Page 114 of Lyric Squared

I stepped intoScriptswith the store’s automatic doors closing behind me. Though I’d never actually seen a pregnancy test or held one in my hand, I was instinctively led to the aisle where there were several lined up. Without a strategy or any preference, I grabbed every brand that was available to me and was not behind the case. Waiting for assistance wasn’t an option.

With speedy steps, I made it to the register in even less time than it had taken me to find the six tests that I laid on the counter. There weren’t any words exchanged between me and the cashier as she grabbed the tests one by one.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

One after the other, she scanned the tests, bagging them as she went. Two bags later, and she finally opened her mouth to speak.

“Sixty-seven eighty is your total. Will that be cash or card?”

“Cash,” I replied as I dug into my pocket to retrieve the wad inside.

I peeled off seventy dollars and tossed it onto the counter. In one hand, she was secretly texting on her cell and in the other hand were the bags she was handing to me. I accepted them and made my way out of the store. The bright lights from inside were quickly traded for the darkness of the night when I stepped into the fresh, crisp air.

Bags in hand, I got situated in my vehicle before pulling out of the parking lot. The drive to Lyric’s wasn’t a short one, but I had every intention of reducing as much time from the journey as possible. I settled in for the ride after sitting the bags on the passenger seat. I was quickly reminded to scrub it clean after Deidra’s presence. It wasn’t anything personal, but she simply didn’t belong there. Nobody did unless their name was Lyric. It was as simple as that.

My adrenaline pumped the entire drive to The Hills. The thought of becoming a father gripped me by the neck and wouldn’t let go. My jaws were locked and not a word crept from my mouth, not even to rap along to the Yo Gotti track that played in the background. My thoughts were consumed with images, so many images of what my next twenty-something years would look like if Lyric was indeed pregnant and the frustration of or current conflict and status sat at the forefront of everything.

Shit wasn’t supposed to happen the way it was happening. I was never supposed to spend so much time away from her. I was never supposed to allow her to think she’d gotten away from me because she hadn’t. She was never supposed to feel alone in any of this because I was more than willing and ready to be by herside. I was kicking my own ass for not practicing patience and popping off so viciously.

Lyric didn’t deserve that, and I was more than happy that she wasn’t willing to accept the poor treatment that I’d displayed on Valentine’s Day. What was supposed to be the perfect day had turned out to be a fucking disaster. That shit still ate away at me. Now, the first memory we’d have of Valentine’s Day was tarnished – and over my bullshit. I was attempting to force her into something that she wasn’t ready for. If I’d just waited two more weeks, we’d be out of the woods and flourishing as a couple.

Open the gate. I shot Lyric a text once I made it to her crib.

The gate opened slowly along with the garage. She was making it clear that it was where she wanted me to park. Instead, I left my car in the driveway and walked through the garage to enter her home. At this point, secrecy was the last thing I was interested in.

“Hi,” Lyric greeted me as I entered.

She’d been waiting for me by the garage door. When I was safely inside, she pressed the button on the wall to lower it. In silence, I examined the redness of her nose and even fluffier eyes.

Quietly, I reached over and pulled Lyric into my chest, kissing her forehead in the process. The feeling of her arms rounding my body caused a shift in me. There was no doubt about it. I loved this fucking girl, deeply and unconditionally. No matter how the last four weeks might have seemed, my love for her never wavered. It only intensified during our separation.

Loud, uncontrollable sobs escaped her body. She was a total mess, but admittedly, she was my mess. The time we’d spent apart was even more complicated than the time we’d spent together. I never wanted to go back to that so whatever wasnecessary to get back to one another, I was ready and willing to do.

Feeling Lyric suddenly pull away caused furrowed brows and a questionable stare. I watched as she plugged her nose and ran in the opposite direction. My instincts were to follow, so it was exactly what I did. By the time I made it to the guest bathroom downstairs, her head was in the toilet and heaving.

I tossed the bags with the pregnancy tests inside on the counter and lowered myself to the floor beside her. As she continued to release whatever was upsetting her stomach, I proceeded to rub her back in circular motions. When the gagging ended and she could finally catch a breath, Lyric wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her shirt and fell backward onto the wall beside the toilet. The distance she’d put between us nearly had me sick to my stomach as well.

“Get out, Keanu,” she said, quietly and a bit too calm for my comfort.

“Fuck you mean, Lyric?” I retorted, standing to my feet.

“I meant get out! I can identify cheap ass perfume from a mile away and the one that your company chose to wear is lingering on your clothes. Still fresh.” She gagged, but nothing came up.

I flatlined. Or, at least, it felt as if I did. So, it was to my surprise that I was able to sigh in frustration and disappointment. I’d been weak in the flesh less than an hour ago, ready and willing to allow Deidra to do things to me that I’d quickly regret knowing that Lyric was only a phone call away. But we were both too stubborn.

“Lyric,” I started to explain but fell short of words.

Quiet, thick tears fell down her cheeks. She swiftly wiped them one by one, determined to save face. It wasn’t necessary. The pain she felt couldn’t have been compared to the pain I was feeling for causing it.

“We don’t have to be together. I’ve come to terms with this, but that doesn’t make any of this hurt any less,” she told me.

I watched as she pulled her knees up to her chest and then buried her face between them. Naturally, my desire to comfort her caused me to step forward, but I was quickly reminded of her sensitivity to smell so I stepped back. This time, though, I put even more distance between us. The last thing I wanted to do was make her any sicker.

“Yes, we do,” I assured her, “because there’s no one else in the world that can satisfy our souls like each other.”