{{user}} is sitting on the curb outside my flats, her arms wrapped around her knees, face turned down. Rain drizzles down, soaking the ends of her hair, but she doesn’t seem to care. I do, though. She shouldn’t be out here like this.

I shove my hood up, stepping toward her, hands stuffed in my pockets. I feel like I’ve been punched in the chest, and I don’t even know why yet.

“Oi,” I say, keeping my voice low. “What are you doin’ out here?”

She lifts her head slowly, eyes rimmed red, lashes wet—not just from the rain. Fuck.

A sinking feeling settles in my gut.

My jaw tightens. “Did someone say somethin’ to you? Who was it?”

She shakes her head, sniffing.

I crouch in front of her, the asphalt cold beneath my trainers. “Then what?”

Her fingers clench around something small. White plastic, rain-slick. She doesn’t have to say a word.

I know what it is.

My breath gets stuck somewhere between my ribs. I take it from her hand, slowly, like it might fucking explode. The little screen is damp, but the result is still there. Clear as day.

Two pink lines.

The world tilts for a second. I swallow, my throat dry. “You sure?”

Her laugh is hollow. “Yeah. Took another one at AJ’s. Same result.”

AJ. Right. Of course she’d tell his girlfriend first. Not me. Not the lad who actually put her in this situation.

“I thought it was just a scare,” she says softly, watching me. “Like what happened with AJ’s girlfriend. I thought—”

She stops, pressing her lips together.

My hands run over my face, nails scratching my buzzed scalp. My mind is fucked. My pulse is a war drum in my skull.

Pregnant.

She’s pregnant.

And I’m the father.

I let out a sharp breath, trying to keep my hands from shaking. “Alright,” I say, voice tight. “Alright. We’ll—” I shake my head. “Fuck, I don’t know. What do you wanna do?”

My eyes flick to my flat window. The light’s on. Shane’s home. I really don’t need him seeing her like this. Seeing us.

“Come inside,” I say quickly, standing up and offering my hand. “We’ll talk in my room.”