Limerence | I

23. The New Divide

"Hey, stranger." Alex walked beside me as I was on my way down to the cafe to get a hot cup of coffee. I had barely gotten any sleep after seeing Eli handing Detective Washington money and how Xavier must feel. And I can't lie and say that I was behind curious to know who the father of Astrid's baby was. Sometimes I would think it was Alex but then the thought of it was outrageous. Sure they had sex before but that didn't mean that they still were. Either way, Alex wasn't my favorite person. In fact, I hated being around him for too long.

"Hi" I mumbled under my breath. I kept my eyes straight ahead of me so I didn't have to look at him.

"Have you been avoiding me?" He asked humorously. However, I wasn't laughing. Avoiding him was exactly what I was doing. I felt like he was a completely different person than when I first met him. After he asked me to be his girlfriend, I turned him down. He was angry at me for almost two weeks. He started behaving completely different toward me. So I started distancing myself. Even though we made up not too long afterward, there was still an awkward feeling between the both of us. And finding out about what he did with Astrid was a complete turn off.

"Nope. I just haven't felt the need to talk to you." I said with hostility. He furrowed his eyebrows, surprised.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" He fired back. I stopped in my tracks and turned to face him. I had to get the burning thought of him being the father out of my mind. I needed him to tell me he wasn't.

"Did you know about Astrid?" I asked him with folded arms. I made sure to keep my voice down so no one would hear me. He hesitated but nodded his head.

"She told me as soon as she found out." He said. I was shocked to hear that she told him before me. That raised even more suspicion in me. Why would she trust him not to tell Xavier? Unless there was something still going on between them.

"You didn't get her pregnant did you?" I got right to it. He looked almost offended. Then he rolled his eyes and shook his head. I stared at him intensely, trying to sense any hint of dishonesty.

"Of course I'm not. Why would you even think that?" He asked. I pursed my lips, wondering if I should tell him that Xavier told me about the cheating. He waited impatiently for me to respond. If I told him, there was a possibility that he and Xavier could have a falling out over it. Then again, I was sure that when Xavier found out that Alex knew about Astrid's pregnancy for weeks and didn't tell him, their friendship would be over anyway. It was sad to think that years and years of friendship would be going down the drain.

"I know that you and Astrid slept together." I said quietly. His jaw clenched and I could tell that I made him uncomfortable. But now wasn't the time to be. I needed answers. He broke eye contact with me for a moment but quickly retrieved it.

"That was a one time thing."

"Alright, fine. So who is the father?" I asked. I was trying to catch him in a lie but instead I got something else.

"I know who it is but I can't tell you." He said strongly. He was for sure not going to budge and I knew that. So I nodded my head slowly and walked away from him without another word. Astrid must have put all of her trust in him to tell him who the father was. And now my curiosity was through the roof. I know he didn't tell me because he knew I would let Xavier no. I started to notice a divide. It was now Astrid and Alex versus Xavier and I.

I continued my journey to the Cafe but I just couldn't catch a break. Astrid was already standing in line. I groaned as I took my place behind her. At first, she didn't realize that I was standing there but when she did she didn't look excited to see me. Instead, she looked worried.

"Have you talked to Xavier?" She asked, picking at her overgrown fingernails. It took everything in me to not walk away right then and there. I wasn't in the mood for her and her crying.

"Yup" I nodded and left it at that. I didn't want to go into detail about the conversation. I wasn't going to tell her that she got caught in her lie. I thought it would be best if he told her himself.

"I was about to tell him the truth but I couldn't. I just need a little more time." She attempted to excuse her actions but failed. At this point I was tired of hearing her speak. I couldn't take just five minutes of talking with her.

"Well, you don't have much." I hinted. "But do me a favor and just leave me out of this." The line moved forward and I was hoping that she would leave it be. But she didn't. She sighed in frustration.

"You're already involved, Charli and there's nothing you can do about it now. You're either gonna' be my friend and support me or not. Pick your side now." She huffed. For the first time, she looked angry. I immediately lost my craving for coffee. I shook my head at her in disbelief. How could she think even for a moment that I would side with her on this?

"I don't support liars and cheaters." I answered quickly. She took a deep breath and softened her expression. I could see the tears forming in her eyes. But she hurried away before they could fall.

I wonder who the father is. Is anyone feeling sympathy for Astrid? I'm gonna try to update as much as possible this week but I might not have a lot of time on my hands so bear with me.