Ashton: You make your way through the grocery store with great difficulty as your two-year-old son hangs on your leg, whining about wanting to leave. “Almost done, Jonah,” you sigh, heading to the fruit aisle. “Y/n?” You hear a voice call behind you. Although it had been over two years since you had heard his voice, you instantly recognize it. “Ashton, hi,” you say with a smile as your ex-boyfriend makes his way over to you. “Hi,” he says, looking as surprised to see you as you felt about seeing him. “How are you?” You ask. “I’m good. The band is good,” he says with a nod. “Good. That always was the number one priority,” you say with a laugh, although you aren’t entirely joking. “Right, right,” Ashton murmurs, clearly remembering when you broke up. “Anyway, how are you?” He asks, sounding genuinely interested, which takes you by surprise. “I’m good. Busy, but good,” you say with a tired smile. “You look great,” he says, “I haven’t seen you in - how long has it been now - a couple years?” He looks to you for help and you answer, “A little over two,” absentmindedly smoothing your son’s curly hair as you speak. “Mom,” Jonah groans, reminding you that he’s here. Ashton looks down at him, noticing him for the first time. “Hi!” Ashton says with a wide smile, waving to the little boy who waves back with a giggle. You watch as Ashton’s smile falters and his eyes grow serious. “How old is he?” Ashton asks you quietly so that Jonah can’t hear. You open your mouth, but no answer comes. Ashton kneels in front of Jonah, smiling at him nervously before asking, “How old are you, buddy?” “Two!” Jonah says proudly. “Two,” Ashton repeats in disbelief. He looks up at you and you bite your lip, not knowing what to say. “Is he -?” Ashton begins, although you know he already knows the answer. You nod, unable to think of words appropriate for the situation. “Oh,” Ashton breathes, looking at the boy in disbelief.
Luke: “Mom, don’t look now but that guy at the table behind you keeps looking over here,” your sixteen-year-old daughter, Bridget murmurs across the table. “Yeah, I think I might have to go beat him up,” her twin, Troy, says through gritted teeth, eyeing the stranger. You turn slowly in your seat to catch a glimpse of the man and you turn back quickly, cursing under your breath. “Mom, language,” Troy laughs. “Who is he?” Bridget asks with growing interest. “An ex-boyfriend,” you tell them, “Before you guys.” “He looks stupid,” Troy says in disgust. You chuckle softly and watch as Bridget looks him over. “He has nice eyes,” she admits. She looks from Luke to Troy and back to Luke before dropping her voice and asking slowly, “Mom, how long before us did you say he was?” “I - why?” You ask, taken aback. Bridget opens her mouth to reply but quickly changes it to, “He’s coming over here!” “Is this seat taken?” You hear a deep, familiar voice ask. “Luke,” you say with an uneasy smile, “Go ahead.” He takes a seat and you shoot a warning glance at your kids, knowing they plan on being rude. “Hi, I’m Luke,” he greets your kids with a smile. Bridget gives him a fake smile and Troy grunts in response. “Lovely kids,” he compliments, looking them over. Luke’s curious eyes meet Troy’s hostile ones and lock, noticing something familiar. “How do you know our mom?” Bridget pipes up. “We were, uh, we were friends,” Luke says, tearing his eyes away from Troy’s. “Interesting,” Troy says, sounding anything but interested. “Be polite,” you say through gritted teeth. “How long ago were you, um, friends?” Bridget presses, looking for the same answer she had been wanting from you. Luke seems surprised by the question, but fires off in reply, “How old are you?” Troy looks from Bridget to Luke in an attempt to follow the action. Bridget clenches her jaw, waiting for Luke’s answer first. “We should get going,” you interrupt, rising from your seat. Troy follows quickly, wanting to get out of the restaurant, but Luke and Bridget stay seated. “It was nice seeing you, Luke,” you say stiffly, “Come on, Bridget.” She moves from her seat, but keeps her eyes locked with Luke’s, challenging him to say something. Luke rises as well, finally turning from your daughter to look to you. “Do they know they’re mine?” He murmurs so that your kids don’t hear. “Let’s get going,” you say, stepping away from Luke. Bridget sends him one last glare and Troy pulls her after him, leaving Luke to look after the family that could’ve been his.
Michael: “Noah! Slow down!” You shout, chasing after your three-year-old son in the lobby of the hotel you were in. He looks back at you, laughing as he sprints behind a plant to hide. “Noah, we have to go!” You try to reason as you follow him. “Gotta catch me!” He laughs, taking off again. You watch with amusement as he runs head on into a man’s suitcase, toppling it over with him on top. “Oh, hey little guy,” the man chuckles, helping your son up and straightening his suitcase as your son takes off again. “I’m so sorry,” you sigh, approaching the man when you recognize him as your ex-boyfriend. “Michael!” You say in surprise. “Hey!” He greets with a smile. “I haven’t seen you since -” “Since you said you never wanted to see me again,” Michael finishes for you. “Is that how it went?” you ask, blushing as you remember the big fight that was the end of you and Michael. He nods slowly, unsure of what to say. You chuckle, shaking your head. “What was that fight even about?” You ask, unable to remember. “It started out being about you not wanting kids,” Michael reminds you, “Then everything just - just went downhill.” “Oh, I remember now,” you say. “If I had only known,” you sigh, glancing at Noah as he continues to run around the room. “Is he yours?” Michael asks, following your eyes to Noah. “Hm? Oh, uh, yeah,” you say as Noah makes his way toward you, out of breath. “I’m tired,” Noah whines, making you and Michael laugh. “Okay, Noah, we better go then,” you chuckle. Noah looks up at Michael and Michael stares back at the face so similar to his own. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Michael murmurs, not looking away from the little boy. “I didn’t think you’d wanna know,” you admit, watching as Michael interacts with his son for the first time. “Hey, Noah,” Michael says nervously. “Hello,” Noah responds with a little yawn. “He’s so precious,” Michael breathes in awe.
Calum: You search frantically through the throng of people at the fair for your six-year-old daughter who had wandered off. Suddenly you hear her familiar laugh and turn to see her talking to a group of men. “I can spin so fast!” She brags before whirling in a circle. “Gabi!” You call, hurrying toward her and breathing a sigh of relief. “What did I say about talking to strangers?” You scold while grabbing her hand in your own. “It’s okay, Mom, they’re nice! And they have funny accents,” she laughs and looks up at them, waving. You follow her eyes and drop her hand, staring in shock at the familiar group of guys in front of you. “Oh,” you say, unable to find any other words. “Hey,” Calum says weakly as the other three wave. “Hey,” you repeat. “How are you?” Calum asks as if the two of you were simply acquaintances, disregarding your complicated history. “I’m good - great,” you say with a stiff smile, “And yourself?” “Great,” Calum says, sounding unconvincing. “Mom, I’m bored,” Gabi sighs, tugging at your hand. “Right,” you say, only half listening to her. “Who is this anyway?” She asks, looking at Calum with curiosity. “It’s your - my, um, friend,” you stutter, looking from her to Calum and only then fully noticing the resemblance. You see Michael and Luke exchange a look before Luke pipes up, “How old is your daughter?” “Six,” Gabi and you respond at the same time. Michael, Luke and Ashton look to Calum as realization dawns on him. “Wanna go get cotton candy?” Ashton offers Gabi. “Mom, can I?” She asks excitedly. “Ya, be safe,” you respond, although your eyes are on Calum as his move from you to Gabi. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” he says once the others were out of earshot. “Can we talk about this later?” You ask. “No,” Calum says sharply, grabbing your hand and pulling you away from the crowd of people. “Why didn’t you tell me I had a daughter?!” Calum repeats. “You left me, Calum!” You point out, getting defensive. “She’s still my daughter!” Calum argues, “I had a right to know!” “You gave up that right when you cheated on me, Calum!” You fight back. “You could’ve at least told me!” he yells. “I wanted to!” You admit. “I didn’t know how! It wasn’t exactly something I could send in a text and I wasn’t ready to see you again.” Before you know what’s happening you feel Calum’s lips on yours, his hands holding the sides of your face firmly. “Calum,” you murmur, pulling away. “Sorry,” he says, looking embarrassed, “I just thought -” You cut him off by pressing your lips to his again, murmuring how much you’ve missed him against his lips.
