checking her emails. It wasn’t like she was forcing him to join her.  And he already told his ‘piece’. Bluebell Madonna in a way was used to deal with people like him. He wasn’t the first guy to be this annoying to her and wouldn’t be the last. And he does not piss her off, and she wasn’t feeling offended. She was just indifferent to whatever he tries to say to try to piss her off. 

He shrugged. He'd mentioned his concerned but she was so focused on herself that that she brushed them off so maybe her moving out his mother’s place sooner than planned was better for everyone involved. He wasn’t sure what he expected when he came to talk to her but as he was getting ready to leave, Jonas knew that he would’ve wanted her to express... regrets? Nostalgia? Whatever would’ve showed him that she at least appreciated the time she spent at his mother’s place. Although it seemed gratuitous, there was indeed some logic behind his actions but... nothing. It was time to go back to his friends since he had no idea what she even meant by her last comment and wasn’t planning to ask. Jonas finished his beer and stood. “I aim to please” he said, offering a mock two-finger salute then with that last touch of cocky humor, he made his ways back toward his group of friends.

      BLUEBELL MADONNA looked at Jonas. Upon his question she nodded to confirm her statement. ❛ Yes. ❜ The blonde picked up her glass and took a huge gulp from her Bourbon as she drank it as if it was water. The Italian blonde didn’t know what he wants from her, considering he always seems trying to push her in the edge but he in general he always fail. ❛ I don’t fuck filming myself always. It was the first time I did it, and shit happens. ❜ She downed her glass of Bourbon, and once the waiter pass near her she asked for refill, and they grabbed her empty glass to do it. She wished she had a mother like his. Unlike his mother, her own was cold and very picky. Nothing she does will ever be enough for her own mother.   ❛ I also only have one mother too. ❜ She’s a bitch, that part goes unsaid. Bluebell doesn’t like to talk about her parents, considering she has a toxic relationship with them. Especially her mother, and she feels quite embarrassed to talk about her parents or even to introduce them to people.

       The waiter came at her table giving another glass of Bourbon to her, and she thanking him, giving her full attention to Jonas. ❛ What else do you want ask me?! ❜ Of course, if he starts to provoke her she’d do the same. ❛ No offense, but you look like you had better days. ❜ She observed, says the woman who was with ‘injuries’ hidden in make up and bandages, and an entire arm plastered. ❛ Go ahead, and insult me, or whatever.  ❜ Trying to get on her nerves is what he seems to tries to do the best. She was so unmotivated that she really wasn’t care about anything. Even irritating him is not as fun right now.

“I’ve said my piece”, he merely replied. He only approached her because he felt the need to defend his mother. That was something he hadn’t been able to do as a child, when his father’s repeated absences weighed down on her so growing up, he vowed he’d do what he wished he could’ve done back then. There was just one problem with his plan: it obviously wasn’t really her fault. But he didn’t care. Him not looking his best? Please, he was just a little drunk. It was nothing that couldn’t be fixed but the fact that she was going there sorry of amused him. She was the one with the broken arm and chugging glasses of bourbon as if it were water, then again, the entire world hadn’t seen his ass. There mere thoughts had him chuckling to himself. Okay… maybe he should ease down on the drinks. “I had a few beers”, he snickered. And it was true. Jonas usually drank moderately it the beers had been flowing tonight and he was going with that flow. “You on the other hand… you look like something the cat dragged in from the garbage dump”.”

“I have.” she said, her gaze fixed on the screen. what she saw on the screen definitely didn’t look like a person or a baby but something inside her woke up at that moment. “this small circle is our mini me or mini you.“ she said excitedly with a smile on her face. “I can already see and I can say that she or he will have your eyes.” joking was sort of her defense mechanism. the doctor laughed at her statement, saved the record, and wiped the gel off her stomach. when everything was settled in the doctor’s office and she received all the necessary materials and instructions about what awaits her in the following months, they both left the office. taking a deep breath outside in front of the hospital, she closed her eyes for a brief moment and then looked at him. aubrey felt like something has changed inside of her. "so it’s real, there is a human inside of me. our kid." she said as she clutched the papers in her hands. truth be told, she would rather throw away all those papers and give him a big hug and kiss, because this moment and the fact that they were going to be parents were asking for it. unfortunately, they were no longer in a position where it was completely natural. “well, since I have been pretty nervous about this day since yesterday and I couldn’t eat much, I would go get some food. do you want to go to grab something with me or do you have to go back to work?” 

“That so?”, he asked although he wasn’t expecting an answer. And at that moment, he really wanted to kiss her to celebrate that but he refrained. He merely smiled. To be completely honest, Jonas been scared that she’d change her mind and decide that she wasn’t ready for this after all, and of course he would’ve supported her. For that reason, her reaction was reassuring and Jonas allowed himself to fully enjoy the moment. It was confirmed; they were going to be parents and there was so much to look forward to. When Aubrey broke the news weeks ago, he’d been scared he wouldn’t mess up but things were different now. He was ready, he was excited, he was confident that he would do his best to be a good father. Seeing their child grow and then grow up was going to be one of his greatest joys, he just knew it. After letting Aubrey fix her clothes and thanking the doctor, they were outside again.Jonas was still reeling from what they just saw and basking in the joy it brought. “Our kid”, he repeated. Just saying it made him smile. It still felt so surreal but after this appointment, it was starting to feel real. “It was great. Thanks for letting me tag along”. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and focused on a spot just above her shoulder. Although he didn’t want to, it was time for him to go. He was just trying to postpone as much as possible when she eventually offered to go get some food so needless to say he jumped at the occasion to spend more time with her. “I do have some time before going back. How do you feel about noodles for lunch?”

Through all of this, the one thing Tay had never questioned was his best friend’s loyalty to Aubrey. And hearing him declare that all he really wanted to know was if she was doing okay, it confirmed one more time what he already knew. It really made him just wish all of this could have been avoided somehow, or at least if everyone could somehow see their way past the confusion and negative feelings to at least be on good terms again. Being stuck in the middle between Jonas and Aubrey was the last place Tay wanted to be. He hated that he couldn’t be more specific about how she was without wondering if he’d betray his sister, so he tried to change the subject back towards Jonas himself.

The non-answer really didn’t say anything, and yet he still had a sense of what Jonas must have been feeling. He knew him well enough to at least get a sense that things weren’t actually alright with him. But rather than twist that knife further, he let Jonas switch it right back and put himself in the spotlight. “Yeah, you know me. Always in there working, getting those hours at the hospital. Some days I don’t even see daylight, so I figured I’d try and get out here and enjoy it when I can.”

“I recognize you there”, he said with a faint smile. While he was happy those who cared about him wanted to know how he was holding up, Jonas was rather glad for the change of subject. He was still having a hard time talking about it and much preferred talking about something else. Anything else actually. The fact that Tay was Aubrey’s brother didn’t really change anything even if he was also his best friend. If anything, it probably made it worse because he was kind of stuck between the two.

“Look I’m sorry for spilling the beans and causing all… this”, he offered, making large gestures with his arms. He’d changed his mind because he felt the need to clear the air once and for all. Taylor was his best friend so he needed to know where they stood. “Scratch that, I’m sorry for causing all this. I just couldn’t do that anymore. I couldn’t do that to her anymore. It was atrocious the whole time”. In hindsight, it was predictable. Jonas had been against it but her parents had seemed so distressed that he gave in and accepted to pretend he was still dating their daughter. And now… it was a mess. “I shouldn’t have in the first place”.