Haste [h.s.]

~04~

Shock was the only word to describe Ember's reaction when I blurted out those two sentences.

Her body visibly tensed and she attempted to turn around to search for him through the glass door, but if it weren't for my vice grip on her arms, she would've accomplished it.

"Are you 100% sure it's him?"

"Em, I'm not an amnesiac, it's him."

She's silent for a few more minutes, her eyes scanning both of mine and gauging at my reaction before she breaks out into a fit of laughter.

"What are the fucking chances that your baby daddy turned out to be the biggest known street racer around the country?" She says between laughs.

"How did you not fucking notice him from the list of guys the clinic had sent me that night we came back home?" I ask her.

"Bo, I couldn't even tell my left from my right if you asked me with how much I'd drank that night with Zayn, plus, we also had a couple more drinks together so the memory is quizy hazy, okay?"

My mind is still reeling with the thought of him and how clueless he is of everything going on, but Ember's snorted laugh has me scolding her.

"Crawford, this is not funny." I shove her shoulder, one look into my serious expression has her taking a few deep breaths before talking.

"As funny as I think this is—" I give her a stern look. "Okay, not funny, got it." I nod. "Look, I get it if you don't feel like being around him right now. I'm leaving with Z later, so if you're gonna go home now, let me know when you get there safely and we can talk about it when I get back, okay?"

I nod and pull her in for a hug before saying my goodbyes and telling her to thank Zayn on my behalf for the invite and excuse my sudden leave.

I make my way back to the parking lot and scan the premises for my darling until I spot my "Oh Baby" license plate and pull out my keys, my keychains rattling against my hand as my arms sway in sync with my walking legs that carry me to my car.

Once the door unlocks, I climb inside and put my stuff down on the passenger seat, slumping back against the seat and exhaling a breath I didn't even know I was holding.

Like Ember said, what are the fucking odds for this to be happening to me?

It feels like I finally manage to do something well without any sort of repercussions just to end up running straight into a wall with me meeting this man in the flesh and not leaving him as a simple image of the man who's swimmers I'd chosen purely for his genetics.

If his reaction to my introduction is any indication of who this man is, I just hope things remain on that level and don't escalate further, though I know deep down that it's impossible, especially since given how things are going between Zayn and Ember, I doubt he'll be that far from my life anytime soon.