CAKE

One Hundred- Nine

Mateo

Sighing, I stand outside the apartment door belonging to my girlfriend. I'm not entirely sure what it is I've done, but I want to fix it, even if it isn't my fault. Having her shut me out for 3 days is hard, so imagine being avoided and ignored for 10 days. I clear my throat and hold the bouquet of roses and chocolates up as I knock on the door.

I wait impatiently at the door for her to answer. When it doesn't come, I back away and glance over the railing and down to her truck parked just in front of the stairs. She's here. I know she is. I step closer to the door, knocking again and waiting.

"Good luck getting her out of there," I hear. I turn and spot Casey exiting her apartment dressed in a white tank top and a pair of old black gym shorts. 

I could tell she was probably about to go for a run. I raise my brows in confusion, letting her words float around in my head before speaking up. "What are you talking about?" I question.

She sighs, "She hasn't been out of there in the past week. I saw Em come over the other day... Ryn didn't open the door for her or me." I eye the brown-skinned woman for a few seconds as I clench my jaw. I turn away from her. "Well, I'm her boyfriend so she'll open it for me," I spit.

"I hope so," she mutters before descending the stairs. I glance after her, watching her walk down the sidewalk and out the gates of the apartments before ultimately disappearing. I let out a breath, unsure of why I allowed her words to irritate me. She wasn't being rude, she was just telling me what happened.

Letting out a breath, I knock on the door once more. And once again, there's no answer. I can't help but groan, wishing I had the key to let myself in. But I made the stupid decision of accidentally leaving said key here last week. 

I glance at the door before making my way down the stairs and to my vehicle. I unlock it and climb inside, deciding to just wait a few more minutes before trying again. I start the car and turn on the a/c before grabbing my phone. I just needed to be a little patient. It was only 11 in the morning, maybe she had a late night and just hadn't gotten up yet.

The ringing of my phone grabs my attention away from the door of my girlfriend's apartment. I sigh as I notice it's Stephanie calling. I lean my head to the left, letting my thoughts wander. Just as Kathryn had been shutting me out for the past week, I've been doing the same to Stephanie since we got back from our trip.

I'm not entirely sure why I've done that. I could just tell something changed between the three of us and I wasn't sure what that change was. It could've just been the realization that my life with Kathryn was becoming more than it previously was.

We're having a kid. And that's where my focus should be. It should be on my child and girlfriend. I guess my distance from her also had something to do with the truth that Kathryn is still in love with Casey. I have to focus on my relationship otherwise I'd lose it.

Letting out a breath, I answer the phone before it can go to voicemail. Silence falls over both lines, neither of us knowing what to say. I could tell she didn't expect me to answer. Hell, neither did I. I'm not entirely sure why I did in the first place.

"I thought you wouldn't answer," she mutters softly.

Clearing my throat, I nod my head in agreement. "Well, for once I'm not entirely busy," I lie. 

Steph hums. "What's that about anyway? You've never been too busy for me before. Is there something going on?" she questions.

My eyes move to Kathryn's truck beside mine. "Not really. I've just been... distracted. You know with the fact that I will have a kid by January. Just... focused on us... me and Kathy."